Hi,

I'm trying to find a MIDI keyboard controller to update my ageing Roland PC180A. The modwheel on the 180A is a horrible joystick combo that has virtually no vertical movement which I need for orchestral expression programming.

My main needs are:

61 keys
Separate modwheel (not a joystick)
Ease of use with Sonar X1

Faders and rotaries would be a nice addition for synth twiddling.

So far I'm looking at the M-Audio Oxygen 61 and the Behringer UMX610, my preference being the Oxygen because of the faders. Can anyone who uses these (or other similar keyboards) recommend their use? I know a lot of people recommend a Roland (because of ease of setup) but I don't like the pitch/mod joystick combo.

So far I'm liking the look of the Oxygen 61 - has anyone had good/bad experiences with X1?

The most important thing is keyboard feel.  Even a non-keyboardist will have a much better experience using a board he/she likes.  I just had to replace my Novation 25 Le this week.  I went down the local GC and tested a bunch of keys, and went w/ novation again - the impulse 25.  Me, I like Fatar keys.  Novation uses them.  I did play an m-audio key and the action was a little light for me, and I don't play piano.  It had a good feel, wheels (the Le used a joystick and touchpad which I loved but a touchscreen replaces the later) and seems simple and robust.  Lots of knobs and pads, which are both more useful for synths than orchestra, I would think.  So it is probably more expensive than many other keys with its extra stuff, but I think it is pretty good buy (esp. since I got an open box).  And novation is having a $50 off promotion, which helps a little too.
 
So you might want to put that into the mix, as well.  but I would encourage you to actually play the keyboard you intend to buy.  You may find you hate the action, just as you hated the roland joystick.
 
@

I'm waiting for this to hit the local GC to see what it feels like...
 

    
http://www.behringer.com/EN/products/MOTOR-49.aspx

Thanks for the replies. I've tried out the few that I'm looking at and the feel is OK - not amazing but certainly playable considering my budget and at least comparable to my existing Roland.
 
What I'm more concerned about is how easy they are to configure the extra faders etc in Sonar. I've read so many stories about people having problems setting faders and extra controllers up using ACT that I'm wondering if I should just stick to a basic keyboard without the bells and whistles.
 
They all seem to be fairly similar feature-wise within my budget range so I'm just trying to get some feedback as to how easy people have found any of these models to setup in Sonar:
 
M-Audio Oxygen 61
M-Audio Axiom 61
Behringer U-Control UMX610
Alesis QX61

I saw that Behringer Motor 49/61 in a video and it looks impressive but I'm wondering what the build quality will be like considering how many features they've appeared to cram in at a low price.
 

With my old novation (pre-automat) I had no problems w/ ACT.  It is very easy to learn a knob w/ ACT.  Sometimes they disappeared, tho.
 
Then new novation installed Automat to SONAR X1, not 3, which is fine.  I'd prefer to set up controllers myself.  It is easy, but I haven't tried to save settings w/ ACT.  So I'll see.
 
If you like the keybed, then get the controller that best fits your budget.  The novation was open box, so it was as cheap or cheaper than any of the others I was looking at.
 
@ 

I just bought the Roland A49, They make all models 61- 88 etc. It was only $139 and best of all came with Sonar LE which I upgraded to X3 studio, So that saved me $100 too. 
I bought it because my last controller was a Roland which lasted 25 years! The new one looks and "feels" the same. Better controllers and UBS too. So I'm pretty happy with it. I can play better. Feel is everything with any instrument. One thing I truly like is the Mod /pitch bend controller. 
I had an M audio keyboard and gave it back to the person who gave it to me!