The Wisdom of Buying a Used Midi Keyboard

[chk071]

TBH, if you're not a big fan of Automap, I would install the latest firmware on the Impulse, and use it in HUI mode instead: https://support.novationmusic.com/hc/en ... 0009516479

Automap has always been a mess for me. You need to use every plugin in the Automap wrapper, which breaks compatibility with projects where you didn't use the plugins with Automap, and it's also pretty unstable software, and crashed more than once on me when I set up some mappings. Novation discontinued it, for a reason.

Just my opinion, of course, what you do with it is entirely up to you. Actually, I dislike such plugin wrappers in general. How many MIDI learn systems do we need? There's plugin integrated MIDI learn, there's DAW MIDI learn, there's the keyboard manufacturer's MIDI learn... which is not compatible with the other manufacturers, of course. Yes, a bloody mess.

What would be much more useful than the hundredth manufacturer MIDI learn system would be an option to switch the knob's and fader's MIDI CC's between pages. 8 knobs, and 4 pages of MIDI CC's you can switch between. Now that gives you a lot of options. I know that the Arturia Keylab mk2 has that, for example. I really hope that manufacturers will implement that also in more low cost controllers.

[BONES]

I know many of you seem to be okay with buying used, but what about used midi keys that are no longer made?

I see no problem. Controllers are cheap enough that I wouldn't bother getting them repaired. (The least a repair is likely to cost is a couple of hundred bucks so if it's something worth less than $500, I'd just throw it away or give it away for parts.

I found a used, NI S25 keyboard with sliders that I like, but they don't even make them anymore. I think the A series is the only series with a 25 key board these days. Do you think firmware updates would be an issue?

Not at all. Most of my hardware synths get a firmware update or two in the first year, then nothing, and even if you can't get the latest firmware, it's highly unlikely that will be an issue. It is very rare that a firmware update makes any difference for the majority of users. They are mostly to fix issues for individuals with some kind of weird set-up.