Just so happens I posted in 2009 on Gearslutz. TLDR version is "KX8 all day for weighted action, Fatar for Synthy". Rest as follows:
There's very little information on the web about the KX8. Do a search and you pretty much find these Gearsluts forum posts. I mention this because I'm sure there's many people looking for that 'piano' feel controller like myself, who need something to compliment their piano instrument (Ivory, VST, Rack, Etc).
I have been actively searching, trying out, and researching 88 note controllers (weighted, semi, graded, etc) for over a year, and got to physically test all the ones ranked as affordable and generally well regarded, both new and vintage.
I won't list them all, but if you do your research it usually boils down to Fatar, CME, or Yamaha in the under $1,000 category. I got to try the sl990, the VMK, KX8, and pretty much every 'new' synth and controller just for comparison value, since I wouldn't have minded spending more if I thought I was getting something superior in the function and feel department.
And I settled quite happily on the Yamaha KX8. It's almost impossible to find a KX8, and I almost bought the SL990 just because I didn't think I'd be able to get try the Yamaha and I'd been in piano shops religiously for the last 6 months. There finally came a used one (Jim called me because I was on the 'lists' for any that they'd get in the store) and once I tried it I was shocked in all the right ways.
I had a fairly consistent way of testing every keyboard played over the last year, and I'm not an emotional buyer – I'm practical. As I played for the better part of an hour I tested each key on a variety of rack pianos and software ones. Was there any inconsistencies in velocity or feel/resistance while playing a variety of styles? Did it reflect my soft ballads, medium toying and hard rock as I'd expected? Don't get me wrong, I don't care about “pounding it out” as any board can be played medium or hard with expected results – I'm all about softer subtle play and that was my primary focus. For example, try playing a soft ballad on any Keystation board it's almost Impossible. M-Audio's so-called weighted action will force almost every note at a minimum of around 40 (did I mention I'm even more technical in my practicality – my tests also involved watching the recorded velocity numbers in the software DAWs.). But I'm not trying to trounce other boards, I know people quite happy with keystations – I just want to show I've done my homework and hope to help those now in the same situation I was in.
Anyway, I played the KX8 and did my tests, decided it was likely the board for me and took it home to be safe (They have a 15 day return on used items, so I had nothing to lose). However, I didn't allow myself to emotionally like it until I took it home and tested it on Ivory. And now that I've been playing for a few days I'm immensely glad I managed to find and buy one, and am stunned as to why they discontinued them. I can only suspect that they didn't market it well, especially seeing the lack of info on the board.
The KX8 undoubtedly has the most enjoyable action of any board I've tried in the last year, including many of the high end ones. I grew up with a piano, but have been playing synths in the studio for 20 years. I didn't think I'd miss or benefit much from the more true piano action (in a studio) but I certainly am glad to say I was wrong. I still have synths for anything a piano action cant do which isn't much, just mainly pure note speed.
So now you have another review of the KX8 with some indication of testing methodology, and I hope it helps others in the quest for their controller. Now I'll just throw a few statements down:
- The Fatar SL990 has a nice action, but it was most definitely more in line with a traditional resistance synth. Imagine a synth with a nice resistant, slightly graded feel and that's the SL990. It's not the truer piano feel the KX8 has, it's in the middle of the synth and piano action. But this isn't a bad thing, I can see where people would prefer this if they weren't used to the piano. The only complaint I had about the Fatar action was I felt the softer velocities were harder to work the way I wanted. For instance, if I was playing a low-medium velocity top(melody) and a very low velocity bottom(bass), it was harder to pull off. I'm sure experience with the board would nullify this, but I am quite used to synth and piano actions.
- Some older Sustain pedals did not work. Most are 'open' by default and close on depress. You need the reverse for the KX8 and it doesn't auto sense. So you'll need a newer one or one with a polarity switch which is usually new anyway.
- The transpose is 1 octave and is not a problem in my book. I can transpose via software quite easily, and this won't be used in a live environment.
- 4 programmable knobs and a separate DAW control make this the perfect amount of control most could reasonably use. I use Reason often enough, and I rarely need more than a few controls, especially since I micromanage riding controls.
- The constant flashing tempo light is my only gripe, a constantly flashing tempo light just doesn't add anything to this board. I have since covered it with bluetack (This doubles as a tip if it annoys you too!).
The KX8 is hard to find, but its out there. I've seen several online but have not bought because I wanted to try it myself, even though I was fairly certain it was what I was looking for. If I was unable to find one local to play, I would have wished to read something like I just wrote to help me feel comfortable going for it. I hope this has helped, trying to give back a bit as I've been helped while reading these forums.