I have used many keyboard controllers the last 30 years..from the Roland a-30 to the Roland A800pro, and dozens between them..
In recent years I thought it necessary to have all the sliders, pads and buttons programmed to my daws and vst's..the A800 pro was one of the best for this..
What i found is I didn't really use all the controls..after the novelty of drawbars for organ with the fast/slow switch button....I didn't use much other than cc7 control, or volume control...maybe mute of a zone...All the things that most any controller can do..
I sold my A800pro, and bought another Roland PC-80..I had a new one several years ago, before I thought I needed more controls..
The following is a review from the net..that mirrors my thoughts:
Edirol PC-80 MIDI Controller & Audio Interface with Mic Preamp
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I have long desired to consolidate the many elements of a home studio into as few pieces as possible, and after finding the Edirol PC-80 I felt like I had finally found most of what I was looking for.
Most MIDI controllers offer anywhere from 25 to 88 keys and one or more of the following: sliders, knobs and drum pads. It is nice to include things like that, but what about the guy that just wants to comfortably sit on his bed and relax while letting the music making process happen naturally? Laptop speakers are inadequate and many people dislike using headphones either for the cord getting in the way or just having something physical on your head for hours. The Edirol PC-80 is the first MIDI controller that I have seen that includes stereo speakers, and ones loud enough to really get in to what you are recording!
And thinking about this, what is a MIDI controller doing with audio components? Aren't we verging on this being an audio interface as well? Yes, in this case we are! The Edirol PC-80 is a full-duplex, 24-bit, 96k audio interface that includes:
Audio Inputs:
Two L/R 1/4" jacks for line, instrument or mic input
RCA outputs for L/R and sub
TWO headphone outputs
Stereo speakers built-in
That's not a bad audio interface feature-wise!
The PC-80 can be powered via USB or by the included (wall-wart) power supply. The power supply supplies 2,000 mA whereas the USB power supplies a meager 500 mA. This makes no difference when it comes to MIDI functionality, but if you are using a weak mic and need as much gain from the preamp as possible, I am sure you will appreciate having the option to use 2 full amps of power. This would make a difference with the speakers as well; the more power, the louder you can turn it up.
Action is meant to be "synth action", which is between no key tension and fully-weighted piano keys, but I find the PC-80 to be on the stiffer side of a typical synth-action controller. This may or may not be to your liking but I thought it should be noted.
Two knobs and buttons on the front panel handle program and MIDI CC changes with 2 LED's for feedback. There are upper and lower buttons for key splits and a very useful Direct Monitor button for hearing what you are recording before it goes into your computer and back out again. That way you won't hear yourself later than the rest of your recording (latency.) A dedicated Master Volume knob controlling the audio output rounds things out.
In summary, if you are looking for a single MIDI controller to fill many other roles of your studio such as speakers, headphone amps, mic preamps and more, this could be just the thing you've been waiting to discover!
Here are some of my thoughts..the keyfeel is a bit better than the A800pro, close to the BK5 feel...very playable..
The assortment of features is the best I have found..the audio interface is similar to my stand a lone Edirols I have used for years.. the flexible routing is great, allowing 2:1 sound, and the monitoring is no latency..the imput allows line, guitar or mic with gain control knob..All this is via USB bus power..
The bonus is the PC-80 synth, player, and editor that comes with the keyboard..It has a dedicated button that auto matically opens the synth..
It is a GM2 256 tones, 9 drum kits, and a lot of user area for your edits..it is 256 polyphonic..and sounds great..better than most GM2/gs/xg sources...It also has a 16 track player, besides the 2 keyboard parts (zones).
I love this controller, the speakers although small are great for home monitoring..it is a perfect home studio piece and can handle any gig too..It also makes recording hassle free with my MixCraft6 or Band in a box program..
http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/735
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