Studiologic TMK-88

Very basic keyboard, unsprung modulation wheel left-right action, good for organ leslie simulation; a midi out and sustain pedal. But changing patches with this is a bit abstract. I don't use this feature and I feel they could have left it out.

I notice these keys are a fraction wider than my DX7(ver. I); have never compared to a real piano. The action has been comprehensively described by a previous reviewer from the point of view of a piano player. As a synth player, I find this action a cut above average. My DX7 has small lead weights under each key and a tensioned leaf spring that "gives" after pressing down some distance, a fantastic synth feel I have never seen again, even the DX7(II). This TMK comes pretty close, without the weight of the lead. It definitely feels superior to the primitive spring system my Edirol keyboard has, so the "Semi-Weighted" description is justified, I feel. The keys have a subtle bounceback which helps when playing fast trills, etc. I could never do this with the Edirol.

Mine came with a midi-to-joystick-connector cable and a teach yourself piano software on CD! Never tried either.

I have found it puts out all velocity values, even down to "1". I obviously don't play as hard as a pianist, and besides, StudioLogic has fully weighted for this purpose, but a choice of velocity curves would have been better than the patch selection buttons. But all in all, I am happy.

I have tried hammering all keys with my arms, running up and down with both hands simultaneously in opposite directions, I have never had hanging notes. Perhaps this firmware is more recent (no way of finding out the version), perhaps the VMK is more complex than my TMK and has too much to do. I am confident this will not let me down.

The mechanical robustness is heightened by the choice of bendy tuppaware plastic which, whilst cheesy, does not crack when dropped. Neither does it scratch easily. Really good.

I needed a full 88 keyboard to work through the score of a musical I am involved in. This is small and light and as minimal as possible and never gets in the way in my cramped 2-room apartment. Sound source is the piano in Cakewalk's Dimension Pro and I sometimes forget time when I'm playing. It has a flat top with the exception of the cluster of switches in the middle and the modwheel, so I can put things on the top of it whilst working. I am glad it doesn't have programmable controllers, there are never the right number or types on these things available anyway. Being semi-weighted means I can also play organ or synth style, and even program drums with this. A USB-Midi would have been a plus. But yes, fantastic value and a welcome addition to my home studio.

Very basic keyboard, unsprung modulation wheel left-right action, good for organ leslie simulation; a midi out and sustain pedal. But changing patches with this is a bit abstract. I don't use this feature and I feel they could have left it out.

I notice these keys are a fraction wider than my DX7(ver. I); have never compared to a real piano. The action has been comprehensively described by a previous reviewer from the point of view of a piano player. As a synth player, I find this action a cut above average. My DX7 has small lead weights under each key and a tensioned leaf spring that "gives" after pressing down some distance, a fantastic synth feel I have never seen again, even the DX7(II). This TMK comes pretty close, without the weight of the lead. It definitely feels superior to the primitive spring system my Edirol keyboard has, so the "Semi-Weighted" description is justified, I feel. The keys have a subtle bounceback which helps when playing fast trills, etc. I could never do this with the Edirol.

Mine came with a midi-to-joystick-connector cable and a teach yourself piano software on CD! Never tried either.

I have found it puts out all velocity values, even down to "1". I obviously don't play as hard as a pianist, and besides, StudioLogic has fully weighted for this purpose, but a choice of velocity curves would have been better than the patch selection buttons. But all in all, I am happy.

I have tried hammering all keys with my arms, running up and down with both hands simultaneously in opposite directions, I have never had hanging notes. Perhaps this firmware is more recent (no way of finding out the version), perhaps the VMK is more complex than my TMK and has too much to do. I am confident this will not let me down.

The mechanical robustness is heightened by the choice of bendy tuppaware plastic which, whilst cheesy, does not crack when dropped. Neither does it scratch easily. Really good.

I needed a full 88 keyboard to work through the score of a musical I am involved in. This is small and light and as minimal as possible and never gets in the way in my cramped 2-room apartment. Sound source is the piano in Cakewalk's Dimension Pro and I sometimes forget time when I'm playing. It has a flat top with the exception of the cluster of switches in the middle and the modwheel, so I can put things on the top of it whilst working. I am glad it doesn't have programmable controllers, there are never the right number or types on these things available anyway. Being semi-weighted means I can also play organ or synth style, and even program drums with this. A USB-Midi would have been a plus. But yes, fantastic value and a welcome addition to my home studio.

As there are only three buttons and a wheel, there is not much you can do wrong. All features are immediately understandable when looking at the instrument and make a manual superfluous. This is what my eBay dealer must have thought, because he didn't provide one.

I had no problems installing it, it is simply your standard "hook up to sound card, configure MIDI-In, get playin'" procedure. No additional settings-up are possible, nor necessary. Any software will immediately accept any of the GM signals the controller sends out.

I'll give this a 9, because a manual would have been good manners, if only to explain a standard MIDI setup to beginners ? who are most likely to buy a TMK-88 anyway.

This Keaboard is impressively slim on gizmos. The modulation wheel flips from one side to the other if you push it, the power unsurprisingly comes on and off if you press the corresponding button and if you press one of the two remaining buttons, playing a key in the middle octave will set a different bank or program.

The rear connector panel follows the same philosophy. You have a 6.3mm naturall non-programmable pedal input and a MIDI-Out. That's it.

As this is an 88 key MIDI-controller, the most important aspect of any product evaluation must certainly be the keyboard itself. If you look at the instrument, this is further emphasized: It is basically 88 keys lined up in a slim blueish-grey plastic box built around them.

Even when playing the instrument only shortly, you quickly understand that it is not meant to be used as a digital piano substitute. The keys are clearly light and hollow and attached with springs only. I don't quite see why Fatar even calls them "semi-weighted" keys, as they are not clearly distinguishable from the synth action keys of my first instrument, a Roland E-14. Compared to the resistance and the responsiveness offered by a real grand piano, Fatar's solution has a rather weak velocity response. Playing in a style that would lead a conventional piano to produce a medium, 'mezzoforte' sound quickly gets the full 127 velocity out of the TMK-88. You can somewhat compensate that, if your software let you change the velocity curve, but in the end, your choice is to either cut of the 'forte' range entirely and up to a 'mezzo' with a sorta, kinda piano feel or use the opposite velocity curve which stays very flat and then quickly rises, having the 'forte' range suddenly appear above a certain velocity and seperating it from the 'piano' range more clearly. Wither way, you have a way of playing dynamically that is completely different from anything you find in a real piano.

Having said that, it is surprising, that Fatar apparently tries to market this as a grand-piano-style instrument: The keys go straight down in the front, giving you the illusion that they have a solid weight, and the black keys have a very neat slightly rough ebony feel to them, which I would not have expected in this price segment. I suppose marketing commands that a 88 key controller have grand piano characteristics, even if you can easily carry six of them at a time.

The keyboard is far more suitable to playing as a synthesizer or organ controller, preferrably in a context where dynamic sensitivity is not that important. Using it in rock, metal or electronic music, you can simply use a flattened velocity curve and you will have an acceptable responsiveness to play accompaniments, even with a piano patch. Solo passages can be played too, but the less responsiveness your patch requires, the better. Piano and electric piano (Rhodes, Wurlitzer) are almost completely out of the question, but Hammond organ, Hohner Clavinet or funkier synth patches are well playable. Here, the light feel of the keys is an advantage, because you can play quick passages very easily and glissandi are possible painlessly even with only your pinky finger. The complete lack of any additional MIDI-controllers besides the (flimsy) modulation wheel might ruin this for you, especially if you play Hammond, because you can't even connect a swell pedal. Also there is no aftertouch.

As I said above, I have never had any breakdowns with my TMK-88, but then again it is only sitting in a corner of my home.

However, the impression that you get from it is not one, that makes it an instrument that you would want to take around the states. Again, I can't really judge its reliably on gigs (although I will certainly debate its usefulness), but the very light weight, the buttons and the fact that you can twist the case by 30 degrees with one hand don't give me the feeling that it was ever meant to be put anywhere but on a sturdy stand, sitting in the corner of my home.

I got it from eBay and plan to sell it there, too. As there have never been any breakdowns, I have never had to contact customer service, nor might I have been entitled to it, but that is something you have to clear with your dealer. As a rule, I would advise anybody to NOT buy their musical instruments on eBay, if only, because they cannot try them beforehand.

Ease of use is a snap. I hook it up to my JV-1080 and and power up and we're of to the races. I use a BBE 482 Sound Maximizer to brighten the tonality of the JV-1080-----and every thing sounds great!
It's a minimalist's approach----to be sure-----but suits my needs as a musician and gives me great expressive power.

It does not have after touch. It does have velocity sensitivity and the keys, full-size, feel great to me, more synth-style than weighted piano-style, which is what I prefer anyway!

It seems quite durable! It sits on a stand just fine! I use a Studiologic MP117 Pedal Board----which I've had for years----very reliable! I use this weekly with no backup------with no apprehension.

Right now---these are going new for $149.99! I'd buy another if I had the need!

(My comments pertain to the TMK's big brother, the VMK, which is just the TMK keyboard with a few extra bells and whistles in the controller dept. For some reason the VMK-88 is no longer showing up on this site.)

Ease of Use is not helped by the absense of a user manual; mine came with no manual and I had to print it out online. The use of the store and edit buttons is not intuitive and and it gives you no feedback in terms of if it's doing something or waiting for you to hit another key. Would have been nice if they had left the first/default user-preset slot empty; they provide 4 pre-built presets in the first four save-locations, and the first thing I had to do was learn how to move the settings for #1 over to #5, so that I could monkey with #1 without fear. There's no MIDI in or USB, so you can't program the thing with a computer.

Regardless of the "Rubbermaid" appearance, I really appreciate the lightness of the unit and especially like the 4 pedal inputs; I'm an expression-pedal addict, and no other controller even provides TWO expression pedal inputs!

I personally think the keyboard is a little stiff, and you really have to press hard/fast to get maximum velocity. This is the first time I've add to change my sounds modules' curvature to compensate for a keyboard, but I'm sure that stronger PIANO players will appreciate that so much dynamic range is available.

Okay here's where my trouble starts; I've got two significant problems with the thing. Has anyone else noticed either of these issues?

1. Select a patch on your sound module with a reasonable sustain
volume, and quickly sweep your hand from the lowest note to the
highest note on the keyboard. One in five times (for me anyway) this
results in a stuck note sustaining forever (not a stuck KEY, just a
stuck note, like there was no note-off message). I've exchanged one
VMK-88 and the new one does the exact same thing. In
rehearsal/live performance a stuck note occurs once about every half
hour of playing. I can duplicate the problem with a couple of sound
modules (E-mu P2K and my Yamaha PSR-232).

2. Whenever I use an expression pedal, I'm find a little "bump" at
the bottom (low control value) end of the pedal. I haven't done a
MIDI dump on it yet, but it's like it goes 0, 1, 2, 100, 3, 4, 100, 5,
6, and doesn't smooth out until about halfway through the pedal's
travel. This is pretty startling when the pedal is being used to
control volume and you're looking for a smooth fade-in. Both VMK-88's
I've thus far had do this. I've tried an old Roland EV-5 I have and
another EV-5 fresh out of the box. Both pedals work fine with my
Yamaha EX5 keyboard and through my MidiSolution pedal converter box.

I depending on this keyboard right now, but pretty much out of necessity, since I've had two VMK's with the exact same problems, I suspect there is either a Q/A problem at their factory, or some things things they didn't account for in the firmware...

I've repeatedly e-mail Studiologic (fatar@musicindustries.com) and gotten no responses, despite detailed descriptions of my issues. My dealer is treating me right, but the Studiologic folks are non-existant as far as my direct experience goes.

I paid $549 for my VMK-88 and included in the package is a USB MIDI interface that would have cost $39 by itself. Still it's a little pricey. The four pedal controller inputs put this keyboard in a class by itself, but if you don't need that, then make sure to consider M-Audio's Keystation Pro 88 (for $499) before you jump on a VMK-88.

It couldn't be any easier to use! - It has virtually no onboard controls - it is a pure midi device... it does have some memory banks, but I've not used them.

This keyboard is marketed as having a weighted action. It is VERY light. It might feel a bit better that the casio style keyboards... but is still very light indeed.
Saying that however, it is the BEST full 88 key midi device I have come across for the money. Great value.
Lots of people talk about it being so flimsy that it is unusable and other such rubbish. Don't listen to that. It's durable and lightweight, but it stands on a stand ok and works brilliantly from a desktop

midi only

Top keyboard.
88 full size keys - very light action, but what do you expect?... it doesn't have Steinway written on the front - and you can chuck it in a bag! - I like it, it ROCKS for the money.

I've been using the TMK-88 for live gigs, and it's given me no problems whatsoever. It's light weight is the reason I purchased it (load-in and load-out is a pleasure!) and I don't mind the unweighted action- it feels quite nice, actually. The product has taken some flak online for it's "flexibility"- I've encountered some other 88 note controllers that have a lot more bend to them- Yamaha KX-88s, for instance, used to bend so much that the highest 'C' key would frequently break, and they were constructed from metal and pressboard.

Not very difficult to use at all. Only three buttons: power, program change, and bank select. Unless plugging MIDI cables in is a Sisyphean ordeal for you, you should be hammering away in no time.

If you've actually taken the time to look for reviews on this particular controller, then you're obviously someone who's looking for a cheap and basic controller with the full 88 keys. With that said, it really wouldn't make sense to expect much more than... it to be cheap, to be basic, and to have the full 88 keys. One comment about the action though. They say it's semi-weighted and for the most part I agree; it's not your garden variety keyboard you find at the local Radio Shack. However, I do think that it would be more accurate to say "really-really-light-weighted" instead.

This is a controller only, no onboard sounds. I'm using this controller with Steinberg's The Grand VSTi.

After reading all the previous reviews, to be honest, it did affect the way I began to perceive the keyboard as I was waiting for it to be delivered. I was beginning to wonder if something like The Rach 3 would annihilate this thing. Once I finally pulled it out of the box though, it really wasn't as bad as you've heard. I mean, yeah, the plastic is soft and I suppose the controller is fragile in a keep-poking-him-with-a-stick-to-see-if-he's-still-alive sort of way. The reviewer who described the material as being a Rubbermaid garbage can was dead on. To say it's "cheap plastic" may be a little misleading. I'm sure it's cheap in a sense that it didn't cost much, but it's not the brittle cheap plasitic you think of as cracking to pieces if you bang it against something. It will flex *IF* you invest time and energy in consciously making an effort to prove to some innocent disbeliever that it does.

I've never had to contact customer support.

I'm a college student and just needed something to practice my scales and sight-reading on without having to buy a space-sucking, neighbor-bothering, acoustic piano so I wasn't expecting some $3000+ digital piano with all the bells and whistles. All the talk of this being as fragile as a newborn infant is blown out of proportion in my opinion. Then again, I'm not as picky as most people I guess and I don't expect my keyboards to compete on Most Xtreme elimination Challenge like most people here seem to do. All I can say is I'm very satisfied with its performance in the role I bestowed upon it.

This is a minimalist approach to 88-key MIDI controllers. Just plug in the power and the MIDI cords and start playing.

Fatar (StudioLogic) has been making keyboards for other synth companies as well as under their own name for a long time. They do know how to make keyboard assembly. This simple, no-frill keyboard has 3 buttons and a modulation lever on the narrow panel. To the best of my knowledge, this is the smallest and the lightest 88-key controller on the market today (and probably the last one). The keyboard action is light but pleasantly weighted. I would describe it as "lightly-weighted, crisp synth-action" keyboard. If you're looking for true piano action, however, look elsewhere.

Here is what I want to spend most of my review time. First of all, I've read all the reviews below before I bought mine. Most topics discussed here are accurate. My first impression out of the box is that it's an 88-key keyboard assembly wrapped in a light gray plastic case. What people can't tell from just looking at the pictures or reading descriptions on various web sites including this site, is that there are different types of plastics. The casing they used to make the TMK-88 is a kind I've never seen used in the construction of synthesizers/controllers. Manufacturers opt to use rather hard plastic to give a substantial and rigid feel to the keyboard casing in most cases. Here, Fatar used a very soft, flexible plastic, which is extremely prone to, well, flexing! You would easily flex the casing anywhere just with one of your fingers. The material is actually very similar to Rubbermaid, the kind you'd see in plastic garbage containers.

To their credit, I think Fatar made a conscious decision to use this type of material (knowing how cheap plastics are, using one plastic over others wouldn't greatly affect the manufacturing cost). As with the Rubbermaid plastic containers, I bet the TMK-88 is not easy to break because of its flexibility. One think about this type of plastic is that it?s also prone to deformation under heat. The manual warns not to leave it in your car in a hot day. In my conclusion, depending on how you see it, it can be a plus to musicians who need to haul it around a lot. Overall, it seems durable enough in the sense that it can take abuse like a Rubbermaid garbage can.

I was surprised how flimsy it felt when I first took it out of the box and moved it around. The medium-gray plastic casing flexes very easily and gives overall impression of cheap manufacturing. I think it's kind of an experimental attempt of Fatar at a new casing material. Although I'm keeping mine because it does what I want it to do, I think there are better alternatives. If you are a serious player, you wouldn?t appreciate the fact that pressing keys hard can flex the whole board here and there (even though I'm using it on a table). This is because the keyboard is too light and too flexible at the same time. In summaary, I think it has its use but I frankly regret having bought it.

Maybe people need to read the heading here -- "expresiveness (mis-spelled, by the way)/sounds" I keep seeing a 1 in this category for controllers -- you're not, of course rating the sounds are you? Use your head and desribe its "expresiveness" then!

As for it's expressiveness (spelled correctly now), for it's price range, the keyboard has a remarkable feel. In fact, it has a better feel then many synths I've checked out in the $1000+ range. It is not, of course, a weighted controller and feels very much like a synth, but not cheesy like a casio by any means. Its feel is similar to a Roland RS-9.

For what it is, it does its job well.

While this board is made of plastic (My Ensoniq TS-12 was mostly plastic), it is very simple construction and actually seems quite durable. I have other synths that are made of plastic, and let me tell you -- plastic is a great thing when you find yourself "schlepping" your gear around town.

As for any "electronics" issues, I am certain that any one who has taken a high-school electronics class could handle this one.

Works well on a normal stand, contrary to the other reviews. I suppose doing hand-stands on it would be quite stupid! However, it will hold up under normal use. If you're really stumped, you can ask a $5/hour employee at Radio Shack because they apparently are smarter than you!

The main thing to consider if you are going to buy this unit is first, its price ($299 most places), and its weight (very light). If weight doesn't matter to you, you should probably look at the SL-990 or SL-880 -- the 990 can be had for just another $100 -- which is still pretty cheap. If you're still confused, go to a music store and check it out for yourself before buying one online.

From the reviews I had read here, I expected the board to be much flimsier -- bow in the middle, for example (which it does not) and I expected it to feel like a Casio (which, again, it does not). So, I was pleasantly surprised by it when I checked it out at Sam Ash for myself.

Did I buy it? No -- I have no need for it currently, but I will certainly consider it if I need a mobile 88-key controller unit.

This information in this manual is only 1 and a half pages. The other pages are the same info in other languages. The only features it has to boast of is that it is 88 keys, has a midi out, an on/off power switch, etc. May also be useful as a doorstop, but they omitted that part from the manual.

I brought it home tonight and took it out of the box. Something wrong with one key -- doesn't stand as high as the other ones. Does have semi-weighted keys as it claims, but in my opinion, feel is no better than standard keyboard keys, if you're used to synths.

No internal sounds, being a midi controller, which is what I was looking for anyway. So this catagory is hard to rate. As for it's velocity, for some reason I don't seem to be getting the full velocity with the same pressure I'm accustomed to using. Maybe that's because it's new, or that it has semi-weighted keys. Or maybe it's because the whole unit is Mickey-Mouse plastic and feel if I pound on it to get the right velocity, it will break.

The unit is entirely plastic -- something the internet doesn't tell you and can't show in its pictures. Seriously, this has NO cosmetic value, and looks like something from the toy area at WalMart. I'd rather go onstage in my underwear than be seen with this. Not sturdy at all.

Bought it from Sam Ash. Salesman was helpful. He actually tried to get me to buy a Casio personal keyboard to use as a midi controller instead of this. I was just looking for 88 keys and this was on sale for $299. Props to them. Shame on me.

To my fellow keyboardists, I strongly discourage you from buying this. I know, like me you probably saw it on the internet and saw the price and thought wow-- something to take on the road, because it's economical. Now I'm scared to even put this back in the original box wrong in fear it might break. But trust me, you will thank me for steering you away from it. Even if you're willing to overlook the fact it doesn't have pitch bend, this really is a mickey mouse keyboard -- I honestly don't know why it's catagorized among other pro keyboards. Spend the extra money for something better, or save money with a 61-keyboard if you have to. My opinion, it's worth about $75 as a small-budget studio board (on a table -- too flimsy for it's own stand).

Using is this one is simple. The mod-wheel in horizontal position is a bit strange but its part of the space-save-concept, i think.

You enter numbers with the middle octave-keys, thats a smart idea.

Action of the key is good. You wont find any midi-keyboard at THIS PRICE with 88 light-weighted Keys ! I give it a 8, because you get a LOT for that price.

Remember: Light-weighted means NOT non-weighted, it feels like a "light" Piano, and thats what i really love about it.

It has 1 Midi-Out and you can connect a sustain-pedal.
(what i've done)
It comes with a standard power-supply DC 9V at 500mA.
It has a program-selector (also Bank-select), and it works ! (contrary to the review above - maybe used the wrong octave, for entering the numbers ? Use the MIDDLE Octave !)

But Attention. This is NOT for Live-Gigs !!! Made of PLASTIC. But its perfect for the Studio, and a real SPACE-SAVER and VERY LIGHT.(5 kg)

This is only a midi-controller, no sounds.

I own it for 3 weeks now, and I can't say very much about that.
Well its NOT for the stage, but thats not what it was made for anyway.

never dealt with them.

This is a good Keyboard for a SMALL Studio with LOW Budget, and for people who want to have a full 88-Keys Controller at LOW COSTS, and the feeling like a real PIANO.
Its perfect for my needs, now i don't have to use that Octave-Shift Buttons anymore.

I would buy it again if it were lost or stolen.
I 've been playing the keys for 7 Years. (started with classical piano, but a 88-Key-Midi-Controller was too expensive so i had only 2x 49-Key-Controllers...)

Since I have this one, I never used my 49-Key-Controllers again.
Because it is that simple, you can concentrate on whats important: creating your music.

I wish it would have a Pitch-Bend, a Volume-Slider and adjustable Velocity-Curves. But I can live with that.


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I wanna thank Harmony-Central for this great Site !
You bring musicians together !
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This keyboard has minimalist controls. Basically: on/off led, bank, program change and mod wheel. The controls did not work well with my module as I have no program/bank readout. I was using the controller with an Alesis Nano Piano. Manual was of little help. Controls were of rather cheap quality.

This keyboard has very few features. The action of the board seemed OK but the keyboard actually bowed in the midde when played with any pressure at all. It doesn't appear to be designed for a stand but rather for a table top application.

it has no sounds....it's a controller

I wouldn't play live with this AT ALL. It's basically 'toy-like' quality. It appears to be all plastic (except for maybe some screws). I bought this is hopes of a light weight controller and while IT IS light, it doesn't appear to be to road worthy. As to longevity and reliability, I didn't keep it long enough to find out.

I called Music Industries to get the specs before purcahsing and they were very helpfull and friendly.

The reason I'm writting this review is to let other keyboard players be informed as to this controller. I was unable to get any usable info re the controller from the net as it is a new product. I would not use this as a live controller. IT IS MADE OUT OF PLASTIC. It is rather cheap in terms of quality. To be fair, it would probably work well in a studio environment (with a table-top style stand). I returned it immediately.