"Worlde"/Martini/JJLabs Midi Controllers?

[condra]

My local music store is stocking these cheap midi devices:
http://www.waltons.ie/Product/Search.as ... cedSearch=

I did some googling and couldn't find much information on them.



bigger pic:
http://kytary.cz/resources/p/v/d2/18115 ... to%24ctl04

Has anyone any experience with these cheap products?
For now, I'm presuming they're awful.

[hps909]

how funny i saw this for the first time yesterday aswell ... they are a Chinese cheap and nasty brand yeah i'd assume that they were crap also

[condra]

I don't know if I get the naming conventions they use. Waltons stock products such as the "Martini - Worlde", the "Worlde - Martini", the "Worlde KS49B" and the "Worlde Panda".





I reckon they must ship the same products to different parts of the world with different names slapped on.

Of course, I can't help but be curious about an MPD clone for 107 euro. I might have to go into the store and check one out.

[leedsquietman]

Chinese Alt-Behringer is what I would expect.

Then again, some Behringer product is actually OK, such as BCF2000s and ADA8000s *good for the money*.

Check it out for yourself. You would expect some compromises for the money but could be pleasantly surprised, or shocked that the product could be allowed to exist !

[condra]

I actually have an old Worlde midi keyboard here in the studio which doesn't get much use. The build quality is rubbish, and the knobs grind on the plastic a bit, but it works fine. It reminds me of the older M-Audio stuff (before they upped their game) like the "Radium" series.

I agree, there is a chance that the pad controller is actually ok, considering the price, but the lack of information on the company is unsettling. Google literally turns up NOTHING!

[condra]

So it turns out I was right about the rebranding thing.

More investigation, and things get weirder...

The same products can be bought as OEM Re-brands with the following names:
Worlde
Martini Digital Pianos
JJLabs
Miditech
DVForge/MacMice
Midiplus
Evolution
Midiman

Perhaps more surprisingly though, some stuff from M-AUDIO, is apparently OEM re-brand..

Some examples:

M-Audio Radium 61 (circa 2006)


Miditech i2 Control-61

[condra]

Miditech i2 Garagekey


DVForge Garagekey


JJLabs Garagekey



_
_

Worlde KS25


JJLabs KS25



You get the idea...

[condra]

Considering M-Audio are in on the act, I would have to wonder if perhaps this "Worlde" keyboard for 165 euro, could be made of the same stuff as an M-Audio Axiom 49....



Check it out...
http://www.waltons.ie/Product/View.aspx?id=28831

?Advanced Hyper Control technology:MIDI mapping and updating on the producer's website.

?Maps controllers to popular DAWs and software instruments-and maintains a constant live link between them.

These are also for sale in Czech Republic:
http://kytary.cz/worlde-panda-49/HN111327/#
Anyone speak Czech?

WTF IS GOING ON?!

[Szuumm]

This kind of rebranding is pretty common isn't it? It might be an urban myth, but I was always told there are only half a dozen factories that make computer RAM, the difference between the brands is just the testing procedures they use.

[condra]

Further investigation and it turns out the "Worlde" boys are called:
"Hangzhou Worlde Digital Piano" ...
Chinese Factory with Spanish investors...

and they do have a website!
http://www.worlde.com.cn

Here's hoping their products work better than their website.

As well as making almost M-Audio Axioms and almost CME Midi keyboards, they also apparently make almost Korg Nano stuff...


http://www.worlde.com.cn/newEbiz1/Boot/ ... e=BigImage

[condra]

Now Musicstore are selling the WORLDE PANDA-- I mean, the "FAME TWEAK 100"



I'm still really curious about these things. Has anyone tried one out?
Doesn't seem to be much info online about them.

Right now, they're only 79 euro from musicstore.de


I have a feeling they have those sort of knobs that scrape off the chassy, and I doubt the pads are very responsive, but I would love to be proven wrong!

[McQ714]

This kind of rebranding is pretty common isn't it? It might be an urban myth, but I was always told there are only half a dozen factories that make computer RAM, the difference between the brands is just the testing procedures they use.

not exactly. there a quite a few companies that make RAM modules or sticks, but only a few that make the chips for those sticks. Samsung, Hynix, Micron, Winbond, and Infineon seem to be the major players. i read somewhere that Apple's DRAM chips for the ipads and iphones are supplied by Toshiba but i don't think they make chips for RAM modules otherwise.

[rafsza]

From the Worlde site I downloaded software for Panda Mini keyboards. They offer a midi driver for Windows 7 but it is missing a setup file. After Internet investigation I found the same but complete archive on the Emu.com site. Actually, Worlde offers a Windows XP/ Vista driver dedicated only to the Midi-USB interface produced by EMU-Systems instead.(EmmP_PCDrv_US_1_01_05.exe). This keyboard cooperates with Ableton and Windows 8.1/ 10 but Panda Mini editor does not. I am mainly a guitar player so I don't mean to invest in a midi keyboard too much. It would be good enough for me but apparently Worlde ignores or cannot afford software programmers.