midi keyboard wanted - suggestion?

[gitarrero]

hi folks,..as some of you know, I'm mainly a guitarist. occasionally I also play keyboards as needed for my tracks.during the holidays over x-mas I had the possibility to play on a couple of "real" pianos. my experience was that I found it WAY more inspirational and fun to play a real piano than to play it on the cheap keyboard in my studio - I even composed a little piano piece;)so I'm thinking about to buy a midi-keyboard that "gives" the right feeling - here are my criteria:* weighted keys, a similar feeling to play like a real piano* I don't need 88 keys - mainly because I don't have the place* it should have mod wheel, pitch bend & after touch * I don't need any onboard-sounds - I simply need a midi-keyboard* ...and last but not least: it should be affordableso my question is:do you know any good keyboards that fit my criteria? I know that doepfer offers great keyboards (lmk-series), but that is financially out of my scope. what would be a financial range that makes sense for my use?thanks for any suggestion,martin

[jh]

Check out http://www.thomann.de/de/midi_masterkeyboards.html HTH- JH

[gitarrero]

Quote:Check out http://www.thomann.de/de/midi_masterkeyboards.html HTH- JH I don't think these keys are weighted, are they? I couldn't find this feature in the product description.

[stick]

Martin, Here's the one I'm going to get in the nearish future. I think you're gonna have a really hard time finding a piano-weighted controller keyboard that ISN'T 88 keys. The "graded" hammer action they talk about on this one means that the keys are heavier at the low end and lighter at the high end... like a grand piano is. I read somewhere that the CME action is based on or IS the same as the one they put in the nice Yamaha digital pianos. I play this one at church every week, and the action is great for a keyboard.

[stick]

Holy cow, those Doepfer's are PRICEY!

[sgs4u]

Edirol(Roland) Fatar, M-Audio are all better prices than the last time I needed to buy anything new. Martin, how many keys do you actually need, and how many other knobs/sliders besides pitch & mod wheels?There are so many out there, and ridiculously cheap if you only need enough keys for one hand (because guitar players usually play keyboards with only one hand at a time). Yep, that's a joke.

[stick]

That's true Steve unless you really want a piano-weighted keyboard, right? I can't find much that's a real weighted feel that's shorter than 88 keys.

[mazz]

Guys, I got a CME UF 80 last year and it's the best MIDI action I've played. I'm not sure if the 76 key version has the same action but I really love the feel of the UF 80. The faders are great to have too. It weighs a ton but I never move it because it just stays in the studio. I think it's the same action as on the Motif.The m-audio 88 key controllers felt too plastic-y to me, too much bounce. I think it's partly a function of the plastic case, the CME has a much more substantial case with wood and metal which makes it stiffer, less flexing (kind of like my back these days! ).Just my 2 cents.Mazz

[sgs4u]

Has there ever been a weighted piano action keyboard that has less keys than the standard 88? So Martin, you have to decide. Can you make enough room for 88 keys? I don't think you'll find a shorter, weighted keyboard. Of course you could just chop off the keys you don't need with a chainsaw. You only get one try tho. Quote:That's true Steve unless you really want a piano-weighted keyboard, right? I can't find much that's a real weighted feel that's shorter than 88 keys.

[stick]

Ah, great to know Mazz. I've been eyeing that keyboard ever since I built the studio... I think it'll be just the ticket. I want to build a custom desk and have the ability to slide that keyboard out from under the desk while I'm composing, and then push it back under far enough that it doesn't whack my knees while I'm mixing. As it is now, my controller is to my left, so when I'm playing the speakers only get my left ear. One of these days...