Hammer action kb as midi controler?

J_C_Selector · 2015-04-26T00:09:29.000Z

Hi all, I’m thinking about getting a nice 88 key hammer action keyboard to use as a master midi controller. Maybe the Korg SP-170s.
Has anyone tried this, ie, what is it like playing a moog or DSI P08 or any synth?
I used to play piano when I was younger so I want to try and brush up my skills. But I’m woried it might be wierd or difficult playing my synths with it. I’m aware it wont have pitch bend or mod wheel but thats ok.
Thanx.

namnibor · 2015-04-26T03:04:30.000Z

""J_C_Selector"":

Hi all, I’m thinking about getting a nice 88 key hammer action keyboard to use as a master midi controller. Maybe the Korg SP-170s.
Has anyone tried this, ie, what is it like playing a moog or DSI P08 or any synth?
I used to play piano when I was younger so I want to try and brush up my skills. But I’m woried it might be wierd or difficult playing my synths with it. I’m aware it wont have pitch bend or mod wheel but thats ok.
Thanx.

I have been where you are right now. With a large background in piano, wanted that piano element with dynamics od weighted keys in my all hardware synth set-up. I have an earlier Alesis product, the QS8 for this and I found that I use it JUST for piano (which is fine) but I ended up not using it to drive my Waldorf Microwave XT because the ‘hammer action’ is not suited for everything, not at all. An example would be a lush strings pad patch. You can benefit from velocity but a hammer action keyboard does not generally do after touch well and that’s a modulation source I use quite a lot.
The Alesis QS8 is indeed a rompler but has excellent variety of piano and whole array of excellent synths, even Keith Emerson did some of the presets.
When one is programing a synth/sound design, the synthesis also should learn how to play the dynamics of say a bass player. So if I hooked that QS8 hammer weighted keys to my Waldorf Pulse I quickly found that the weighted keys more or less ‘got in the way’ of the type of dynamics my hands/playing style, quickly realizing there’s a very good reason most midi controllers do NOT have hammered action keys.
Not to say you could not make it work, because you certainly could but may want to just buy a market cheap regular synth that has excellent key action, velocity, and after touch. The early Kawai K1, K2, K3, K4 digital synths can be had really cheap and have out of this world keys as do the Ensoniq synths.
You would just use any give cheap synth with great keys as a midi controller with added benefit of having more synth resources if you should ever explore.
Most of the midi controllers out there seem to have sucky keys unless you go higher end Studiologic, which is actually FATAR in Italy. I have a Novation SL61 Mk2 and it has pretty awesome keys but have used my Virus KB also in controller mode.
I am glad I have something that allows me the ability to practice scales and dynamic piano playing to keep my hands/fingers strong and trained, but at least I found using hammered action with most things outside of piano, clavichord, et al, was not exactly utilitarian…for me at least.
Lastly, hammered action keys are notably noisier than semi-weighted typical synth action keys and that could be an issue if using mics.

J_C_Selector · 2015-04-26T11:10:16.000Z

Thanks man, great insight.
I now see it was probably GAS I had for something I dont have. I do want a nice piano keyboard but dont have the space so was hoping it could be used as a midi controler as well.
Thanks, you saved me $400.

andajazz · 2015-04-26T20:09:00.000Z

I´m a Piano player as well and for me, even good synth actions usually suck because I´m used to weighted keys.
I now use M-Audio Axiom Pro 49 as a Midi Controller for my hardware synths, this feels ok, it´s between synth and weighted.
In a store I tried the Novation Impulse, also ok and better than others.

Good luck
andajazz

nfim · 2015-04-30T17:49:01.000Z

I’m pretty happy with my keystation 61, it’s advertised as semi-weighted but they look and feel almost like piano keys.