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Hello everybody
I'm about to decide on a new keyboard. I'm picky about the touch (classical trained pianist), so I thought a dp would be a good idea.
The Roland RD 300NX and the FP 7F have caught my attention and I like the touch. Question is whether they are suited to control other sounds than piano (e.g. orchestral instruments). I've also heard good things about the Infinite Response VAX77 which has a synth action as opposed to hammeraction. Can anybody comment on these?
I know this is an older post, but for someone else's reference, hammer action is not my favorite for controlling orchestra stuff. I've been playing jazz/pop piano/keyboards for 20 years and I love the 88-key weighted hammer for that, but not synth/orch.
just got Special Edition vol 1 a month ago and I have kinda bad hands (tendonitis kind of pain) and it's really difficult to do runs and stuff on my Alesis QS8. I'm about to get a non-hammer action keyboard to do sequencing, except for piano/electric piano sounds. Granted the QS8 is an older keyboard but the extra resistance is not conducive to a light touch -- also the aftertouch is really hard to use, whereas synth keyboards have mushier aftertouch.
I would not buy a keyboard with a joystick instead of 2 or more un-springed wheels for pitch and modulation!
If you want dynamics, a weighted hammer is far better for controlling it. Remember: organs don't have weighted keys because they've got pedals for it.
There are some things to consider, apart from the basics as "good feel" (personal !) , good velocity respons etc.
* aftertouch :
For me (!) aftertouch is a rather essential element of good control from a keyboard.
I still would love to find a 88 key POLY-aftertouch keyboard , which could provide a LOT of additional control !
Unfortunately, poly-aftertouch seems to be gone, apart from the VAX77. Kurzweil had the great MidiBoard, Roland the A80, but a 88 Key poly-aftertouch is history at this moment. I had some expectations for the Rhodes mk7 Midi (for the midi function that is), but now it seems our only hope is that Infinite Response makes a 88 key (weighted) controller someday ...
But even Mono (Channel-) aftertouch seems to be under "pressure" (sorry), since a lot of recent electronic pianos lack this function !!
So pay attention, or look for a real midi masterkeyboard
* half-pedaling aka continuous sustain pedal :
Maybe not as essential for orchestral-only sounds, although I see some opportunies for control here as well, have not had the chance yet to experiment !
In this case, the electronic pianos - in general - have the benefit : recent "decent" models all support half-pedalling (besides the omnipresent sustain on/off function).
Some (!) midi synths / masterkeyboards have this function, but it's lacking in a surprisinly large group ...
Conclusion :
If you don't need 88 keys, put the Infinite Response VAX77 high on your list (great velocity respons, great aftertouch, half-pedaling, additional midi controls).
If you do : you're in for a more difficult search . Make priorities, then check your requirements thoroughly ! Maybe you can find some interesting stuff on the secondhand market ...
