Which secondary MIDI-keyboard + stand?

[jeroennoten]

Hello,

I own a Nord Stage 2 HA88 for about a year now and I am very happy with it. They HA-keys are very nice for playing piano sounds, but I am considering buying a secondary MIDI-keyboard for a nicer way of playing the organ and synthesizer sounds. Which MIDI-keyboard do you recommend? There are too many keyboard to choose from..

Second question: I currently use the Nord legs as stand for my stage, which are very handy, especially because they fit in the bag and the Nord stands solid as a rock. Does there exist something like an extension for these legs, so that I can keep using the Nord legs and placing the secondary keyboard above my Nord? If not, which dual keyboard stand do you recommend?

Many thanks!

[Marlowes]

Hi, Jeroen!

After owning several Nord instruments I finally saved up to buy a Stage 2 - the ultimate tool!
And sold the rest.
Then, later on, I wanted to be able to fool around with VSTs and hardware boxes in parallell.
Found a second hand Lead 2X in mint condition with a nice pricetag.
So, the Lead doubles both as a sloppy keybed MIDI keyboard (for computers and boxes) and also it's an awesome synth in itself.
I'm very happy (like Pharrell Williams-ish) with this setup. But of course, happiness is very personal ...

After trying two-tier setup, I settled for two separate stands; square & sturdy for the Stage, tiny X-type for the Lead. Once again - personal choice.
K&M stands from thomann.de works OK for me!

[jeroennoten]

Hey, thanks for your sharing your experience! (BTW, for me, the Stage 2 is my first Nord, huge leap forward from a Yamaha PSR-2100 :p)

I think I am not going the same direction as your, because I think I do not want a second sound engine, all sounds in one device seems the best solution for me and the Stage 2 has enough functionality for me to create everything that I need at the moment. (Second argument is that I have not that much money to spend anymore, I am still student..) The only thing I need is a good secondary keyboard with maybe some button/sliders/knobs that I can use.

However, great chance that I am going to use the same stand-setup as you.

Any more experiences from other users?

[Marlowes]

Arturia, anyone?

I bought an Arturia Spark drum thing, and it turned out to be really great with a decent price.
So now I'm a bit inclined at ordering a MIDI keyboard from them too. Something like the
http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/pro ... intro.html
Looks very useful IMHO.

Whaddyathink?

[Six-string-man]

I agree with the K&M stands. They are very solid, and well made. Take a look at the 18810 set, and the 18880/18881, both for two tiers, both available from Thomann.

As you say, the MIDI keyboard is going to be a harder choice.


SSM

[jeroennoten]

Thanks.

The M-Audio MIDI-keyboards seems also nice to me. Good price, good features, nice layout (space is mainly used for the keyboard, panel with controllers is small, which I like). M-Audio has just announced new Keystations and Oxygens: http://www.m-audio.com/messe2014/

I think I like the Oxygen 49 or 61. What do you think?

BTW, the Arturia seems also nice, however, I do not really know Arturia, which does not mean anything. But the panel with controllers is a little big, I like it smaller.

[Marlowes]

Jeroen:

Oxygen 49 & 61 looks really nice. Price is also OK, I guess. But I think that the Arturia feels very stable - with wood and metal ... how about the M-Audio?
Weight can of course be an issue if you gig a lot and far away. I seldom do.

This is an interesting issue, since I'm planning to buy one. Lots of knobs are cool!

(Arturia is French )

[jeroennoten]

Metal and wood is indeed nice (like Nord), and robust (I speak from experience, my Nord Stage has survived some dangerous drops :p)

I think I am going to look for a store that sell these keyboards and try them out.

[maxpiano]

Warning! The Oxygen does not have a DIN MIDI Out, only USB so can't be used for that purpose (unless you use a PC too in your setup). Whatever model you will choose, check that aspect first.

If you want the top can afford it, look at the novation SL Mk2 series; also the new Behringer Motör, shown at Namm 2014, look promising but are not yet available. There are many other valid ones out there, apart from the cheapest ones it is a matter of budget and personal feeling with each keybed.

[iaorana]

I'm using a Roland A-500PRO: light and cheap, MIDI-connectable to the Nord, plenty of assignable controllers, including 9 sliders - nice for simulating organ drawbars

Alain