Thanks! One of my favorite shirts. :) Make sure to check out my video on the keybed issues that's also on my channel ("Why I'm Returning my Hammer 88 Pro").
Thanks for the in-depth review! Do you know if it's possible to set an expression pedal input to cc64 and then plug a sustain pedal into that for half-pedalling?
Thanks for watching! I have a Roland DP-10 half-damper pedal. Let me see if I can do that. There's just one expression pedal input so one would be sacrificing that.
Yes, there is. ruclips.net/video/CG5qZ64k4Ic/видео.html Basically, this model currently has an issue with notes hanging when using 5-pin midi. I'm not sure if it affects USB midi because I returned mine a while back, after the second replacement also exhibited the same issue. The Hammer 88 Pro is closely related to the new Oxygen Pro models, and I've recently seen a number of reports of similar issues with those keyboards. I suspect it's either a note scanning issue or an issue with data routing from the keyboard to the midi connections.
So as a general-purpose all-rounder that covers a lot of areas, I tend to suggest the basic Kontakt set (the paid version of Kontakt 7, as the "Komplete Start" free version is missing most of the better sounds in the factory library). While none of the included sounds are necessarily top-notch, I find there's enough there to cover your basic keys needs (especially if you include the other free sounds from Native Instruments). For organs, I like IK's B-3X, and I'm a fan of NI Session Strings for pop strings. Otherwise I tend to have specific VSTs for different sounds I need - for pianos, check out Sampletekk and AcousticSamples. For electric pianos, Purgatory Creek's soundsets for Kontakt are top-notch. For orchestral needs, I have had good luck with EastWest Opus. But again, I tend to have specific sample sets for certain instruments, like a dedicated cello library, for example.
Hammer keys are just for feel or can it help to create different sound (not just volume) like a real piano when pressed softer or harder? My understanding is that it's your software that produces sound then what role hammer keys play except for the feel of real piano keys? As far as sound is considered, same sound can be produced from same software or sound plugin using semi-weighted or not at all weighted keys. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Hopefully this explanation can help! Basically, you can play the same notes using a semi-weighted action as with weighted keys, but when playing something like piano sounds you have much more precise control of dynamics when using a weighted/hammer action than you will with a non-hammer action. You can be much more expressive. However, a weighted action is not what you want for playing organ and clavinet parts, or even synth or brass parts. It is sort of the opposite situation - you can play those sounds alright with a hammer ation, but it will be harder to play those the "right way" when you have heavy keys. So each type of keybed has their purpose. The primary reason to use a hammer action is for playing piano parts or parts requiring more precise dynamic control, as the way your fingers interact with the keys give a different midi result (which is the data that tells your sound source how hard you're playing etc) than you get with a light action. An example might be this: using the exact same sound, and the same exact amount of playing force from your hand, play a note on a non-weighted action and then that same note on a hammer action. The sound will not be the same unless you're using a synth sound with no dynamics or something like that as the keys require a different amount of force to achieve the same dynamic/velocity. This translates to a different playing experience and a difference in the sound that results as well. The base sound chosen might be the same, but keybeds change how you interact with and affect that sound. Does that help at all?
@@MaxThompsonMusic Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation. For the last 2 days, I have been coming here and reading your above comment. I think I got it now or at least I know which one I should buy. Just one question based on an example that you gave above. Do MIDIs with hammer keys have more velocity sensors compared to semi-weighted one and that's the reason different sounds will be produced even though the sound plugin is the same? If you watch this video - ruclips.net/video/gcB-150Dluw/видео.html, you will find that the keyboard with hammer keys produces a different sound from the one with a semi-weighted key. But in this video - ruclips.net/video/jV98xf3EVhU/видео.html, the sound produced is almost similar to the one with hammer keys in the other video. How is that happening? I have no experience in music. I want to learn piano not to learn playing piano per se but to learn music and music theory. I have no plans or intentions to become a professional musician but if I am doing something then I want to do it right. Budget is not an issue. So, I did some research on which MIDI keyboard I should go ahead with but I got confused about hammer keys and semi-weighted keys. But thanks for the way you explained. I got the idea that hammer keys will be better if it's more about playing piano but for learning music or music theory a synth or semi-weighted keys will get the job done that I am intended to. I think I should go ahead with Nektar Impact LX88+. Do you think it's a good choice or would you suggest something better?
Keyboards with hammer keys sometimes use 3 sensors instead of 2, which is more common and also pretty much universally used on non-hammer actions. But the difference in midi result is a physical matter. The sensor at the bottom of the keys sends a higher velocity the harder it feels you hit the keys. If you hit something with less resistance [a synth action] and something with heavier resistance [a hammer action] equally as hard, the sensor at the bottom will get pressed down harder from the light keys than the heavier keys. I would say that you can learn music fine without weighted keys if you're not planning on being piano-focused. It's definitely better to have a full 88 keys though, which I think you know given your second question! The answer to whether the Nektar is a good choice or whether I'd suggest something else will depend on whether you already have computer virtual instrument software, an audio interface, monitor speakers to hear the sound, and plan on always playing in front of the computer. If the answer to any of those is no, and you don't care as much about budget, I would suggest a Numa Compact 2x, which gives you the same type of form factor and semi-weighted action with a good variety of sounds for $699. It isn't a strict digital piano so you have more sounds and a drawbar organ sound engine as well, and still has controller capabilities. It does also have built-in speakers, though I don't know how those sound. I wouldn't go higher than about $1,100 given that you aren't already a keyboardist. But that gives you a lot of options if you wanted something else (such as the Kurzweil SP6 or Roland Juno DS88). Keep in mind with those that you would either need to use headphones or external speakers.
@@MaxThompsonMusic I read about 3 velocity sensors in Hammer action keys. But thanks again for explaining in detail and in such a simple and understandable way. This is South Africa. 🙂 Brands you mentioned are either not available or rarely available here or out of stock all the time except for Roland but mostly it's the digital pianos. Even Arturia KeyLab MKII, the one you have, will be available only in the last week of Nov and there is no update on M-Audio Hammer Pro when it will arrive in South Africa. I also checked the Sweetwater website. They don't ship to South Africa. Arturia Essential 88 is available here in abundance. But I can't go ahead with that one because it's not 100% Linux compatible and I work on Linux. Some controllers don't work on Linux - based on the material available on the internet and different Linux forums. However, not 100% compatibility is not a big issue but Nektar is 100% compatible with Linux and is already available in few numbers. So, I guess that's the one option I can go ahead with right now unless I wait till the end of Nov for Arturia MKII to arrive. I will be playing in front of the computer. I have Bitwig 8-Track, Ardour, Fami Studio, Vital, LMMS, Waveform 11 and Reaper already installed on my machine. Except for Bitwig-8 track and Reaper, all are open source. I will get a license if needed. I have THX certified Logitech z906 5.1 speakers. I would say the sound quality is really good from this speaker whether you play music or watch sports or movies. I also tested with mentioned DAWs, and the sound quality seems to be fine. Thanks a lot for taking time out and replying to my questions. I really appreciate it. Subscribed.
You're welcome! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were based in South Africa, so that does change things a lot. As does the Linux-compatible requirement. Roland's Juno DS88 is a nice board as well since that's available, but I don't know what its price is like there. But since you'll be in front of the computer, that Nektar should work fine for you! I'd go with that in your situation.
Hey all, So, it turns out that the sustain issue isn't actually caused by my half-damper pedal. While I have just been using a switch pedal since then, it turns out that my Hammer 88 Pro is defective. It randomly hangs notes no matter what and will shift itself up and down an octave randomly while I'm playing sometimes. A replacement unit is on the way. If that one has issues as well, I'm returning it and buying something else. EDIT: The new one has the same exact problem with the keybed. I'm finding something else.
Ouch. One unit having a problem? Understandable - especially since new to the market. But two units? Sounds like M-Audio needs to get in front of this quickly and get a firmware update out ASAP. Thank you for your review!
It's a great board but uses the Fatar TP-100LR action that I don't personally care for. I play a lot of ragtime and jazz and have always found the TP-100LR to be too slow/mushy for my liking. The Arturia also couldn't send individual program changes on independent midi channels. As it turned out the M-Audio couldn't either though lol. If one likes that Fatar action it's an awesome board with good build quality to boot.
If you get the Hammer or Oxygen Pro 61’, 49, or 25, PLEASE, contact “Decksaver” to get a custom fit plastic deck saver to protect your keys!!! Now I do “Not” work there! I am just purchasing the Oxy Pro 61 and I want a deck protector by @Decksaver for mine, but, they don’t make one yet, and in order to get them to tool up and make a custom cover for the Oxygen Pro line they need to see interest and requests in order to “tool up the factory” to start making them! Contact Decksaver for your keys custom hard plastic see through protector!!! Great for going back and forth to college!!!
Thanks for the recommendation. I'm not necessarily sure I have a need for one as I have a suitable dust cover and case both already. As it is, I may be returning this keyboard. Sweetwater is sending me a replacement because this unit actually does have a problem with notes hanging (i.e. the keybed randomly doesn't trigger note off events), and it will occasionally octave shift up or down while I'm playing. I'll see how the replacement unit behaves, but I may end up just getting one of the few remaining Physis K4EX boards from Germany (sadly Viscount discontinued them a few years ago due to high manufacturing costs relative to low sales).
Thanks so much for this authentic and detailed review. Cheers!
Thanks for watching! Glad I could help.
Thank you very much for this video, really helpful for making up my mind about the Hammer 88.
awesome shirt and great review!!!
Thanks! One of my favorite shirts. :)
Make sure to check out my video on the keybed issues that's also on my channel ("Why I'm Returning my Hammer 88 Pro").
Thanks for the in-depth review!
Do you know if it's possible to set an expression pedal input to cc64 and then plug a sustain pedal into that for half-pedalling?
Thanks for watching! I have a Roland DP-10 half-damper pedal. Let me see if I can do that. There's just one expression pedal input so one would be sacrificing that.
Hey Max, thank for the beautiful review. Are there any other updates on the status of the keyboard about a month in? Thank you!
Yes, there is. ruclips.net/video/CG5qZ64k4Ic/видео.html Basically, this model currently has an issue with notes hanging when using 5-pin midi. I'm not sure if it affects USB midi because I returned mine a while back, after the second replacement also exhibited the same issue. The Hammer 88 Pro is closely related to the new Oxygen Pro models, and I've recently seen a number of reports of similar issues with those keyboards. I suspect it's either a note scanning issue or an issue with data routing from the keyboard to the midi connections.
Hey bro what vst did you use for this video, please I'd appreciate your reply
Hey! I actually just used a hardware rack module, a Roland Fantom XR. It's older but I really liked it. www.roland.com/global/products/fantom-xr/
@@MaxThompsonMusic Alright, thank you! What other good vsts can you recommend?
It depends on the styles of music and instruments you're going for! What are you looking for specifically or what genres of music do you work in?
@@MaxThompsonMusic Mostly Christian contemporary
So as a general-purpose all-rounder that covers a lot of areas, I tend to suggest the basic Kontakt set (the paid version of Kontakt 7, as the "Komplete Start" free version is missing most of the better sounds in the factory library). While none of the included sounds are necessarily top-notch, I find there's enough there to cover your basic keys needs (especially if you include the other free sounds from Native Instruments). For organs, I like IK's B-3X, and I'm a fan of NI Session Strings for pop strings. Otherwise I tend to have specific VSTs for different sounds I need - for pianos, check out Sampletekk and AcousticSamples. For electric pianos, Purgatory Creek's soundsets for Kontakt are top-notch. For orchestral needs, I have had good luck with EastWest Opus. But again, I tend to have specific sample sets for certain instruments, like a dedicated cello library, for example.
Hammer keys are just for feel or can it help to create different sound (not just volume) like a real piano when pressed softer or harder? My understanding is that it's your software that produces sound then what role hammer keys play except for the feel of real piano keys? As far as sound is considered, same sound can be produced from same software or sound plugin using semi-weighted or not at all weighted keys. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Hopefully this explanation can help! Basically, you can play the same notes using a semi-weighted action as with weighted keys, but when playing something like piano sounds you have much more precise control of dynamics when using a weighted/hammer action than you will with a non-hammer action. You can be much more expressive. However, a weighted action is not what you want for playing organ and clavinet parts, or even synth or brass parts. It is sort of the opposite situation - you can play those sounds alright with a hammer ation, but it will be harder to play those the "right way" when you have heavy keys. So each type of keybed has their purpose. The primary reason to use a hammer action is for playing piano parts or parts requiring more precise dynamic control, as the way your fingers interact with the keys give a different midi result (which is the data that tells your sound source how hard you're playing etc) than you get with a light action.
An example might be this: using the exact same sound, and the same exact amount of playing force from your hand, play a note on a non-weighted action and then that same note on a hammer action. The sound will not be the same unless you're using a synth sound with no dynamics or something like that as the keys require a different amount of force to achieve the same dynamic/velocity. This translates to a different playing experience and a difference in the sound that results as well. The base sound chosen might be the same, but keybeds change how you interact with and affect that sound.
Does that help at all?
@@MaxThompsonMusic Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation. For the last 2 days, I have been coming here and reading your above comment. I think I got it now or at least I know which one I should buy. Just one question based on an example that you gave above. Do MIDIs with hammer keys have more velocity sensors compared to semi-weighted one and that's the reason different sounds will be produced even though the sound plugin is the same? If you watch this video - ruclips.net/video/gcB-150Dluw/видео.html, you will find that the keyboard with hammer keys produces a different sound from the one with a semi-weighted key. But in this video - ruclips.net/video/jV98xf3EVhU/видео.html, the sound produced is almost similar to the one with hammer keys in the other video. How is that happening?
I have no experience in music. I want to learn piano not to learn playing piano per se but to learn music and music theory. I have no plans or intentions to become a professional musician but if I am doing something then I want to do it right. Budget is not an issue. So, I did some research on which MIDI keyboard I should go ahead with but I got confused about hammer keys and semi-weighted keys. But thanks for the way you explained. I got the idea that hammer keys will be better if it's more about playing piano but for learning music or music theory a synth or semi-weighted keys will get the job done that I am intended to. I think I should go ahead with Nektar Impact LX88+. Do you think it's a good choice or would you suggest something better?
Keyboards with hammer keys sometimes use 3 sensors instead of 2, which is more common and also pretty much universally used on non-hammer actions. But the difference in midi result is a physical matter. The sensor at the bottom of the keys sends a higher velocity the harder it feels you hit the keys. If you hit something with less resistance [a synth action] and something with heavier resistance [a hammer action] equally as hard, the sensor at the bottom will get pressed down harder from the light keys than the heavier keys.
I would say that you can learn music fine without weighted keys if you're not planning on being piano-focused. It's definitely better to have a full 88 keys though, which I think you know given your second question!
The answer to whether the Nektar is a good choice or whether I'd suggest something else will depend on whether you already have computer virtual instrument software, an audio interface, monitor speakers to hear the sound, and plan on always playing in front of the computer. If the answer to any of those is no, and you don't care as much about budget, I would suggest a Numa Compact 2x, which gives you the same type of form factor and semi-weighted action with a good variety of sounds for $699. It isn't a strict digital piano so you have more sounds and a drawbar organ sound engine as well, and still has controller capabilities. It does also have built-in speakers, though I don't know how those sound.
I wouldn't go higher than about $1,100 given that you aren't already a keyboardist. But that gives you a lot of options if you wanted something else (such as the Kurzweil SP6 or Roland Juno DS88). Keep in mind with those that you would either need to use headphones or external speakers.
@@MaxThompsonMusic I read about 3 velocity sensors in Hammer action keys. But thanks again for explaining in detail and in such a simple and understandable way.
This is South Africa. 🙂 Brands you mentioned are either not available or rarely available here or out of stock all the time except for Roland but mostly it's the digital pianos. Even Arturia KeyLab MKII, the one you have, will be available only in the last week of Nov and there is no update on M-Audio Hammer Pro when it will arrive in South Africa. I also checked the Sweetwater website. They don't ship to South Africa. Arturia Essential 88 is available here in abundance. But I can't go ahead with that one because it's not 100% Linux compatible and I work on Linux. Some controllers don't work on Linux - based on the material available on the internet and different Linux forums. However, not 100% compatibility is not a big issue but Nektar is 100% compatible with Linux and is already available in few numbers. So, I guess that's the one option I can go ahead with right now unless I wait till the end of Nov for Arturia MKII to arrive.
I will be playing in front of the computer. I have Bitwig 8-Track, Ardour, Fami Studio, Vital, LMMS, Waveform 11 and Reaper already installed on my machine. Except for Bitwig-8 track and Reaper, all are open source. I will get a license if needed. I have THX certified Logitech z906 5.1 speakers. I would say the sound quality is really good from this speaker whether you play music or watch sports or movies. I also tested with mentioned DAWs, and the sound quality seems to be fine.
Thanks a lot for taking time out and replying to my questions. I really appreciate it. Subscribed.
You're welcome! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were based in South Africa, so that does change things a lot. As does the Linux-compatible requirement. Roland's Juno DS88 is a nice board as well since that's available, but I don't know what its price is like there. But since you'll be in front of the computer, that Nektar should work fine for you! I'd go with that in your situation.
Hey all,
So, it turns out that the sustain issue isn't actually caused by my half-damper pedal. While I have just been using a switch pedal since then, it turns out that my Hammer 88 Pro is defective. It randomly hangs notes no matter what and will shift itself up and down an octave randomly while I'm playing sometimes. A replacement unit is on the way. If that one has issues as well, I'm returning it and buying something else.
EDIT: The new one has the same exact problem with the keybed. I'm finding something else.
Ouch. One unit having a problem? Understandable - especially since new to the market. But two units? Sounds like M-Audio needs to get in front of this quickly and get a firmware update out ASAP. Thank you for your review!
why wasn't the Arturia mk2 in your list? i think it pretty much has everything you were looking for
It's a great board but uses the Fatar TP-100LR action that I don't personally care for. I play a lot of ragtime and jazz and have always found the TP-100LR to be too slow/mushy for my liking. The Arturia also couldn't send individual program changes on independent midi channels. As it turned out the M-Audio couldn't either though lol. If one likes that Fatar action it's an awesome board with good build quality to boot.
15:00
If you get the Hammer or Oxygen Pro 61’, 49, or 25, PLEASE, contact “Decksaver” to get a custom fit plastic deck saver to protect your keys!!! Now I do “Not” work there! I am just purchasing the Oxy Pro 61 and I want a deck protector by @Decksaver for mine, but, they don’t make one yet, and in order to get them to tool up and make a custom cover for the Oxygen Pro line they need to see interest and requests in order to “tool up the factory” to start making them! Contact Decksaver for your keys custom hard plastic see through protector!!! Great for going back and forth to college!!!
Thanks for the recommendation. I'm not necessarily sure I have a need for one as I have a suitable dust cover and case both already. As it is, I may be returning this keyboard. Sweetwater is sending me a replacement because this unit actually does have a problem with notes hanging (i.e. the keybed randomly doesn't trigger note off events), and it will occasionally octave shift up or down while I'm playing. I'll see how the replacement unit behaves, but I may end up just getting one of the few remaining Physis K4EX boards from Germany (sadly Viscount discontinued them a few years ago due to high manufacturing costs relative to low sales).