KVR Audio

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Mon May 11, 2026 1:51 am

We do it for synths all the time, why not the physical instruments we use to play the synths? I have owned literally dozens over the years and still have around a dozen in my possession, most of which I have not so much as looked at in more than a decade. They include an Edirol PCR-1, a Line 6 KB37, an Arturia KeyStep (black), some compact Korg thing, an Akai MPK and a host of Roli Blocks of various kinds. But there are two more recent purchases that I have finally settled on as my mainstays -

- Roli Lumi Keys (AKA Piano M). I am a huge fan of minikeys, especially as my old hands become more arthritic and less flexible. I have two, which seamlessly join together to give me 4 octaves. Their backlighting is a boon on a dark stage and the way the lights respond to your playing has allowed me to improve my technique no end (but I am still not a musician). I think it is the ideal keybed for me, playing feels totally natural and effortless. What makes the minikeys work is that these keys are long, so your hand doesn't actually feel cramped. I have a couple of Control Blocks and a pile of Lightpad Blocks I can add to it for more controls but I tend to keep it simple, with just the keys, because the other controller I use with has all the bells and whistles.

- Donner DMK25 Pro. I bought this a couple of years ago on a whim, because it was so ludicrously cheap (less than US$75 on eBay, direct from Donner). It looks like an Akai knock-off but it is its own thing. The minikeys don't have the length of the Roli's but it is still OK to play on. All the keys are black but the "white" keys are glossy and the black keys are matte, which works well. The keys are velocity sensitive (you can choose from several different response curves to suit your playing style) and the 8 pads respond to velocity and aftertouch. It has touch-strip Mod and pitch-bend "wheels", which I prefer to those on the Keystep, transport controls, 4 sliders and 4 endless encoder wheels. A small display shows you relevant info as you work/play. The companion application allows for a lot of customisation.

If I'm honest, it's stupid how much I love the DMK25. It looks great, it's easy to customise, it's good to play, it weighs nothing and has a smaller footprint than a 13" laptop, which makes it eminently portable. It's the only controller I use in the "studio" but I use it with the Lumis on stage.

cryophonik · Post by **cryophonik** » Mon May 11, 2026 2:20 am

My go-to is still my trusty old Novation ReMote SL mk1 that I’ve had for over a decade. Love the keybed and the large number of easily configurable pots, sliders, and switches. I also really liked the NI Komplete Kontrol mk2 that I owned for a few years, but I really wish they would’ve added more knobs, sliders, and switches, and just generally improved it as a general purpose MIDI controller.

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Mon May 11, 2026 4:22 am

cryophonik wrote: Mon May 11, 2026 2:20 am My go-to is still my trusty old Novation ReMote SL mk1 that I’ve had for over a decade. Love the keybed and the large number of easily configurable pots, sliders, and switches. I also really liked the NI Komplete Kontrol mk2 that I owned for a few years, but I really wish they would’ve added more knobs, sliders, and switches, and just generally improved it as a general purpose MIDI controller.

I still have one in good shape. No one bit when I put it up for sale, and it was too good to give away, so I keep it as a spare.

jpcrowther · Post by **jpcrowther** » Thu May 21, 2026 12:52 pm

AKAI LPD8 paired with a 49-key Alesis—everything I need.

Cuauhtli · Post by **Cuauhtli** » Thu May 21, 2026 2:54 pm

As a guitar player, and not being a competent keys player, I just have an Arturia 61 Keylab Essential. Would be nice to have a better controller but I'm too cheap to bother.

papatomany · Post by **papatomany** » Thu May 21, 2026 3:25 pm

My favorite at the moment is my Seaboard Rise 49. (Not version 2, which is on my never-to-be-fulfilled wish list.) My son gave me the 25 key a few years ago for Christmas, and I loved it immediately, despite the initial learning curve. It died on me, and I was able to get a very lightly used 49 on Reverb.
Of course, the Seaboard has it's limits, so my more conventional keyboard has been a Komplete Kontrol 61 MK2. I am very much a semi-weighted guy, and the keybed and responsiveness are nice for me. It has a dead key at present, and I'm dreading having to take it apart, so it's not getting as much use for now.
Despite liking the KK, I probably should have gotten the Keylab 61 mk3 instead. It just sounds more and more like it would have fit my approach better.
I also have a Roli Piano, which I play around with a good bit. There are things I like about it, but it's pretty quirky, so it spends a couple of weeks on my desk followed by a couple of weeks back in the box. It has convinced me, however, that I absolutely have to have polyphonic aftertouch in any new keyboard I get. It's implemented fairly well in the Roli.
So, ideally Arturia will come out with a Keylab with poly aftertouch.
Also, I'd get the new Osmose controller in a heartbeat.
(Those last two would require a long lost uncle to leave me something in his will.)

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Fri May 22, 2026 2:07 am

Size is a big consideration for me, both in my studio and for gigs. Being able to have my entire set-up in my carry-on luggage saves lots of money on overseas trips and gives me good peace-of-mind that nothing will get broken in transit. That's a big attraction to the Lumi Keys, I can have four octaves without having a big, long keyboard.

DrGonzo · Post by **DrGonzo** » Sat May 30, 2026 4:42 pm

Seeing that Arturia are updating their controllers to new versions, it would be nice to see a Keystep Pro 2. Never been a fan of mini-keys but these I like. Really good keybed. My favourite keyboard controller for years.

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Mon Jun 01, 2026 1:09 am

My KeyStep was top of my list for a long time, too, although in ever liked the mod/pitch strips. But it is great toplay and sets a high standard for mini keys.

DrGonzo · Post by **DrGonzo** » Mon Jun 01, 2026 1:13 am

BONES wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2026 1:09 am My KeyStep was top of my list for a long time, too, although in ever liked the mod/pitch strips. But it is great toplay and sets a high standard for mini keys.

Me neither. But after years of using them, I find them less annoying than I thought them to be. I think the best damn mini keys I've ever played was on the Yamaha Reface models. Absolutely fantastic keys just begging to be played.

alienmachine · Post by **alienmachine** » Mon Jun 01, 2026 1:48 am

I still love my old Studiologic SL880. It has the best keyboard action I’ve ever experienced. I added the CME wireless MIDI adapters, and it works perfectly with my computers. For MPE, I’ve been using the LUMI Seaboard and Keith McMillen’s K-Board Pro 4, but I could never quite get used to the feel of the flat keys. So, I bit the bullet and purchased the new Osmose CE, since it has real keys. Let’s see how it goes when it arrives.

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Mon Jun 01, 2026 10:39 am

Novation Remote25SL mk1 is my favourite midi keyboard. Ive had mine since it was released in the early 2000's. Its been solidly reliable for 25 years. The keys feel good & the dual display screens are great when used with Ableton Live. There are more sliders and buttons than I'm ever likely to need. I recently picked up a second- hand mk2, but havent had a chance to compare the two as I've been relocating and the studio is not set up yet. I also have a PUSH2, which is great for jamming out new ideas in Live.

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Tue Jun 02, 2026 2:11 am

I only ever use my controllers to play, so the knobs and sliders aspect is completely wasted on me. Anything I might want to tweak live I'll map to the Mod Wheel, velocity or aftertouch.

DrGonzo wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2026 1:13 amMe neither. But after years of using them, I find them less annoying than I thought them to be. I think the best damn mini keys I've ever played was on the Yamaha Reface models. Absolutely fantastic keys just begging to be played.

The best I've used are definitely the Lumi Keys keys. When I owned a Korg Minilogue, I relaised that what made mini keys harder to play wasn't their width but their length. The MInilogue's keys were much longer than any other mini keyboard I'd played and I discovered that, all of a sudden, playing mini keys didn't feel cramped. The Lumi's keys are probably not quite as long as the Korg's were but they have that some feeling of not cramping your fingers up. So the Lumis are definitely my new favourites.

cryophonik · Post by **cryophonik** » Tue Jun 02, 2026 2:24 am

Agreed on the Keystep. I’m also not a big fan of mini keys, but I still have my Keystep 37 that I’ve owned for years and those keys are alright. And IIRC, the MiniFreak had the same keys, correct?

DrGonzo · Post by **DrGonzo** » Tue Jun 02, 2026 2:32 am

cryophonik wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 2:24 am Agreed on the Keystep. I’m also not a big fan of mini keys, but I still have my Keystep 37 that I’ve owned for years and those keys are alright. And IIRC, the MiniFreak had the same keys, correct?

I think so. I only have the Keystep Pro and the keys are the same on the MiniFreak.

Your Favourite MIDI Controller(s)