Becoming frustrated with my Yamaha YPP500's lack of portability, I decided this afternoon to head down to Steve's Music on Rideau Street and pick up a new MIDI controller–one that would at once, fit on my desk, provide me with enough functionality not to make it a waste of money and sturdy enough to last. After some research and playing each of the two-octave keyboards available, I chose the (Roland) Edirol PCR-M30.
Action–the action (movement of the keys on the manual) is fantastic and was one of the factors that motivated me to pick this controller over all the others. The keys are rock-solid, recoil and don't bounce, and don't shift side-to-side much more than a Steinway's.
The PCR-M30 also has a number of useful mapping features that allow you to control many of your MIDI software's features from the controller itself. I'm still working on getting GarageBand to recognize my various keys using the PCR Editor software that allows you to upload presets via USB to the controller.
I've been playing with and on it all afternoon ; perhaps it's time for some grading.
