61key controller keyboard

Hardware
21

I have not opened the SL88 so far, but I could imagine there’s enough space to replace at least one of these Fummelwarzen by a Korg like joystick / RC model joystick like on the really old Korgs like Poly 61, or the M1 Joystick unit which I really liked

But we are losing scope - BTT: 61 full-size key synth action MIDI controller /w 9 faders on the left, aftertouch and some other GP supporting features

Maybe it’s time to start a company to build one of these…

1 Like
22

The Kurzweil PC4-7 could be suitable… but it might be some kind of overkill for the job, and it has 76 keys and is a bit bulky (not too heavy though: ~9kg).
I actually own one but i don’t use it as master keyboard.
The keybed feeling is a bit strange but one might get used to it, also the keys do have very sharp edges (i smoothed them with sanding paper).

23

Maybe give the Novation Impulse 61 a go despite it’s shortcomings. It does tick most of your boxes.

Btw, Jacob Collier used one live for a couple of years, so it should be decent.

24

Hm, the K2061 was announced and could be the better fit :thinking:

25

I had a Kurzweil Pc3k6, I liked the keybed, but I sold it and decided to use only my Korg Kronos.
In retrospect, this may have been a mistake. The Pc3k6 would be a very good controller for GigPerformer.

26

Does the PC3K6 already provide an USB MIDI port? Totally forgot about this little gem…

27

I think so, When I sold it, USB-Midi was still unimportant to me.

Quote from the manual:

“For backup, storage, and moving files, there’s two types of USB ports on the back panel of the
PC3K. A USB storage port allows you to connect a USB device such as a thumb drive, and a
second USB Computer port lets you connect the PC3K to a computer for file transfer and MIDI
connectivity.”

28

This is just a general question for MIDI controller keyboards with sliders. Years ago, I had a Nektar Panorama P6 controller with 9 manual sliders plus1 motorized slider. The motorized slider never worked properly in Studio One due to a bug in the sysex file, which I documented down to the line number and steps to reproduce. All I got back from Nektar was “it works here” and then nothing. When the color display failed, I landfilled it. I really liked the keyboard feel, but I had problems using the 9 sliders as drawbars and for other purposes (limited to no support for soft pickup).

So, my question is: how do you deal with “soft pickup” for manual sliders? If you switch variations or rackspaces that use a preset with different slider settings than what the manual sliders are currently set at, does GP and/or your Hammond VSTi support soft pickup, not changing the preset or rackspace slider values until the manual slider reaches the new default preset or rackspace value?

If that’s not an option, would it be better to add something like a Behringer X-TOUCH COMPACT controller with 9 motorized faders?

Behringer X-TOUCH COMPACT controller

29

I played around with the Mixface this morning. Unfortunately it does not sync the midi state of the widget. (Unless there is a setting in GP, apart from the SYNC button, that I misssed so far.)
A couple of observations:

  • The Mixface must be in Controller Mode, mapping to widgets in DAW Mode shows some weird behaviour. (Expected, I guess.)
  • Only the controls on the left side of the Mixface can be mapped freely. That is the 8 buttons, 9 faders and 8 knobs.No endless encoders and no led rings, btw.
    And there are two banks (1-8; 9-16)
    The buttons light up when engaged, but do no midi sync.(see above)
  • The behaviour of the controls must be set in the Edit menu of the Mixface.
  • The transport buttons on the right side can be mapped freely to widgets, but I didn’t get those to light up, even when pressed on the hardware itself.
  • The four Mode buttons on the lower right side cannot be mapped to widgets, but those allow you to change between four different zones, each with independent settings for the controls on the left.
    If all four zones are mapped to USB you can control up to 100 parameters with the unit. Each zone can be assigned to a separete midi channel or to different connections (Bluetooth, hardware connected to the USB-Host port, USB-Device).

These are my findings so far, but I keep investigating.
Hope that helps!
Edit: Not to forget, that you can store 100 presets with up to four zones.

1 Like
30

How’s you getting on with mixface?- I’m thinking of buying one- cheers

31

Well, I didn’t do much with it since my last post ( see above), but overall I like it.
The knobs and faders have a nice grip to them and a bit of resistance.
The uni itself is much thicker than e.g. Korg’s Nanokontrol, so it might be not so easy to place it in your setup where you can reach its controls comfortably.
So, I would recommend it, but if possible, try it for yourself.

32

Hey thanks for replying

Looking for a new Semi-weighted Controller
33

Here is a new competitor:

Novation Launchkey MK4 looks interesting.

34

Unfortunately the main keys have no Aftertouch… so it’s a “no buy” for me.

35

Damn, was also thinking this looked like a decent contender!

36

And there is no input for a volume pedal. For me a must…