Sampler Workstation/Grooveboxes: Keys vs Pads

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

I have used a few sampler workstations/grooveboxes with pads and a few with keys and I’ve found I far prefer samplers with keys.

why i feel that way

I like the visual feedback of knowing which notes are which easily, for me they are better for playing out sample melodies and playing polyphonically, and I even find hammering out drum patterns more fun on them. I think much of this comes down to the visual feedback, and the comfortability playing keys vs pads.

so, I can think of the ASR-10, the MPC Key, the OP-1F, OP-Z, Korg microsamplers, and some of the sonicware devices as sampler/sequencers with keys,
what are some other keyed sample-based grooveboxes?
why do you think there are not more of these?
thinking not of just keyboard samplers, but those that have components of a workstation or groovebox specifically, something that can be used to build up full tracks, or at least sketches.

I feel like i’m thinking too narrowly here, should I just start plugging a midi keyboard into any sampler and just go with that? Ableton and a keystep pro? haha

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#2

Previous, closely-related, discussions:

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#3

thanks! I did run a search before posting, but must not have used the best search terms, got a lot of other topics at the top of the list that we’re really close. I’ll look through these!

#4

i’d rather say yes.
for some people it’s a conventional keyboard – but could be grid controller, pad controller, wind controller, pedal keyboard, MIDI guitar, etc etc etc.

#5

I met up with my friend at the music shop to watch him audition the MPC Keys 61.

He really had his heart set on this thing because he prefers all-in-one keyboards - a keyboard with all the stuff he want onboard: sequencer for composing, sampler, synth engine(s), etc. He knows how to use MIDI and all that but hates having to bring extra things that have to be plugged into the keyboard, for his live gigs.

He ended struggling with the decision to buy, more than he had expected, because of the quality of the keybed. He has a high tolerance for less than optimal key action, due to his “I can make music with anything” attitude - he does have the skills btw. But the MPC Key 61’s keybed caused him to really struggle to convince himself he could live with that level of quality.

I later ended up buying my own current-gen MPC. Just not the MPC Keys 61. I got MPC One instead, as I figured it’d be better to just use whatever keyboard controller I have laying around, than put up with that keybed.

So yeah, I like using a keyboard controller with grooveboxes, but unlike my friend, I readily put up with having to use 2 pieces instead of 1 to do the job.

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#6

can’t speak to the non-MPC boxes you listed but any of the One/Live 2/X boxes can have all their pads/plugins/keygroups triggered by an external MIDI keyboard. so it’s not really either/or with the MPC 61 Key.

#7

Now you’ e inspired me to do the opposite: plug a Launchpad into an OP-1

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#8

I think it’s a combination of historical and practical: Historically speaking, Workstations are the grooveboxes for people that play keys well. Grooveboxes started out as beat oriented and drew in people who had little or no keyboard experience. Practically speaking, pads are compact and cheap to manufacture compared to keys, and much cheaper to ship and store.

Workstations are dying because they have to compete with Ableton and Logic and Apple and Dell/Lenovo/Microsoft. I’m pretty sure I can spend less money on a Mac Mini, Ableton and Logic license, audio interface and a nice 61 key controller than I would on just Roland’s or Yamaha’s top shelf workstation, and the Mac will be more capable and easier to use.

That leaves the limited and relatively simplistic x0x style groovebox. When you stop competing with Ableton you can build a device with narrower focus. This makes it much easier to build a successful product though it will have a more narrow appeal.

A lot of people gravitate to the KS Pro, but the compactness and functionality of the Keystep 37 are worth considering. If you have limited space, the 37 is much easier to pair up with other gear than bigger controllers.

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KS37 with my rack of Elektrons. (perspective is a bit weird in this photo. The white surface is a Kallax shelf that is much narrower in real life than it appears above. If I unracked the Elektrons, any one of them would fit comfortably on the shelf with the KS37)

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#9

:scream: :scream: :scream:

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#10

Yeah I considered the Keystep Pro too, but after the Keystep 37 was released, I went with that instead.

The Pro has more features for sure but I wasn’t able to convince myself I’d actually use them.

On a similar note, i couldn’t justify spending more money on the MPC Keys 61 over MPC One - I’ll just leave it at that as more commentary in that direction would be more off topic.

I forgot to mention that my friend who rejected the MPC Keys 61 ended up getting a Korg Nautilus instead. He liked the Nautilus keybed more for his personal playing style - keyboard players should understand this - and it met his requirements - onboard sequencer, sampler, synth engines.

#11

I use Keystep or Launchpad X when I want play something melodic on my MPC

#12

I would never be without keys, but I prefer grooveboxes without them. They’re much smaller and usually more performance oriented than their workstation siblings and I can use whatever keyboard I want (or none).

I like 8x2 pad/button layout, preferably with scale+fold mode like DT or MC-707, so I can play bass with them. Keyboard must have a way to change midi channel on the fly, so I can control different track with it (e.g. for melody). This way 3 octaves are enough, otherwise I would need 5, which can be quite large.

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#13

Did that with my OP-Z. It can power a Launchpad X, but not a Launchpad Pro mk3. The Launchpad elevated improvisation on it to a new level.

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#14

How is the sampling on the Roland Fantom-0x series?