@SteveK Thanks. I’m still paying for some of it. I found a B-Stock Code 61 on eBay a few months ago. I like the faders, pads, all the buttons, etc. I don’t use them a lot, but it’s a blast when I do. Pitch and mod wheels are in an inconvenient place. Someday I’ll switch out at least one controller, but I’d rather put my money – when I have it – into a more powerful computer (no, I don’t have three of those, just one :D).
I’ll be looking forwarding to seeing where your hunt takes you! Best wishes!
I have a Keylab Mkii, definitely worth the price. Great keybed, event though, probably due to my piano background, I consider it unweighted synthaction. I love it for everything, except piano playing. It isn’t springy, but they do feel somewhat “alive”, responsive, and present a quick key-action (quicker than weighted keys).
I considered the Panorama T and P series and I didn’t go for them precisely due to the keybed, which felt somewhat cheap/poor to me. Sadly, because I loved their business, buttons design, partner companies, etc.
I also looked for some of the other options suggested above by other members, but those options weren’t available for me to test, so I had to rely solely on reviews, and then I went for the Keylab. But I would still like to try again in the future some of the other options, not because of the keybed, but rather the “bells and whistles”.
It’s worth noting that most keyboards have a few sensitivity curves, so I would definetely keep that in mind when trying them out. And some people adjust that and play beatifuly and naturally with really cheap keyboards, so in the end the keybed may not be the most important aspect afterall.
Hope those impressions help you.
Cheers!
Edit: remember that the Keylab Essential is a tier cheaper than the Mkii, so their keys are definetely not at all similar.
I have had the mk2 61 for about a year now. I use it as my second board, paired with an sl88 grand. I have had zero problems with it. Build quality is excellent. It has enough buttons sliders and knobs to be able to control lots of things
I use it mainly for organ, pads. For me, I wouldn’t use it for piano, although given your situation it probably makes sense.
It is lightweight but strong. No problems with stuck notes, just make sure you have the latest firmware .
I am the one who started the stuck notes issue on Arturia forum. It was more or less solved with a new firmware, but it happened to me again sometimes. So I sold that controller.
I did it also because it was too soft, and it was not possible to change response (probably now it is possible).
I bought a Native Kontrol S 61 mkII and it is hugely better. With this one it is possible to play piano parts. With Arturia it was always too close to velocity 127. Not usable.
Recently I found used an M-Audio Oxygen pro 61, not bad: better keys than Arturia but not so good as Native.
It is a pity because assembly, faders and buttons were OK.
Also tuning of analog expression pedal was far from ideal.
I am happy to have it sold.
I have standardised on Keylab MKIIs. There were issues with stuck notes on the 61 (and 49) versions but those were fixed with a firmware update over a year ago - I have never had a stuck key since that update. I have both the 61 and 88 now - extremely happy with them. The 88 key MKII feels very different from the MKI or my Kronos but (to me) it is matter of getting used to. Love the build quallity and the number of pads/controllers - I know of no other keybd that has all of that in 6+1 and 88 versions. Akai does 61 but not 88 versions as far as I know (they used to have a great 88 offering but no more).
The 61 is unplayable for e.g. Keyscape pianos, because one cannot “feel” when it will change velocity layers. But I no longer want to use sampled pianos: and the MKII61 does more than OK on e.g. Pianoteq modeled pianos. (though I prefer my 88 key MKII for pianos if I get a choice of course).
@Tom_Tollenaere@cpaolo@cpaolo@Furio@sgarman@renatoxsr@Synchrony…did I miss anyone, lol. I just wanted to say thanks to all who contributed to this topic. I just had cataract surgery, so I wasn’t able to reply until today. I was expecting an endorsement or 2, but the response has been great. Great points from all and many thanks from me for all the comments. Sadly, no music store around me has the MKII to play on, so it’s going to be a crapshoot by ordering one and hoping for the best. I am using a Hammond XK1c with the Atemp mod/pitch attachment and it is great for all things organ/synth/etc. but this model is mid out only. I just sold one of my keys, so I am upgrading to a Hammond SK Pro. If my XK1c sells as well, I will be trying out the Keylab MKII and hoping for the best. Thanks again to all
Hey there. Could tell me please for what purpose you need a controller? Is it a full production or just for sketching your ideas? For the last one I’d reccomend this controller, but for the first option you should look at KeyLab Essential 61. But as I’ve seen you’ve already made your choice. So, I wish you luck!
I am replacing my current controller for live performance
I’ve pretty much made my choice, but have not yet pulled the trigger, hence this posting. I am looking at all, but I already have a 25 key controller and it would be much too restrictive to play piano on 25 keys. Thanks
I have a Keylab 61 MKII controller that sits next to my desk for noodling stuff into Cubase. I also have a Kawai MP11 for other stuff. The difference between the key beds is (as one would expect) like chalk and cheese.
While the Kawai feels like a ‘real’ acoustic piano to play, the Keylab is much lighter but still very pleasant. It is much ‘faster’ and ‘lighter’ to play, but with more of a ‘springy’ feel. So, very good for synth stuff but still more than adequate for piano parts.
For all that, the pitch and Mod wheels feel less good, while the Pads have something of a ‘dead flesh’ feel to them. The plus side is the number of faders and Rotary controllers that are present.
One of the very nice aspects to the device is the number of options you have for getting Midi signals or indeed even CV signals out of it should you wish to utilise older outboard synth stuff.
If you get the device I doubt that you will be unhappy with it. Personally, I feel that the Native Instruments stuff that I was considering at the time has a much nicer key bed, but it lacked the Faders and a couple of other things I wanted.
So, all-in-all, I think it a good device as long as you do not expect a ‘real piano’ feel from it, ‘cos that is something that you will not get!
@Minor7th Peter thanks for that detailed reply. I just want everyone who reads this to understand that I am not trying to create a Steinway out of a controller, more so, can a piano be played on it? I had surgery on my dominant hand in early December, and even with ongoing therapy, I’m not sure how much function I will get back. This is the 2nd surgery on that same hand. Each finger has a varying degree of strength, and it was the index and small fingers that were literally locking up when bent. Hard to play the piano with nubs, lol. I am hoping the 2021 release of the new velocity curves for the Keylab will help in that regard. When/if I get back to full strength, I will gladly deal with the controller situation then. In the meantime, time is ticking away, and it is time I don’t have to waste.
I have a problem with chronic arthritis in my fingers so I can’t play weighted keybeds anymore either. I settled on the Arturia Keylab Essentials a year ago and it’s the only 88 board I can play all night and not be sore the next day.
I love the 8 drum pads on it and they help trigger stuff in Cantabile, plus the nine faders work perfectly as drawbars for VB3. I even retrofitted a Leslie switch to it!
@Pete_67 Sucks getting older doesn’t it. I think I will be right behind you on that. I have beaten the daylights out of my hands over the years, and since this is my 2nd surgery on the same hand, it’s been an uphill climb. I actually just pulled the trigger on the Keylab MKII. I was lucky enough to have gotten a good price on the sale of both my keys (Roland RD2000/Hammond XK1c), so I am replacing my Hammond XK1c with an SK Pro. I’m hoping the combo of the two will play nice together. I am prepping for a solo gig, so those two keys along with my Roland Integra 7 sound module, should give me what I need to get the job done. I am making a custom keyboard stand, so that both keys are as close as 2 keys can be without being one…a crude simulation of a 2 manual organ. I love the simplicity of your rig. That’s actually quite similar to what I will be working with, same monitor and keyboard positioning with two small racks under instead of one. I thought I hit reply on this hours ago
I am happy to report that I received my Keylab MKII about an hour ago, and it was the right choice playing wise. It is somewhere between my XK1c and my Code 49. I haven’t had the chance to do a deep dive yet, but so far, I like the layout and the feel of the keys. Once I can map the velocity curve, I think it will work just fine. Looking forward to integrating it. Thanks again to all who took the time to provide reviews. It is much appreciated
I found a B-Stock Code 61 on eBay a few months ago. I like the faders, pads, all the buttons, etc. I don’t use them a lot, but it’s a blast when I do. Pitch and mod wheels are in an inconvenient place. Someday I’ll switch out at least one controller, but I’d rather put my money – when I have it – into a more powerful computer (no, I don’t have three of those, just one :D).
