KVR Audio

Karmacomposer · Post by **Karmacomposer** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 2:42 pm

I had a Korg Kontrol49 and disliked it - never used it. I have a Korg Karma and the Kontrol49 keyboard was the same. Very 'synthy' - and I was really looking for something more 'piano like'.

I tried all of them at Sam Ash. The M Audio felt cheap and mushy and even the expensive keyboard controllers felt plastic and cheap. Finally, I tried out the CME UF8. I bought it immediately.

It is a SOLID built controller and looks much like a Yamaha Motif - and considering the person that designed the Motif designed this controller - it makes sense.

The key action on the UF8 is superb! Springy, yet it feels like my Kimbal upright piano. In a word, it's a pleasure. Fun to play and I can play quick riffs and runs on it with ease. This is NOT a travelling controller, so if you are looking for light weight, get anything but this. The UF8 especially is a monster (weighs a ton - it's made of metal, wood and other heavy materials). As a studio controller (like mine), it's perfect.

The knobs feel great and the sliders feel good too. I love the data rotary controller with lights - nice touch and cool for clients to look at. It has 9 buttons for selection and nice 3-digit LED for settings. It has another two button that control the pan pots / rotary knobs and a fantastic little addition - buttons for controlling playback / stop / FF and rewind - and record - what a great addition! There's even a place for your keyboard (computer) or whatever else you wish to put on it (no liquids tho - are you crazy???)

So, what's wrong with the UF8? Only one thing as I can tell. USB DRIVER.

Yep, its USB driver is SHIT. Simply put, it rarely works right and makes the keyboard do strange things. It messes with the computer system and sometimes simply fails.

There is a fix, however. Use its MIDI output instead. Since I did that, it works perfectly and has never caused me any more grief. Every slider and button works from what I can tell. Until they make a more stable USB driver (which I would prefer to use just because I like USB, no other technical reason than that), I will continue to use MIDI.

Overall, the CME UF8 is the best controller on the market - for what it has, how it's built and how it feels.

If it's built in a chinese sweat shop, I feel bad about that - but it's in Sam Ash and I would buy it anyway. If the chinese gov't allows such terrible things, I guess that's a problem for the chinese people to deal with on their own.

I feel like I bought a 88-key Yamaha Motif for around $500 - NICE.

Mike

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:10 pm

Thanks for the interesting post, Mike ... I've been thinking about getting one of these for the studio, but i may wait 'til they sort the USB problems out

Dave

Kingston · Post by **Kingston** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:15 pm

thecontrolcentre wrote:Thanks for the interesting post, Mike ... I've been thinking about getting one of these for the studio, but i may wait 'til they sort the USB problems out

Dave

I'll vouch for the USB problems on the UF series as well. I've been using the UF7 since early this year, and it's been a great controller... as long as I always use the midi output, and never the USB.

Basically I get 10 second unexplainable control data drop outs a few times a day with the USB. and never with the midi output. So as long as you never use the USB, you should be fine.

(although the great transport buttons only work through USB.. and it's a bitch having it unutilised)

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:26 pm

Kingston wrote: I get 10 second unexplainable control data drop outs a few times a day with the USB. and never with the midi output. So as long as you never use the USB, you should be fine.

(although the great transport buttons only work through USB.. and it's a bitch having it unutilised)

The control buttons would be pretty important to me ... i wanted it to replace my current seperate controller and keyboard arrangement ... reckon i'll stick with what i have for now ... cheers @kingston

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:34 pm

[edit] Never mind. I can't resist, and am taking a loan from the Bank of Millicent Skunkette so I can buy xuanvu's CF6.

Kingston · Post by **Kingston** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 3:50 pm

thecontrolcentre wrote:The control buttons would be pretty important to me ... i wanted it to replace my current seperate controller and keyboard arrangement ... reckon i'll stick with what i have for now ... cheers @kingston

just so there's no confusion, it's just the *transport* buttons that don't work without the USB (those six buttons play/stop/rec/rewind/etc)

or maybe they do? I just haven't figured out how. could be they're sending some esoteric sysex being ignored by cubase right now (they don't really work anywhere else anyway). time to investigate.

Karmacomposer · Post by **Karmacomposer** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:33 pm

From what I understand, they do work with MIDI - but you have to find out the cc numbers and them manually "learn" them for your DAW or sequencer of choice - assuming it can do MIDI learn.

Perhaps a utility that shows the MIDI control number when you press a button, slider or knob would be of good avantage here? If anyone knows such a program, please pass the name along.

Mike

Kingston · Post by **Kingston** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 9:41 pm

Karmacomposer wrote:Perhaps a utility that shows the MIDI control number when you press a button, slider or knob would be of good avantage here? If anyone knows such a program, please pass the name along.

Mike

I just tested and verified that the transport buttons do indeed work with just the normal midi out. No I just need to sort out a way to make them work in cubase.. seems that different generic control device settings are needed for it. The USB scheme is different.

the software I used to verify this (the one I always use for problems like this) is called simply MIDI Monitor, by microsoft. It's very old, but it works flawlessly and has all the features I would need for trouble shooting.

gunnare · Post by **gunnare** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 10:09 pm

From what I understand, they do work with MIDI - but you have to find out the cc numbers and them manually "learn" them for your DAW or sequencer of choice - assuming it can do MIDI learn.

As a developer I dont like that, because we often use all the CC numbers to control a synth, and if you also use CC to control your DAW you know what will happen: You will change the sound of the synth too. So it is not a good solution.

I like the look of the UF keyboards. It is strange that almost all the available controllers is copies of the first oxygen8 with silver colour, with similar shortcomings: No easy way to select patches and a powersupply that get damaged in my bag.

I want a contoller in black or a nice colour, with wood ends, 8x8 patch selector buttons, and a control panel that you can open like a minimoog that has many knobs and buttons that can send cc messages (As most controllers to). And I want built in powersubbly, and built-in soundcard like the M-audio ozone or ozonic. Ozonic is great, but it just looks so ugly. And the built in soundcard for CME UF series is too expensive. The CME keyboards without audio-interface has a very good price, and they look good.

All the best
gunnar

Fabriciom · Post by **Fabriciom** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 2:47 pm

Hello everyone, I'm also looking into buying a UF7 but my current worries are that I can't find a memory bank on the unit. Does it exist? Can you program various settings and store them in memory for later recall? The deal being that I want to have a setup to control Pro Tools with the knobs and sliders and other setups to control my virtual instruments.

-Thanks

gunnare · Post by **gunnare** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 2:21 pm

Fabriciom wrote:Hello everyone, I'm also looking into buying a UF7 but my current worries are that I can't find a memory bank on the unit. Does it exist? Can you program various settings and store them in memory for later recall? The deal being that I want to have a setup to control Pro Tools with the knobs and sliders and other setups to control my virtual instruments.

-Thanks

No, there is just one memory, only last settings is remembered. Even the old Ozone can outperform that.

The UF5 has been my favourite on my wish list until today when I discovered this:
http://line6.com/toneport/kb37.html

It has the look I have been looking for. I fear that this only has one memory too. I see 4 knobs in the front. If these could have programmed CC numbers and you had 4 presets to program settings it could actually be very good.

gunnare

gunnare · Post by **gunnare** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 2:25 pm

On the KB37 I dont see any way to change presets like you can on other controllers.

http://line6.com/toneport/collectionPopup/popup_02.html

gunnare · Post by **gunnare** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:30 pm

Noticed some news yesterday for the UF keybords:

Waldorf is making two plug-in synths for the UF-series

Nano synth and a piano module.

Has anyone tried them yet? I think they are just released. And one UF keyboard can have both modules at the same time.

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:06 pm

I'm definitely enjoying the UF6 I bought from xuanvu. The lack of memory is no big deal to me, I rarely assign controllers the same way from one session to the next anyway. Keys are stiffer than the toylike Evo I've been using but that's a plus IMO. I'm still not sure why it behaves as it does sometimes. Might be those long-running driver issues. But all in all it's a HUGE step up for me.

Kingston · Post by **Kingston** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:21 pm

gunnare wrote:Noticed some news yesterday for the UF keybords:

Waldorf is making two plug-in synths for the UF-series

Nano synth and a piano module.

Has anyone tried them yet? I think they are just released. And one UF keyboard can have both modules at the same time.

from waldorf?

links! NOW!

CME UF5 Controller Keyboard - First impressions