Arturia KeyLab 61 MkII - 61 Key Semi Weighted USB MIDI Keyboard Controller

First, this arrived quickly and in perfect condition.Now that’s out of the way, this is simply the best MIDI controller currently on the market. Sturdy metal construction, massive amounts of connectivity (including cv), all the controls you could possibly need, quality overall construction, extremely flexible with 3 modes for the pads, 3 modes for the central controls and 3 pages of knobs, buttons and sliders, gorgeous metal pitch and mod wheels, tons of RGB backlighting without looking gaudy, and the best feeling semiweighted aftertouch keybed I’ve played in a long time.Connectivity, setup and customization are extremely easy, there’s constant real-time feedback on the screen of everything you’re doing (including MIDI cv values for damper pedals, etc), works well with most DAWs and VSTs, and it’s one of the most affordable of its contemporaries. This will effortlessly control your DAW, VSTs, outboard MIDI gear, outboard modular gear and more, right out of the box.Unless you’re working exclusively with Native Instruments software (in which case the Komplete Kontrol controllers may be a better choice) or require onboard sequencing and arpeggiation (in which case you can’t beat the Novation SL MKIII), this is almost certainly the controller you need.Order now, you can thank me later.

This thing is awesome. Solid build quality and lots of functionality. Analog Lab mode is great for quickly browsing or switching between presets in the included software and tweaking them. There are labels on the knobs that show their default analog synth-style mapping, which allows you to basically use the controller like a standalone analog synth without looking at a computer. DAW mode was easily set up with Reaper and it's fast to switch back and forth between modes for a productive workflow. User mode allows you to customize (most of) the controls to do whatever you want, like a more conventional MIDI controller. I like the LCD too, it provides just enough info to allow you to put something else up on your computer screen (I often display sheet music on mine) but isn't too redundant with the computer software's interface. Overall, this thing strikes me as the perfect balance between the integratedness but high cost of a workstation keyboard and the flexibility of a MIDI controller, would recommend unless you don't like Arturia's software or insist on having built-in sound making capabilities.

I traded a Novation Impulse for this one. I also tried some of the Nektar offerings, and the difference is night and day. Yes, the Arturia is quite more expensive (the Essential line is more in pair price wise with the Nektars, but I haven't tried those), but you can feel the quality when playing. Even though in this 61 keys the action is just semiweighted, the keyboard feels responsive at any velocity level, which some controllers don't.Yes, it is expensive, but the old adage of you get what you pay for is true.If you don't own already Arturia's software offering, KeyLab, then the price of the controller becomes an even better deal, because the soft synth is included, with an infinity of great sounds.All in all, recommended if it's within your budget.

Would have been nice if the keys were weighted. Generally love the build quality and plugins that come with it. For those that use FL, setting up might be a bit tricky but once that’s figured out, you will enjoy using it and speeding up your workflow !

This is insane. I only really needed a new keyboard, as i already have a ton of great piano sounds and synth plugins- i wasnt concerned with the included software but it is DOPE.The included synth library is almost the full suite of Arturia synths. You get many thousands of presets. They are not filler either, the sounds are fantastic, and you can tweak them directly from the tactile knobs on the keyboard.Yes, the DAW controls actually work. I have Reaper. Win 11.This is probably the only device ive ever purchased that "just works". Setup was easy. And the DAW integration is by far my favorite part of this. I save a ton of time inbetween takes. Way easier than using hotkeys on my keyboard and taking my hands off the piano.I didnt expect to use the drum pads as much as i do, but i actually really like them too.Overall, I wish i had splurged on this sooner; i literally salivate when i think about playing this after work.

I recently twice bought this product new on Amazon, and on both occasions there were obvious issues with the functioning of the product. The first one had issues with two of the sliders, where they would randomly generate crazy phantom values that didn't match where the sliders were, and sometimes the values would should randomly change in an uncontrolled manner without going anywhere near the sliders. On the second "new" one, the main LCD display initially didn't come on, then it came on and randomly flickered like crazy, then went off, then randomly came on for now reason. Seems like issues with the quality of the internal electronics or wiring. Is this model just prone to all sorts of quality issues? How can I trust buying another at this point - it may work for six months and then start doing these kinds of crazy things, and then I'm dealing with return to manufacturer or repair. NO.