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Great software - OK hardware
At least one of the four stars I've given for the Arturia KeyLab MKII 49 is for the excellent Analog Lab software bundled with it. Thousands of superb sounds with plenty of customisation from the KeyLab's knobs and sliders. From grand pianos to Fairlight samples, Prophets to ARPs - it's an incredible range. A huge amount of work must have gone into putting Analog Lab together and it's really been worth it.
To the not so good... The Arturia looks way better than it feels. The keyboard is at best OK - the buttons feel very cheap and click loudly on every press. The magnetic panel you attach depending on the DAW you're using is in no way suited to something claiming to be a premium product. By far the biggest problems are the controller knobs. They jump all over the place - impossible to use them to do even the most simple task like smoothly panning a track from left to right. Arturia desperately needs to address this in a firmware fix because I've been close to sending mine back. In the end, I just needed a keyboard to work on Reaper with and it's absolutely fine for that. But despite how great it looks in photos, I couldn't help feeling a bit underwhelmed when I started using it.
To the not so good... The Arturia looks way better than it feels. The keyboard is at best OK - the buttons feel very cheap and click loudly on every press. The magnetic panel you attach depending on the DAW you're using is in no way suited to something claiming to be a premium product. By far the biggest problems are the controller knobs. They jump all over the place - impossible to use them to do even the most simple task like smoothly panning a track from left to right. Arturia desperately needs to address this in a firmware fix because I've been close to sending mine back. In the end, I just needed a keyboard to work on Reaper with and it's absolutely fine for that. But despite how great it looks in photos, I couldn't help feeling a bit underwhelmed when I started using it.
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O
Fantastic Controller
I was trying to choose between this and the MPK 249 midi controller and was completely happy with my choice. The metal body feels strong, the appearance is fantastic especially when it puts on a light show!
Plenty of control features like chord mode, key transposing, DAW controls for Logic and Ableton (and others) and all the I/O that I need.
The pads are comfortable and responsive, the sliders and rotary knobs work just as needed. The software integration with Analog Lab, Pigments and other Arturia software is smooth and great for workflow.
Arturia are also a great company that I'm happy to support. Their software and hardware products are all quality and their support team is a great help if you need it.
Cons: The keys on mine are a little noisy (getting a spring sound from the keybed). Aside from that, no complaints. This issue doesn't affect my playing or the feel of the keybed.
Plenty of control features like chord mode, key transposing, DAW controls for Logic and Ableton (and others) and all the I/O that I need.
The pads are comfortable and responsive, the sliders and rotary knobs work just as needed. The software integration with Analog Lab, Pigments and other Arturia software is smooth and great for workflow.
Arturia are also a great company that I'm happy to support. Their software and hardware products are all quality and their support team is a great help if you need it.
Cons: The keys on mine are a little noisy (getting a spring sound from the keybed). Aside from that, no complaints. This issue doesn't affect my playing or the feel of the keybed.
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