Custom midi keyboard (is it possible?)

Is it possible to get hold of a custom midi keyboard?

Custom in what sense? Physical layout? Materials? What MIDI messages it sends?

More details are required to provide useful answers.

True! Custom layout, keys and messages, plus headphone output

A keyboard controller like the Novation Remote SL can be customised on-board

People may typically create custom controllers or perhaps will take commissions to make bespoke(for your needs) devices, but I have never heard of custom keyboard builds

Given the brief ambiguous wording, it might be best to make it clear to you that this wouldn’t be the forum area to ask to purchase one or anything from the community. Just in case the question is misunderstood

To hear what … onboard sounds … what sounds ?

1 Like

Custom messages are relatively easy with existing keyboards a using tool like Blokas Midihub (Midihub – MIDI Interface & Stand-Alone MIDI Processor) and there are a plethora of alternate “controller” layouts (usually no longer referred to as keyboards though they serve the same purpose).

If you want a truly bespoke instrument it’s gonna cost you, either in time (i.e. learning to build it yourself) or money. Here’s one maker of high end custom synths. I shudder to think what some of these creations cost:

wow what a nifty device I’ve never heard before, this could be the perfect solution for connecting EC4/Launchkey Mini to AR/DN while having the DN as a master clock/transport. and it’s pretty much the same price as the Midi Solutions Quadra Merge.
will have to dig into their docs to see if I’m not missing anything…

I think that should be very straightforward on the Midihub.

The Blokas forums are quite helpful and there’s an Elektronauts thread on the Midihub here:

1 Like

thanks!

Yes. Make it.

Some simpler ways to do that :

Start with your own design of the controller portion. You design it on-line and order it, and this company will build it :

Then add ( bolt on ) a plain MIDI keyboard to that and merge the MIDI.

If you want a custom synth engine with that add a small Eurorack box, with whatever you want patched as you want.

There are also many Eurorack modules that do custom control like features, joysticks, sliders that output MIDI, button matrices, etc. You could for instance place those and connect those in the Cre8audio NiftyKEYZ controller, and add some sound modules to that if you’d like, or make a pure controller.

There are other options when you combine other controllers together of your preference. For instance a Joyst JV-1, or a Sensel Morph, with your custom overlay.


Joyst JV-1

My dead thread on this topic.

Wow! Thank you so much for the information

1 Like

Sensei Morph?

Joue Play?

Doepfer has parts to make your own keyboard - like keybeds etc.

Also there are various iPad apps where you can “draw”/design your custom midi-controller.

Kind regards

1 Like