I am very happy with my iRig Keys Pro 37-key controller. But I’m not a keyboardist at all, I do mostly simple organ and piano chords, pads, and string bits. Just the right number of options for someone like me, and a lot less expensive than some of these other choices.
But if you are an actual keyboardist, no doubt 37 keys is just too limiting.
On build quality? Why wouldn’t you be able to make this judgment call? You can do so from anything else from a mechanical pencil to a car or house. I’ll admit its a bit subjective, but you can get to the point where you’ve played enough keyboards to recognize ones that aren’t very well built. No one makes a high end keyboard poorly. If the trick is to get the least bad low end keyboard, I figured that was a fair call.
fair enough, but this is just your own opinion and not scientifically proven testing.
if you have played all the models by all those manufacturers for a duration under strict test conditions then yeah i`d take your point as gospel.
otherwise you are just saying which u like best.
akai and maudio make some awesome high end stuff!
but i value your opinion so its not worth arguing.
all the best
Sure…I’ll admit it was a based on about a 3-4 hour visit to guitar center. So not scientific by any means.
I have one too, the price was right and it fits on my desk just right. I’m sure there’s better ones out there, but . … .
I use a Nektar Impact LX25+. Quite compact for my desk (I have a full weighted Fatar 88 keyboard which I hardly use because I’m a pretty lousy keyboard player…). The price quality deal was better than most, and I was tempted by the promise of drivers for “seamless integration” with your specific DAW (Reaper in my case). It works quite well (but not 100%). I have to spend some time on the pads, I feel you have to hit them way too hard. But the attack (velocity?) is tweakable, so that should work out all right.
Does anybody use a keyboard controller regularly instead of a mouse? I tell myself I should, but forget about it after 1 minute. Just won’t work for me. In practice I use it mostly for midi programming.
Novation was a horrible experience for me. Automap sucks bad. I spent more time troubleshooting the dam thing then using it. (This was on Windows…im on MAC now and troubleshooting doesn’t happen often anymore) Id think of what you want to do with it? I use the NI Komplete 61 , i like it it works well but only really worth it if you have NI Komplete (it is expensive!!! ) Im in the NI eco system so happy with what it does and how it interacts with my software.
There are some good options out there and cheaper if you are not in the NI camp. Just no Novation IMO.
i almost guarantee this will have been a firmware issue with your hardware. if the firmware isn’t updated to the latest version for the version of automap its just hell on earth to use! once u get it set up its pretty cool and easy as long as your software supports it, otherwise you have to map it out yourself but u only need do it the once and it will remember it.
but yeah it can be a pain.
the later versions of automap iron out a lot of the issues and its a very powerful and intuitive piece of software
Yeah…almost 
. tried everything at the time. personally i didnt like the wrapper automap did to my plugins either. It was an Novation SL 49 Compact … im sure it works for some the one i got was a dud… (could have been a bad batch iguess) gathers dust these days… Ill stick with NI at this stage.
I respect what you have to say here and largely agree with it. Absolutely agree that Novation has neglected to keep Automap updated, as they’re focusing on analogy synths and emulator synths. And dirt cheap control surfaces.
I should mention that when I recommended the SL MK2 boards, it was mainly based on the build quality which I think is exceptional against some of the less well constructed models. But yes, if you take Automap and put just the middleware interface against other options, it does leave wanting.
Komplete is a solid collection. There are some things I wish they did better, but no one designer makes a best-of-all-worlds on the in the virtual instrument space. I love how software is so rapidly evolving. As is amp modeling technology. Guitars and amps…opposite story (though some may disagree). Guitar amp technology plateaued in the early 2000’s and hasn’t moved an inch forward since. If you disagree, please do tell. I can’t think of too many game changers (not including Kempers, Torpedos, or other modelers).
Great thought though!
Oh just a thought, a mate of mine when i was looking mentioned Nektar Panorama and Impact, they look very cool. Has anyone here tried these??
For me, oh yeah, all the time. Basically anything that isn’t a guitar. I’ll end up fixing up the timing and/or velocity but initially I do pretty much always “play” the parts.
i do for soft synths and for track levels and for effects sends and filter faffing. but mainly i use the mouse. but a controller is great for that hands on feel, but i`m old school hardware synth head lol. it doesn’t mean a controller is by any means a necessity
some people are good an inputting notes by mouse. I can’t imagine doing it that way, but if you are fast at it, then why not.
Sorry i thought he meant buttons sliders and knobs for editing sounds end tracks etc.
For inputting notes its got to be the controller keyboard for me every time, in my case thats a full size digital piano. I couldnt imagine trying to pencil in melodys or chords etc. The only time i will use the mouse for that is on drum tracks if i need to make alterations. Otherwise its all teal fingers on real weighted keys for me or it just feels wrong
That is what I meant, as well as the play stop record etc buttons.
I tend to use the keyboard to play a melody (or chords), but because I am a lousy player, I edit the notes using a mouse.
I think everyone edits by mouse, if not then they probably should be
oh, I missunderstood. I almost never push the play button with my mouse because the space bar is so huge and right in front of me. I pretty much never use the play/stop/record buttons on my midi controller. I feel like I could hit the R button on my keyboard without looking.
I love keyboard shortcuts for DAW actions, but always try to play whatever keyboard parts I’m trying to use in the first instance, and then edit later-- I think we’re all in violent agreement about that. 
Actually, what I typically do, because I can’t play keyboards for shit, is just stab the keys in the proper rhythm as I’m tracking and don’t worry about whether I hit the right notes. As long as I hit the notes at the right time, and two or three notes together when I want, I’m satisfied, because I know I can go back and move the MIDI notes to their correct locations later.
I read an interview with Brian Eno where he said he did exactly this, and felt very validated. If it’s good enough for Eno, it’s good enough for me!
Ah ok. I misunderstood too then. Same here BTW.