I have the Donner N-32, and I find it quite handy for sequencing, but too small for really playing. I have never successfully gotten the modulation axis of its joystick to work, though.
I think you (and I) falsely assumed the joystick would do pitch bend AND modulation. Pitch bend works as expected on the Y-axis (up and down), after connecting to a MIDI monitor, there is NO MIDI data output on the X-axis (left and right). The X-axis is only used to increment and decrement the Octave, Transpose, and Program functions. I am disappointed as well, but still happy with the smallest keyboard I could find that supports 5-pin MIDI (via 3.5mm jack). Like Floyd, I also enjoy the NanoKey, but that only works via USB.
I have one, it's ok, especially for the price. As far as I can tell, there's no way to change the MIDI channel, which is a major oversight, IMO. On the other hand, it has an uncommon but welcome feature in this price bracket, TRS MIDI - however, it's TRS B, not the now-standard TRS A. Still better than no hardware MIDI.
I was looking at this (or the 37-key version) exactly because of that port on the back! I'd love to pair it with my Korg NST-1 so I don't need a PC. I understand that the Korg uses TRS-A but it would be simple to make a cable to connect the two and skip 5-pin DIN entirely.
Midi sucks this keybroad no sound doesn't link with programs sent bck company sent me the same device for free still same issues juz about to break it in trash it congrats donner
Could you PLEASE do a review on the RockJam 25 key? Its currently the Cheapest Midi Keyboard with Velocity Pads on Amazon and there isnt a single video on RU-vid about it. As its the most budget friendly controller combo im sure the video would gain traction as a lot of people would interested in it, if its actually decent. Im very curious as to wether its good for budget or a piece of junk, oh pretty please! Youre hardware reviews are the absolute best!
@@mr_floydst Awesome!!!! Im super excited because its in my very tight budget, and needing both the keys and the pads, it will be great to make sure im not wasting my money, because that would be a big hit for me. So thank you greatly!! Looking forward to it
nanoKey has some advantages. It has super little depth so it doesn't push your PC keyboard any further back than necessary, when you're not reading MIDI from it, it sneakily becomes a comfy wrist rest, it's good to use as a drum/sample pad with LOTS of pads, while piano style keys aren't really made for that. It's a classic for a reason. But of course it's a PC companion only rather than something you'd use in a dawless setup, so there's that. I'd actually love to have the nanoKey :D
Nanokey is the smallest MIDI keyboard for sure, it should fit into any bag. This one comes quite close, though (it's not too big for my messenger bags, while the Reface clearly is). The joystick is a better pitch bend / modulation option over the Nanokeys buttons. But if you're looking for something really small, the Nanokeys it is.
Yes, it is. _If_ this also had a small sequencer (like the Keystep) that would be a even cooler - but still, a nice thing to have when accompanying a sequence.
I bought the Donner Starrypad controller , it's very well put together and had some nice features including note repeat (for which there is tempo but no sync). It was only £36 from Donner's own eBay shop but has a strange flaw. Despite being usb powered, if using the 5pin midi connection you must still connect the usb cable to a host such as a pc or phone. If you use a power bank it turns on but has no function. It's good to connect it any way bacause there are many functions in the app but I thought it strange that even if you are only sending midi to a hardware device you still need a host connected by usb. Just wondered if you had any such issues with the keyboard ?
Just tested this - it will output notes via TRS fine when connected to a powerbank. It does seem like it draws very little current, so I've had one powerbank turn itself off after a while.
two questions, what is the keyboard feel like as far as the velocity sensitivity, and the other question is how well does the midi output work? for example if I wanted to use it with a teenage engineering ep-1 33 ko2 how well would that work sending the midi output from this keyboard into the teenage engineering MIDI input? 1/8 inch midi, right?
The overall feel of the keyboard is "adequate" - it's quite small and key travel space isn't long. But if you're trying to play with expression, it's absolutely possible. The keys don't wobble and they have enough resistance. Midi isn't great. You'll most likely need to rewire a 3.5mm stereo cable to get it to work (which isn't hard, but it's work anyway) and then you'll only be able to play on channel 1. All in all, it's a good keyboard if you can live with that restriction.
@@mr_floydst thanks! very helpful feedback. the only reason i'm looking to buy one is because tiny fully portable keyboards for other tiny fully portable music gear with 1/8" midi jacks are extremely hard to find. i was hoping to be able to use this to play in bass and lead lines for the K.O. II ep-133. I'd power it from a usb battery, and use it's midi output into the midi input of the ko2
How did you get the Donner N-25 to connect with your Roland JD-08?? I just got the N-25, and haven't been able to get it to pair with any of my Roland devices. Are you using a DAW between the two? Or is the USB going through some kind of a converter to MIDI?
Not many keyboards at this size offer midi out tho. I've read a comment about not being able to select the midi channel, in that case an alternative would be the irig keys 2 25 (but more expensive I guess)
Thanks for sharing! Perhaps I should put out a short video update on that MIDI port. It's a bit undercooked, unfortunately, but nice to have nonetheless .
I am so glad I found your video. It confirms that this keyboard is supposed to work with external synths. I can't get mine to do this. I used the mini din mid adapter b to a full size midi cable to my uno synth pro and then used a battery brick to power the keyboard but nothing happens. Can you help me figure out why? should it work right off the bat? do I have it connected wrong? thanks so much
Hi, I used a USB to 5pin MIDI converter in this video. I'll test your config as well once I have time to do so... To rule out the obvious, your UNO synth is set to listen on channel 1, right?
@@mr_floydst hey I am so happy. I figured it out. In the manual it said it needed midi B which is what I tried (two different ones) but as a last ditch effort after searching RU-vid and trying to figure it out I tried the Midi A adapter I got with my Arturia and it worked straight away. Ugh all that time wasted. And thank you for saying you would test my configuration!! I really appreciate that. New subscriber here!!
@@mr_floydst well yah should have made more of a big deal because guess what NO other small portable midi keyboard on the market has this feature. Literally nothing it's shocking.. and the stupid thing is that it didn't even work on my version 😂 so I was hoping you would use it and see if it works. Doesn't explain how to make it work in the instructions...
Nice to see some mini MIDI controllers coming with MIDI ports! Probably not high on your list of things to pick up, but have you considered picking up the K-25m for your JD-08? A bit pricey for what it is, but the keys are pretty decent and it's nice to be able to angle the synth to something more ergonomic
Thanks for watching! I was thinking about it, but then again, I have too many keyboards already. It'd be just a luxury item and I don't really need it.
@@mr_floydst Yeah that makes sense, I'd probably use it about half the time with the other have being triggered by a bigger keyboard. Though it's nice to have something portable to use it with also. Until the Donner here, the smallest MIDI keyboard I could find with a MIDI out was Arturia's Minilab which is pretty big for a 25 key controller!
I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not Donner's support, though, but first check your device manager if the keyboard shows up there. If it does not, it's broken. If it does, your DAW setup isn't correct.
Q. how do you change the midi channel it transmits on? or is it STUCK on channel 1 or omni? - i'd like a small keyboard to play notes with my roland sp-404mkii so need channel 16 for notes channel 11 for vocoder.
Hi, thanks for watching! I don't think it's possible at all, though maybe there's an undocumented feature using the number keys. I'll get back to you should I find out something.
@Floyd Steinberg thanks for the reply. Donner hasn't given me a reply at all. I could see why of its not possible. This makes the midi out pretty useless though, atleast for my use.
Thanks for watching! I should have mentioned the Midi channel thing, my bad. For me, it's conveniently small keyboard with more key travel space than the Nanokeys.
I like your reviews. I purchased a different item from Dinner, but it was difficult and they did not want to help. I had to send a video to "prove" it was defective and I still did not hear back. It was not until I contacted my bank and asked them to reverse the charges which got Dinner's attention but they still did not offer to make things right. Bottom line. Their customer service is terrible and therefore they cannot be trusted. I recommend purchase through Amazon, not Dinner directly. Amazon will force them to take it back if it is defective.
