Where's aftertouch on most keyboards? Don't you guys use it?

[Aleatoriac]

Just wanted to necro this thread to complain that polyphonic aftertouch is not in anything affordable or new.
It's in the ROLI stuff (basically) along with MPE. I have a seaboard block. It's too small, and too expensive for how small it is, and it's unique, and I use it, but FFS...

Tried the linnstrument. Neat, but no.

I learned mostly on an old Korg X3. FFS... it had polyAT. Decades ago. So I have to go and get an old crap keyboard that may or may not have fully functional keys off Ebay to get polyAT... or spend 10 grand on a neat (VERY NEAT) ROLI or Haken, which are *not* keys. They're great controllers, yes. But they're not keys. "Piano mode" doesn't send polyAT.

FFS.

I'm so angry about this. There are other things I'm more angry about, and I did something about them. Oh dear. Here come the police.

Because the world is full of idiots who don't know how to use polyphonic aftertouch on a keyboard... You people.

You shoddy, disgusting, putrefactive strands of ejecta.

[aMUSEd]

I have 2 old Korg keyboards, an N364 and a Z1 - both have pretty good aftertouch but it's mono not poly - I'd be surprised if the X3 had poly aftertouch

[chk071]

I rather wished there was a usable Aftertouch in the entry level or mid range keyboards. I didn't like it in either the M-Audio Axiom or the Novation Impulse I'm using now. That hard press and minimum control over the amount of pressure is a no-go, and there shouldn't be Aftertouch at all, when it's hardly controllable anyway.

[aMUSEd]

I find the AT in my NI S Series to be controllable enough, it's not as good as my Z1 but better than my V-Synth.

[chk071]

Yeah, I guess the more money you spend, the better it gets. Both the Axiom and the Impulse are rather entry level - mid range keyboards.

Every time I apply Aftertouch on my Impulse, It feels like I would break the keys out. Maybe I just have to spend more time to learn to apply it, though...

[Aleatoriac]

I have 2 old Korg keyboards, an N364 and a Z1 - both have pretty good aftertouch but it's mono not poly - I'd be surprised if the X3 had poly aftertouch

You're right.
I was completely wrong. Broke out the manual and page 30 shows it: the bastards faked it.
Only in Combi mode could you simulate polyphonic aftertouch because AT could be assigned per midi channel to a single "OSC" and "Combis" were made of multiple midi channels...

My childhood is a sham. I feel psychologically raped now.

Back to screwing around with the ROLI.
I end up in phyrigian dominant every time I play with it... for some dumb reason.

[thecontrolcentre]

I rather wished there was a usable Aftertouch in the entry level or mid range keyboards. I didn't like it in either the M-Audio Axiom or the Novation Impulse I'm using now. That hard press and minimum control over the amount of pressure is a no-go, and there shouldn't be Aftertouch at all, when it's hardly controllable anyway.

Have you tried the Arturia Keystep? Useable mini keys with mono aftertouch, and a sequencer. I was pleasantly surprised how good it is for £100 ... I've noticed that almost every synth reviewer on youtube uses one.

[chk071]

I considered it a couple of times, and I also read that it is supposed to have nice Aftertouch. I already have 2 MIDI keyboards though, and, don't want to spend more on MIDI controllers. Also, it should have a couple more knobs than the Keystep, if then.

[jdnz]

CME Xkey has polyAT - and isn't a 'surface' like the ROLI (and the 37 key version is cheaper than the ROLI blocks keys). Just wish they did a bigger modle (49 or even 61 key)

[aMUSEd]

I have 2 old Korg keyboards, an N364 and a Z1 - both have pretty good aftertouch but it's mono not poly - I'd be surprised if the X3 had poly aftertouch

You're right.
I was completely wrong. Broke out the manual and page 30 shows it: the bastards faked it.
Only in Combi mode could you simulate polyphonic aftertouch because AT could be assigned per midi channel to a single "OSC" and "Combis" were made of multiple midi channels...

Actually I didn't know that, wonder if the NS364 can pull off a similar trick in multi mode? I hardly use it now as the screen is almost gone but it still plays fine.

[iPlogger]

I never much cared for Aftertouch on my Korg 01/wfd. Too on/off and nothing much in-between. Picked up the Native Instruments MK2 earlier this year and quite like the aftertouch on it. I find myself actually using it. Though I haven't used poly AT, I do have iPad apps allowing me to control things in a similar manner, and I must say, it is extremely enjoyable and useful.

[Winstontaneous]

CME Xkey has polyAT - and isn't a 'surface' like the ROLI (and the 37 key version is cheaper than the ROLI blocks keys). Just wish they did a bigger modle (49 or even 61 key)

I was going to post the same thing. XKey doesn't have a full keyboard action but it poly hasAT and is inexpensive and rugged.

Also, I find AT on drum pads (Push 2, Akai MPD32) to be very useful and expressive.

[tapper mike]

Loved it on the linnstrument, Like it on Instrument One by Artiphon. Don't get why ppl have hangups about MPE

[Jim Y]

I had a look at the AT in my Edirol PCR800 controller. I believe the Roland A series are similar

The problem is that it takes far too much pressure before it even begins to transmit the AT controller. The available choice of response curves for AT don't help. This is dead easy to test, since there is a midi activity indicator dot in its LED display. Press a key, it flashes for the note-on, press down harder and it flashes when AT sends.

The PCR only has channel or global aftertouch. There is just one sensor. A force sensing resistor strip runs the full length of the keyboard. It is positioned just below the front edge of the black keys. There is a circuitry on the main circuit board that turns the resistance of the sensor into a variable DC voltage which should be proportional to the key pressure. The sensor voltage is then converted into a digital value the same way the controller faders and knob positions are.

One tactic tried by others, is to raise the sensors sensitivity by increasing the gain of the DC amplifier. I did too which meant messing with some components. This was only partially successful. It does nothing to change how much pressure is needed to trigger the AT message in the first place.

So I'm left with what looks to like a fatal design flaw. There simply isn't enough mechanical leverage to put enough force on the sensor to easily change its resistance and no circuitry or software changes could alter that.

[acYm]

I still maintain that Ableton are doing a huge disservice to music technology by not fixing the broken poly-AT implementation in Live.

Reviewers who don't dock points for this should be called out.