Small keyboard to pair with Rhodes?

[EvanBingham]

I've been looking at something small to throw on top of my Rhodes.  Either something for lead or bass.  Maybe Synth.  I just play for fun and enjoy neo-soul.  Want something affordable, maybe two octaves.  Any ideas?

[bourniplus]

A few ideas: Microkorg, Roland JDXI, Novation mininova.

[vortmaxx]

I have a lot of love for my Korg R3.

[EvanBingham]

Ended up ordering a Roland SE-02 with the mini keyboard attachment.  I figured analog would be more fun

[RhodesWarrior]

 I usually have a Moog Sub37 or a Nord Electro on top of the Rhodes.  Neither is particularly affordable mind you but they’re both superb at what they do...  I had a Yamaha MX-something for a while which was 6X cheaper,  more portable and more flexible than either of those - and sounded brilliant - but the action was so flimsy I sold it before I started snapping keys.

[EvanBingham]

Moog sub37 looks great.  SE-02 was ok, but ended up selling it because of the small keys and knobs.  That Sub37 interests me now though.

[dharmaone]

I've got a roland JD-XI and a korg micro preset on top of my rhodes. JD-XI for the bass and micro-preset for leads (usually).

If I were buying something today and didn't have either, I'd probably pick up behringer ms-101 (the sh101 clone). looks awesome for not much money at all

[Alan Lenhoff]

I have to give a shout-out to my Behringer Model D, Behringer's $299 version of a Minimoog, which I've paired with a 32-key Arturia Keystep.  I've never owned a Minimoog, but many who have claim the Behringer sound pretty much matches the real deal.

Alan

[pianotuner steveo]

Alan, is that Behringer monophonic, polyphonic, or switchable?

[Alan Lenhoff]

It's monophonic. It basically replicates the Minimoog functionality, although it does have a few additional features.  (For example, you can switch it between low-note priority, high-note priority or last-note priority.)

Very cool little device that makes lots of wonderful fat sounds!  For me, it's a way to learn the basics of analog synthesis for a small fraction of the price of a Minimoog.

Alan

[shmuelyosef]

Curious how you like the Keystep...I have an Arturia minibrute 2S that i drive with my Nord Electro when I want live action, but it's clumsy (for this purpose...otherwise the nord 6HP is phenomenal)
jeff

I have to give a shout-out to my Behringer Model D, Behringer's $299 version of a Minimoog, which I've paired with a 32-key Arturia Keystep.  I've never owned a Minimoog, but many who have claim the Behringer sound pretty much matches the real deal.
Alan

[Alan Lenhoff]

For me, with a very crowded music room, the Keystep's primary virtue is how compact it is. (I have the Keystep and the Model D sitting on top of an amp.)  It has a reasonable feel to it, seems well-built and I quickly got used to the compact keys and occasionally using the Octave + and - keys to extend its key range. The strips that sub for the usual  mod and pitch wheels are okay, but I'd rather have wheels. The price was right: generally $120, but I wanted the "limited edition" black version, and the only one Guitar Center had was an "open box" unit for $80. The Keystep also has lots of features I've not yet explored, including sequencing and aftertouch.

So, it does the job for me, but if I had the room (or I was gigging with it), I would prefer something with 49 full-sized keys.

Alan

[thetrufflehog]

Just wanted to chime in on this topic. I have the Korg Arp Oddyssey (the "minikeys" one) and it fits *perfectly* on top of a MK2 lid. I mean so good like it was made to do so. The four rubber feet straddle the lid so that the whole keyboard bottom actually sits on the lid, but the feet just graze the front and back sides of the lid so the board doesnt slide around. And it's an Oddy so it is a great, versatile, and classic synth.

[shmuelyosef]

For me, with a very crowded music room, the Keystep's primary virtue is how compact it is.

I ended up getting the Keystep as well, primarily for input to the MiniBrute 2S (which has an awesome sequencer, but no keyboard); this all sits easily on my Rhodes (Home-built Dyno-style case)
I'm also finding it to be useful as an adjunct to my Dave Smith OB6 which has a 'difficult-to-program' polyphonic sequencer...the Keystep sequencer is MUCH more flexible and after input they can be edited in the free app.