Just purchased an M-AUDIO 88-es Keystation from SWEETWATER

I have been needing a MIDI trigger for my in-the-box applications.

Today I bought the M-AUDIO 88es Keystation. (From Sweetwater.. gotta show props). It is an 88-key MIDI keyboard whose sole function is to generate MIDI signals... it makes no sounds of its own. It sends Key Velocity, but not Aftertouch (which I've never had occasion to use anyway, frankly).

Relatively inexpensive: only $219.00

The keys are full-size, which I appreciate. They are not graded-weighted, but are instead synthy-springy. But their resistance is quite strong for a synth-type key action.

Some user reviewed that the black keys are more resistant than the white. Yep, that is indeed true.

[video=youtube;7UK4_3oRw44]

They seem to be pretty good for the price. I've never been a fan of the action on the M-Audio controllers, but I'm not sure how much more you can expect for $200.

As long as you're getting the sounds you need using it, that's all that matters.

I got the 61es for $99.00 a few years back. Still works fine.

I'm a big aftertouch fan, but if you don't use it, you won't know what you're missing...but the other thing is a lot of aftertouch is more like "afterswitch," and if implemented this way, it's pretty useless. The Arturia Analog Factory keyboards, despite their low cost, have amazingly even and predictable aftertouch.

I rarely use aftertouch. I like it for things like being able to add vibrato to brass patches and other things that I would normally trigger with my left hand, but my left hand is otherwise occupied. There's probably a lot more I COULD be doing with it.

Having said that, it's always seemed to be more of a 'live-situation' feature to me, anyway. Not sure the OP needs that.

It's an expression feature. I obviously need to write an article about the many uses of aftertouch, because I'm itching to include a link to something that goes into more detail than a few lines in a forum post My three faves are being able to "carve" the filter cutoff while sustaining a note, morphing between patches, and using it as a "super-velocity" add-on where hitting the keys hard enough to introduce aftertouch at the beginning can do amazing things to the attack.

I got hooked on aftertouch with poly aftertouch, but I pretty much have to settle for channel aftertouch these days.

Now that i could see. Funny, I've never used Aftertouch since my first MIDI synth in 1980.

As you should, Craig. I'd be very interested. I'm guessing one can "draw in" Aftertouch envelopes, after the fact, in Sonar?

Yes, but then that sort of defeats the "expression" aspect. I'm always surprised at how few people use aftertouch, and also, how many controllers simply don't provide it. I think it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Patches in programs like virtual synths often don't include aftertouch, because there's no guarantee the user will have it in their controller (I had to make that decision when I did the Minimoog Tribute and Electronic Guitars expansion packs for Rapture). So if you make aftertouch central to the patch, lots of people won't hear the patch the way it's supposed to be heard. But if all controllers created aftertouch, then you could exploit it in patches.

As a result, you're pretty much on your own in terms of customizing patches so you can get some mileage out of them with aftertouch, and that puts off a lot of people if they don't know the "strategic" parameters to assign to aftertouch.

For example, with "guitaristic" patches, I like tuning a sine wave a fifth above the tonic and bringing it in with aftertouch as "feedback."

I had the es88 for several years. It was the cheapest way to get 88 keys when the other boards I had were only 61. It certainly worked quite well at home and eventually I even began using it on gigs to play my Fantom XR. Alas I sold it on eBay a year or two ago after I bought a Korg TR88. Now I'm pretty happily using the Casio Privia PX3 which is a good compromise between the es88 and TR88 in the areas of performance and weight.

The 88-es is really nice for a cheap light board. I used one for a few years for practice, but unfortunately shorted it out when I was moving it. I gave it to a friend who is good with electronic repairs. Haven't yet asked if he's got it working again.