Studiologic

F
atar make keybeds for
many well known
manufacturers, but
they also have their
own well-established
brand, Studiologic,
which makes well
respected products including the
Numa Organ, Numa Compact and
the Sledge synth (a collaboration with
Waldorf). The SL73 Studio is a very
sleek-looking, sturdily built machine
which feels very durable in its dark
painted metal case. It’s also fairly
portable for a hammer-action,
73-note controller, weighing in at
11.5kg/25lbs; though that weight will
go up considerably once you case it
up (if you choose to gig with it).
The keybed is based on Fatar’s
own triple-sensor TP/100LR (with
aftertouch) which can be found in
boards made by Nord, Dexibell,
Arturia and Kurzweil and it’s designed
to offer piano-like expressivity with
good portability for those who want
to transport their controller easily to
gigs, but not sacrifi ce a decent piano
action in the process. Certainly, for
those who like their actions piano-like
and heavy, the SL73 delivers, but on
the fl ipside, overall I found it to be
too heavy, requiring too much initial
pressure to get sound out and too
sluggish on its bounce back for my
lighter style of playing, (despite the
intimately editable velocity curves via
the editor). Of course, this comes
down to personal preference but
if you are wanting an all-rounder
momentary switches would have been
a good addition. There’s also a lot of
unused panel space, but this can be
useful for placing other bits of gear.
There are also four keyboard/MIDI
zones, which can be assigned to the
separate MIDI outs (along with the
sticks) and controller groups, which
can be applied to songs or projects,
with plenty of foot control options,
and USB and DIN MIDI connections.
This is a solid, portable and
capable but heavy-feeling controller
at a very good price. Worth trying.
weighted keybed that’s fast enough
for detailed, super-fast synth lines
and you tend to play with a lighter
touch, then it’s likely this is not the
board for you (despite its admittedly
very reasonable price tag).
Having said this, I would angle
this criticism at many weighted
actions these days – compare most to
a real piano action and they are just
too heavy, sluggish and not responsive
enough, so my call goes out to all the
keybed manufacturers to make their
weighted actions faster on the bounce
back and less heavy on the wrists!
Control-wise there are three stick
controllers, each with an assignable
X/Y axis assigned via the colour
screen and cursor-stick system. Stick
1 is sprung vertically and horizontally
(ideal for pitch-bend), Stick 2 is free
vertically/sprung horizontally and
Stick 3 is unsprung in all directions
so that you can leave the settings at
any value you let go of the stick at.
These sticks work well, though they
aren’t cushioned (which results in
acoustic noise) and I miss a standard
set of pitch and mod wheels. Also a
ribbon strip and a few sliders with
THE PROS & CONS
+
Comes with a sturdy
metal case, very
clear screen with
simple navigation,
lots of tweakable
parameters onboard
The three assignable
X/Y sticks work well
Plenty of connectivity
around the back
-
It still weighs a fair
amount and would
weigh even more
once cased up
Playing faster synth
lines and lighter
comping parts can
be challenging
FM VERDICT
7.7
If you’re after a very solid,
capable and reliable
weighted controller at a
price that won’t break the
bank, the SL73 delivers
Certainly, for those who like
their actions piano-like and
heavy, the SL73 delivers
Studiologic SL73 Studio | Reviews
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FMU346.rev_studiologic.indd 93 6/12/19 5:43 PM