# I need a hammerweight pro MIDI keyboard



## ein fisch (Jun 4, 2019)

As my Studiologic SL88Grand broke again and im done with their garbage customer service and repair costs i would like to move on to another keyboard controller from another company.

I remember browsing alot trough different sites when i fell my decision on a midi keyboard. Theres just too much good stuff out there, so i would love to hear from long term music workers what they use and most important: how long the product lasted. Some additional info on how long you are using it each day etc would be good aswell

I am a hobby pianist and therefore would love if it hammer weighted keys with a real piano feel to them.

Thanks and have a good week


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## TomislavEP (Jun 4, 2019)

Personally, I'm using Studiologic SL 990 Pro in my studio and I have yet to find a finer piano controller. Although SL 990 Pro has even heavier feel than most of the grand / upright pianos I have experience with and also most of the 88-key keyboards I'm (was) using, it is perfect for my personal style and taste. I think that Fatar keys themselves offer the finest piano response, though (of course), it is all a matter of personal preference.

As an alternative from a personal experience, I can recommend stage pianos from Kurzweil which also use Fatar keybed, but they're perhaps somewhat lighter than SL 990 Pro. I have Kurzweil SP4 myself which I'm using as a stage piano for live performances. As for the additional controller for virtual instruments, my choice is M-Audio Axiom 49. It has all the faders and knobs I could possibly need, but sometimes I wish I've gone with the 61-key version instead for an easier work with keyswitches.

Although I've never had an actual opportunity to try them firsthand, perhaps you should also consider MIDI controllers from Native Instruments. Their 88-key model looks like the winner, but it is also quite pricey, considering it's not a standalone keyboard.


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## puremusic (Jun 4, 2019)

Why not go for a slab digital piano w/midi instead of a midi controller type of instrument?


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## TomislavEP (Jun 4, 2019)

puremusic said:


> Why not go for a slab digital piano w/midi instead of a midi controller type of instrument?



Yes, this is definitely also a possibility if you don't need mobility. There are plenty of fine choices there, though Yamaha (Clavinova) and Kurzweil come to my mind first. Personally, I have an upright piano from Yamaha so I didn't really needed a digital alternative. And since I have a personal preference for Fatar keybed, I've choose Studiologic MIDI controller for studio and Kurzweil stage piano for live work.


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## EvilDragon (Jun 4, 2019)

Roland FP-90/RD-2000 provide a better keybed than any Fatar IMHO.


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## hdsmile (Jun 4, 2019)

I use StudioLogic Numa Nero 88 weighted key Controller Keyboard, a bit old one, but is absolute amazing keyboard action, if you can find one on sale


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## Maximvs (Jun 4, 2019)

Yamaha CP4 is a great options with a great key bed with wooden keys.

Cheers, Max T.


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## AllanH (Jun 4, 2019)

The best most "GP-like" actions I've tried are: the Kawai MP11 and the Roland RD-2000.


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## ein fisch (Jun 5, 2019)

puremusic said:


> Why not go for a slab digital piano w/midi instead of a midi controller type of instrument?


I would like to play in my virtual orchestra aswell


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## Ben (Jun 5, 2019)

EvilDragon said:


> Roland FP-90/RD-2000 provide a better keybed than any Fatar IMHO.


The Roland FP-30 has the same mechanics as the FP-90, but cost less.


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## EvilDragon (Jun 5, 2019)

Doesn't have the same action. FP-30 is PHA-IV, FP-90/RD-2000 is PHA-50.


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## Ben (Jun 5, 2019)

True, didn't know that. Back when I bought my FP-30 it was the latest key mechanic.


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## dasbin (Jun 5, 2019)

If you're on a budget, go play a Roland FP-10 (brand new keyboard - same action as the FP-30 but cheaper) and a Yamaha P45. I think the actions on both beat any MIDI controller.
The Roland is considered by most to be the superior action to the Yamaha, but I personally found the opposite. I think Yamaha have made some recent improvements to their GHS action; it's now much quieter. Overall the Yamaha felt much more precisely-made (no side-to-side play in the key mechanisms) and didn't have the weird key "bounce" at the top & bottom of travel that Roland did. That said, the velocity curve it sends in MIDI is way off and I had to adjust it in software. There are definite compromises to either choice, but the actual mechanical feel of both the keybeds is still superior to pretty much any Fatar IMO.

At the top end, I preferred the Roland PHA-50 action to the Yamaha NWX action which is much heavier. If you have the money the Roland FP-90 or RD-2000 are great feeling keyboards. The RD-2000 has two modwheels and a bunch of encoders and faders, but be aware that apparently all the faders get assigned to the same MIDI CC (but on different MIDI channels) so only one fader is usable... unless you can figure out some software solution for combining multiple MIDI channels while changing the CC of each one.


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## AlexRuger (Jun 5, 2019)

Totally shameless, but if you want true hammer action and you live in LA, I'm selling an old Roland MKB-1000. It feels as "real piano"-y as you can get.


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## ManBitesSound (Jun 5, 2019)

love the Roland MKB-1000


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## steveo42 (Jun 6, 2019)

EvilDragon said:


> Roland FP-90/RD-2000 provide a better keybed than any Fatar IMHO.



Has Roland come up with a fix for the random loud note triggering on the RD-2000? People seem to be having problems but there is no official diagnosis as to what is causing the problem. I have not seen any complaints with the FP-90 though which is strange seeing as it uses the same action. That would indicate a firmware type problem or something else unique to the RD-2000 like a flat cable etc..


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## puremusic (Jun 6, 2019)

Hadn't heard of this till you mentioned it. I have an FP-90, no issues.


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## EvilDragon (Jun 6, 2019)

Yeah didn't hear about that one either.


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## dasbin (Jun 6, 2019)

I've heard about that, but... might only happen on the internal soundbank? I have RD-2000's specced out on musical theatre shows I've been working on; it's been months of shows every single night with MIDI into Mainstage without a single issue like that. Probably millions of keypresses.


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## steveo42 (Jun 6, 2019)

The FB RD 2000 group has a thread starting on 4/29/19 https://www.facebook.com/groups/615248902018527/ 

Also Roland Clan has a thread.. Various examples on YouTube as well.. http://forums.rolandclan.com/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=54916

Reddit:


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## Matt Riley (Jun 6, 2019)

The Kawai MP11 is the very best keyboard action I've ever played. I did a lot of research and tried a lot of keyboards (including the RD2000) when I was looking for a controller. I bought a used MP11 on Ebay and love it. The only issue I've had with it is that Logic sometimes doesn't recognize note-off when recording. It's annoying but I live with it because the action is amazing.


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## Dunshield (Jun 6, 2019)

ein fisch said:


> As my Studiologic SL88Grand broke again and im done with their garbage customer service and repair costs i would like to move on to another keyboard controller from another company.



Happy Kawai VPC-1 user here. In a shoot out I did some years ago I clearly preferred the VPC-1's hammer action above the MP-11 action. That was a weird conclusion at first as I expected the MP-11's action to win since it was a later development of the action found in the VPC-1. But no, the VPC-1 won me over easily. It is slightly heavier than the MP-11 action, and that heavier feel makes it more like a real piano. I have an upright Yamaha 108 model sitting right next to the VPC-1 in my studio. The VPC-1 holds its own. But I can totally see why people would prefer the MP-11 or other actions. It is advised that you try these out for yourself, we all have a different taste.

Note that the VPC-1 has NO internal sounds, it is just a keyboard; just the hammer action and midi-translation, nothing more.


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