Samson Graphite 49 midi controller keyboard

[elwoodblues1969]

I have a long history with Samson...spanning 8 years,beginning with my first purchase of studio monitors....followed by 3 additional purchases of their Resolv series.
Over time,as my knowledge of monitors grew,I realized how convoluted Samson's speakers are & boycotted the use of them ever since.

However though and quite to the contrary,many of Samson's other products are something special,such as their multi-track recorders,field recorders & effects modules....as these products offer surprising quality,at an equally surprising price.

The Graphite 49,is Samson's first venture into the keyboard market and to say the least,this product is a grand entrance,as it possesses some very exciting features,at a street price that is shockingly reasonable.

In this vast and ever-increasing market of midi controller keyboards,it seems that all of the various companies out there,have offerings that are either too minimal in order to remain within a low budget,or too excessive-along with an inflated price tag.
This being said,it seems as though Samson has created a happy medium of the two and it couldn't have arrived at a better time(for me personally).  

The Graphite 49 not only has more hands on controls than I've ever seen at this price point,but also has many more enticing features...such as several preset configurations for DAWS such as Logic,Cubase,Cakewalk,Motu,Reason,Traktion,Protools & Ableton(which is twice as many options as compared to my MOX6)!
Any sort of remapping that you care to deploy,can be done on-board,without the use of editing software,as well as real time feedback on a very generously sized LCD screen.In terms of usable key-bed action(for those who have an affinity for a true semi-weighted feel),Samson seems to have paid particular attention to this detail,as well as what seems to be full sized,piano-style keys!

Though I am personally not fond of Native Instruments,given my troubled history with it,it's still a generous offering from Samson,to include a Komplete Elements package,which is comprised of Kontakt Player,Reaktor & Guitar Rig 4.
Assuming I could get this software up & running without any hitches next time around,I would like to take advantage of Kontakt & Guitar Rig,as I have found both of these programs to be very useful on my other PC set up.

The arrival of the Graphite 49 is slated for release in June at a street price of $199.Ideally,I would love to have a 61-key version of this remarkable instrument,but currently,there is no word of Samson offering any other sizes in the future....but I suspect that Samson is waiting to see how successful this model is first & the rate of sales will determine whether or not they will expanded this product into a full line of options.
I say "line",because Samson also has the Carbon midi controller in the works as well,which is a scaled down version of the Graphite,but with n iPad dock and has a 49 key-keybed as well.
The Carbon will have a retail price of $89....which to my knowledge,is the cheapest 49 key keyboard ever conceived...it really boggles the mind,actually.  

http://www.samsontech.com/samson/products/usb-midi/keyboard-controllers/graphite49/

•49-key semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch
•Programmable faders (9), encoders ( and buttons (16) for hands-on control over your DAW and virtual instruments
•Four velocity-sensitive trigger pads (two banks) for drum sounds and samples
•Large LCD display provides real-time feedback
•Includes traditional MIDI Out and USB connections
•Compact design, perfect for live performance and studio applications
•Dedicated Transpose and Octave buttons, Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels
•Four zones for creating splits and layering sounds
•Adjustable velocity curve for both keys and pads
•USB bus powered
•Bundled with Native Instrument’s Komplete Elements music production software



-Thom

[Oren]

Correct me if I'm wrong: a MIDI contoller (like the Graphite), a computer, and pair of powered monitors would make a complete piano/organ/synthesizer rig for recording or performance?

[elwoodblues1969]

Correct me if I'm wrong: a MIDI contoller (like the Graphite), a computer, and pair of powered monitors would make a complete piano/organ/synthesizer rig for recording or performance?

Well...the "Kontakt Player" program is a scaled down version of there flagship Kontakt 4 sampler...but I don't have a clue as to how many different instrument samples are included.
Guitar Rig 4 is merely an effects program & I don't know if it will be the full version,or not.My guess is that the Reaktor synth is the only complete VST program in the bundle.

Generally,most software bundles that are included with a gear purchase are usually incomplete,scaled down versions & the idea is to entice the consumer into purchasing the full version...so there probably won't be very much in the way of sounds & effects to choose from.
For my situation,this modest bundle of software will be more than ample for my purposes....but I don't really need any of it.


-Thom

[elwoodblues1969]

I took another gander at the software bundle on Samson's website & there is 3GB's worth of samples-which is a pretty fair amount for free,but an authentic piano sound could easily eat the entire 3 gigabytes,so don't expect any usable pianos.

Even my Komplete 6 piano samples are very thin & I paid $500 for that bundle.However,the strings,brass,woodwinds,bass & drums(assuming all said VST's are there),should be good for a live portable set up,I guess.

Mario is the one you should be asking about the Kontakt player,as I have Kontakt 4.

[Oren]

I took another gander at the software bundle on Samson's website & there is 3GB's worth of samples-which is a pretty fair amount for free,but an authentic piano sound could easily eat the entire 3 gigabytes...

Yeah, thanks for the software rundown, Thom ... I was thinking more about the hardware end of things.

[elwoodblues1969]

I took another gander at the software bundle on Samson's website & there is 3GB's worth of samples-which is a pretty fair amount for free,but an authentic piano sound could easily eat the entire 3 gigabytes...

Yeah, thanks for the software rundown, Thom ... I was thinking more about the hardware end of things.

Sorry...I misunderstood your question,as I wasn't quite clear what you asking.Some midi controllers do have some built in sounds...such as certain M-Audio & Novation brands of keyboards,but not this one.

[Oren]

...Some midi controllers do have some built in sounds...such as certain M-Audio & Novation brands of keyboards,but not this one...

There are a lot of software instrument sounds available for the personal computer now. It seems redundant to include some with a MIDI controller keyboard, in this day and age.
Linux has a monster selection of synths and virtual instruments that would sync up nicely with that Graphite or the $89.00 "Carbon". Schweet!

[elwoodblues1969]

...Some midi controllers do have some built in sounds...such as certain M-Audio & Novation brands of keyboards,but not this one...

There are a lot of software instrument sounds available for the personal computer now. It seems redundant to include some with a MIDI controller keyboard, in this day and age.

I agree-but like I had mentioned,the included software is for the purpose of drawing in more Native Instruments users & it also helps promote the sales of the keyboard itself...so as redundant as it is,it will never cease.

Personally,I will never again,buy purchased versions of NI software because it's too much of a hassle for me,but I have no problem with taking advantage of freebies.