Slouching Raymond
Well-known member
If you look at people's home studios on Youtube, it is more likely than not that a cheap controller keyboard will be at its heart.
Until around 10 years ago, my keyboards were real stage pianos and a real synth.
I bought a cheap Alesis 25-note controller, just to check it out. later on I bought a larger Alesis QX61.
Later still I paid more for a Novation Impulse 61.
All of these keyboards disappoint.
The 25 note Alesis has a useful roll even when not connected. I have used it as a handy tool to work out fingering, keys, and scales silently.
The Novation is unique, being my only keyboard with aftertouch.
The not quite full size keys annoy me.
They are all passable for controlling mono-synth voices, and the like, but the acid test is How do they perform when controlling a grand piano voice.
I am spoilt, having a Kawai MP11, with real wooden keys and top notch voices.
If I use the MP11 as the voice generator, but control it from each of these cheap controller keyboards, what do I get?
You would expect the same sound, but with a much inferior keyboard feel.
What I seem to be getting is the expected inferior feel, but also an inferior sound.
It is as though the keyboards are incapable of generating the correct midi commands.
I know the note levels are between 1 and 128, but to my ear it feels as if they can only generate 8 volume levels.
Playing a piano through the controllers is an unrewarding experience.
I've tried all the velocity curve options, but they don't seem to make it any better.
It is possible that I am supposed to un-naturally contort my fingers to force the right sound out of the keyboards, but I haven't sussed it yet.
Looks like I just don't think much of midi controller keyboards.
Until around 10 years ago, my keyboards were real stage pianos and a real synth.
I bought a cheap Alesis 25-note controller, just to check it out. later on I bought a larger Alesis QX61.
Later still I paid more for a Novation Impulse 61.
All of these keyboards disappoint.
The 25 note Alesis has a useful roll even when not connected. I have used it as a handy tool to work out fingering, keys, and scales silently.
The Novation is unique, being my only keyboard with aftertouch.
The not quite full size keys annoy me.
They are all passable for controlling mono-synth voices, and the like, but the acid test is How do they perform when controlling a grand piano voice.
I am spoilt, having a Kawai MP11, with real wooden keys and top notch voices.
If I use the MP11 as the voice generator, but control it from each of these cheap controller keyboards, what do I get?
You would expect the same sound, but with a much inferior keyboard feel.
What I seem to be getting is the expected inferior feel, but also an inferior sound.
It is as though the keyboards are incapable of generating the correct midi commands.
I know the note levels are between 1 and 128, but to my ear it feels as if they can only generate 8 volume levels.
Playing a piano through the controllers is an unrewarding experience.
I've tried all the velocity curve options, but they don't seem to make it any better.
It is possible that I am supposed to un-naturally contort my fingers to force the right sound out of the keyboards, but I haven't sussed it yet.
Looks like I just don't think much of midi controller keyboards.