Need recommendation for a 49-key midi keyboard

[rockstar_not]

I had an M-Audio Oxygen 49 - I hated the keyfeel. I bought it on firesale from Audio-Midi and regretted nearly all the time that I had it.

I wouldn't buy any controller keyboard based on specs alone. Select from those that you can try out personally.

Someone up the thread suggested paying attention to how the board is powered. I would get one that can be powered externally as well as via bus. The Oxygen series from M-Audio used to have a wall-wart and could be powered via bus. Now they are USB powered only.

-Scott

[NAD]

Do yourself a huge favor and get yourself a Roland A-49. I'm serious.
http://www.roland.com/products/en/A-49/

This is the keyboard I got after returning my brand-new Akai MPK88 which I had been drooling over for years only to be bitterly disappointed when I finally got it. Very poor quality built, and when it comes down to it, it turns out I don't really use the buttons and sliders that much.

So I brought it back and got this Roland keyboard which surprised me having such a great feel without any hammer-action or weighted keys. I seriously didn't think regular non-weighted keyboards could feel this great and it makes playing my virtual instruments so addicting! Needless to say, I'm really happy with this purchase and wholeheartedly recommend it. (I even got a second one for gigging!)

Some other things I like about it:
- It's nice and light (though feels fairly sturdy, much more so than that clunky super heavy AKAI keyboard).
- I really like the combined mod/pitch-wheel joystick thing, though I realize this might not be for everyone.
- There's a nifty indicator that shows you what octave you're at if you shift octaves. I find this very handy!
- Then there's the built in "D-Beam" laser hand-wavy thing which is cool though I'm not sure if I'll use it very much.
- And it's got nine different velocity curves which work rather nicely.

No after-touch though. Just buy the damn thing, OK? But not because I told you to.

EDIT:
It's only bus-powered, though you can get adapters for USB to regular wall sockets in just about any convenience store nowadays.
Plus, it's available at Halilit if you have one nearby (don't pay full price)!
ANOTHER EDIT:
Make that 12 velocity curves.

[nofrets]

Just bought a Samson Graphite 49 this weekend, largely on the recommendation of Craig Anderton's review over at Harmony Central. Great semi-weighted keyboard, aftertouch, and Mackie Control emulation. I'm thrilled with it so far.

Patrick

[MrDuke]

Just bought a Samson Graphite 49 this weekend, largely on the recommendation of Craig Anderton's review over at Harmony Central. Great semi-weighted keyboard, aftertouch, and Mackie Control emulation. I'm thrilled with it so far.

Patrick

I also recently bought a Graphite 49, after reading recommendations and that particular Anderton review.

However, I'm struggling with it. The amount of sliders and buttons is great, as is the instant integration with Mackie-controlled software, such as Logic. It's also great size (perfect for a small home studio desk) and light weight. But the keyboard seems very poorly built and noisy.

By far the biggest problem I have though, is that I'm struggling to find an even velocity response with it. Like, if I play a chord with a Rhodes plugin, some of the notes are way louder than others...it doesn't come off as "full".

I've tried all the various keyboard velocity settings, and pretty much the only one that work for me are the "Expanded" (or something) or "Even 100".

Any other experiences like this? I realize it's not a "premium" product by any means, and I did notice the flimsy keyboard action while trying it in-store before purchase, but I thought it should be able to handle this better.

[VariKusBrainZ]

Novation SL MkII.
Good build quality, nice keybed, lots of features

Akai Miniak
Pretty cheap and has the Alesis Micron synth engine, which is a smaller form factor Ion

Both get good reviews

[V0RT3X]

Best synth-action ones I've ever played on were the Cakewalk A-800 pro, A-500 pro keyboards.

I highly recommend the Roland stuff! Korg also makes good feeling keyboards too.

[zvenx]

.....
I wouldn't buy any controller keyboard based on specs alone. Select from those that you can try out personally.
........

-Scott

Huge +1...

feel is such a personal thing.
rsp

[Spitfire31]

Best synth-action ones I've ever played on were the Cakewalk A-800 pro, A-500 pro keyboards.

I highly recommend the Roland stuff! Korg also makes good feeling keyboards too.

Emphatic +1 on the A-500 Pro. The only con is that AT is really stiff, even if you dial in the most sensitive setting. Apart from that, a winner IMHO.

/Joachim

[Aubrey Lamont]

I had an M-Audio Oxygen 49 - I hated the keyfeel. I bought it on firesale from Audio-Midi and regretted nearly all the time that I had it.

Interesting. My girlfriend (an experienced piano player) and I played around with every keyboard in the $50-$150 range at various Guitar Centers and found that the Oxygen felt the best (though still FAR from perfect).

Maybe M-Audio has poor quality control and you ended up with a bad apple?

[BBFG#]

I had an M-Audio Oxygen 49 - I hated the keyfeel. I bought it on firesale from Audio-Midi and regretted nearly all the time that I had it.

Interesting. My girlfriend (an experienced piano player) and I played around with every keyboard in the $50-$150 range at various Guitar Centers and found that the Oxygen felt the best (though still FAR from perfect).

Maybe M-Audio has poor quality control and you ended up with a bad apple?

I've played a few of them and the Oxy, by far, felt the worst to me. It's important to remember that most of these will loosen up with continual playing too. But the only MAudio that ever felt decent to me are the hammer action 88's. Rolands have always felt good out of the box but loosen up too quick and just don't hold up over time for me. Novation Impulse feels okay and holds up okay also except for the sliders which just feel cheap and sometimes don't 'grab' the software immediately, so you have do it more than a couple of times to get them to respond.

Another thing to remember is what software you're running with it and some software has to have a modulation wheel and not a joystick or otherwise you get into having to add CC's to compensate for it. (Which can get annoying).

All the ones on the market make me feel like I'll have to settle for it.

Add: What I use now is a StudioLogic88 and an Emu Xboard61.
I'm hoping for something better to come out, but if I get stuck at having to buy new ones, they'll probably be the Akai MPKs.

[pinbot]

I happen to own a 25 key Novation ReMOTE SL Compact, and it has everything you need. I know you weren't looking for drum pads and my ReMOTE SL Compact has 8, but the reason why I bought this MIDI controller is because of its huge display (backlit) that shows up to 8 parameters & the parameter values all at once. Has 8 encoders, 8 buttons, has 4 groups for the encoders & buttons, and even though you might believe that you can control up to 32 parameters for the buttons, and 32 parameters for the encoders, you virtually have access to all the parameters for any software synthesizer & effect you have. It comes with Novation's AUTOMAP software that makes associating it with popular software synthesizers & DAWs a BREEZE! If you decide to buy one, let me know. I can help you set it up, and get you running in absolutely N O time at all!

[bvc]

They're all crap. Get an older second-hand synth if you want something built with attention to quality and that handles like a real instrument and not a cheap toy. You'll probably pay less than you would for one of these new pieces of garbage designed to fail after 3 years. It won't do as much as a dedicated controller, but having something that feels like an actual playable instrument that won't break down on you mid-gig is worth it. If you buy new, just remember, companies are trying to save every penny possible during this horrid economy. Go to a local music shop and play around if you want an idea of just how grim it is.

Also beware: the couple that do feel somewhat solid either don't output velocity consistently or don't cover the whole range of velocity reliably. I'm my honest opinion, none of what's available today is worth purchasing in the way of MIDI controllers.

I go to stores once a month on average, always with some hope, but I'm always disappointed.

[Bubbamusic]

Get a good 88-key master keyboard or digital piano and rip out the 39 keys you don't need
You're welcome, glad I could help...

Great idea!

[pinbot]

Get a good 88-key master keyboard or digital piano and rip out the 39 keys you don't need
You're welcome, glad I could help...

Great idea!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!

[MrDuke]

They're all crap. Get an older second-hand synth if you want something built with attention to quality and that handles like a real instrument and not a cheap toy.

I realize now this is what I should've done. Like, an old DX7, or something... The thing is, though - you can't get them in 49 keys, they're big and heavy, and lack any DAW control whatsoever. And you have to use a MIDI port with MIDI cables.

What you said isn't entirely true though, I think the Roland/Cakewalk/Edirol keyboards are very solid. Or the new M-Audio Air line. But you will have to pay 400-500 for one, which is insane for a 49-key MIDI keyboard.

By the way - most people seemed to have responded to the OP, I actually revived this thread (see my post above) because I bought the Samson Graphite 49 and wanted to get other opinions on it...