Studiologic SL88 Grand Reviews

way better keypad than Roland A88 MKII

Bought this keyboard after thorough research online forums. Once the keyboard arrived - compared it's keypad to Roland A88 MKII and can only repeat what others are saying - SL88 has much better keypad (my subjective opinion), built like a tank and customer service is top notch.

Studiologic SL88 Grand

All body made from high carbon steel S275 or S355 at least I think - very sturdy and stable. Matt painting not reflective- functionally very good. Regarding scratch resistance and corrosion protection time will show. Side cups from plastic but not so cheep or thin - sturdy. Plus they save overall length of keyboard which I think is minimal as possible for 88 keys.

Action for me ( not professional keyboard player) superb. Do not use for glissando (the same for Roland RD2000 and similar) - not very suitable keyboard action for that. In general action stiff but could be more stiff for me ( comparing with my old upright with Renner action).

Keys surface not slippy- perfect for me at least. Action very silent, if you place keyboard on HORIZONTAL FLAT AND STIFF cushioned surface.

DO NOT FORGET THAT WHITE KEYS IS SOLID WOOD SANDWICHED BETWEEN TOP AND BOTTOM PLASTIC PARTS ( not glued thin layer of wood as Roland PHA-50 or Fatar TP400W) . Its adds mass and inertia for keys, adds bending and torsional stability . BUT WOOD ABSORBING AND RELEASING MOISTURE AS ALL NATURAL WOOD INSTRUMENTS ,therefore it is better not to keep controller near heaters or in high humidity for long time.

If after buying a new controller some keys have strange rattling/scratchy sound, try to tilt controller about 30-45deg to one side and play with this key. If not help-tilt to another side an do the same. It is because hammers is not hardly fixed on the pivot strip and when shipping( throwing ,tilting etc...) can move slightly inside keys. If this happens, hammers scratches somewhere inside and you can hear it.

But in general action is heavy in weight because is made mainly from steel / solid wood - superb materials ( google fatar TP-40w for photos).

Software> For me perfect. Some factory presets i think for GM.

I use my custom presets .Some presets with 4 zones for layering or for Hammond. Some presets with one zone for single software instrument.

And I use SL MixFace - recommended.

Sticks -perfect clean design ( alluminium covers). And perfect for software synth -especially loose stick Nr.3

12 points goes for SL /Fatar :)

BUT ONLY ABOUT A MONTH IN USE ONLY AT HOME.

Does what it says on the can

This isn't some fancy pad/button filled synth-like keyboard; it's a piano keybed as a midi controller ~ and it works extremly well.

Do note the weights are felt quite a lot more than on other keyboards, but overall, it's very close to a piano keybed.

The only downside is the software ~ it's a bit hard to understand a get the curves working right (curves make a HUGE difference in how the keyboard feels)

Klein, aber unfassbar fein!

Ich bin unfassbar fasziniert von dem Kontroller.

Er hat zwar ein paar gängige Features nicht, bspw keinen onboard Sound, aber dafür kann das SL88 die Features, die es hat, richtig gut! Und selbst für den fehlenden onboard Sound hat StudioLogic mit ein paar VST-Klavieren auch eine Lösung parat.

Die Klaviatur fühlt sich richtig hochwertig an und lässt spüren, dass sie aus Holz ist, die Joysticks sind pratisch angebracht und das Menu (spätestens mit PCunterstüzung) auch sehr zugänglich.

Ich finde das SL 88 ist der beste Kontroller im Preisspektrum und definitv eine Empfehlung!

Great choice for the greatest price

I purchased it to replace my old SL161 that I used over three years to learn to play the piano. My expectations were covered to the full. It's such a pressure to play with it. I strongly feel it was completely right decision to continue learning to play the keyboards further with new unforgettable experience that this controller is able to deliver!

WOW!

So there was abit of a mixup when I ordered my SL88 Studio.

What happened was that I got this one instead so I tried it out and then of course I had to buy it instead of getting the Studio version.

I love it<3 The feeling of the keys the sensitivity you get from this keyboard is just awesome. Long time since I felt so inspired to just keep playing and enjoying myself.

There are other great keyboards out there when it comes to the feel but what really impressed me was the accuracy of the touch to midi velocity, it really feels like I'm playing a good piano(after I adjusted the touch curve to my liking).

Setting the keyboard up is really easy with their PC/MAC software abit basic but good enough for my needs.

I really can't give this keyboard more praise then saying buy it you won't regret it.

Abit of a footnote though I'm not a classical piano player anymore so your opinion migth differ from mine. Still a dang fine piece of gear! And I'm about to buy another SL88 but this time I'll try their Studio version.

Great keybed with minor software issues

I really like the keybed of this controller. Also own a VPC-1 and the touch is really different. Both are great , each on their own....

The software needs some more work.

I also had some minor issue with what seems to be the firmware.

As some people mentioned the vewlocity values were uneven. Since from a hardware point it seemed OK, i just reinstalled the firmware and voila! Now it works flawlessly.

Good

use it for piano practice.

the handling is satisfying with its FATAR keyboard, better than a lot barget acoustic pianos. and also you can practice without much noice with headphone.

Not familiar with its MIDI functions.

So far so good. I think its quality control is getting better than before.

so generally recommend for buying with this price.

Awesome feeling, close to an acoustic piano

I use this controller together with PianoTeq, to compose and play. I play classical music and so I was looking for a MIDI controller that felt like an actual acoustic piano (or as close as possible).

Setup is quite straightforward and provides lots of options. You can use it with pedals like the Yamaha FC 3A, if you want to make the most out of realistic VSTs like PianoTeq.

I would have preferred to have the double escapement mechanism, and a pitchwheel instead of a joystick. Other than that, this MIDI controller is awesome, the best one I've ever tried.

Mixed results, unfortunately ...

I bought the SL88 Grand two years back, when I needed a proper 88 keyboard, to emulate a piano-like playing experience. I use it in its most simple way: Take a MIDI cable, connect to a Nord Electro, and play piano/electric piano on the SL88. I had Studiologics before, so I knew they are not very "roadworthy" (external power block, cheaper materials).

The keybed, with its wood keys and triple sensor technology, is a joy to play - so far, so good.

But after a year of - light - use I noticed the first "stripes" on the TFT color screen (where the light cells don't work properly anymore). By now a second row of cells has gone, and it is basically waiting for the TFT panel to break down completely.

I can't comment on the quality of the software, but I can't recommend buying this keyboard any more, given the quality issue I have. Imagine you want to use this as a proper master keyboard and are depending on the screen to work ...

Best key quality for less money

This keyboard does not have anything but keys and couple of sticks, but the overalll quality and feeling of keys are amazing, best I ever touched. Just plug and play all day long, nothig extra.

Not convinced on the build quality

I had to change the SL88 Grand to a another copy several times because of faulty / quirky keys.

Many of the keys were noisy, and they seemed to rub against something inside the instrument. Lot of clicking and rubbing noises.

Another thing was inconsistency on the key action or key playability. Some of the keys seemed to be more light than others. And these differences in playability or noisiness were arbitrary along the key bed.

Eventually I tested 3 copies of SL88 GRAND and then gave in.

I really wanted to like this instrument. And apart from keybed defects, the Sl88 GRAND would be a great instrument with nice MIDI-features.