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New Keyboard of the Musical Variety
Oct. 12th, 2021 04:04 amIn the Netherlands, I had a Nektar MIDI controller for piano practice. It was usable, but the key action was pretty bad. Looking for a local deal on a used keyboard with better action, I found this Robson on Kijiji for $60 CAD, so a little under $50 USD.
I expected it to use samples rather than synthesis if it's advertised as a digital piano (and the manual *does* call it a digital piano), but it doesn't. The onboard sound is really crap compared to the Steinway concert grand sound library I was using with the Nektar. But it turns out that the Robson has MIDI onboard too! The seller just described it as a weighted-key digital piano and did not mention MIDI, so I was really happy to find the ports when I got home.
The keys are really semi-weighted at best, but the action is still a lot better than the Nektar. I had to order a USB adapter for the MIDI because it's got the classic 5-pin DIN plugs, but no big deal. The only issue is that the sustain pedal doesn't seem to have its state passed via MIDI, but I can live with that.
It's a lot bigger and bulkier than the newer Nektar. I'd guess it weighs around 30 pounds. The seller said she used it for gigs, but it's a lot of keyboard to move around!
Robson seems to be a Canadian company that there's not a lot information out there about, other than that they are still making digital pianos.
I expected it to use samples rather than synthesis if it's advertised as a digital piano (and the manual *does* call it a digital piano), but it doesn't. The onboard sound is really crap compared to the Steinway concert grand sound library I was using with the Nektar. But it turns out that the Robson has MIDI onboard too! The seller just described it as a weighted-key digital piano and did not mention MIDI, so I was really happy to find the ports when I got home.
The keys are really semi-weighted at best, but the action is still a lot better than the Nektar. I had to order a USB adapter for the MIDI because it's got the classic 5-pin DIN plugs, but no big deal. The only issue is that the sustain pedal doesn't seem to have its state passed via MIDI, but I can live with that.
It's a lot bigger and bulkier than the newer Nektar. I'd guess it weighs around 30 pounds. The seller said she used it for gigs, but it's a lot of keyboard to move around!
Robson seems to be a Canadian company that there's not a lot information out there about, other than that they are still making digital pianos.
