by Aurum Noble » 28 Mar 2013 09:09
Roland's A-PRO series controller keyboards are good, but if you're looking for something that's built like a tank, I highly recommend looking for an A-70 or A-90 second-hand, depending on how many keys you want, although if you've got no MIDI interface, and you want to use it directly through USB, you'd need a MIDI to USB interface, but do be wary of cheap ones as they wouldn't work well with older controllers (the A-70 and A-90 were built from 1996 to the early 2000s).
I've learnt the hard way after I tried to plug my D-50 into my Mac using one of those cheap pound/dollar shop-style interfaces; I replaced it with a Roland UM-1, and it worked like a charm.
Additionally, M-Audio do seem to do a lot of good controller keyboards, although if you want weighted or semi-weighted keys, you should avoid the KeyRigs, but go one step higher towards the KeyStations or Oxygens. Also, Novation and Akai are good brands for controllers, especially if you're after programmable sliders, knobs and buttons.