Noisy Keys on M-Audio Keystation 61es

Good evening,

I've recently acquired a second-hand M-Audio Keystation 61es for use alongside the Behringer that I have. Although the keyboard works well enough for my needs at present; does anyone else that uses the M-audio keyboard experience noise from the keys when they are released? Is this expected ?
The Behringer I have makes a little noise but not as much as the M-Audio.

Regards
Alan

I've got three of them, two that are brand new. The keys have rubber dampers so they don't slam directly against bare plastic if you release the keys quickly but they're still a little noisy, the springs make some noise too but we're not talking $500 keyboards either, so yes it's expected and they are a bit noisy from day one. After watching a few videos of performaces on old historic organs the keys are very quiet in comparison so I figured it isn't so bad after all. Check out some videos of Michel Chapuis playing the Cliquot at Versailles, now there's some noisy keys!

Marc

Just for your information, the "Clicquot" in Versailles is not a Clicquot but a brand new organ in the manner of Clicquot... And it's not the keys that are noisy but the mechanic by itself.

Just for your information, the "Clicquot" in Versailles is not a Clicquot but a brand new organ in the manner of Clicquot... And it's not the keys that are noisy but the mechanic by itself.

Yes sir, familiar with all of that concerning Versailles and probably should have used the term "noisy mechanism" instead for that particular organ, but I'm sure even the Versailles instrument's keys do emit some noise as well. There are quite a few others where the keys are noisy, so I use the example to mostly say, hey, it's no big deal, there's some noise to be expected as most keys are not totally silent. You'll also notice many of the sample set producers include the "key noise" in their sets, so be it from the keys or the mechanism is not at all unusual and for me adds to the realism.

Marc

The Rubber Guides that are also the up and Down-stops, after much use have been known to disintegrate, If you take that keyboard to a Musical instrument repair shop, they could either sell you the rubber parts, or install them for you ! $
I replaced many of them years ago when working at an MI repair shop.

Also If you Contact M-Audio, they might be willing to sell you the replacement Rubber key Guides !
Best wishes, Mel

And just to clarify further my answer to Alan, I tested my keys this morning just to see how they sound both new and with some miles on them (one keyboard has about 4 years use) of the three I have. They are all about the same. When you quickly release the keys and let them snap back up uninterrupted, the sound they produce is more of a thud than a click which tells me the rubber dampers are intact and doing their job. Again, you can also hear the springs ringing a little here and there on both the new and used unit. If that's what you're getting as well I'd say you're within normal wear tolerances.

Marc

I recently spent a year playing a Mutin-Cavaillé-Coll that had the Barker lever mechanism mounted in the case just behind the console. Now that was a noisy action.

My soon-to-be Hauptwerk console is going to use Behringer keyboards, and they can be a little noisy in their plastic cases. I wonder if anyone who has used M-Audio or Behringer keyboards has found that mounting them in a wooden stack has helped to reduce noise. Or perhaps you have suggestions on ways to design the stack so things are less noisy? Extra felt or rubber washers?

I looked at the M-Audio keyboards when considering my first step into Hauptwerk. Compared to a "proper" keyboard, I found the action a little plasticky in feel and also more noisy and loose than I was anticipating. I opted instead for the Alesis Vi61 which has semi-weighted keys and also benefits from 16 programmable touchpads on the side. A little more expensive, but so far, I am very pleased.
Stacking another on top is going to be a little challenging due to a row of control knobs, but I still think these keyboards are worth a look.
Anyone else using Alesis keyboards?