Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Can you folks give any input about "unweighted" keybeds?

Hi everyone,

I know this forum is used mainly for DPs, but I guess many of you have some experience with controllers/synths/arrangers too, right? So, I need keys that I can take easily on the bus to jam with a friend on weekends, and a small MIDI controller would fit the bill. I don't need any fancy capabilities, just good keys. That's what I'm after:

1) A nice 49 keybed
2) Mod/pitch wheel
3) Octave up/down buttons
4) Sustain input
5) USB-powered (non-proprietary plug), class-compliant for iOS
6) As compact and lightweight as possible, relatively well-built
7) Under $200 new

The following would be nice, but not mandatory:

8) Aftertouch
9) Expression pedal input
10) MIDI out
11) Extra knobs/pads/slides (as long as it doesn't make it bigger)
12) External power supply, on/off switch

So, these are my options:

- Roland A-49: Seems to be the gold standard. Great reviews, everyone likes the action. Even comes with a cool shiny red light. The downside? Cost twice as much as any other on the list...
- Alesis Q49: Ok brand, I'd imagine an ok instrument, right?
- Line6 Mibile Keys 49: Well known among guitar players. Again, I'd imagine an ok instrument.
- Behringer UMX490: The only one I've played before. Didn't like it at all, keys were too stiff, worse than my old cheap PSR. Included as an example of what I *don't* want.
- M-audio Keystation 49: Some like, some hate. Seems to be on the budget side along with Behringer. Which is fine for me, as long as it's good.
- Samson Carbon 49: Haven't heard about the brand before, but seems well-known.
- Acorn Masterkey 49: For what I get it's just a re-branded generic controller. Looks good on pics/vids tough.

So basically what I want to know is:

- Have you played any of these (or their 25/61 variation)? What's your opinion?
- Some of them state "synth action" (unweighted?), some "semi-weighted"... Do you think there's a difference? They all seemed pretty standard spring-loaded thin plastic keys... What exactly is "semi-weighted" to begin with??
- What kind do the famous synths such as DX7, M1, D50 have?
- If there's indeed a difference, should I be looking at a unweighted or semi-weighted keybed for general playing, piano to synth? (assuming I'll have a proper 88 hammer-action for serious playing)
- Do you think the Roland worth twice as much as the rest or will I just be paying for the brand? On pics the keys seem to be smaller (and rounder) than standard ones, is is correct? Does it matter?
- and so on...

Yes, I would love to just go to a store and try all of them out, but here in Brazil it's not that easy (most are only available online). So any input is really appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Without being able to test them yourself, it will be a shot in the dark. However, you can go with the name brands that have good warranties and good reviews to help narrow things down.

I'm not well-versed in MIDI controllers, so I will refrain on speaking on those models and leave it to those who know better.

Look up lots of reviews on these. Of course, no matter how good something is, you will find some yahoo going in there and saying how awful it is etc and give it 1 star. Sometimes it turns out to be a disgruntled employee and has nothing to do with the product, but still if there's a lot of that and with the same issue, you may not want to take a chance on that controller.

I don't think you're going to get afertouch on any of these, btw. That's generally reserved for high-end synths (but it's good to dream, eh?).

What about the Novation Launchkey 49? I haven't tried that one myself, but I have a Novation SL MKii and it has the best synth-key action I've ever played. You should check if launchkey has the same action as the SL MKii.

I'm wondering why you don't have the generally highly regarded Akai Professional MPK249 on your list? I have the 61-key version, as a supplement to my Kawai DP.

Edit: oops -- I glossed over the "under $200" part...the Akai is $399 new, but maybe you can find a gently used one, particularly if people start dumping them for the newly announced "Advance" series.

Controller is a good idea size wise. Of the lot, yeah I'd go with the Roland A49. But on the bus, how are you going to power it and hear it? You'll have to hook it up to a laptop or iPad or something, and those speakers are cr@p to hear with the background noise of a bus. You'll be able to hear it yourself with phones....

Something cooler might be a Roland Juno-Di which runs on batteries. Has its own sounds, doesn't need to hook up to a 'puter of some kind. Headphones are good for you to hear it. Hmmm, with friends....

There are battery powered amps.
KC110
But not cheap.

The Jam Hub or something like it is cool for a few people to plug in and hear each other with phones. Needs a power supply though... hmmm

I think this plan needs to be planned out some more before you spend the $.

I used the M-Audio Keystation 49 as a controller for Ivory II and for iPad music apps. This was while doing international travel and was the best portable solution I could find.

It meets all of your criteria 1 through 7, not sure about the after touch etc. (I am learning Classical piano).

I can recommend the Keystation in isolation from the other candidates as I have no experience with them; it met my needs and was surprisingly playable.

Good luck in your search.

DX7 an M1 keybeds are HQ semi-weighted.
you only can find it on middle or high priced master keyboards because it is an expensive mechanical system.

For instance you can play semi-weighted on M-audio Axiom 49 ( but not on Keystation 49...)
I think you must increase your budget...

Don't worry about semi-weighted vs. unweighted. No matter which of those you look at, some of them are decent and some of them are terrible (and this being as subjective as it is, people won't even always agree about which is which). The point is that the feel of the individual board is much more important than which of those categories it falls into.

I believe the Samson Graphite 49 has everything you want except an expression pedal input. It has an above average feel, and it has aftertouch.

Thanks for the tips. Actually the A-49 manual says the D-BEAM can work as aftertouch... I'm just not sure how, since most people don't have 3 hands ;P




Thanks, but they're overkill for what I need, extra money/bulk for things I won't be using...



LOL!!! I guess I haven't made it clear enough: I plan to take it (alongside my laptop) on the bus TO MY FRIEND'S PLACE! I've never thought about jamming INSIDE the bus, although I'm tempted to do it now that you've mentioned it!

Have you played the A-49?



Thanks! Can you say anything else about it? Build quality? Have you played any other keyboard (not just controllers) you can compare it to?



Thanks for the info! Actually the Samson Carbon 49 is said to be "semi-weighted", although I wouldn't expect it to be in the same ballpark... (the others just state "synth action" or nothing)

So, if DX7 is semi-weighted can you give me an example of "unweighted" boards? An organ maybe?



Thanks! The Carbon seems to be the same as the Graphite, just stripped down (and half the price). Have you played the Graphite? What did you think about it?

Completely different actions. To me, Graphite feels nice, Carbon feels like typical cheap junk.

Hmm, nice to know it... The Graphite does fit all my criteria (even the extras), but the 10" depth won't fit the bag I have

***

Anyway, I had to shrink the list so that's what it came to:
- with shipping the Line6 ends up costing almost as much as the Roland
- couldn't find the Alesis new
- already said I wouldn't get the Behringer anyway
- action in the Samson said to be very bad
- decided not to take my chance with Acorn

This leaves me with... M-audio Keystation 49 (~$160) x Roland A-49 (~$300).

Soooo, the million dollar question is: Do you guys think the Roland worth the premium price? Or should I just get the Keystation and be done with it? I don't have problem spending the extra, but obviously only want to if it means a noticeable improvement.

The Graphite plus a new appropriately sized bad would still cost you less than the Roland.

If possible, maybe you should order a few of the contenders from a place with a good return policy, then keep the one you like best.

Actually both cost the same around here, and a new bag +$40. Add to that the the Graphite is 5lb/2kg heavier. If I was sure I´d use the extra knobs it would be exactly what I need (had no idea one could get a full-featured controller that cheap), but I don´t see myself using most of it anyway.

I´ll wait to see if anyone else will chime in, if not I´ll order both and send one back.

I'll be interested to see how you get on.

I'm after a cheap keyboard that I can keep at work to practice on during lunchtime. I had a play with the M-Audio Keystation 49 and, although it had full sized keys, it was a bit like playing the piano on a sponge. It'll probably be good enough for a quick practice during the day, but wondered whether throwing a bit more money in and getting the Roland A-49 would offer much of an upgrade.

To be clear, I'm not looking to replace my home digital piano, just a cheap keyboard with full-sized keys to allow me to do a bit of extra practice during the day. Just wish there was a 49 key keyboard with weighted keys available.

If you can wait a year...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1200817609/vax-midi-keyboard-controller

That looks great. I'd like one now, though, and a little more cheaply.

FYI, I found a Roland A-49 to demo at lunchtime today and it has a much superior action to the M-Audio. The keyboard as a whole feels a lot more solid, and the keys have less wobble. It's not like a real piano, of course, but it's nowhere near as spongey. I'd definitely spend the extra and get the Roland.