RolandK-25M Boutique Module Dock USB MIDI Keyboard, 12-Inch

ya its all its hyped to be thanks a lot

I bought the Roland JD-08 Boutique synth initially without a keyboard. But I wasn’t happy with the keys on the device and it was cumbersome to hook up another MIDI keyboard to it. This keyboard is definitely expensive (around $141), especially considering that the Roland synth itself without keyboard cost $399. But I decided to go for it. I am so glad that I did! It hooks up easily and makes playing my synth so much easier and much more fun. The keyboard is powered through the JD-08 (either batteries or USB cord) so no separate electric cord or batteries needed for the keyboard. I was even able to hook my UNO Synth to the Roland and was able to control both with the keyboard, either separately or combined for some really fun new sounds. The keys have a nice easy action not too tight or too loose, just right. The only con is that it is a pretty short scale with only 25 keys, but you can change octaves easily on the device to move up or down the scale. A little pricy for a short keyboard, but well worth it in my opinion.

A little too small to be practical, hence the 4 stars. The literature is a bit wonky. I had to hook one up to my TB03 to see if it would play notes and create accents (which it does if pressed hard). The keyboard can trigger other keyboards as well down the midi chain (You can do this by setting them all to the same midi channel on the boutiques). Mine are all sitting nicely on a pedaltrain pedalboard.

The keys are a bit soft, and it really isn't anything other than a bunch of keys. I really wish Roland put at least SOMETHING else on there to control octaves, instead of leaving that up to the synth module itself, but it is what it is - which is the only way to tack keys on to one of the boutiques. It's good enough for what I use it for, it's just very "late 2000s roland" in that it's pricey and proprietary, yet really essential to complement the boutiques. It really seems like it should either be a bit more tactile or it should be cheaper. Ultimately I have no regrets, and it really is just a bunch of keys, I guess I just expect more after using so many micro keyed synths that are still inexpensive and feel better than this.

I picked this up for a JD-08, and I'm impressed. The build quality is a lot better than I expected, and it's weighty with the metal sides. It also really grips to my desk, so the whole unit isn't sliding around even heavy velocity. The boutique module itself is locked in pretty well and doesn't shake while playing.For mini-keys, the feel is probably the best I've used (better than any of the Korg stuff I've used), but it's not exactly going to replace a 61 key keyboard.Only unfortunate thing about the dock is no aftertouch, but I knew that going in, and you don't really get the full experience of the JD08 with just a hand's worth of keys. For something like the SH01A, SE02, or some Juno basslines, it'd be perfect though.