keyboard controller..

Eddie N

10 Inch Member
hey all..im in the market for a midi keyboard.. im leaning torwards purchasing the planet phatt and the roland jv 1010 as my tone modules , and now i need a midi keyboard to connect it all too..it doesnt need to be anything fancy , just 61 keys and midi capabilities..is there a standard in the industry for this sorta thing ?

and if you had the choise , would you with the emu planett phatt or the boss dr groove ?

thanks..
- eddie -
 
dumb question..can a midi keyboard with midi in/out control a tone module ? or does it also need thru capabilities ?

- eddie -
 
A midi keyboard doesn't need a midi thru port to control a tone module. It only needs midi out.

But, if you have two tone modules and neither of them has midi thru, then you'll only be able to control one of then at a time from a midi keyboard that has a single midi out. But I doubt if that would ever be the case. I think a tone module without a midi thru is rare.

I just flipped through the AMS catalog and it looks like there are some good choices. Instead of getting two tone modules and a controller, why not get one module and one synth with a keyboard? For example, instead of the JV-1010, why not get a Roland A70D keyboard? It's an A70 controller with a JV-1080 synth module in it. The JV-1010 is $479 while the A70D is only $589. (However, the JV-1010 has more sounds---it also includes JV-2080 sounds.) You can use the A70D to also control the phatt.

But if you really want those modules and a standalone controller, the Roland A70 might be good. It looks like a pretty powerful controller for $469. It's 76 keys, 8 zones, control of velocity curves, a lot of controllers, and four midi out ports.

If an A70 keyboard is too big or is more than you wanted to pay, check out the Fatar SL161. It's only $329 and has 61 keys. It's more minimal but at least it has aftertouch, a couple of zones, and two midi outs, and some other basics. Fatar may not seem like a big name, but I've heard that many (most?) other keyboard manufacturers actually use Fatar keyboards in their instruments.

There may be other controllers. I don't know the controller market well enough to cover everything. I assumed you didn't want something like an 88-note weight keyboard controller. For example, I have a Kurzweil PC88mx. It's a good piano action and has basic sounds built in, but it's more expensive.
 
Computer Music magazine has a review of inexpensive MIDI keyboard controllers ($35 - $180) at their site computermusic.co.uk. They reviewed controller keyboards from Fatar, Roland, Yamaha, and Evolution. I'm curious to find out what you buy and how it performs, 'cause sometime in the next year I'll be buying one too.

[This message has been edited by tdukex (edited 05-29-2000).]
 
I am acoustic guitarist. So by no means should you take this as expert advise.
I just purchased my first keyboard to use as a midi contoller. Roland EM10 $199 at G.C.
has the Roland sound canvas for decent stand alone sound. A draw back is the lack of any expression wheel.
Any way. Has 61 keys and Midi capabilities. I am using it with a Roland pma 5, I am happy with it. best deal for the money I could find.
 
There are a lot of good controllers on the market. For the record, the Roland A70 MIDI controller DOES NOT have a JV-1080 synth engine even when expanded. It can accept a JV1 board, which will give it the sounds of the JV1000 or a GSPro board which will give it 1,117 sounds.

On a cheaper note, I'm selling a controller by Midiman. It has 61 keys and many features that more expensive controllers have - it's also better than the FATAR, which is supposedly the standard.

This controller has 61 keys, dedicated buttons (like Oct +/-, Program Change, Vel, reset, Channel, etc) as well as one Data Slider for data entry. I'm selling mine for $200/w shipping. It's in excellent condition. I'm even throwing in a free case.

The Infamous EPU.
 
Another dumb question. Can a keyboard with
midi in/out control a drum machine with the same midi in's and outs and vice-a-versa?
Thanks!
 
epu, yes the A70 does not have the JV-1080 synth engine but the A70D does have it. Just to be clear. :)

MISTERQCUE, yes you can control either one from the other. (I have a Roland R-8 drum machine and various keyboards. Sometimes I go to tap on the drum pads of the R-8 to do some drums and it inadvertently triggers notes on other keyboards. :confused: Then I have to go switch my midi patch bay or disable that receive channel of the keyboard.)
 
Back
Top