Hi everyone!
This year I shifted from hardware synths to soft synths and I am looking for a controller(for GP) with hammer action, 73-76 keys or can be 88 keys also…would be nice some zones on it and a few controllers like knobs, faders, buttons … and not too heavy…price range any for now…With the old setup I used a Kurzweil Forte 7, which is great as a controller too, but too heavy, 19Kg and at least 25Kg with it’s case…any recomendation is welcomed…I have red about Roland A88 mk2, NI s88 mk3, studiologic sl73 mk2…
I’ve been really enjoying using the SL88 mk2 as a hammer action controller, that is fairly portable. I much prefer the action compared to the original version. It has a built in audio interface which has been great as a bonus, and I use the laptop tray attachment so I don’t need another stand.
It’s a shame that it doesn’t have a few more physical controls, but I use it with a korg nanostudio which works great. (For anyone considering the the smaller nanokontrol instead it doesn’t quite fit on the left between the mod wheel and the centre screen!)
Thank you for your input…are studiologic reliable midiwise?..I red a few comments about it’s midi related problems
I’ve had no issues so far with the SL88 mk2 (I’ve only had it a couple of months). Before that the original SL88 was also fine, but other people may have had different experiences!
I’ve been using an SL88 for a few years, never had a midi issue. But I’m only using it through the USB connection. I’ve never done anything with its physical midi ports.
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I have the SL73 and love it, also haven’t had any midi problems over USB. It’s a heavy action, definitely a keyboard for grownups, so be sure that’s what you want.
Thank you! Mk2 keybed is different, as it is mentioned in all the reviews, slightly lighter.
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I will give it a try to studiologic sl 73 mk2…it is sort of light weighted, hammer action, 4 zones and a few controls which I’ll expand with my Electra one midi controller if it is needed…
Hi!
I ordered the sl73 mk2 from studiologic…the keybed is ok, the 4 zone are enough, the only negative after a week of using it that the knobs are somehow not the one that I prefer…for example to reach for 0 to 127 it is needed to rotate the knob several time…I’ll ask studiologic makers if there is any possibility to change the resolution of the knobs…and no need for other control surface till now and I have used only one zone for each and every patch that I make in GP
Why do you need zones on the keyboard?
Probably because I used a kurzweil forte before and it was very handy to have multiple zones for outboard gear like effect pedals and sound modules…but know with GP probably I can get rid of using zones
You should do that because in case you need a substitute keyboard it is very easy to use that using the rig manager.
but it is…almost 5 times from 0 to 127…
I do not know what is a rig manager…I am still a beginer in this new world of softsynths and GP
Look at this
Thank you!
so one rotation is going to value 28…of course is not a 360 degree rotation, it is only which can be done with one hand…kind of small amount…
I did buy an SL88 Studio a few years ago and after 1 year of owning it 2 keys right near the middle of the keyboard stopped working. While it got played on daily it was never moved so I kinda questioned it’s reliability, It was under warranty so it did eventually get fixed, Also the only authorized repair center was a nearly 3 hour drive as shipping it back and forth would not be cheap. One of the keys stopped working a little over a year after the repair job. I still think they’re a good controller for the price but I question their reliability being that I had problems with that controller even though it had not been moved. Perhaps the MK2 will turn out to be more reliable
I also recommend the Studiologic SL series. I have used an SL88 Mk1 for a few years and have just upgraded to the SL88 Mk2 for the few extra knobs and built-in audio interface as an “always-there” backup for my main MOTU interface.