Hi all,
 
who makes the best quality keybeds?
 
I'm looking for a synth action 61 key with aftertouch and I want a high quality keyboard with a quiet action after a disasterous encounter with a Kronos X61 recently ...yesterday in fact, it's now on its way back to the supplier.
 
Looking to spend up to £1600 I'll also consider much cheaper keyboard controllers if they have a good solid keybed, also looking for analogue and digital synth recommendations if they have excellent keys.

I have played synthesisers since the 80's and I like the synth action. I dont mind it at all. You can get control over all the octaves by transposing well and I don't mind hearing an acoustic instrument while playing a synth action either. A few good ones back then were the DX7 and Korg M1. I recently bought a Kurzweil PC3K6 and I am happy to say I like the keybed action. It is firm and allows for plenty of expression. (the ribbon controller is something else!)
 
The instrument is amazing too. It is good to install the Kore 64 Memory expansion. The sound quality to me is very good and better than nearly all the other major synth brands. Sits well in complex mixes. Needs little or no effects processing during mixdown on audio tracks in your DAW. Has built in virtual Analog emulation and virtual organ as well as the synth itself. VAST allows for unlimted digital editing of all raw materials in ROM and RAM.
 
Has 16 effects processors. Can do massive multi timbral layers with ease. Instant latency performance over midi or USB. Sounds are amazing. Everything you could ever want is in the internal/expanded memory. I have over 4000 patches in mine. Goes to holding over 16,000 patches. Can be used as a controller. Easily separated from internal sound generating engine. Transmits all the movements of sliders and control devices.
 
Your budget would cover it. Here is a link:
 
http://kurzweil.com/product/pc3k6/
 
There is also an amazing free editor from SoundTower and it makes it a breeze to edit complex setups from a nice computer GUI where a lot of stuff can be seen in one view. The software and Kurzweil act in a very two way communication too when using the editor. Tons of videos on it too.
 
 
 

I like fatar beds, but are you talking piano?
 
@

I've always been a synth action player, I do play piano parts but essentially I am more a synth guy.
 
The PC36K is definitely a good option, I recently traded in a PC361 and some other gear to 'trade up' to a workstation with all the bells and whistles but it hasn't worked out and now I am debating how much to spend.
 
I really liked the PC361 action, Kurzweil sound is very good and it has lots of performance controls that can be mapped into a DAW.
 
In reality I could go up to £2500 but the keyboard would have to not only be excellent mechanically it would have to have a unique sound offering...think Virus analogue or Roland Supernatural.
 
The synth needs to have the following
 
61/73 keys with velocity and aftertouch ( I think this rules out Nord?)
 
Performance controls - pitch bend and mod wheel...again sadly most of the Nord I see don't have this?
 
Just a controller ( benefits are it would be cheap )
OR
A synth powerhouse but it must offer a unique sound for me to splash the cash.
 
Options at the moment range from a controller keyboard up to something modest like a PC36K ( or maybe PC37K ) then on to something like a Roland JP-80...I just need to decide how much I want to invest.

The PC3K/6 or PC3K/7 would be a good choice. They are all the same synth engine so no difference there only the keyboard length and action the PC3K/8 action is weighted.
 
Kore 64 doubles its already extended capacity. There is a rather larger library of free sounds on the site that give huge electric piano options, synths and the Take 6 vocal ensemble. That is all free. With everything installed you are up to 4200 patches and over. It has a built in General Midi synth too. Not to mention the virtual organ and VA-1 analog virtual synth. There is another very nice library available from Sweetwater apparently which adds to it further. (in the form of a USB stick which you just plug in the back and it reads it) It connects to a computer via USB as well. (Midi of course and SPDIF) 
 
The PC3K can read the pre existing K2000 library. This is very good and often the patches sound better in the PC3K. It sounds better than all previous Kurzweils too I am sure of it.
 
Expression wise it is loaded everywhere. Pitch and mod wheel and switch programmable. After touch is very nice to use. The 10 sliders on the front are also programmed heavily into the patch and enable very fast editing effects included. I have just put the ribbon controller on and it too is excellent. It can be one large one or 3 smaller ones. It can do a lot more than pitch effects of course. The arpeggiator is killer too and way too much fun. You can plug a breath controller directly into it as well and control internal sounds and send over midi too. The browser is amazing and you can find sounds in seconds. The setup mode turns it into a super controller and makes very complex setups instantly recall capable.
 
VAST is huge and extended in this version. The latest OS has added a raft of features. Up to 32 layers per note means very complex programming. The editor is essential and makes it all 10 times easier. It is a synth powerhouse. There is nothing modest about it. You could do everything a Roland Jupiter 80 can do I am sure of it. The touch sensitivity on the sounds and way they change with your playing is jaw dropping. (when it is programmed in)
 
It sounds incredible, better in my opinion than the other major synth brands. The sounds record so well and stand up so easily in a complex mix even with no processing involved. With other synths in a recording situation I am often battling it out with the sound trying to make it decent, using many plugins and stuff. Not so with the Kurzweil. It has a big warm a kind fuzzy feeling type of sound. It is clear and cuts through even at low volume in your mix. It pumps out a serious +4 dBu or louder and is dead silent too in terms of background noise.

Roland Jupiter-80. Best there is!
Great sounds and great synth action keys. Build quality is awesome!

Best Regards
Ludvig

I just got an Akai MPK61 and the build quality is excellent.  All the control knobs and sliders are excellent.  The keybed feel is a bit stiff, which I happen to like but it's a personal preference.  I just bought it on sale from amazon.com for $399.  Amazing deal.
 
Only negative thing I'd say about this board is that it tends to play loud (high velocity) better than soft and expressive.  But there is an editable response curve which mitigates this quite a bit.

Once again, this is a personal preference thing and only you can decide by actually trying them yourself. Opinions (especially by those that seem to be around only to sell a specific product) are eventually of little help. 
When I went shopping for my Kronos, I expected to come home with a 61, but after just a little while on both a 61 & 88, opted for the 88. The 61 just didn't feel as stable as most Korgs I've owned. I've also tried the Kurzweils and found them to be 'sluggish' in response. The Novation Impulse keys feel okay but the sliders felt cheap. Roland starts out good but get weak far too quickly for me.
In old keyboards, the Emu MPS was one of my favorites. In fact, if you can find an Emu XBoard on eBay in good condition, I say it is still one of the best. Fatar seems to have different models and some of the synth action models are attrocious while other ones are really nice. (And there doesn't seem to be any in the middle). Their weighted keys are quite nice though.
It also depends on whether you need aftertouch or not. If not, the market opens up your choices a lot.
 
I'm curious about your 'disasterous encounter' though.

I am referring to Kurzweil PC3K models too which are the most recent. Previous models may not perform as well. They say they have refined things a little more. I found the opposite to be true in terms of Kurzweil response. I was a little concerned as to how the action might be on the 61 note model but to my surprise it is really great. It has some firmness to the action and you can get into it. I also found it to be super fast responding. Almost too fast. No sluggish response at all.
 
But these synth actions can sometimes be faster than the 88 note weighted action where the Kurzweil might be sluggish to some extent. The keyboard player in the tribute band I am playing bought a Korg stage piano for its nicest action and pretty decent acoustic piano sound.
 
The 61 note Kurzweil action is lightening fast to respond as soon as you touch a key. It feels like zero latency for playing purposes. I like it a lot.

Like I've said, personal preference. I want to be impressed with every Kurz I play, but have walked away disappointed everytime.  YMMV...
Try them all for yourself.