I currently have an M-Audio Prokeys 88 and the action is really nasty. It's so bad that it makes me NOT want to play. I need to replace it with something better. I'm considering a Studiologics SL88 Grand, but it's a little pricey. I'm wondering what else is out there that I should look at. I don't need a fancy controller. I really just need an 88-key weight keyboard that feels good and has a lot of sensitivity to velocity. The Prokeys 88 does not and it's very frustrating. 
 
Any thoughts?

Korg, Roland and Yamaha make great digital pianos with excellent keyboards.

If you only want an 88 key midi controller, with a great key bed, take a look at Native Instrument's Komplete Kontrol S88. I just recently acquired one and I absolutely love it.
 
Regards,
Dan

I've actually been looking at this online...sounds like it's got great weighted hammer action. I've got an old Yamaha S08 and several keys are starting to stick so looking at a new option.

The guide lights/scale feature seem kinda neat, although my understanding is that these functions are all controlled via the PC software and not the keyboard itself, can you confirm? I use Pianoteq quite regularly and am wondering if I'd need to have the NI software loaded in order to use the scale function, arpeggiator, etc through Pianoteq.

streckfus
The guide lights/scale feature seem kinda neat, although my understanding is that these functions are all controlled via the PC software and not the keyboard itself, can you confirm? I use Pianoteq quite regularly and am wondering if I'd need to have the NI software loaded in order to use the scale function, arpeggiator, etc through Pianoteq.

Correct. Without the Komplete Kontrol software running, it is just a very nice midi controller. However, you can load the software as a plugin that, in turn, loads your VSTi (Pianoteq). If Pianoteq isn't NKS compatible, you may want to create a preset if you want the light guide to indicate zones and custom-map the CC controls. However, you can use the arp functions without a preset and the CC controls still work just fine. By default, the encoders are mapped to send CC14-CC29, in two "pages". You can add as many pages as you want using the Controller Editor to map all of the useful midi CC's for easy automation.
 
Regards,
Dan

So even if a 3rd party VSTi isn't onboard with their NKS you can still manually get them to talk together, huh? I found a few things on YouTube where the guy had to load an "empty" instance of Kontakt Kontrol, then route that to another track with his 3rd party VSTi loaded.

How is the S88's action compared to other keyboards? I like the action on my Yamaha (when the keys don't stick!) but thus far I haven't found an S88 to try out.

streckfus
So even if a 3rd party VSTi isn't onboard with their NKS you can still manually get them to talk together, huh? I found a few things on YouTube where the guy had to load an "empty" instance of Kontakt Kontrol, then route that to another track with his 3rd party VSTi loaded.

How is the S88's action compared to other keyboards? I like the action on my Yamaha (when the keys don't stick!) but thus far I haven't found an S88 to try out.

Yes. The light guide doesn't show keys witches unless you program colored zones in a preset, but midi mapping is always available for everything else. The keybed is one of the best I've ever felt. It feels a bit stiff at first, but there is real weight behind the keys. The velocity curve is very wide. After a couple of sessions, it just feels very natural. 
 
Not it sure about the video you watched, but all you have to do is add any VST to the library and build a preset for it. After that, you just load the KK software as a synth, then load the VST into that. Or, you can skip all of that and just use midi mapping. For most VST instruments without keyswitches or a ton of programmable parameters, that is certainly good enough.
 
Regards,
Dan

dcumpian

streckfus
So even if a 3rd party VSTi isn't onboard with their NKS you can still manually get them to talk together, huh? I found a few things on YouTube where the guy had to load an "empty" instance of Kontakt Kontrol, then route that to another track with his 3rd party VSTi loaded.

How is the S88's action compared to other keyboards? I like the action on my Yamaha (when the keys don't stick!) but thus far I haven't found an S88 to try out.

Yes. The light guide doesn't show keys witches unless you program colored zones in a preset, but midi mapping is always available for everything else. The keybed is one of the best I've ever felt. It feels a bit stiff at first, but there is real weight behind the keys. The velocity curve is very wide. After a couple of sessions, it just feels very natural. 
 
Not it sure about the video you watched, but all you have to do is add any VST to the library and build a preset for it. After that, you just load the KK software as a synth, then load the VST into that. Or, you can skip all of that and just use midi mapping. For most VST instruments without keyswitches or a ton of programmable parameters, that is certainly good enough.
 
Regards,
Dan

Cool, thanks for the info. I took a look at the manual and it looks like you just do a VST scan for 3rd party instruments and bring them right into the plugin like you said. Pretty slick. Aside from Pianoteq I also use Eastwest libraries quite a bit although I tend to use specific patches instead of key switching. Also Addictive Drums 2.

Hopefully I can get my hands on a unit to try out. I've played the Yamaha MOXF8 and a couple of Korgs but none of them had an action to my liking. Plus I like the S88 price a lot more than those others, too!

dcumpian
The keybed is one of the best I've ever felt. It feels a bit stiff at first, but there is real weight behind the keys. The velocity curve is very wide. After a couple of sessions, it just feels very natural.
Regards,
Dan

Hi Dan! Any info on sensor technology used in NI KK? Does it have dual or triple sensor?

Soundwise

dcumpian
The keybed is one of the best I've ever felt. It feels a bit stiff at first, but there is real weight behind the keys. The velocity curve is very wide. After a couple of sessions, it just feels very natural.
Regards,
Dan

Hi Dan! Any info on sensor technology used in NI KK? Does it have dual or triple sensor?

NI ain't saying which Fatar keybed they chose. I will tell you, it isn't like playing a piano. Because of the aftertouch, the keys have a slight bounce when you hit the bottom. It is not off putting, to me, but it isn't a solid stop like at a real piano. It's as if there is a hard rubber pad under the keys, which is probably more true than I think, lol. However, this just makes the key bed useful for a lot more than just piano. I've played organ VST's, synth stuff and programmed drum tracks without any issues whatsoever. The keys are smooth and the edges line up real well, so palming/glissing the keys works well. The only thing you might run into is that the weight of the keys makes doing drum/cymbal rolls on a single key almost impossible, so you must either map the drum/cymbal to more than one key, or just randomly select a second note and merge the secondary midi notes in the PRV. Not a big deal unless you play a lot of real fast xylophone passages.
 
Regards,
Dan