Midiplus is a Taiwanese brand that’s been around for some time, and they have a range of budget Midi controller keyboards. No, don’t compare them with the likes of Roland, Nord, Korg or Yamaha, but having read the reviews for their competitors like m-audio, Nektar Impact, i chose Midiplus.
The X6 Pro turned out to be a fine choice. The semi-weighted feel of the keyboard is actually quite decent. The X Pro series has built in high quality GM standard sound, and it does sound good enough for me. I think it is too much of a hassle (and it cost more too) having to connect an external Midi engine, which is what you need to do if you got the normal X series keyboards. Otherwise, you will have to connect to a laptop and use a DAW or Player program to get sound (if you only use a keyboard as a MIDI controller then it’s fine).
The X6 Pro is priced at 1999 Yuan (S$404), but i managed to apply a coupon to get 100 Yuan off the 2099 Yuan bundle that includes a keyboard bag. For S$400, you can’t buy anything more decent than this. Add S$100 for the full-sized 88 keys X8 Pro. I don’t know why, but Amazon sells the X6 Pro for only US$208 (S$282), but it won’t be shipped to Singapore. Bitwig 8-track is thrown in as part of the package, but i haven’t gotten around to trying out the software. Update: as the name suggests, you can use a maximum of only 8 tracks, and the software comes with only 2 piano instruments! Uninstalled! You’re better off installing Cakewalk or PreSonus Studio One, both of which are free. I have tried both and they are excellent, although, Cakewalk has a very steep learning curve. The last time i tinkered with a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) as they are popularly called these days was more than 10 years ago, when the midi jack was still in use. These days, USB is standard, and the X6 Pro is plug-and-play – Windows 10 instantly recognizes and installs the drivers.
I brought home the keyboard on a flight back from China, but otherwise, i don’t suppose it would cost much via sea freight shipping. All in all, highly recommended. Remember to collect cashback (especially for a high-ticket item like this one) for your Taobao purchases!
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