# Opinions on 88 note weighted controllers



## companyofquail (Jan 29, 2021)

hello all. i am not a piano player but i do enjoy a quality instrument to enter my data with into my midi recorder. the best one i have used is a kawai vpc1. i also like the privia series keyboards, especially the ones from the past few years. i was just curious what you all use and what you like and dislike about them. most likely i will end up with a native instruments s88, but i have also thought about maybe getting some other keybarod and using maschine as my interface and nks browser. i figured this would be a fun discussion with some insight to what people use.


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## PaulieDC (Jan 31, 2021)

The S88 uses the Fatar TP100 keybed which as a piano player you may find disappointing. If you don't need many controls on the controller (ha), here's my take on the StudioLogic SL88 Grand with the TP/40-WOOD keybed, better suited for a pianist, but a VPC-1 it's not.


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## cloudbuster (Jan 31, 2021)

I'm on the road right now with a 'Swissonic' xyz 61 key controller which isn't that bad and with 5kg can be shipped around cheaply but I sorely miss my Yamaha Motif ES8 keys.


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## SupremeFist (Jan 31, 2021)

If you're not a piano player you can't really go wrong with the NI keyboards like the S88; the software integration is pretty awesome and the pretty lights are pretty. (I am primarily a piano player so prefer to use a Roland FP10 digital piano as my controller.)


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## rojarvi (Feb 1, 2021)

The best advice I can give is put on you hazmat suit and go out and test the keybed yourself in a store if possible. Feel of the keybed is highly subjective matter - tech specs you can learn from forums etc but no one can tell you how the keybed feels to you.

For example, Kawai VPC1 is generally highly praised for its keybed. But to me, with piano background and still occasionally playing acoustic pianos, it was too "sluggish" feeling. Touch weight was a tad higher than Yamaha U1 acoustic piano but how I perceived the weight when playing was totally different story. Much heavier feel. I returned it and afterwards I've been able to test eg. Roland FP-90 and Yamaha P-515 both of them feeling better to me even if P-515 is getting some bashing around internet from being "too heavy". Heck, I find my trusty Kawai ES110 on par with VPC1 overall even if it is much more flimsy and with noisy keybed floor etc. 

Some might think for non-piano MIDI work keybed is not that critical but I think it's still the most important factor. Maybe those higher category NI and Studiologic stuff is what suits most.


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