MIDI keyboard for travel

[Jazzclimber]

Hello Helpful Forum People! I asked your opinion about a portable travel/practice keyboard as a substitute for my NS3 when I am away from it, and got great leads - thank you! Having done some research while searching for a compromise between keybed quality and portability (49 keys is MAX for me), I am thinking maybe komplete kontrol S49 is good for my purposes.

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/p ... l-s49-s61/

It’s relatively small and light and half-weighted keys get good reviews .
My new questions are:
1. Is it a potentially good supplement to my NS3 - access to more sounds, more capabilities? 2. How much hassle is it to learn what a complete MIDI/DAW-ignorant person (myself) needs to learn to use such a MIDI keyboard with my iPad and earphones? Can I play just using an iPad/earphones with it, or do I have to have a laptop (plus earphones of course) to get it to play?
Thank you SO much in advance!

[Jazzclimber]

I wouldn't buy a NI KK S49 for MIDI use. It is not a MIDI masterkeyboard. It's a controller keyboard for your computer.

I only have a S61 (mkII). I don't like the keys very much - they are okeeeey. But as long as it isn't plugged to a computer it is dumb as bread: Always MIDI ch1, no settings, no splits, no knobs functioning as anything - not very useful as a supplement to your NS3. The whole keyboard only works with a DAW or NI Komplete. Or very basic functions (keys) w/out computer.

[Jazzclimber]

Thank you so much, you always give me good advice! Do you know if KK S49 functions with iPAD, or do I have to have a laptop? I don’t have to have an extensive library of sounds/effects. +/- Decent piano sound is enough (with earphones), at least for travel. and to start with. Also, in your opinion, - is there a 49-key keyboard with better keys? Thank you!

[Jazzclimber]

Sorry, I have no idea if the NI KK S49 works with an iPad. If you want to be able to use the knobs and advanced MIDI features, you would need to be able to use a factory app - no idea if that exists. And no idea if the keyboard is USB-MIDI class compliant so you wouldn't need a driver to connect it at all.

And no, I have no clue what 49-notes keyboard you could use. If ever you find one usable for piano playing, let me know! I'm looking around for years.

The one I sometimes use for travelling is a Yamaha reface CP with a full sustain pedal and its soft case. But the 3 octaves are a bit short, and the keys are a bit small.

[Jazzclimber]

Thank you so much, you always give me good advice! Do you know if KK S49 functions with iPAD, or do I have to have a laptop? I don’t have to have an extensive library of sounds/effects. +/- Decent piano sound is enough (with earphones), at least for travel. and to start with. Also, in your opinion, - is there a 49-key keyboard with better keys? Thank you!

If the NI website‘s foto of the reverse is valid for the 49 keys version as well, then it would easily work with apps on an iPad. You need the Lightning to USB adaptor and would then even have the choice of using USB port with a printer cable or the MIDI sockets with the right cable. I have one „USB to 2 MIDI“ which could be used as MIDI in and MIDI out or as two MIDI ins at two different keyboards. Very comfortable.

Cheers from sunny Germany

Edit: https://www.esi-audio.com/products/midimateex/

[vojtech-h]

Hello!

Allow me a personal opinion: 49 keys for piano work seems insufficient to me. I alternated my home NS2 with a yamaha PSRxxx 61 key on the road and it also missed some tones.

And mainly the yamaha had a smaller key spacing and the transition back to the NS2 standard was unpleasant. Check whether your chosen keyboard will have a standard key spacing.


Vojtech