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A Versatile and Rugged MIDI Mini-Keyboard (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the Willy-and-the-poor-boys-playing-that-MIDI-can't-be-beat dept.

The K-Board won a "Best in Show" award at CES 2015. Plus, as Timothy said, "I always like pour and stomp demos." And it's totally cross-platform. If your computer, tablet or smartphone has a USB port and (almost) any kind of music software, it works. In theory, you could hook a K-Board to your Android or iOS device and use it to accompany yourself while you sing for spare change on a downtown corner. Or noodle around to get a handle on a theme you'll use in your next major symphony. Or...?

56 comments

  1. Look at this guy! by ArcadeMan · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Can you say "It's-a me, Mario!"

    pro: the video doesn't auto-play anymore
    cons: the godamn ad doesn't a volume or mute control and neither does the main video

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    1. Re:Look at this guy! by Roblimo · · Score: 2

      Yes, all videos should have a volume control/mute function. Same as with the autoplay horror, those of us who actually work on the site agree with you and will keep hammering on management until it gets done.

    2. Re:Look at this guy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you

    3. Re:Look at this guy! by s.petry · · Score: 2

      Here is a Youtube link to a demo (long). A short intro here, and a longer speech here. No such thing as "safe" content, but safer content and includes volume control.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  2. Great keyboard by Orpheus+Liar · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have the qunexus, which is the $149 version of this (it adds a few more connection options). I use it all the time and highly recommend either to anyone needing a keyboard for music apps. Responsive and nigh-indestructible.

    Now back to grading papers and beginning a new nine-year span before commenting on Slashdot again.

    1. Re:Great keyboard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is that the only difference between the qunexus and the k-board?

      The website doesn't explain the difference.

    2. Re:Great keyboard by harrkev · · Score: 2

      So, what is so great about it? I see that it lights up, but what else? The rugged part seems nice too, but not quite worth the money.

      I used to have a Korg Nanokey, but I once slid a magazine on top of it and the cover of the magazine actually ripped keys off, so the Korg, while having a nice software bundle, gets an "F" for durability.

      I also have the Akai LPK25 which is VERY nice since it has REAL (if tiny) keys. The only real drawback of that is that it is thicker, but worth it for the something that begins to feel like a real keyboard.

      --
      "-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
    3. Re:Great keyboard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It has velocity and aftertouch, and the keys can also do pitch bend and modulation control (in place of the usual wheels) when you push up/down and side-to-side. You can also set up profiles...oh hell, just read what their website says: http://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/qunexus/

      The QuNexus also does CV, useful for modular systems. It can also do regular old DIN MIDI if you buy an external box, but it's pretty hokey and doesn't really do proper USB-to-DIN conversion for anything but the QuNexus (and maybe the K-Board?), so I tend to ignore that feature point.

      Basically it's a nice travel controller that you can shove in a backpack and not worry about. Oh, and powers from USB, so no batteries or wallwarts.

  3. Re:Autoplaying videos, for or against? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

    1. It's not autoplaying anymore (and I'm against autoplay - it's my fucking bandwidth, my fucking limited monthly data quota and no, there's no other option for ISP where I live)

    2. I think the Pebble Time Steel is more newsworthy than this yet-another-music-keyboard even if we talked about the Pebble Time "Plastic" (I guess) last week.

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    Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
  4. Re:MOD ARTICLE RETARDED! by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

    Bonus points if there's no negative/positive limit on the mod.

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    Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
  5. Physical product, so you can't pirate it? by raburton · · Score: 1

    Timothy: An important question, because you’ve got a physical product: what does it cost?

    Implication being that a physical product can't simply be pirated, so cost becomes a factor in whether people will want it. I guess if it was software he wouldn't have bothered asking because cost is unimportant in that scenario ;-)

    1. Re:Physical product, so you can't pirate it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hardware piracy - around the corner - think 3D scanners / 3D printers
      Seems like manufactures / designers will look to ensure it costs less to purchase mass produced product or possibly sell/giveaway licence to print

    2. Re:Physical product, so you can't pirate it? by SumDog · · Score: 1

      The hardest part will be the Printed Circut Boards (PCBs). If people start making home 3D multi-layer PCB printers, you could little print out (most of) a phone.

    3. Re:Physical product, so you can't pirate it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You guys have comical misunderstandings of the complexity of the objects that surround you, and naive optimism about what is practically possible.

      If you think the *PCB* is the "most of" part of magically making a phone at home, boy are you in for a shock!

      (BTW: I'm willing to bet my house that you guys are all software developers, you usually have the least understanding of the real world and the most delusional fantasies)

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...

    4. Re:Physical product, so you can't pirate it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hihihi, this is actually a bit funny.

      I would absolutely LOVE a printer that could create working multilayer boards with the specs of mobile phone boards. After that I would only need to buy all the ICs, passive parts, screen, print the aluminum/plastic combination covers for it, find the software for the ICs that, for example, control charging and radio etc, get the working android version, source all the tiny screws needed, make or find the small metallic emc shilding parts, etc. After I have all the parts I could easily assemble it. a reflow owen for the BGA ICs, an x-ray station to make sure all connections are ok, microscope and steadier hands than I have for the tinytiny surface mount resistors and caps. From there I could move to the software side. Yeah, copying a phone would be way out of the realm of 99,99999% of population.

      That being said, I have actually made a working phone myself. There a cheapish GSM modules available that can be controlled with simple microcontrolers such as ATMEGAs (that's what I used), On top of those you only really need a battery, some buttons to give orders, a mic and a speaker, and some basic supportive caps and resistors. No, it wasn't a smartphone, but it worked.

  6. First thing I thought of was... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J---aiyznGQ

  7. Re: did you know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Indeed. Hating evil is good

  8. Error in the summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Surely that should read CES 1995

    These things have been around for years.

    1. Re:Error in the summary by 50000BTU_barbecue · · Score: 1

      I was stunned too, as much as I'm old and don't understand 95% of the articles here anymore, I was like, "um, isn't that a standard Korg accessory that's been around forever and is the first thing you see walking into any music store on Earth? Maybe even on Pluto?"

      --
      Mostly random stuff.
  9. Why is slashdot telling me I'm not logged in? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I get 'invalid form key' when trying to post.

    1. Re:Why is slashdot telling me I'm not logged in? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess I have to log in to post, even though it says I'm logged in and I can check comment history, etc. Thanks, Web 2.0!

  10. I miss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    autoplay videos! Life is so much easier...

  11. Is this really news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Just about all USB midi keyboards/controllers are cross platform. I fail to think of one that isn't, to be honest. So save yourself a few bucks and pick up an Akai MPK or something like that... just as versatile, costs less and you'll even find a ton of options for more knobs/sliders/pads. The only downside is minikeys but if you're not freaked out by chicklett keys you can't lose.
     
    Just another Slashvertisement.
     
    Oh, and if you're serious about knowing what's "best in show" or whatever when it comes down to all things MIDI? Pay attention to NAMM, not CES.

    1. Re:Is this really news? by BenFranske · · Score: 2

      This, x1000. I would like to hear what use case this product has that is not already served by the many existing MIDI controllers. No serious keyboardist is going to play on a keyboard with a design like this.

    2. Re:Is this really news? by LinuxIsGarbage · · Score: 1

      Just about all USB midi keyboards/controllers are cross platform.

      Indeed, like Mass Storage Devices, there's a generic USB MIDI class http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...

      I bought a cheap generic USB-MIDI cable to hook my ancient keyboard to my PC, something like this: http://www.amazon.com/VicTsing... and it worked no problem (without having to install any drivers).

      There's also a generic USB printer class (USB-LPT cables use this in addition to real USB printers), yet for some reason there is not really a generic USB-RS232 class, so you have the choice of Prolific 2303, CH340, and FTDI FT232RL. All others are usually fake clones of these. And then you have FTDI coming out with driver updates that intentionally brick fake chips, and Prolific releasing new drivers that refuse to run old chips on Windows 8 (yet a Windows 7 driver can be patched to work on Windows 8).

      There is "USB communications device class", but it isn't implemented in the same generic manner as USB mass storage.

    3. Re:Is this really news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a niche market for synth players; although you're correct that most of the actual useful features can be found in other products. This is just a slightly undermarketed combination of alread-existing features.

    4. Re:Is this really news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Pay attention to NAMM, not CES.

      Sure, NAMM is big, but do people really pay attention to the gist behind the show part?

      During this year's NAMM opening, Yamaha announced the Cyber Diva vocaloid software, which is more or less a variant of MIDI for generating singing in human voice. Apparently, nobody cared a damn. (Even though Cyber Diva is ~ the "california girl" english version of Hatsune Miku, the virtual j-pop star franchise, which is an already big business in Japan. She's now diva enough to front for Lady Gaga concerts.)

    5. Re:Is this really news? by Jobless+*topia · · Score: 1

      Just about all USB midi keyboards/controllers are cross platform.

      Really? Has anybody tried hooking up one of those full-size Yamaha or Casio keyboard to their Android tablet, smartphone? I know desktop Linux has USB midi support, but the story is quite specific about this keyboard's mobile support.

    6. Re:Is this really news? by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Just about all USB midi keyboards/controllers are cross platform. I fail to think of one that isn't, to be honest. So save yourself a few bucks and pick up an Akai MPK or something like that...

      Indeed. For reference, here's a link to Thomann's catalogue with over 50 of such mini MIDI-keyboards.

    7. Re:Is this really news? by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      The MIDI Manufacturers Association would like to support MIDI on Android.

    8. Re:Is this really news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A MIDI controller isn't the same thing as a workstation (I'm guessing that's what you're talking about when you talk about a full size keyboard). If you don't know the difference then maybe you're out of your league here.
       
      Aside from that, I don't know if anyone has done it but as long as the device has native USB support I don't see any reason they couldn't.

  12. Nice 'stache. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, that's a "punch me in the face, please!" moustache. And apparently, Waldo is hiding out in the booth behind this one at CES 2015.

  13. Or by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    try out lyrics for the Nuclear refinery midi from DOOM

  14. Great product bloodlines by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Keith McMillan Instruments is the company that makes the QuNEO board, which I've been using in the studio and live performance for over a year now and it's one of my favorite controllers.

    My only suggestion is to wait until the 2nd iteration. It's a small company and I had trouble with my first QuNEO, which had some bugs. The ones they're selling now are really great though, with top build quality.

    Oh yeah, the K-Board is going for $99, which probably means it would be soon showing up for less at Guitar Center if Mitt Romney's Bain Capital (nka "Ares Capital") hadn't run Guitar Center into the ground and stripped its assets and turned it into a smoking crater of a company (for which Bain Capital was paid handsomely).

    In summary: Keith McMillan Instruments is a good company that makes good, reasonably priced products. Bain Capital makes absolutely nothing and is as evil as a company can be without directly poisoning people. Any questions?

    http://www.keithmcmillen.com/p...

    http://www.nakedcapitalism.com...

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Great product bloodlines by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

      http://www.nakedcapitalism.com... [nakedcapitalism.com]

      Well, that might explain why it's practically impossible to get a Rickenbacker 4003 through Musician's Friend. They're almost never in stock, which I could understand if RIC is demanding cash up front for them now.

      --
      Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    2. Re:Great product bloodlines by Ex+Machina · · Score: 1

      This *is* the second iteration – this is a consumer (features removed) version of the QuNexus http://www.keithmcmillen.com/p...

      The QuNexus also has control voltage outputs for directly triggering analog/modular gear.

    3. Re:Great product bloodlines by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      The QuNexus also has control voltage outputs for directly triggering analog/modular gear.

      That is great news. I've got a room full of old modular synths, like a Serge suitcase model and an early Arp.2600. Not to mention a Steiner-Parker that looks like it should have a 1930's phone operator sitting at it.

      I've built some home-brew triggering controllers, but none of them are anywhere near as good as what McMillan makes.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  15. What is special about this one? by xfade551 · · Score: 1

    So, what is special about this keyboard controller, other than the fact it won best in show? I've seen nearly identical devices around for a few years now.

    1. Re:What is special about this one? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      for much less, too

      captcha: income

    2. Re:What is special about this one? by aaaaaaargh! · · Score: 2

      Nothing is special about it, except that it's ugly. For the same money or even less you could get easily an Arturia Minilab or a Korg Microkey or one of the dozens of other, better options.

  16. Its a Waterproof NanoKey 2 by Andy_R · · Score: 2

    So, it's pretty much exactly the same as the $40 Korg Nanokey 2 I've owned for years, but it's waterproof and costs $99?

    Why exactly am I meant to be impressed?

    --
    A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
    1. Re:Its a Waterproof NanoKey 2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pretty much exactly this.

      I saw the picture and said, "Hey, I have one of those right here."

  17. Why This? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Why buy this when you can spend about the same amount of money and get a real MIDI keyboard? One with real piano keys. Such as http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Keystation49?adpos=1o2&creative=55642031881&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CLqu9bWgjcQCFQ-raQodpSEAEg

  18. Why did they bother? by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    What a lame piece of unusable crap. Did they print that on a Makerbot? I'll keep my Roland RD700. My Sharp keyboard rolls up. My Yamaha DX7 is totally retro.

  19. fuck you lameness filter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why not an Maudio 88 key.
    Also powered entirely by USB

  20. Why not bluetooth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bluetooth would have been better than usb. Just add a place for a small battery.

  21. From Keith McMillen Instruments by ebusinessmedia1 · · Score: 1

    Keith McMillan's company put this together http://www.keithmcmillen.com/ McMillen is the genius who created the Zeta Violins, still the best electronic violin ever made.

  22. Lame. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This sounds retarded. How is this any better than an AKAI MPK mini (with real keys! and pads! and arpeggiator!) or a half as expensive Korg nano key?

  23. What's the key spacing? by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

    Is the key spacing the same as a standard piano keyboard? If not, how does it deviate?

    Can it, in combination with some particular, commonly-available, MIDI software package(s), be programmed to have the same touch characteristics and sound as a piano, harpsichord, etc.? If so, are the configurtation parameters to produce equivalent performance already available?

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  24. Not a very attractive option by anavictoriasaavedra · · Score: 1

    You can get an LPK25 for 50 bucks. With people like Stromae and Collin Cunningham using the LPK25, this one is gonna have a hard time competing.

  25. great idea but by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    does it come with a "talent" patch? or some sort of "ability" add-on?

    cuz without that, no music technology should be allowed anywhere near me.

  26. I know him.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...that mustache cannot disguise you! Say hi to Moss and Jan for me!!

    -JP