For my money, the Novation
ReMote and X-Station are dream keyboards for digital music: fantastic
synth-action keys, lots of knobs and faders, a touchpad and X-Y
joystick for adjusting parameters, and optional built-in synthesis and
audio I/O. But I've been waiting for 49-key and 61-key versions, and in
the midst of an acquisition by London neighbor Focusrite,
there's been little word. I spoke with Novation today and the news is
all good: 49-key instruments are expected in mid-December, followed by
the 61-key model at the beginning of January. I got a chance to play
these instruments at AES; not only do they feel great, but they're
lightweight, too. SonicState has shots of custom bags for the new keyboards with room for your laptop. Watch this space.
Availability: December, January
Pricing: Details soon