Music Industries is proud to announce the release of the newest Studiologic VMK line at Winter NAMM 2006. In response to customer demand, the VMK 161plus is the world’s first 61 note hammer action USB controller.
The VMK 176plus offers the same Fatar action in 76 keys. The VMK 188plus is available for those who need the traditional 88.
Fatar SRL has been manufacturing keyboard actions in Italy for decades, and has supplied actions for the world’s most famous synths, electric pianos, and workstations. The VMK 188plus, 161plus, and 176plus include Fatar’s latest high quality graded hammer action, Fatar Grand Touch (graded means heavier on the bottom and gradually lighter towards the top, like a real piano.)
The hammer is thrown up and forward on its pivot as the key is depressed, mimicking exactly the mechanism of an acoustic piano. More mass moving through a greater arc means better acceleration of the key and increased dynamic range. A satisfying sense of the “throw point” of the hammer improves rhythmic accuracy. The chassis for the VMK is constructed entirely out of lightweight metal, finished with an attractive rubberized silver paint.
The line was developed with busy New York session player Jeremy Mage, who notes “Many keyboardists feel that only a hammer action is suitable for triggering piano and electric piano sounds. This is especially true today, with the release of massively multisampled piano programs…the sounds support the kind of nuance that you can only achieve with a great action.”
“But this has always meant carrying a very bulky keyboard to the gig, and a large footprint in the studio. For many accompaniment situations 61 keys is adequate, but there’s never before been a 61-note controller with a hammer action.”
With built in USB (including bus power) , the VMKplus can plug and play with a computer instantly (2 midi outputs are also available). A host of Eight rotary encoders, Eight sliders, Eight buttons, three pedal inputs, a joystick control, and a transport section make it simple to adjust any soft synth or DAW parameter. Presets are included for twelve of the most popular softsynths from Native Instruments, MOTU, Steinberg, Propellerheads, Synthogy, Apple, and IK Multimedia. Each preset can be fully edited, and there are a total of 30 user-programmable preset locations.
The VMK’s three fully assignable pedal inputs support Sustain, Soft, and Sustenuto pedal functions making it particularly well suited to the latest high-end piano sample software. Volume and expression can be assigned freely as well. Monophonic Aftertouch can be turned on or off, and control change and midi channel data are editable instantly via the data entry wheel.
The VMKplus line also includes the VMK 88plus, a semi-weighted 88 note usb controller that weighs under 14 pounds. It has triple the available controller functions and four pedal inputs.
All current Studiologic products will be available for demo at NAMM 2006, Music Industries booth 5700 hall B.