An optional triple pedal unit supports una corda (soft), true sostenuto, and half-damper sustain behavior, and is hefty enough that your foot won’t be chasing it around the floor. Since we first reviewed the S88, NI introduced the NKS (Native Kontrol Standard) protocol, enabling third-party developers to take advantage of the same browsing and parameter-mapping integration. Companies that have signed on include Arturia, u-he, Heavyocity, Spitfire, and XILS, among others.

Another huge selling point for this controller is the more than ample connectivity. It offers CV in/out, which is rare for most MIDI controllers. If you want to create a hybrid setup with MIDI and analog gear, the KeyLab 88 Mk2 is perfect. Taking inspiration from some of the non-weighted M-Audio controllers, this model comes with 16 velocity-sensitive pads. The Hammer 88 Pro is also one of the few weighted controllers with fantastic aftertouch. It also features a built-in arpeggiator and new modes like Smart Scale/Chord. I had to upgrade from the terrible Arturia Keylab88 since the action on it was horrendous. The SL88 Grand is quite heavy all around but I don’t mind since it sits at the center of my music production studio.In our opinion, the Fatar-sourced hammer action skews a bit on the heavy side—pianists might consider this a plus—but can be lightened up via the 11 velocity curves. Aftertouch, which is also adjustable, had a wide sweet spot and was responsive to subtle changes in finger pressure. The key tops are textured, the keys sit tightly with no lateral wobble, and we just can’t over-emphasize that this action feels far more expensive than it is. The drum pads feel good enough that MPC purists just might not wrinkle their noses here. It's such a pity I can't control my DAW with my 120 year old piano. The SL keys are much slower than my standing piano's, they feel plastic, you really need to hammer to get more then just a low volume, and they make much more noise when playing softly then the old piano, that has much and much more dynamic. I was really impressed with this element of the keyboard. You can have different responsiveness settings for each zone you set up, so if you’re using a zone for triggering samples for example, and you want very limited responsiveness so the samples trigger at the same velocity, except for one quieter sample note – you can set that ONE NOTE to trigger higher velocity. Brilliant!! It may sport a fully weighted 88-note keyboard, but the Studiologic SL88 Studio is delightfully portable. Thanks to its lightweight Fatar TP/100LR action, it weighs in under 31 pounds – which is very much appreciated by Millionhead keyboardists. The SL88 Studio is also thoroughly professional caliber and built like a tank with a rugged all-metal casing and impact-resistant synthetic endcaps that protect the keybed and provide a sure grip when transporting. Last but not least the included soundware. NI bundles in Komplete Select, which comprises nine virtual instruments and soft synths—Massive, Reaktor Prism, Monark, The Gentleman piano, DrumLab, Retro Machines, Vintage Organs, West Africa, and Scarbee electric piano. An SSL-style bus compressor rounds out these goodies.

I bought a second hand BCF2000 with 100 mm faders to do that now, and a Native Instruments Maschine MK3 for the pads. So with the Arturia, twice the price of the SL88, I would have spend much less money, and also I'm still not sure where to park all this equipment. Okay, I am not a serious piano player, but I have had an opportunity to play Steinways and high-end Yamahas. I wanted to replace my small midi controller with something that I could use to trigger various VST's that would help me avoid inadvertant triggers caused by my heavy-handed clumsiness. This keyboard is my solution. The action is much firmer than the typical plastic, spring-action keyboards and certainly cannot be mistaken for a cheap toy. I use it only in my home studio, as I no longer do anything on stage (that was only from the 60's through the 80's). We used to lug a Hammond B3 organ with a Leslie speaker to gigs, and while this is much less awkward, it is still heavy enough that I wouldn't want to drag it around.The keybed - it's a work of art. Fatar are very well known for making some of the most, if not the most realistic keybeds out there. The wooden keys with synthetic ivory feel fantastic to the touch. The keys are not too heavy, in fact they are slightly lighter than an actual orchestral grand, but the feel is essentially identical. Velocity response and aftertouch record flawlessly. It's an absolute joy. StudioLogic is the finished products division of Fatar, so when it comes time to show off the finest keyboards they can manufacture, it makes sense to feature them in their own family of products. The SL88 Grand shines in that regard. We tested the laptop stand, and it provided a very handy platform on which to place our MacBook Pro. Having the laptop directly on top of our keyboard made for a better overall experience using virtual instruments, having the controls in close proximity to the playing surface, whereas our typical laptop placement in a live keyboard rig has the computer display somewhat disconnected from the control surface. We also appreciated that the vast open space atop the SL88 makes it easy to locate a tabletop synthesizer product directly on top of the keyboard. Documentation and Product Support It's a quality construction and the action is more than adequate for any use. I'm using it now exclusively and haven't felt the need to switch to my stage piano to improve piano part performances.

Setting the keyboard up is really easy with their PC/MAC software abit basic but good enough for my needs. The center console has an elegant 320x240px TFT color display, and the control knob is actually a multi-position selector and Enter key when depressed. The SL88 has memory for 250 Programs, and each program has four programmable zones for splits and layers of your instruments. As you can see from the image below of one zone, you can easily set bank select messages (along with program changes and MIDI channel) for each zone. Such a simple little detail that is overlooked in so many controller keyboards today, yet it is essential for sending program change messages to MIDI gear containing multiple banks of sounds.

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The SL88 Grand weighs just under 46 pounds (21Kg), comparable to other premium keyboards of a 76- or 88-note variety.