It might well be a little more rugged, too something to consider if you want to take it on the road.Many of the best MIDI keyboards also come with mapping templates for the most popular DAWs - Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, etc - making it easy to get up and running and start producing music right out of the box.MIDI controller keyboards tend to fall into two main categories – compact, portable devices with 25 keys and larger, desk-based options with 49 or more keys. In the box you will receive the Matias FK318B Space Gray.You can get a perfectly decent cheap MIDI keyboard for way less than $/£100 if you shop around, but up your spend even slightly and you'll get your hands on a higher quality model with more features and higher specs. Most options we recommend here also come with additional features such as knobs, pads, buttons and faders to boost creativity and give you even more control over your software.The keyboard has a built-in volume dial, as well as 2 USB 2.0 ports and Mac-friendly function keys. You can opt for a compact, portable MIDI keyboard that fits comfortably in a laptop bag, or you can go all in with a full-size 88-note model with weighted hammer-action keys. Some also double up to offer control over hardware synths, making them a central performance hub for your studio.Bluetooth Keyboard - Super Slim Mini Keyboard - Rechargeable Keyboard Bluetooth Mini Speaker MiuBox - MiuBox with NFC USB 3.0 to SATA Devices - Single Drive in Silver - Single Drive in black USB 2.0 Hub - 4-Port-Silver - 4-Port Golden - 4-Port Black USB 3.0 Docking Station - Dual Display Universal Docking Station USB 2.0 Ethernet AdapterThere are plenty of options to choose from, dependent on your needs. Compatible wireless mice include several MX Master These ubiquitous devices can be plugged directly into your PC or laptop via USB - or, in some cases, even operate wirelessly over Bluetooth - and enable you to play and record with your DAW's software instruments and any VST synth plugins you might have installed.Mini keys are the only potential downside, but if you can live with those, this is the best portable and affordable MIDI keyboard you can buy.Read the full Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32 review-You might not like the pitch and mod wheels above the keyboardCommon to all of Novation’s ‘Mk3’ Launchkey devices (there are 25-, 37-, 49- and 61-key variants) is a sleek, matte-black look and low-profile design, along with a series of new features designed to take advantage of updated elements of Ableton Live.These include a button to activate Live’s Capture MIDI tool, along with Push-style device-control, which here makes use of eight rotaries sitting along the top of the controller. And, of course, it also works as a regular configurable MIDI controller keyboard with any other software. Controls into its tiny frame.The pitch and mod wheels have been replaced with a pair of short touchstrips, but the eight capacitive knobs, 4D encoder and numerous buttons are uncompromised in their size and feel, giving the full experience when it comes to browsing and manipulating plugins, operating Maschine, and getting hands-on with the transport and mixer of your DAW.The surprisingly informative OLED display from the A-Series is also in place, as is the Smart Play feature, enabling scale snapping, chord triggering and arpeggiation. They feature excellent keybeds, fantastic styling, wonderful twin colour screens and impressive functionality – these 49, 61 and 88-key offerings are very hard to beat and will reduce the amount of time you spend interacting with your computer via mouse or trackpad.Elsewhere, you really should check out the Nektar Impakt LX88+, Novation SL49 Mk3 and the Arturia KeyStep Pro, which can connect simultaneously to DAWs, hardware synths and even modular gear.Delivering almost the exact same functionality as the Komplete Kontrol A-Series (see below), this eminently mobile USB 2.0 bus-powered keyboard manages to squeeze 32 mini keys and the full complement of Komplete Kontrol. As well as offering instant support for Ableton Live, the Launchkey Mini also provides pads for clip launching or drum tracks, and handy creative tools like an arpeggiator and chord memory function.Meanwhile, if you're looking for a larger controller, we heartily recommend Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol S-Series boards, and in particular the Native Instruments Kontrol S61 Mk 2.Tracks 2, 3 and 4 are each equipped with an arpeggiator, while track 1 doubles up as a 24-part drum sequencer.For melodic sequencing duties and flexible hardware control, this is easily one of the best do-it-all controllers out there right now. Each of these is polyphonic, up to 16 notes per step. Now the KeyStep Pro arrives to fill one of the few remaining gaps in that line-up combining the cross-format analogue and digital sequencing of the BeatStep with a 37-note keyboard making it better suited to melodic work.The KeyStep Pro features four sequencing channels, each of which can record a sequence of up to 64 steps. All controllers in the Launchkey range get a hardware MIDI out, so users can take advantage of these features to control hardware synths, too.Other than that there are 16 backlit, velocity-sensitive pads, a compact parameter screen and a decent crop of buttons for browsing and transport control. Both the pads and the keyboards themselves have been upgraded for this generation, and both feel great with decent velocity response (although no aftertouch).Ultimately, you’ll be hard-pushed to find a better Live-centric keyboard, and there’s little here not to recommend.Read the full Novation Launchkey 37 Mk3 review-Mini keys unlikely to appeal to serious players -Mod and pitch touch strips are a little smallBetween their ‘Step’ and ‘Lab’ devices, Arturia has a pretty broad range of controllers, ranging from the simple, budget-friendly MicroLab MIDI keyboard to the multi-format sequencing tools of the BeatStep Pro.
Usb Keyboard Walmart Portable Devices WithThrow in CV connection capabilities and standalone operation and the price seems justified.The Komplete Kontrol S61 MkII is a smart MIDI keyboard controller that offers pre-mapped control of NI's Komplete instruments and any third-party plugins that support the NKS standard. KeyLab MkII is operationally intuitive, with three distinct modes: DAW, Analog Lab and User (there are ten user configurable presets) - selected via dedicated mode buttons in the centre.The KeyLab MkII not only delivers fine playability, but also tackles DAW control and synth editing with aplomb. The metal pitch and mod wheels are light and responsive. Although similar in layout to the KeyLab Essential, the MkII is a very different unit, with a higher pricetag and more upmarket feel.The aluminium case feels robust and the Pro-Feel keybed is fantastic, delivering excellent sensitivity across the full range of velocities. Best studio desks: organise your recording studio gearKeyLab is Arturia’s flagship controller keyboard, and the MkII comes in 49- and 61-key versions in black and white. The MkII’s keyboard and pads are bolstered by DAW controls and deep integration with Arturia’s bundled Analog Lab 3 software. Get into your mix with the best studio headphones for music making These days, some people find that mini keys can be just as responsive and easy to play as full-size versions.If, however, you’re coming from a piano or keyboard background, you will possibly require the more traditional playing experience provided by full-sized weighted keys. These have the advantage of being cheaper and more portable than their larger brethren and take up a smaller footprint on your work surface. If you liked the idea of Komplete Kontrol the first time around, the good news is that there’s even more to like about it now.You can do so much more from the device itself, with better visual feedback and much deeper levels of integration front and centre of its workflow. If you’re already wedded to the Komplete software package, nothing will help you work with it as musically as Komplete Kontrol MkII.Read the full Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S61 MkII review(Image credit: Future) What key size do you need?For simple inputting of drum beats, simple bass and melody lines and basic chords, smaller MIDI controllers with mini keys should do the job just fine. That said, a single horizontal touchstrip is supplied and can be used for additional expression. There’s tighter DAW and Maschine integration, too, making it possible to mix, navigate and edit projects from the hardware.As before, there’s a Fatar keybed and Light Guide, and we welcome the arrival of proper pitch and mod wheels rather than touchstrips. Install tx16wx host program for macIf space isn’t an issue, you can even opt for an 88-key, piano-sized controller if desired. That said, if you’re a more advanced player, or want to learn how to play two-handed, it’s better to go for a four octave (49-note) or five octave (61-note) keyboard. How many keys is enough?The best MIDI keyboards featured here come with octave shift buttons, meaning that the full range of note pitches is accessible even from a 25-key device, just by pressing a couple of buttons. Smaller, mini jack TRS MIDI outputs are also becoming more popular and offer the same functionality. Connectivity: what you need to knowWith a lot of producers now working ‘in-the-box’ on a single computer or laptop, you don’t necessarily need a MIDI output unless you have some hardware MIDI synths to connect it to, but some controllers do come with traditional 5-pin MIDI out ports.
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