I am moving from a keyboard synthesizer to a separate midi controller and sound module setup and have some questions. I am a midi novice, so maybe I am missing some basic concepts.

I know I definitely want 88 full-weighted keys and pitch/mod wheels. My sound module will be a Triton Rack (can't beat that new, low price). I want to keep the controller cost under $1000. This will be in a home studio environment, used along with a patch librarian like MidiQuest or SoundDiver.

Some contenders are the Fatar SL880 ($600) and SL1100 ($800), the Kurzweil SP88x ($900), and the Oberheim MC2000 ($1000). Other suggestions are welcome. I think I've eliminated the Kurz as I really don't need or want stage piano features and hate the pitch/mod ribbon on that thing.

In comparing the Fatar SL880 and the SL1100 (or the Oberheim) in use with the Triton rack, what would I be missing out on with something like the SL880 which does not have presets as opposed to the SL1100 and MC2000 which do have presets?

What use are all the presets? I don't care about program/bank change through the preset as I am using the patch librarian. Does anyone really need 32 or 128 different velocity, aftertouch, layer/split settings?

What do I need the midi controller split/layer capability for? I thought that was something that was setup in Korg's combinations?