Fatar Studio 1100

Very easy, especially if you understand what you're getting yourself into. ***This is only a midi controller.*** In my scenario the sound generator is a computer. I might as well have bought the SL-880, but I didn't know better, since all the on-board (program switching, zones, etc.) features can be easily off-loaded to your computer, provided you have some decent software. Other other hand, those features are build into the keyboard as well if you want to access them. I think the interfact is all about keeping-it-simple-stupid.

The point here is the control interface, which here is basically a light piano feel with pitch and mod wheels. Again, if you know what you're getting yourself into, this is one of the best. However, unless you get a great deal on the price, you might as well buy the VMK-88 to get all that extra control surface. I've heard that Fatar's hammer action holds up to Keystation Pro 88.

This is a midi controller. Very expressive as far as hammer-action with mod and pitch wheels goes. For sounds, there are plenty of soft synths and soft samplers available. I recommend playing this against GigaStudio 2.5 or 3.0 with one of the latest piano samples. It's simply amazing.

I've had mine for a couple of years without a problem. I've heard of a couple of people having problems with the keys, and I mentioned this up front to my dealer. He was so confident about the reliability that he gave me a three year service warranty in writing for no extra charge.

I have never had to deal with Fatar's customer support.

If you want a light piano feel with mod and pitch wheels for a basic midi controller, you can't really beat this. However, at this point, unless you get a great price on a used or clearance unit, then buy the newer VMK-88 instead. If you simply want the piano feel without any extras, then pricewise you won't beat the TMK-88. In its time, the SL-1100 was one of the best midi controllers, and the market has yet to offer something that is merely a midi controller that has a better piano feel.

This is an overdue update to my review of July 1999. Then, I complained that the pedal input didn't work on cc64 to produce the "soft" or "piano" effect, and soon after that I realised that I needed an "expression" pedal. This has revolutionised the utility of this board for me (much of my work is in musical theatre, where the ability to control the dynamics over a very wide range is really useful). On that basis my rating in this category goes up to 9.

Still not a hitch. (Thus deserving a better score)

This unit is just a controller, so no sounds to play with, just packets of midi to send. And it doesn't get much simpler to use than this! One grumble is the way the way the presets are accessed - one row of four buttons (which double as "function" buttons), combined with a pair of increment buttons which scroll through 8 positions (giving you your 4 x 8 = 32 presets. This can drive me nutty during a gig when I typically want to change presets in the middle of a song, and may have to use two completely unrelated (except for the afore-mentioned relationship) sets of buttons. The manual is pretty damn good, though.

(channel) aftertouch, two midi-outs, mod and pitch wheels, cc pedal input (as well as sustain), and, the reason I bought it: an integral flight case; yep, you just lift off the lid, connect up the 3 cables you need (midi, sustain and power, more on the spastic latter later), and off you go!!! Each preset is programmable with a wealth of data, over any combination of four zones. Pretty much every midi parameter is catered for, and adjustment is a doddle. However, there are no dedicated buttons like those found on the Roland A90 for these functions. However, in addition to the cc pedal input which is supposed to be programmable with the cc of your choice, there is also a top-panel csl/data slider (which does work), so you can always make real-time changes to a previously ascribed parameter that way.

I find it hard to feel good playing anything other than a real piano, and this keyboard does nothing to assuage those feelings. It is too light for my taste, and I find it difficult to come near matching the expression that comes so easily on a real piano. At the time I bought it, it seemed as good as anything else on the market. More recently, though, I have enjoyed the A90EX (partly because I prefer the piano samples to my own Kurzweil piano module sounds, and even more, the Yamaha P200 (except for one really annoying sample break about 2 octaves above middle E flat that gets suddenly louder). The big deal with the Yamaha is the keyboard, which feels like a major advance on all previous keyboards that I've played, thus increasing player-pleasure hugely. One major problem I've had is that the cc pedal input will not work with cc64 (or whichever one is the soft pedal, I forget). For my work a volume pedal is a useful and virtuous thing, and the input does recognise it.

No trouble in three years, except for the noddy transformer burning out last year. HOW much did they save by not incorporating an on-board power supply???? It doesn't feel particularly robust, but a key that started to sound clunky early on returned to normal after a while.

I had a spat with the (one) person the importers have dealing with Fatar gear, due to the fact that the shop I bought from took 11 weeks to deliver, and I haven't felt inclined to renew the relationship, so I don't know how good support is.

There are more up-to-date units I would seriously consider before investing in another Fatar (mainly because of the improved action on the Yamaha and possibly others), but the Fatar is pretty user-friendly, versatile, and I love the built-in flight-case.