Help with a new portable midi keyboard please!!

[TwoWays]

Why hasn't anyone come up with a modular design, yet? One could simply buy one or more additional octaves, remove the right end piece, plug in one or more additional octaves, plug in the end piece again and there you go, from 25 to 88 keys within a minute

This is future! you got the perfect idea ahah

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

The microkontrol looks very good, but doesn't seem to be "portable" also the microkey 37 is too long for a backpack I think.. I'm actually stuck between waiting for the alesis one or just take the oxygen or mpk mini..
Axiom air mini? I'm not reading good stuff about it..
Nektar is too big!! just checked dimensions of each one

a few of those you have listed are not great with their space.

checked the akai faq to see if they had added velocity curves, but seems to not be the case.

i still am wary of anything m-audio, and the more buttons, functions etc, the more i'd steer clear

one that you seemed to have missed is the novation launchkey mini. looks like a good use of the small space

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F9S ... AXQAGQXJUJ



no pitch/mod wheels though, but comes with a nice little software package

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Why hasn't anyone come up with a modular design, yet? One could simply buy one or more additional octaves, remove the right end piece, plug in one or more additional octaves, plug in the end piece again and there you go, from 25 to 88 keys within a minute

This way one could also use the keyboard much longer as one could replace an octave module when a key is broken.

[NightofNi]

The microkontrol looks very good, but doesn't seem to be "portable" also the microkey 37 is too long for a backpack I think.. I'm actually stuck between waiting for the alesis one or just take the oxygen or mpk mini..
Axiom air mini? I'm not reading good stuff about it..
Nektar is too big!! just checked dimensions of each one

IK also has the 37 minikeys iRig, it's much smaller and lighter than the Korg but still nice to play. I have both.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

QuNexus 25 non-standard keys, very portable and robust, and it even has polyphonic aftertouch. The lit keys also serve as pads.

looks great

[TwoWays]

The microkontrol looks very good, but doesn't seem to be "portable" also the microkey 37 is too long for a backpack I think.. I'm actually stuck between waiting for the alesis one or just take the oxygen or mpk mini..
Axiom air mini? I'm not reading good stuff about it..
Nektar is too big!! just checked dimensions of each one

a few of those you have listed are not great with their space.

checked the akai faq to see if they had added velocity curves, but seems to not be the case.

i still am wary of anything m-audio, and the more buttons, functions etc, the more i'd steer clear

one that you seemed to have missed is the novation launchkey mini. looks like a good use of the small space

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F9S ... AXQAGQXJUJ



no pitch/mod wheels though, but comes with a nice little software package

I checked dimensions after posting the thread. the nektar is huge for a 25 key, also the oxygen could seem too fat, but it fits in my friend's backpack.
The novation one seems solid, but pitch/mod wheels are very useful to me..

[TwoWays]

The microkontrol looks very good, but doesn't seem to be "portable" also the microkey 37 is too long for a backpack I think.. I'm actually stuck between waiting for the alesis one or just take the oxygen or mpk mini..
Axiom air mini? I'm not reading good stuff about it..
Nektar is too big!! just checked dimensions of each one

IK also has the 37 minikeys iRig, it's much smaller and lighter than the Korg but still nice to play. I have both.

iRig looks great and it's just a lil bit longer than an oxygen 25, but it has no knobs :/

[NightofNi]

Unfortunately I've never seen a 37 minikey keyboard with both modwheel, pitch, pads and knobs. Would've been cool. I'd prefer 37 keys to pads and knobs though, I'd get bored of 25 keys really fast.

The absolutely smallest 37 key (and cheapest) I found is this, but it's a bit heavier than the iRig
http://www.miditech.de/211-produkte-i2-garage-key-mini

[TwoWays]

The thing is if I get a 37 keys without pads and other stuff it will become useless once I come back home. I have a 61 key there and I won't use the 37 key if I can use a 61. If I buy something with pads I can use it at home too..

[sam_fishman]

Do you know if some midi keyboards didn't work in some DAWs or music notation editors ?

[bailees7irish]

I don't think alesis has semi-weighted keys, it looks very cool, but it's not released yet I think. and I'll need one very soon.. I'd prefer "full" keys, but mini keys are good too

Yes, they're semi-weighted.

[AB69]

Anyone know when the Alesis VI25 is coming out?

[Synchanter]

The keyboard is usually low quality and/or cramped on these basic controllers so try before you buy if you can!

[AB69]

If I plan on making dance music such as techno and trance is it better to have synth or semi weighted keys?

[rod_zero]

If I plan on making dance music such as techno and trance is it better to have synth or semi weighted keys?

Sem weighted and synth action are not actually standard, so manufacturers use them anyway they want and pretty much just mean that the keyboard i not weighted. You have to try the keyboards your self to know if you like how them feel.

But since you are asking if this is important for an specific genre I would guess you don't know how to play keys. You don't need an specific kind of action for an specific genre, it depens on the instrument and the only ones that requiere using a weighted keyboard (because the real instrument has it) are pianos and electric pianos.