Members johnmoorejohn Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I am looking for a midi controller with a fatar keybed. Or something that feels as good as a fatar. Almost everything I try just doesn't feel good. I am looking for something that feels similar to the kronos. 61 keys. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AnotherScott Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Novation SL MKII is Fatar. (Not that every Fatar keyboard feels good, necessarily... but I think this one has a pretty decent reputation.) Other possibilities could be the Roland A-800PRO or Analog Experience THE LABORATORY 61. I think they are all in the same general ballpark, as opposed to the M-Audio models or Novation Impulse, which I think are less Kronos-like, but more of the springier semi-weighted piano-key-shaped variety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Probably the Novation is your best bet, if it's anything like the original mark I ReMOTE. I'll also agree that not all Fatar keyboards are great, but the one in the ReMOTE is decent. I played an A-500 once at NAMM last year when it was new and I was disappointed. The fulcrum is too far forward (so if you tend to dig toward the backs of your keys, it's not much fun), and the keys are too short. It seems the thing to do these days is spend all the product costs on bells and whistles and then cheap-out on the actual keys. Yeah, manufacturers, I'm talking to you! You know, the keys? Those things I actually by a keyboard for?? Grrrrr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zzzxtreme Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 EP, and overpriced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Casio Man Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I have Novations X-Station and I was pleasently surprised by its keyboards feel. Is it Fatar too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 It seems the thing to do these days is spend all the product costs on bells and whistles and then cheap-out on the actual keys. Yeah, manufacturers, I'm talking to you! You know, the keys? Those things I actually by a keyboard for??Grrrrr! That's why I was so pleasantly surprised by the Korg SP250; an absolute paucity of bells and whistles and their top-of-the-line (weighted) keybed. Exactly what I wanted at $700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 If you can live with 76 keys there's usually Roland A-70s on Ebay. Better than Fatar IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundwave106 Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I have Novations X-Station and I was pleasently surprised by its keyboards feel. Is it Fatar too? I think it would be more interesting to list the companies who *don't* use Fatar as their keybed. Yamaha I think is the only major challenger I can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AnotherScott Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I think it would be more interesting to list the companies who *don't* use Fatar as their keybed.Yamaha I think is the only major challenger I can think of. I believe Yamaha, Roland, Casio, Kawai, CME, and Korg all make their own keybeds, though at least Korg uses a mix of their own and out-sourced keybeds. I don't think Yamaha, Roland, Casio, Kawai, or Korg sell their keybeds to any other manufacturer, though, with the exception that there were some Korgs that used Yamaha actions (and Yamaha owned a good chunk of Korg at the time, which I don't think is the case anymore). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jerry_L Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I like the feel of my Akai MPK88, which is a Fatar keybed. Not sure how the 61 compares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnmoorejohn Posted March 6, 2012 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I like the feel of my Akai MPK88, which is a Fatar keybed. Not sure how the 61 compares. I had a MPK61 and had to return it because the keybed was horrendously stiff. It launched me into a search for a decent quality keybed. My conclusion so far is that most companies only put their nicest keybeds on their flagship keyboards. They must think people who don't need a $3,000 workstation also don't care about quality keybeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jerry_L Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I had a MPK61 and had to return it because the keybed was horrendously stiff. It launched me into a search for a decent quality keybed. My conclusion so far is that most companies only put their nicest keybeds on their flagship keyboards. They must think people who don't need a $3,000 workstation also don't care about quality keybeds. The MPK88 is nowhere near that pricey, but it does have weighted piano-like hammer action, so it might not be what you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DJKeys Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I use a Kawai K5000S for my controller keyboard. It has the best synth action of any keyboard I have every played. Even the sharps are textured. I think it is a fatar as well, except very old. -dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Audacity Works Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 VAX-77 wins hands down, but it's pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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