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so has anyone done this? I wanna hear about it... works well? which keyboards would you recommend? I wanna make something like this....



..and use it as my drum machine and synth, synth bass.

So far I like the line 6 mobile keys 25, it doesn't require any power source? Could be used with a usb to two midi cables in and out? It is super compact, has both expression and sustain, not sure how they'd work with the esx if at all?

also another is the samson graphite 25, bigger more complex it has extra encoders and buttons, the four pads are the highlight for me along with the higher quality semi weighted keys, transport controls. though connectivity... it only has midi out? how does this combine with teh esx? could you still assign the keyboard to copy the 1-16 sequence buttons?

button wrote:so has anyone done this? I wanna hear about it... works well? which keyboards would you recommend? I wanna make something like this....

..and use it as my drum machine and synth, synth bass.

So far I like the line 6 mobile keys 25, it doesn't require any power source? Could be used with a usb to two midi cables in and out? It is super compact, has both expression and sustain, not sure how they'd work with the esx if at all?

also another is the samson graphite 25, bigger more complex it has extra encoders and buttons, the four pads are the highlight for me along with the higher quality semi weighted keys, transport controls. though connectivity... it only has midi out? how does this combine with teh esx? could you still assign the keyboard to copy the 1-16 sequence buttons?

the line6 mobile keys would never work unless you lugged a laptop, iPad or other USB host device along with you the whole time, which would also have to have a USB-MIDI interface to plug out 5-pin DIN MIDI to the ESX. firstly it is bus powered (has to be plugged into a USB hosting device like a laptop/iPad etc) and it doesn't have a 5-pin MIDI out which is all the ESX can take for MIDI.

The samson graphite should work for this as it can be powered by an adaptor and also has 5-pin MIDI out... the extra buttons and encoders could also be great for tweaking multiple parts simultaneously.

Maybe do some research about the MIDI mapping capabilities before going ahead with it.

things to look out for that would be plusses:

-being able to easily switch between MIDI channels on the fly (to change which ESX part the keys are sending MIDI to)
-NRPN if you want to go deeper into your mapping (not necessary)
-encoders/buttons can be assigned to specific CC and MIDI Channel OR use whichever channel the controller is set to at that moment.

It looks like a Radias..

yeeeeah a little but more like...

the one on the right, I would like to make a box for them to sit in but be detectable as well.
the samson looks to be the most likely choice for now, midi into the esx then from the esx midi out to my motu ultralite so I can tempo sync in ableton and have the usb from the samson also connected so I can use it for other ableton tracks. that is the plan but yeah I'm not ordering until next week so ....

button wrote:so has anyone done this? I wanna hear about it... works well? which keyboards would you recommend? I wanna make something like this....

I've got no suggestions but I just wanted to say it's an awesome idea! I'd love to see how it turns out.

Here's an example where someone added an Arturia keyboard to their rackmount Origin to make a hybrid:

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/smf/in ... pic=6389.0

YES! very similar idea. I'm still waiting for funds to transfer but once they do I shall be making this happen. shall post pics etc asap. B]

Samson arrived, it is a little wider than I thought it would be but I think I can work with that as far as putting some kind of box around it and the esx.

still getting used to it for now. keybed is quite nice, with aftertouch, got nothing on my impulse 49 though. But yeah the graphite 25, as far as keybed goes so far I'd consider it to be a mid of the mid range.