BEST Budget MIDI Keyboard under $500!? Studiologic SL88 Studio Review

[@jaycabkeys]

I’ve had the SL88 for about three years. I love this board. Honestly, I’ve never used the front panel and don’t know it’s capabilities. I’ve only used it on Logic Pro and MainStage.

[@zedwhyex]

This + Akai Midimix & V Collection - absolute perfection.

[@thkeyboardsounds]

I'm using a SL73 with my Yamaha Modx 6. I like this combination. It's very easy for transportation, because it's so light!

[@glensafro]

Great review David! I've had one of these for about 3 years now and it's just fantastic. You're spot on about the inconvenience of using the stick as a mod wheel, I find that it ever so slightly lacks the finesse of a proper wheel, but you get used to it pretty quick and it shouldn't be enough to stop you buying it! For anyone who's put off by that or the lack of faders and knobs the Arturia Keylab 88 uses the exact same FATAR keybed and has the traditional mod/pitch bend wheels and all the knobs and faders you could ever want.

[@lfisher8154]

One of the great features of the SL88 is that it is narrow enough to fit inside a repurposed piano shell and the M-Audio Hammer 88 will not.

[@carloscodling5084]

Awesome!

[@nocturnalvisionmusic]

One of my friends from church plays his own Studio Logic when he's on schedule. I got to try it out once recently and while I don't own my own personally, I really like this keyboard too! 🥰 🎹

[@dpmills]

I love my SL88 Studio, and the first 2 joysticks I use exactly like you mentioned…but I’m kind of surprised you didn’t use (or at least mention using) the third joystick for your Tonic Player inside of Sunday Keys! Such a cool way to give a little more life to pads (although sometimes MainStage thinks that joystick gets stuck on the corners in perform view, for whatever reason)

[@SundaySounds]

That Joystick is perfect for the Tonic x/y pad. We didn't specifically call it out but you are right! :)

[@OffGridandOutdoors]

Just FYI ~ Non-Slip Sticky Dashboard pads are perfect for making stuff stick to the Midi Controller (keyboard). No Glue, No Mess, No Velcro, No double sided. Can be washed when the get dirty and that returns them to original sticky.

[@jaapnijgh2491]

Thanks David, good review. I play the SL88 grand. Wooden keys, moore heavy but I love playing it. Your forget to mention the magnetic computer plate. It works grate and you can put your laptop on it. No need for an extra stand anymore. I've never seen it on another keyboard or controller and it's a beautiful and simple solution for using a laptop. Grtz from the Netherlands

[@SundaySounds]

Hi Jaap! It would be fun to compare the Studio and Grand keybeds. We did mention the magnetic rails at 4:48 Studiologic has a computer plate and music stand - both look really cool!

[@studieslessonstheoryetc141]

The Arturia flagship controller has a similar option

[@jaapnijgh2491]

@@SundaySounds Missed it, srry you're right.thnx !

[@richdavgo12]

Really nice controller. It is actually my first MIDI controller and I love the feeling of it. Easy to install and play on Mainstage . If you guys could make more tutorials on how to squeeze more out of it would be great. Thank you.

[@andrewschilling-payne9405]

My church is looking at the Casio PX S1100 - any opinions out there?

[@TechguyAllen]

Nice review. I looked at controllers but as someone who uses my keyboard at home and church, I went with an 88-key digital piano (Roland FP-10) for the same price as the SL88. When I need to quickly practice at home, the built-in sounds and speakers make it easy without having to connect to my computer. It also came in handy the one day that Mainstage froze up about 30 seconds before the service started. I was able to use the analog output and at least have a piano sound.

[@SundaySounds]

We did consider the Roland FP-10 but we couldn't find one anywhere - seems like that model is no longer in production.

[@Wedontwantnowarnomore]

I really like this. I’ll buy everything of this and everything explained on this show as well. Further more it got After-Touch, which awesome. It got 4 outputs for pedals, such as sustain and swell. Good for organ. Midi-ports come in handy as well. So what am I waiting for? Thanx 🙏

[@isaacmancillaskeys]

I would be interested if you did a review on the M-Audio Hammer 88 you mentioned.

[@adrianjapp]

Great review, thanks. Looking at it's little brother, the SL73.

[@djba]

Thanks David. If someone needs to have built-in sounds they could consider the Studiologic SL88 Grand (although it costs twice as much as the Studio).

[@blujaxfan]

The SL|Grand is also just a controller.

[@djba]

Hey Matt …. I just finished watching a video in the Grand and I came back here to correct my comment. You are right, the Grand is just a controller. I guess the difference in cost is for the wooden key action.

[@blujaxfan]

@@djba Yep...the action is the only difference between the two. IMHO, the action on the Grand is fabulous, if you truly want a piano feel. I have both, and use each according to what I need to play. SL did just release their Numa Piano with built-in sounds, and a standard and GT version, which appear to match up (improved versions) of the Studio and Grand keypads. Looking forward to playing those in person

[@studieslessonstheoryetc141]

@@djba the action is also graded in the grand

[@roybailey1377]

I have both the Studio and the Grand. Prefer the action of the Grand but prefer the weight of the Studio :-)

[@edrumsense]

This Keyb plus a Panorama P1 to control software is my dream setup

[@amaansovannayak]

M audio hammer 88 please, make a review on that

[@dimasjcbrothers1932]

Is amazing I have the controller ❤️😍

[@JCox964]

Very good review. I owned the SL73 . Blessings

[@gianfrixmg]

Studiologic is actually FATAR's own consumer brand. So you're getting the keybed directly from the source! This controller is built like a tank but the keys are a bit on the heavier and fatiguing side. Hope they update it with the new TP110 they put in the Numa X Piano, which is supposedly much better.

[@SundaySounds]

Did not know that, thanks for the info!

[@Madmizemusic]

Hey, does it work with FL Studio ? Nice video !

[@SundaySounds]

This MIDI keyboard will work in any DAW.

[@valleybrook]

I can say that the con with no inbuilt sounds is easily fixed with an old iphone and downloading Numaplayer. No latency. Works perfectly!

[@jan-dawa]

nice, going to buy it

[@cozypiano4469]

Is the sensor under the finger direct like some low quality digital piano ?

[@allendunning272]

David, how difficult or the length of time necessary was it for you to learn to use the SundayKeys' song specific patches which rely on the position of the Mod Wheel vis a vis the SL88's joy stick?

[@ChrisJohnson-c3s]

😅

[@richardhecht9964]

Hi David, thank you for the great Review. Can you please make a Video how to config the transform Joystic for the Tonic Pad in Mainstage? Best wishes from a Sunday Keys User in Germany!

[@cecilianhomestudios]

Excluding the 2 midi outs great feature, Keylab essential 61/88 mk3 still wins I think...waiting for mk3 pro. Anyway good review brother...😊

[@cozypiano4469]

Is the size of the keys the same as the upright piano??

[@zjshafe]

I wish you showed using it with Sunday Sounds in Ableton. I always have issues with it in Ableton and would love to see how you all set it up so I can compare

[@manuelbelezajazz]

Hi friend! I'm a jazz pianist and I have played Hammond organ in the last 20 years. Now, I want to play jazz piano again and I need a MIDI controller to connect to my Ipad piano apps. I tested some controllers like Nektar LX88Plus and I hate the semi-wighted keys action! Anyway, I have a problem in my right wriste, so I need a keybed similar to a real light piano. Hope you understand (eng isn't my native language!. I saw the Studiologic SL88 Studio and I found your great video about it. So I would like to ask your opinion about the action of the keys! As I said, unfortunately, i can't play on a weithed keybeds cause of my wrist problem! Can you help me! (a good way would be a comparison of the keys of Studiologic with a brand real piano model or a digital piano, for example!). I have a Yamaha P-255 digital piano and i like the keys action, but they are a bit heavy to me! Thanks a lot and God Bless... Manuel

[@discovertheone]

Love the SL88! Have had it in my office studio for 18 months now. All of our other rigs on campus are Akai MPK88s. I think I’ve seen y’all at Sunday Sounds use the Akai MPK88 in some videos. I’d love to hear your thoughts as to how it stacks up to the SL88. My observation would be that I simply believe the SL88 key bed just feels way more realistic and less…plasticky maybe. I could instantly tell that with the SL88 I had moved up in quality of key bed.

[@SundaySounds]

SL88 wins in the keybed and overall weight categories. The MPK88 is an absolute tank if you can still find one, it also has really nice knobs and faders.

[@zoxx972]

Amazing sound and demo!! I’m looking to buy it! What do you think about the weight? I’ll have to move it around my house each time I play as I don’t have a dedicated desk yet. How is the Key bed? Does it compete with some mid range grand piano like fp10 or Yamaha p125?

[@SundaySounds]

Thank you! The overall weight on this is about as light as it gets for a hammer action keybed. The keybed itself is made by Fatar, and its really nice. Heavier feeling then some of the other hammer action keybeds from brands in the $500-700 price range. The Yamaha options do have built-in sounds, this is just a midi keyboard.

[@kevindavis2268]

Cool review on the Studiologic David. Thanks for it! I hope to get one of these soon for church / home studio as well. I think Midi Controllers are the best way to go. I have gone that way since 2011 and have not looked back. I started off using Mainstage for playing live at church but now I permanently use Ableton. When using a Midi Controller and your DAW of choice, I think one of the greatest advantages is that you have a LARGE number of Virtual Instruments and Effect Plugins at your disposal. The cost of all that is less than purchasing a brand new ROM keyboard for thousands that you can't update. Don't get me wrong, there are some really great keyboards that play and sound excellent, but updating your Virtual Instrument library is less expensive. As a musician the Feel and Response of your instrument is paramount to you expressing yourself. If it does not feel and respond right, you cannot express yourself properly! When using a Midi Controller, there are several factors that contribute to Feel and Response. The Keybed, the Velocity Curve and another is the Latency of your Audio Interface. Latency is how long your Audio Interface takes to produce a sound when told to produce a sound. I am not sponsored in anyway but I am using the MOTU M4 Audio Interface on a MacBook Pro and this works excellent! You can get the latency down to as low as 1.83ms. I can really recommend this Audio interface as excellent in terms of speed, sound quality and price. www.amazon.com/MOTU-M4-USB-C-Audio-Interface/dp/B08129P2XY/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1D7VUMLIQND0L&keywords=motu+m4&qid=1644793583&sprefix=motu+m%2Caps%2C322&sr=8-2 So in summary the combination of a great Midi controller and a great Audio Interface go hand in hand. Kevin..

[@ZachBroom]

We are in a permanent church setup and are looking for a keyboard that won’t feel like a night and day difference from playing a piano. Would you say this keyboard + an ipad with Sunday Sounds would be the way to go? Or is there another route you would suggest. We are looking at the Nord 3, but it’s so expensive!

[@justinjoshua1648]

Awesome 👍

[@hatricklov]

I want to see a review for Pirate MIDI's Bridge 6!

[@abhishekrao6017]

You should actually review the m audio hammer 88

[@SundaySounds]

That is also a great keyboard at that $500 price range, and it does also have a traditional mod wheel.

[@studieslessonstheoryetc141]

Good action, just not quite as good, very heavy, has mod wheel. Review complete.

[@abhishekrao6017]

Thanks for the reply and love your content and what you are doing for us worship keyboard players is just epic I am not a Macbook user but I can really say that if I get one all of the main sounds will be from Sunday sounds cause the combination of that and the nano control is on another level

[@abhishekrao6017]

That's a great keyboard and it has way more space than the alii to keep stuff

[@TomHancockMusic]

Thanks for this, really helpful! I'd love to know how you think it compares to a top-of-the-line alternative like the NI Komplete S88?? It's obviously designed with more production in mind than the SL88, so has greater capability, but I'm be intrigued by how the key bed compares and overall usability.

[@mmhcreates]

Likely the same fatar keybed or very similar. I assume the sl88 grand would feel better/more like a grand piano than either of the other options.

[@youngchoi5923]

Since the SL88 doesn't have a volume fader, how do you recommend controlling the main volume if you're using this with the Sunday Keys app?

[@SundaySounds]

You could assign volume to one of the joysticks.

[@drumaboyiglobal]

How did you setup your sustain pedal; I use port 1 but it doesn’t work

[@taylorshareen2690]

this vs Casio px-s3000 ? which one should i choose?😊

[@timewhys2383]

so... stupid question... Is there are volume control on the board? a knob or slider?

[@SundaySounds]

No, but you could assign one of joysticks to control volume in your software.

[@jonasaras]

Do you hook up the NanoKontrol 2 to the USB on the back of the SL88? I’d like to control the drawbars on my IK Multimedia B3. The MIDI going into the computer would be a standard MIDI cable. Thx.

[@joekridsamon7]

How do you deal with the delay between key press and sound? Sorry If its a dumb question. I use a ASIO4All driver but that kills all the sound on my laptop.

[@SundaySounds]

There are a few things to try to reduce the latency, if you're using Ableton Live here is an article on that: help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209072289-How-to-reduce-latency

[@joekridsamon7]

@@SundaySounds thank you!

[@FernandoCosta-mo7of]

Hi.I`m thinking about buying the SL88. But there a detail that worries me. For portability, the 3 little stick on the left. Aren`t they prone to break easily when transporting the keyboard around?

[@SundaySounds]

Haven't heard about them breaking, but would recommend picking up a case if you are going to transport it often.

[@a.devries1388]

What keyboard would you suggest for synths and organ? Ive the sl88 its perfect for piano but looking for a secundairy one for synths and organ

[@studieslessonstheoryetc141]

Arturia makes great synth action stuff. Believe SL also has an organ that might be nice.

[@a.devries1388]

@@studieslessonstheoryetc141 ill take a look. Thanks!!

[@hatricklov]

You could also consider a Nektar LX88+. Great semi-weighted action and lighter overall at 18 lbs.

[@studieslessonstheoryetc141]

@@hatricklov big fan of the Nektar stuff for multiple reasons.

[@elbiso2004]

Looks great! Wish it was available to buy here, sadly not a viable option.

[@Jimmy-Chin]

Is there a way I can set up the left stick on Sunday keys to control and electric piano or synthesizer?

[@SundaySounds]

You can program the joysticks like a regular midi controller. You might be better off with something like the Korg NanoKontrol2 though if you need to control multiple instruments.

[@johnmeade1869]

How do you transpose with this keyboard? Is it hard or difficult to transpose/change octaves quick?

[@SundaySounds]

It's pretty simple using the screen controls to transpose/program and Studiologic has one of the better user manuals out there.

[@brandondurbin9550]

Just purchased the SL88 and sunday keys for our new worship rig at church! Have problems getting the sustain pedal hooked up though. I have followed the midi pairing and it just turns it on and off. When it says it's on, it takes all of the sound away so you can only play with the sustain pedal off. Any help???

[@SundaySounds]

Hi, try the sustain pedal troubleshooting steps here: support.sundaysounds.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025449314-My-sustain-pedal-isn-t-working-in-MainStage

[@brandondurbin9550]

@@SundaySounds Thank you so much! I will try that and let you know if I still have any issues!

[@SHVideografie]

So no record, stop, play function?

[@n3rtex.936]

Does keybord work with ableton?

[@johnsonbabu9870]

hi sir i want to buy mac book pro ,,please message me which cofiguration is better to ply main stage

[@Lumios_UA]

Are you sure 88 keys are really necessary on the stage? Sometimes I think that even 73 is too big. For the most part everything a typical keyboard player needs to play fits perfectly well into 61 keys.

[@SundaySounds]

61 keys is probably enough for most, but there is something nice about having a full 88-key keyboard.

[@mrz80]

I think a lot depends on if the keyboard player is primarily an electronic musician or primarily a classically trained pianist.

[@who_is_dis]

Physically built - it's incredible, I love it. But goood god their firmware is dogshit and overly complicated. It keeps glitching with my DAW as well, randomly changing to channel '456 classic horns' or something else random mid session. Sometimes multiple times even if its routed properly. Support was quick to respond and did their best to help. They helped me at least minimise the problem, but it still happens now and again.

[@danielmozol656]

hey i’m having an issue that i’m not too sure how to solve it every time i play and press on my sustain pedal - after i release, the expression knobs on the top on the channel strips turn down to 0 leading to no sound going through as i play the keys i’m wondering what i have to do in order to have my pedal not effect those knobs from turning down every time does anyone possibly know how to fix this?

[@SundaySounds]

Try troubleshooting midi data using the midi message monitor in the window tab - your sustain pedal should only be sending on 64, you might have a bad cable or bad midi assignment.

[@jammer777]

Is $499.95 currently at Sweetwater.

[@Josuecaston]

Somebody have a case to recomend for This controller?

[@alyctro8158]

No demo? Sad...

[@TamirOrkobysPiano]

The Keyaction on this maschine is too heavy. This is the main problem with this controler. After 30~45 minutes of playing your hands will be fatigue and hurting.

[@boyanmladenov]

Not only ... 😜

[@TamirOrkobysPiano]

@Boyawhat else?

[@boyanmladenov]

@@TamirOrkobysPiano rattling keys after 4-5 months of use... interrupted midi notes.. keybed problems overall.

[@evgenyurupin8729]

Just bought SL88 studio and...really dont get why are you so happy about it. Just a very strange keys, nothing like a real piano and too sluggish. By the way was surprised that it is not graded - it is only 88Grand feature. Comparing to my main Kurtzweil MPS110 this one is waaaaay less wow. And joystick (main knob) seems to be very delicate, waiting for it to fail soon.

[@colinteacher5793]

I've watched a few of this guy's reviews, but never actually seen him play anything

[@SundaySounds]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/baSWdmaHrLaipLc

[@SundaySounds]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJbTl5Zpn7-LepY

[@trevormadsen]

You talked about any thing but touch of the keys, man!!!

[@fiskfisk33]

"Fatar just produces keybeds that goes inside of other brands keyboards" Yes but no, Studiologic is Fatars in house brand.

[@gregpoinar3441]

where can you find under 500?

[@SundaySounds]

It looks like the price has gone up on this model, it was $499 new at the time of this video, now looks like its $529. You can still find it used ~$399. Sorry!

[@joel9909]

REVIEW ARTURIA KELAB MK 22 88 KEYS yaaaaayyy

[@masterrogers9853]

😊

[@TheSteelTech]

What if we didn't want to use it at church? Will it still work if we don't go to church? Also looks like inflation hit the price as its now over 500, but not by much.