What's new

88 note midi keyboard recommendations

oh thanks for mentioning the casio privia. i looked it up and it's very cool indeed. they also mentioned in the description that most casio's digital pianos can be used as midi controllers. will keep an eye on them. too bad this one doesn't have mod wheels.
 
Privia key action is very good and very underrated. If you want to a good grand hammer action to use with your piano libraries without breaking the bank then look no further. They don't have a mod-wheel though.

In my case, i'm fine with no mod-wheel since i have my 10000 sliders (lol) korg Kronos 61 keys for controlling kontakt instruments.
 
I have a keyboard that suits me well (because the mechanics of the keys does not make noise) is the Roland A88 (which is no longer manufactured), but did not have enough control knobs. I solved the problem by adding a Korg NanoKontrol (why not add a mini keyboard with wheel modulation, like NI Kontrol A25?).
 
I have a keyboard that suits me well (because the mechanics of the keys does not make noise) is the Roland A88 (which is no longer manufactured), but did not have enough control knobs. I solved the problem by adding a Korg NanoKontrol (why not add a mini keyboard with wheel modulation, like NI Kontrol A25?).
If you just need a mod-wheel and you have an iphone, you can download an app called "Weeel!" and let it control the mod wheel in Kontakt over wifi. You just need to install a PC app for that called "rtpMidi". If you're on OSX, Midi over wifi will work right out the box.
 
Last edited:
If you just need a mod-wheel and you have an iphone, you can download an app called "Weeel!" and let it control the mod wheel in Kontakt over wifi. You just need to install a PC app for that called "rtpMidi". If you're on OSX, Midi over wifi will work right out the box.

That's a good one. I ended up creating my own MOD wheel in TouchOSC, best $6 I ever spent. I use it instead of the touch strip on my S88, and can place the iPhone wherever I want.
 
Your best bet is to try a few out before deciding, it all comes down to personal preference. For me, the action is a bit heavier than my old M-Audio Keystation 88, but definitely not fully weighted. I personally like it.
Thanks but the GC here sucks :( Little to try on display
 
to the original poster,

i was in the same situation and i decided to go with studiologic numa compact 2. have a look here and here.

my findings are that big names like yamaha, roland, casio don't care about MIDI controllers, or us for that matter.

their digital pianos selections are the best you can get that are close to the real thing. but they don't come with mod or pitch wheels or even MIDI for some. having external devices for pitch and modulation is a no-no and not worth it. (i heard it spikes up CPU usage in cubase for example...)

we want a all-in-one package. our software wants it too.

that said, please keep their offerings in mind: casio privia px series, roland fp series, and yamaha p series. their demos are astounding and blew my mind!

the numa compact 2 surprised me with a few things: the internal speakers are better than i thought. i can play this instrument by itself without cubase and my computer now has extra good speakers. (well you guys probably have great speakers to begin with so this wouldn't apply...)

the keys are great. i have no idea what the name fatar is or represents. but people who know say it's great and i believe them. (sorry m-audio hammer-action 88...)

the zones thingy is new to me but i like it. you can map instruments to be in a "low" zone (say bass) and another to the "upper" zone (say organ, strings, etc.).

the integrated sound bank (a.piano, e.piano, bass, orchestra, organ, synth, etc.) is not bad at all.

i went with compact 2 instead of compact 2x, mind you, because the former has less buttons even though the 2x is newer.

i don't care about buttons and switches. in fact, i want a simple design. (sorry nektar impact lx88...) i only needed wheels to make my playing feel natural on, say, strings and such. the sticks are not wheels but they function the same way.

also, all the buttons are effects and mixing buttons like reverb, chorus, flanger, etc. not DJ buttons or pad buttons (sorry nektar again...)

oh, and it has a headphones port the size of my index finger. i have no idea what that port is but i do need an adapter for it.

but so far, i am happy and i can tell people to consider it :)
 
to the original poster,

i was in the same situation and i decided to go with studiologic numa compact 2. have a look here and here.

my findings are that big names like yamaha, roland, casio don't care about MIDI controllers, or us for that matter.

their digital pianos selections are the best you can get that are close to the real thing. but they don't come with mod or pitch wheels or even MIDI for some. having external devices for pitch and modulation is a no-no and not worth it. (i heard it spikes up CPU usage in cubase for example...)

we want a all-in-one package. our software wants it too.

that said, please keep their offerings in mind: casio privia px series, roland fp series, and yamaha p series. their demos are astounding and blew my mind!

the numa compact 2 surprised me with a few things: the internal speakers are better than i thought. i can play this instrument by itself without cubase and my computer now has extra good speakers. (well you guys probably have great speakers to begin with so this wouldn't apply...)

the keys are great. i have no idea what the name fatar is or represents. but people who know say it's great and i believe them. (sorry m-audio hammer-action 88...)

the zones thingy is new to me but i like it. you can map instruments to be in a "low" zone (say bass) and another to the "upper" zone (say organ, strings, etc.).

the integrated sound bank (a.piano, e.piano, bass, orchestra, organ, synth, etc.) is not bad at all.

i went with compact 2 instead of compact 2x, mind you, because the former has less buttons even though the 2x is newer.

i don't care about buttons and switches. in fact, i want a simple design. (sorry nektar impact lx88...) i only needed wheels to make my playing feel natural on, say, strings and such. the sticks are not wheels but they function the same way.

also, all the buttons are effects and mixing buttons like reverb, chorus, flanger, etc. not DJ buttons or pad buttons (sorry nektar again...)

oh, and it has a headphones port the size of my index finger. i have no idea what that port is but i do need an adapter for it.

but so far, i am happy and i can tell people to consider it :)
That did sound promising but $700, ouch, well more than I'd care to spend on a MIDI controller. I do like the joystick controllers esp but no idea why they made them so tiny.
 
For the price, the M-Audio Hammer 88 blows them all away. I have it and it's fantastic. There are no velocity jumps or surprises...I get exactly what I play. It has pitch/mod wheel and one slider...two pedal inputs as well, and software to change things...but I have not had the need to change one thing on it.

Yes...it's a bit noisy on the keys, but most are...they are plastic as well, but doesn't matter to me because the response is dead on. The reviews are mostly all favorable, and I got mine for less than $400. If you consider a Yamaha for that same price point, they come with sounds...but lack the MIDi features...so in comparison, M-Audio spent more money where we all need it...in the actual controller part.

It's a bit heavy at 38lbs...but solid as a rock. I have it on a heavy duty Z type stand, and it's solid and doesn't move at all while playing...and this is key to having a really good piano feel...as an acoustic piano doesn't move or shake when you play it. LOL

keys are medium weight I'd say, so you should be able to play other instruments other than piano quite comfortably.
 
Privia key action is very good and very underrated. If you want to a good grand hammer action to use with your piano libraries without breaking the bank then look no further. They don't have a mod-wheel though.
Completely agree. Better than most in the price range and most controller keyboards IMO
 
Well, I can tell you I use both of these...and love them...

Nektar LX88+ this is an excellent, set-weighted controller with all the slider and knobs you'll typically need. It's quite inexpensive (I paid $400 Canadian), and inegrates nicely with most major DAW's.

Native Instrument S88 - I have the first generation, and I love this thing. It has weighted keys, and works great with major DAW's. In my case, Logic Pro and Cubase 10. An added bonus is the included Komplete Kontrol software which integrates perfectly, allowing you to control any NKS instrument straight from the controller's knob's. You can also assign any of the knobs to whatever you wish, and there is a cool light-guide feature. The only thing I dislike is the tech-sensitive MOD and pitch sliders. The new MKII version has regular wheels though. I highly recommend!


Could you tell a little more about your experience with Native Instruments S88, please? Is this Komplete Kontrol S88 MKII ? How it works with Logic? Do you use any additional library like Spitfire, EWQL, etc? Thanks!
 
I have a keyboard that suits me well (because the mechanics of the keys does not make noise) is the Roland A88 (which is no longer manufactured), but did not have enough control knobs.

Roland A88 was replaced by the A88-MKII. I have both and I never used the controls on the board. Instead I use FaderMaster and CC121 for the faders.
 
oh thanks for mentioning the casio privia. i looked it up and it's very cool indeed. they also mentioned in the description that most casio's digital pianos can be used as midi controllers. will keep an eye on them. too bad this one doesn't have mod wheels.
I have a Casio Privia which I only use as a MIDI controller. It’s a nice choice.
 
I'll also give a thumbs up to the Roland A-88 MKII. It's the 3rd keyboard I've owned and it's the best so far. I like that it's not tremendously deep and that it's just not as loud as other keyboards I've tried. Overall it's an extremely well-made product (made in Malaysia). I use mine with an SL mixface.

I should mention that it's not the keyboard for you if you require aftertouch or little lights everywhere!
 
$1000 for a MIDI controller? If I'm putting out that kind of money, might as well get the Juno DS88.
 
Top Bottom