# Recommendations for a good all-round 49/61 midi keyboard



## sunetti (May 30, 2019)

Hi all,

I am relatively new to the composing scene and would like to upgrade my MPK Mini Mk2. It served me well for what it's worth but the 25 keys has become a real hinder to my workflow. Therefore I am thinking of upgrading to a 49 or 61-key midi keyboard.

FL Studio is my main DAW so some kind of integration with it would be nice.
Most of my VIs atm are within Kontakt.

I want to use the keyboard for orchestral, synth and piano purposes (I already own an 88-key digital piano which works well for more complex piano pieces). I'm not too fussed about the price range (although I'd rather not go broke) and of course the more features the better (decent keybed, aftertouch, knobs, faders, pads...).

Basically anything that will speed up my workflow! 

Side note: Had a look at the Komplete Kontrol range and, well... the fact that it's not multi-timbral is quite worrisome. And the keyboard itself looks quite empty. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like KK is not for me at all.


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## PaulieDC (May 30, 2019)

LOL, you'll get a bunch of responses and they'll all be different.

I've tried a bunch and landed on the M-Audio CODE61 because it has the best balance of decent keybed & controls. It supports Mackie/Hui and HID, and it does aftertouch. There's a utility app so you can program all kinds of configurations. I have set mine up with both Studio One and Cubase and M-Audio provides a guide to do that. I use the transport controls on the keyboard with both DAWs, never having to touch my PC's trackball. The faders are great for balancing mic position volume levels, etc, plus you have infinity knobs for any other library settings you want to control. You could technically make a couple faders do Volume and Expression, etc, but I prefer to control the DAW and the libraries and use something external for expression (right now that's Palette Gear but I've heard PreSonus has a firmware update for the FaderPort 8 that I need to investigate). And then you get 16 percussion pads that also play notes and I'm pretty sure you can leverage those for keyswitches... not sure, right now I do the tedious one articulation per track in my feeble startup compositions, lol. Overall it's a great controller. One day I'll add an 88 key but for now this suffices.
BTW, you may read comments about the keyboard always locking up, etc etc. It's a little sensitive to RF interference. All you need to do is either WAY spend too much on a https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00415AHFS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (USB digital cable) which I did, three of them actually, or you can just get a good https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Hi-Speed-Ferrite-U023-006/dp/B003MQ29B2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=usb+printer+cable+ferrite&qid=1559240451&s=gateway&sr=8-3 (USB cable with Ferrite Chokes), which block interference. 8 bucks and they work great. Every USB piece of gear we run should be using these when you consider ALL the wiring in a home studio, even at a desk in a home office like I run, plus a wireless router, modem and whatever else is generate invisible junk in our lives.


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## PaulieDC (May 30, 2019)

BTW, M-Audio originally made this keyboard in white but somewhere along the line they switched to black. When they did that they left off the MIDI commands that get triggered by the first octave of keys, and they have no plans of making a label or adding it to the case construction for some weird reason. SO, I bought some 8.5x14" matte laser paper that's actually one huge label, and I fired up Photoshop and made my own and cut them into strips, super easy to stick on. I'll probably start selling these at some point but if you get the CODE61, let me know and I'll send you a label.​


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## Quasar (May 30, 2019)

At lest one of the bunch of responses that you will get that will all be different should include the Novation Impulse.


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## sunetti (May 30, 2019)

Thank you for the long and detailed response. Now I need to add the Code 61 to my never-ending list! 



Quasar said:


> At lest one of the bunch of responses that you will get that will all be different should include the Novation Impulse.



Novation is on my mind as well along with keyboards from Nektar, Arturia, Akai and Alesis... Are you able to elaborate on what's so good about the Impulse?


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## Quasar (May 30, 2019)

sunetti said:


> Novation is on my mind as well along with keyboards from Nektar, Arturia, Akai and Alesis... Are you able to elaborate on what's so good about the Impulse?


1) Touch is subjective, but I very much like the key action. It's light, not weighted (not like a piano, I have an 88 digital piano for that) but it's not at all like a cheap non-weighted controller feel. Rather, it has "springy" resistance that enables much better natural and nuanced velocity control, a heft that lets you know you're playing something. And the aftertouch works well.

2) On the Akai MPK series, for instance, the faders are on the right side. Since I am left-handed, I wanted the faders close to my left hand and the Impulse positions them on the left side. The faders themselves seem solidly built and slide smoothly and precisely with a perfect amount of light resistance. The knobs, on the other hand, do feel loose and cheap, but I hardly ever use those. The 8 drum pads feel solid too, but I haven't found a need for those either.

3) Right in the center is a MIDI channel change button, which makes it really easy to quickly access the current MIDI channel on the LCD and change it, regardless of what menu you were on.

4) I cannot speak to the Automap software as I have zero interest in any MIDI controller's proprietary DAW transport control stuff, and have never used it. I'd rather just use the computer mouse and keyboard for the DAW, and use the keyboard for playing and setting up MIDI learn commands and such.

I've had several 61 key controllers, and this is the first one I've really liked. Of course YMMMV and all of that...


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## PaulieDC (Jun 1, 2019)

The two are almost twins... The Impulse looks like it’s got pretty much the same features. They both even offer adjust velocity curves which is nice. I do like the faders more on the left and the mod wheel next to the keys on the Novation. My CODE61 has the wheels up and to the left to make room for the 16 pads. But, I also like the pads and I’m about to start trying out palette gear sliders so wheel position may not be that important. If you can, see if you can try them at a local music store and see which keybed you prefer. I think it comes down to that. Most people like the CODE keys and M-Audio did push that feature (it’s why I chose it), but many reviewers and commenters like the Impulse too. I love the keys on the CODE but that’s me. Btw, I do have the occasional lockup where Cubase just totally freezes. As soon as I turn off the CODE, everything springs to life, and in turn the code back on and continue on with life. I discovered that firing up Cubase first then turning on the Code works. Side note before people jump on the “M-Audio is Garbage and Won’t Fix the Lockup Issue” train: it never locked up, not even once, using Studio One, in almost a year. Nothing else changed in my rig but with Cubase (which I installed in March) it happens if I power on the Code before launching Cubase. Just sayin’...


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## Jazzaria (Jun 2, 2019)

PaulieDC said:


> The two are almost twins... The Impulse looks like it’s got pretty much the same features. They both even offer adjust velocity curves which is nice. I do like the faders more on the left and the mod wheel next to the keys on the Novation. My CODE61 has the wheels up and to the left to make room for the 16 pads. But, I also like the pads and I’m about to start trying out palette gear sliders so wheel position may not be that important. If you can, see if you can try them at a local music store and see which keybed you prefer. I think it comes down to that. Most people like the CODE keys and M-Audio did push that feature (it’s why I chose it), but many reviewers and commenters like the Impulse too. I love the keys on the CODE but that’s me. Btw, I do have the occasional lockup where Cubase just totally freezes. As soon as I turn off the CODE, everything springs to life, and in turn the code back on and continue on with life. I discovered that firing up Cubase first then turning on the Code works. Side note before people jump on the “M-Audio is Garbage and Won’t Fix the Lockup Issue” train: it never locked up, not even once, using Studio One, in almost a year. Nothing else changed in my rig but with Cubase (which I installed in March) it happens if I power on the Code before launching Cubase. Just sayin’...



The CODE 61 is appealing to me as well, but it does seem to have a disproportionate number of reviews mention build quality issues. For instance, the mod wheel just falling after awhile: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RTPLCMWVMGD67/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01N9ZSZU3

Also firmware issues, like the mod wheel being mapped to CC0 instead of CC1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2CO9NPSI0RGG4/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01N9ZSZU3

Any comments/encounters with those or similar? Has the firmware been fixed since 2017?


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## sunetti (Jun 14, 2019)

I had my eye on the KK again and thought about what you can actually do with the Kontakt browser within the KK window hack and had some questions about it addressed in the another thread:



sunetti said:


> Does this method allow you to use Kontakt like you would normally without KK? The three things that I am most concerned about this method are:
> 
> 1) Is Kontakt still multi-timbral?
> 2) Do all the NKS features still work?
> ...



If most of the NKS features are kept using this hack maybe I should actually consider buying an S49/61?


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## chimuelo (Jun 14, 2019)

PaulieDC said:


> LOL, you'll get a bunch of responses and they'll all be different.
> 
> I've tried a bunch and landed on the M-Audio CODE61 because it has the best balance of decent keybed & controls. It supports Mackie/Hui and HID, and it does aftertouch. There's a utility app so you can program all kinds of configurations. I have set mine up with both Studio One and Cubase and M-Audio provides a guide to do that. I use the transport controls on the keyboard with both DAWs, never having to touch my PC's trackball. The faders are great for balancing mic position volume levels, etc, plus you have infinity knobs for any other library settings you want to control. You could technically make a couple faders do Volume and Expression, etc, but I prefer to control the DAW and the libraries and use something external for expression (right now that's Palette Gear but I've heard PreSonus has a firmware update for the FaderPort 8 that I need to investigate). And then you get 16 percussion pads that also play notes and I'm pretty sure you can leverage those for keyswitches... not sure, right now I do the tedious one articulation per track in my feeble startup compositions, lol. Overall it's a great controller. One day I'll add an 88 key but for now this suffices.
> BTW, you may read comments about the keyboard always locking up, etc etc. It's a little sensitive to RF interference. All you need to do is either WAY spend too much on a https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00415AHFS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (USB digital cable) which I did, three of them actually, or you can just get a good https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Hi-Speed-Ferrite-U023-006/dp/B003MQ29B2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=usb+printer+cable+ferrite&qid=1559240451&s=gateway&sr=8-3 (USB cable with Ferrite Chokes), which block interference. 8 bucks and they work great. Every USB piece of gear we run should be using these when you consider ALL the wiring in a home studio, even at a desk in a home office like I run, plus a wireless router, modem and whatever else is generate invisible junk in our lives.




I have to agree. I always liked their earlier models before Oxygen. 4 Zones, decent action, just the right amount of everything.
Only problem was I got used to using a single controller and wanted more just like we all have a collection of plug ins.
So I grabbed a Physis K4 and still can’t use all of its features.

MAudio bought out somebody years ago who was well versed in MIDI.
Can’t remember who but I’ve never heard any complaints other than when a key goes out, it defaults to velocity 127.

Just buy another one and use that damaged one for Hammond B3/String Machine type stuff where dynamics come from draw bars and tube overdrive, etc.


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## Fredeke (Jun 16, 2019)

There are many good keyboards out there. For synth sounds, I like the Arturia Keylab series because the aftertouch is so sensitive, it made me aware of subtle expressiveness I didn't even know I had in my touch. In fact it's so sensitive you'd have to filter out aftertouch data if you don't want them. (Beware: I'm talking about the orignal Keylab - the Keylab Essential has no aftertouch.)
The opposite of that is the Roland A-Pro series: the aftertouch requires so much pressure to even register that it's almost useless. The M-Audio Code 61 (or 49) is a good compromise, and is also easy to configure (e.g. assigning switching keys to the pads).

Note that the Keylab is a soft keyboard. To play the piano, weighted or semi-weighted are better. You won't find any weighted keyboard in 49 keys, but you'll at least find semi-weighted ones in 61 keys. I believe the code 61 is semi-weighted - but better check that fact.

So, soft keyboard, or (semi) weighted keyboard ? It depends on whether your priority is one that feels right for piano, or one that feels right for synth. (I don't know about orchestral sounds, I have little experience with them)


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## sunetti (Jul 18, 2019)

sunetti said:


> Side note: Had a look at the Komplete Kontrol range and, well... the fact that it's not multi-timbral is quite worrisome. And the keyboard itself looks quite empty. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like KK is not for me at all.



Welp, I ended up buying an S61!

I'm installing it now. I'll let you guys know my thoughts on it after a few days of playing around with it!


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