Polyend Keys is a new mechanical keyboard that doubles as a MIDI controller with a three-octave piano layout and nine rotary controls.
Today, August 26th, Gamescom, the world’s largest event for computer and video games, kicks off in Cologne, Germany. It’s the Superbooth of the gaming industry. This is normally a non-event for Synth Anatomy unless a well-known music tech company is exhibiting there.
Not just that, they are also showing something new. Just in time for the start of it, Polyend unveils Keys, a product that sounds like a new Synthesizer, but isn’t.
Polyend Keys
Keys is a new, low-profile, custom-designed aluminum mechanical QWERTY computer keyboard from Polish developers. It uses hot-swappable Kailh low-profile switches, so you can swap individual switches without soldering.
The keys are backlit, and it can connect wirelessly over Bluetooth or wired via USB. Okay, that doesn’t sound like anything special. Companies like Logitech and Razer have been doing that for years.
Polyend, however, came up with something special for the Keys keyboard. Yes, it looks and works like a mechanical computer keyboard, but it’s also a MIDI controller. It’s a hybrid keyboard designed for musicians.
It comes with all the standard input functions (yes, Control-Alt-Delete is also onboard) and a number pad. It also features function keys and a number row. However, they are uniquely arranged in a three-octave piano layout with white and gray buttons.
Who hasn’t experienced this: triggering a few sounds in the DAW using the computer keyboard when you don’t have a keyboard handy. Polyend turned this way of playing sounds into a new standalone product.
I’m surprised no one thought of this before. Okay, that brings back flashbacks to the E-mu Creative Prodikeys series, which had a MIDI keyboard docked to the keyboard. What times!
MIDI Controller
Polyend Keys: the same keyboard you use to type can play notes and record melodies. And that’s not all. It also doubles as a traditional MIDI controller.
Above the keys are nine rotary controls that you can freely assign to MIDI CCs to control parameters in a DAW or hardware instrument. Just as you know it from your daily MIDI controller. Not a musician? No problem!
You can also use them for everyday computer functions such as volume, scrolling, and brightness. An integrated display provides feedback for the controls and can be used by different applications and future features.
Exciting: the Keys’ firmware is open-source, so you can “hack” it and create new functions beyond what’s onboard. This could be alternative layouts, new control modes, custom MIDI controllers, sequencers, and more.
On the connection side, it has a USB-C port for data and charging, plus a TRS MIDI output for connecting to external gear. Keys is powered by USB-C or a built-in rechargeable battery, making it a portable MIDI controller.
The data stream runs over USB-C or Bluetooth, so you can also play melodies and tweak the cutoff frequency over the air.
First Impression
The idea of combining a mechanical keyboard with a MIDI keyboard is very exciting. At first, I thought, “Why?” but when you think about it, it makes sense.
Typing, composing, and controlling all in one sleek product sounds very appealing, especially for computer musicians. Even more if you prefer minimal desk equipment.
I don’t really see myself using the keys to control my synths exclusively; I prefer classic controllers for that. But as a 3-in-1 desk tool for my daily routines, it’s interesting.
Gamers will certainly take a look too and understand why they’re showing this at Gamescom. For now, it’s a prototype, but I will follow the development with interest.
Polyend Keys availability and price are TBA. For now, it’s a prototype.
More information here: Polyend
That’s going to be important for this to be sharable with multiple computers over BT. 5 would be perfect.
Otherwise it will only work for 1 computer studio. Quite limiting.
No it’s not. 99% of users have a central daw on desktop/phone/ipad so that’s what they all connect to.
Promising… if it has removable keycaps and cherry MX switches
Apparently they’re Kailh low-profile, so maybe Choc v2 that I *think* fits MX? but I think the keys are slightly closer together. still glad it’s mechanical
It says kailh lowpro, so it is probably [*hopefully*] one of their Choc variants. If it uses Choc V2’s then they would indeed accept most MX-style keycaps since they have the same “crucifix” stems (except for cap profiles with especially deep walls+stems, such as SA or some MT3 profile keycaps).
Would you please like to provide the data that leads to this conclusion?
You certainly have data that you can share so we have better understanding of your study?
Or is this just a hallucination?
Seems Polyend is focused too much on slick looks. I already see myself counting so I don’t grab the wrong encoder.
The review says the keys are backlit (not that the video seems to show that), maybe the encoders are as well? If they could be color-coded via illumination, that would help a lot.
this is a news and an info from Polyend, not review. It’s a prototype so possible that the backlit is not yet implemented
Very cool
How about velocity sensitivity? Would be awesome and I would probably buy it. Otherwise, I don’t really know what is unique here. There should have been at least a pitch bend strip like on m-audio small midi keyboard…
That’s an interesting thought, but the keys all clearly use typing-oriented switches, and I’m not sure typing on velocity-sensitive keys really sounds comfortable. (Then again, I’m not sure playing piano on a computer keyboard sounds ideal, either.) It’s clearly no substitute for a real keyboard synth, and to its credit it’s not trying to be. I think velocity-sensitive keys would go over the line into “trying to be something it’s not.”
They could have used Hall Effect (electromagnetic) switches and detected velocity, while still feeling pretty great.
I have a relatively cheap Hall Effect keyboard — it’s great for both typing and gaming, and way more configurable than most keyboards. I made Caps Lock less sensitive than everything else and it has to be held down for a while before it engages.
Saw them say in their Backstage forum that they’re working on pressure sensitivity for the piano rows at least, so that could be fun!
where is mine?!
<3
Lets all remember that they teased this 2 days ago. A prototype.
It’s a prototype indeed! Jackpot 😉
My Brain does not accept that this is from polyend and not teenage engineering XD
No velocity it looks like, but Mitch Lantz has commented on the Polyend site that “Pressure sensitivity as well as aftertouch is in development. We will likely use solution similar to TE KO2 pressure sensitive film under mechanical switches.”
Anyone care to venture a price? I’m thinking no less than 399 and more than 499.
Crazy coincidence, just yesterday I was wondering why more keyboards don’t have inputs useful for midi (midi-capability I think comes with QMK firmware, but absent some knobs…)
Anyway it’s very wholesome for Polyend to make a SunVox keyboard!
Should have used a traditional midi keyboard style keys n layout or find a way to sperate synth n keyboard keys so you have full tatial feel for either task. I would have put key oard keys at top and synth keys on bottom of the unit. I guess that’s asking too much from a supposed hi tech company.m
It must be bought
I don’t really understand such a thing.
this is Rock n Roll 😂