A Ranking of synth keybed feel?

My fave is the feel of the Vermona 14!

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I sort of preferred the feel of the keystep mini keys although the only reface I’ve played was in a guitar center so who knows what it had been through. I wonder if the Jupiter XM will have quality minikeys… I feel like even the best minikeys feel seriously budget (atleast to me) just because if the components used.

Blofeld keys are great, except they turn bloody YELLOW if you ever put it in a cupboard for a while :frowning:

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Mini-Korg 700 keybed ranking: Very strange, totally inconsistent tension up and down the range, very loud, ancient, and I love it!

Korg DW-8000 keybed ranking: Extremely high initial tension, fast rebound, really loud and clacky, nice feeling plastic quality, aftertouch is pretty stiff but works and has pretty good “resolution”, black keys look very modern and synth-like. Really fun to play, but a traditional piano player may recoil at first.

Roland S-10 keybed ranking: Extremely silky and well built, excellent damping, nice velocity sensitivity, zero play, no criticisms at all. Really high quality in every sense, I’ve completely disassembled and serviced and the quality is evident everywhere. Very good plastics. More traditionally shaped black keys. Wow!

Casio SK-1 keybed ranking: Feels like shit, fun to play regardless with a very light touch in bed with the lights off. Really cool looking black keys.

That’s enough for today…

Played a Jupiter XM this weekend. Keys are all right, not more. They’re Korg quality, slightly better than Keystep, I’d say.

But again, I compare to Reface, which I hold as the best in this area, and by far, as well. So that’s my reference and if you don’t agree, the Jupiter keys might be much more comfortable for you.

It is a bit odd, though, to think that a key instrument of premium price has such a slim keyboard. It’s not like the Jupiter would’ve been gargantuan with regular keys. It’s pretty close as is. Why not go the extra mile, when you’re clearly slapping on a price that says you should, anyway?

Blokeys keys are really good

Yamaha MODX 6/7

DSI synths have very nice keybeds to my experience.

When it comes to digital pianos or just the best hammer action out there, nothing beats Kawai’s Grand Feel, RM, and RH3 actions (in that order).

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always remember to brush your keys with your fav whitening toothpaste before going to bed :grinning:

You guys should know that other than Yamaha and Casio/Privia, nearly all keybeds these days are made by Fatar. There are some good listings on the web that generally agree (some echo chamber effect, though). For example:


https://billfulton.com/miscellaneous/fatar-keyboard-and-other-actions/

Yamaha
CLP-260 (88): Yamaha AE2-88
CLP-300 (88): Yamaha AE2-88
CLP-350 (88): Yamaha AE2-88 CLP-350 (88): Yamaha AE2-88
CLP
-550 (88): Yamaha AE2-88
CLP-560 (88): Yamaha AE2 -88
CLP545 (88): Yamaha NWX
CLP525 (88): Yamaha GH3CP4: NW-GH
CP4 (88): Yamaha NW-GH
CP1 (88): Yamaha NW-STAGE
CP40 (88): Yamaha GH
CP300 (88): Yamaha GH

DGX-230 / YPG235 (76): Yamaha 16N-E76
DGX-305 (76): Yamaha 16N-E76-PNW
DGX-505 (88): Yamaha 16N-A88
DGX-620 (88): Yamaha GH
DGX-630 (88): Yamaha
GHSP45: GHS
DGX-640 (88): Yamaha GHS
DGX-650 (88): Yamaha GHS
DS55 (61): Yamaha C61 K6
DX11 (61): Yamaha C61 K6
DX7 (61): Yamaha FX-20
DX7IID / FD (61): Yamaha FS-C61 (heavier than the derived FS-61, which has been installed in many devices)

EX5 ( 61) 76): Yamaha FS-E76
EX7 (61): Yamaha LC-61

KX8 (88): Yamaha GHS
MM8 (88): Yamaha GHS
MO6 (61): Yamaha LC C61
MO8 (88): Yamaha BHE
Motif 6 (61) : Yamaha FS-C76
Motif 7 (76): Yamaha FS-E76
Motif 8 (88): Yamaha A88 K6
Motif ES6 (61): Yamaha FS-C61
Motif ES7 (76): Yamaha FS-E76
Motif ES 8 (88): Yamaha A88 K6
Motif XF8 (88): Yamaha BHE
Motif XS6 (61): Yamaha C61 K6 FSX D
Motif XS7 (76): Yamaha E76 K6 FSX D
Motif XS8 (88): Yamaha A88 K6
MOx8 (88): Yamaha GHS

P105 (88): Yamaha GHS
P115 (88): Yamaha GHS
P150 (88): Yamaha G2
P155 (88): Yamaha GH
P255 (88): Yamaha G3
P300 (88): Yamaha AE
P35 ( 88) 88): Yamaha GH
P45 (88): Yamaha GH
P500 (88): Yamaha
GH
P85 (88): Yamaha GH P85 (88): Yamaha GHS
P95 (88): Yamaha GHS
PF-P100 (88): Yamaha AE

PSR-A3000 (61): Yamaha Organ, Initial Touch
PSR-S670 (61): Yamaha Organ, Initial Touch
PSR-S770 (61): Yamaha Organ, Initial Touch
PSR-S970 (61): Yamaha Organ, Initial Touch
PSR-9000 (61): Yamaha C61 K6

S90ES (88): Yamaha BHE
S90XS (88): Yamaha BHE
SY22 ( 61): Yamaha LC C61K6
SY35 (61): Yamaha LC C61K6
SY77 (61): Yamaha
FS61 C61 SY85 (61): Yamaha C61K12
SY-99 (76): Yamaha FS-E76

Tyros 5 (76): Yamaha Organ FSX, Initial Touch / Aftertouch
Tyros 5 (61): Yamaha FSX, Initial Touch / Aftertouch

W5 (76): Yamaha FS-E76
W7 (61): Yamaha C61 K6

YDP143 (88): Yamaha GHS
YDP163 (88): Yamaha GH3
YDP181 (88): Yamaha GH
YDP-V240 (88): Yamaha GHS
YPG-625 (88): Yamaha GH
YPG-635 / DGX-630 (88): Yamaha GHS

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I’ve been wondering about the logues (not pro) keybeds

Where on a scale would you put the keybed of the Minilogue xd and monologue?

10= Reface series and 0= Keystep

Around 4.

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It’s worth pointing out that there are different grades of Fatar keybed. From memory the top of the shop is the TP-9 range.

Also Studiologic and Fatar are the same company or both owned but the same company.

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Are we talking about poly-aftertouch keyboards ?

And if we are talking keybed makers that sell to others, we need to include Medeli (see detail at the bottom). Medeli is the parent company to ASM who makes the Hydrasynth. The quality and feel of that keybed is best in my book, of synth feel keybeds that i have experienced. It will do channel aftertouch too, but the poly-aftertouch is even and responsive. The HS does MPE as well, and is both a synth and a controller.

We’ll need to revisit this question again in six months or so when the Osmose is on the market. Expressive E is making this themselves. It will have both poly-aftertouch and MPE, plus adds the X direction bend and vibrato.

I really like the keybed in the Korg Prologue. Ones that I didn’t like as much include Nord Lead and Matrixbrute.

For mini keys or slim keys, Yamaha Reface series feel great, while minilogue and monologue are just fine.

The best feeling keys I own these days are on my Wurlitzer 4300. They were a mess of mismatched action when I got it but you can really fine tune them to your liking if you get elbow deep into it’s guts.
As for synths or MIDI keys the best I own currently is my Yamaha dx7iifd. It’s not amazing but it gets the job done without any real gripes. They keel better than my friend’s original dx7 but that could just be because I serviced mine.
Best mini keys are my reface cs. Changed my view of mini keys.
Worst I own is the ensoniq mirage, and I’m including comparing it against mini casios and the like. It’s like ensoniq was trying to build the worst keybed they could. Or maybe they’d never played a keyboard before and just kinda guessed what they feel like?
I’d really love to have a nice feeling midi keyboard with some good feeling aftertouch but my budget never lets that happen.

Re the DX7. Around that time Yamaha were supplying keybeds to Korg. My old Wavestation had a Yamaha keybed.

Kawai also makes their own…damn good ones also, but more piano-centric than synth centric for sure :slight_smile:

I’m keen on the answer too !!! Been thinking exactly the same (getting the sl88 studio after using the PCR800 !)

No more info - I’ve read every review I can find and feel similar to you regarding screem and feel. My main issue is there is nowhere I can try it so it would be a blind purchase so I’ve been procrastinating!