Looking for a phantom product...

[hitchface]

Hey folks,

I am on the hunt for a completely standalone (ie no laptop or mobile device needed) miniature performance keyboard.

Maybe 25 keys, works as a MIDI controller BUT can have sounds either included or loaded into it than I can use live.

The idea is that my keys players are predominantly piano types...they don't know much nor care to know much about being a keyboard player. That is fine by me, and I am happy to let them use their piano-oriented skills. But I'd still like to have some pads and synths at my disposal.

Is there a product for me that is VERY compact, stage-worthy and can fill the bill? I'd be using it while leading and playing guitar, so something I can mount like a personal mixer is preferable.

[efrisch]

I have done what you're talking about, but with a clunkier setup. I use a 25 key M-audio midi controller that I got on eBay for about $10 and then run MIDI to a Roland JV-1010 that I put on the floor or hide elsewhere on the stage. Very messy, but it works for very little money.

The two products that jump into my mind for what you're talking about are the Novation XIO Synth 25 & the Alesis Micron, both of which seem to have been recently discontinued. Should be plenty of them out there on the used market, though - Guitar Center actually has a used Novation on their website (http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Used-USED-NOVATION-XIOSYNTH-107475555-i2371499.gc?&source=4WFRWXX&CAWELAID=1213070451) for $170, which is a really good price on that piece. These guys are definitely synth-oriented - you're not going to find pianos, organs, etc. (although at second glance, the Alesis does have some of that built in), but it sounds like that's basically what you want and they have full size keys, which is a big advantage over something like the microKorg when you're just reaching over to play something quickly.