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Do midi keyboards soften up?
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Comatoze
Started Topics :
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Posts :
35
Posted : Dec 20, 2008 07:32:07
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I just got a behringer U-control UMA25S keyboard, and i'm finding the keys to be really tiring to press, especially the black ones. Do they soften up over time? Are keys on midi keyboards normally this inflexible? |
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Dec 20, 2008 10:04
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Kane
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Dec 20, 2008 10:47
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You expect them to be floppy? 
I don't think they really "soften up" as much as they get less stable and start moving side to side too much. If it's a decent controller, it shouldn't change much unless you're trying to play it like it has weighted keys.
Try using more weight from your arms instead of just moving your fingers.
 You believe in the users?
Yeah, sure. If I don't have a user, then who wrote me? |
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Dec 20, 2008 10:51
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baba gnOhm
baba gnOhm
Started Topics :
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105
Posted : Dec 20, 2008 10:52
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-aeon-
Aeon
Started Topics :
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546
Posted : Dec 20, 2008 13:01
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i've got one of those Behringers, and it's probably the most shockingly shit keyboard in existence.
god knows how the velocity works because the keys are either 'on' or 'off'...
i used mine for 2 gigs now and yes, the keys HAVE softened up a bit - it's no longer like pounding on a xylophone. it will improve, not by much, but it will improve... 
Comatoze, when you use it as a soundcard, is the output very quiet? mine is sooooo soft for some reason, barely loud enough to use...
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Elad
Tsabeat/Sattel Battle
Started Topics :
158
Posts :
5306
Posted : Dec 20, 2008 15:40
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wow i could only guess behringer will be shittier then my m-audio one 
its toys , novation getting there.. korg too.. but still very cheap keys compare to disant synth one's.. not to mention the knobs.. the virus knobs are about 10 times better then the m-audio ones and the nord is even much better then the virus... they actualy have 'touch' or 'feel' .. i can only cry that the nord rack doesnt come with the wooden pitch stick 
anywayz if your studio is build on base of pc and midi keys , its recomended to pay the double price for the better ones.. i spend all my money on synths lol.. and using midi guitar too www.sattelbattle.com
http://yoavweinberg.weebly.com/ |
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A.Rosengren
Solid Snake
Started Topics :
266
Posts :
4139
Posted : Dec 20, 2008 15:50
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The nords are handmade, you should expect higher quality :-)
I use a Novation X-station as controller/main. The keys are ok i think. And in the studio we have a microkorg as main, its a big diffrence, korg are smaller and lighter. Not sure which one i like the best.
A
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-aeon-
Aeon
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
546
Posted : Dec 20, 2008 20:07
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i still have an Edirol PCR-M30 midi controller; the keys are beautiful, really nice. more 'solid' and weighted than the G2 keys.
but the behringer... it's about portability. i think a real pianist would probably die just looking at it 
here's my review from when i first got mine...
the pots feel fine actually - sturdier and stiffer than i thought they would be. no center point but otherwise i think they're actually comparable to the old Edirol i had. time will tell!
the push buttons are ok - cheap and plasticky, but they make an audible/tactile click so you can feel when something has been pushed. pitch and modwheels feel pretty shabby, but the spring on the pitch feels about alright. the volume slider has to be one of the cheapest linear slide potentiometers ever created
so... generally better quality than i expected from a cheap-ass behringer 'portable' midi controller. until you press a key, that is.
the keyboard is abysmal. it's honestly considerably worse than pre-production mockups from a Tescos Value keyboard which were ultimately abandoned due to shitness. there is NO travel - the keys are either off or on. they're thin and shitty and cheap and nasty and all the ugly adjectives i can think of.
on the plus side, it's remarkably well-specced.
the audio interface works fine with REAPER, Cubase and EnergyXT (which, along with 100 free plugins, is bundled for her pleasure). tucked away in the incredibly brief user manual is a note explaining that installing the optional Behringer drivers on a USB port prevents any other audio drivers from using that port (!!!), so if you get one beware. happily, you can just use ASIO4ALL instead latency seems acceptable (12ms i/o, but i have some tweaking to do). given that it's basically plug-and-play i'm quite impressed.
the only real genuine downside is the output level is WAAAAAY too soft. i might write to Behringer about this, because it's not right. i had problems getting good level out and might have to get another portable gain stage, which is shit.
RCA pair input and output, direct monitor jack + level pot, headphones jack + level pot, power buttons, midi out, usb port, volume and expression pedal jacks are tucked away in the recessed section at the back. i haven't done any proper recording yet so can't comment on noise, but specs look ok and for live purposes i think it will be fine.
the housing is tougher-feeling and uglier-looking than i expected. there's this horrible cheap nail-varnish semi-metallic paint, but it seems pretty well contained.
really tho what's so impressive is that it's tiny. about the same footprint as a Virus desktop, but a bit deeper, much slimmer and a touch narrower. it's really very very small and quite light, and comes with its own nice padded soft bag which will be well useful for gigs. it's bus-powered, too.
the DeutschePop headset and shoulder strap might be useful if you were booked to play any shows in the 1980s
i bought this thing with fairly simple aims: something small, light, capable, replacable, and cheap. for live gigs i think it's ideal... at £67 you can't really fault it. i still can't quite believe that it's an interface & controller in such a light, small and cheap package. |
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soulfood
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
875
Posted : Dec 20, 2008 21:28
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If anything I'd say a midi keyboard will get even MORE stiff with time. |
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Comatoze
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
35
Posted : Dec 21, 2008 08:27
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Quote:
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On 2008-12-20 13:01, -aeon- wrote:
i've got one of those Behringers, and it's probably the most shockingly shit keyboard in existence.
god knows how the velocity works because the keys are either 'on' or 'off'...
i used mine for 2 gigs now and yes, the keys HAVE softened up a bit - it's no longer like pounding on a xylophone. it will improve, not by much, but it will improve...
Comatoze, when you use it as a soundcard, is the output very quiet? mine is sooooo soft for some reason, barely loud enough to use...
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Lol, pounding on a xylophone is a good way to describe it.
Just tested the soundcard, its working no probs and nice n loud.. Maybe they fixed it since yours.
The velocity isn't great, on the default setting, to actually get a note at full velocity you have to hit it really hard, pressing with average pressure just gives a barely audible tone. It's a bit better when you set the keyboard's velocity setting to "hard", or put a midi velocity compressor on it in ableton, or both, but still not that great.
Quote:
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On 2008-12-20 20:07, -aeon- wrote:
so... generally better quality than i expected from a cheap-ass behringer 'portable' midi controller. until you press a key, that is.
the keyboard is abysmal. it's honestly considerably worse than pre-production mockups from a Tescos Value keyboard which were ultimately abandoned due to shitness. there is NO travel - the keys are either off or on. they're thin and shitty and cheap and nasty and all the ugly adjectives i can think of.
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Yeh despite all the other features and bells n whistles the keyboard is barely useable. I still prefer using my laptop keyboard ffs. And the keyboard is the only really important bit....
Quote:
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On 2008-12-20 20:07, -aeon- wrote:
the housing is tougher-feeling and uglier-looking than i expected. there's this horrible cheap nail-varnish semi-metallic paint, but it seems pretty well contained.
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I actually like the colour (somehow).... It's very technoid. But I can see how someone wouldn't.
Looks like i'll have to look into getting a Nord keyboard. I was also considering an oxygen keyboard until i can afford something better, anyone have any experience with them? |
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Glitch_CapeTown
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
36
Posts :
952
Posted : Dec 23, 2008 11:06
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Axis Mundi
Axis Mundi
Started Topics :
75
Posts :
1848
Posted : Dec 23, 2008 15:39
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Boiling or steaming with a little butter will soften them up in just a couple of minutes.
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Luis M.
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
22
Posts :
112
Posted : Dec 31, 2008 06:06
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It looks like we are having behringer keys for dinner!!
"As The Mind so the Man"
(Sri Swamy Satchidananda) |
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