What's up guys! A couple months ago I posted a video reviewing the top
keyboards of 2018. The prices of those keyboards range from $100 to $300. There
were some premium but very important keyboards in the mix. The keyboards I'm
reviewing today are all around $100. I'm going to be covering the pros and cons
of each one of them. Actually, oh there they are, right there. Make sure you watch
until the end of the video and you may discover a feature you never knew you
needed. Leave a comment below to let me know which of these keyboards is your
favorite. I'm going to put links to buy any one of these keyboards in the
description of the video. First let's compare the two keyboards with full size
keys. Yes! Full-size keys for $100. If you want
full-size keys that feel really good in a clean form factor and you're willing
to sacrifice some functions for a lower price, buy the V25 by Alesis. This keyboard
is currently $84 on Amazon. The cheapest keyboard in this comparison. It
comes with a nice clean editing software to customize your device. So how did the
keys feel? Well with the factory setting, I really needed to bang on the keys to
play louder, but after I adjusted the velocity curve in the software I was
very happy.
The key bed is my favorite of all of the 25-key keyboards in this comparison. The
pads feel good too but it's a little bit too easy to trigger them twice
accidentally. The four assignable buttons are nice. You can assign them to
transport controls in your DAW so that you can play, stop, and record, or do
whatever you want. You've also got four customizable knobs as well. The Alesis
V25 has fewer knobs and buttons than the others in this comparison so you'll have
to pick and choose what you're going to control. How about the included software?
Well it comes with Ableton Live Lite and Xpand 2 by Air which is a nice
virtual instrument with a ton of sounds! Excellent to get you started.
Now the Alesis does not map Ableton controls automatically. You have to do
that yourself when you set up. By the way Alesis also makes a mini version of this
keyboard - same features, smaller size if you don't care for the full-size keys.
But this version is still very portable. I can't say that about our next keyboard.
If you want lots of DAW control but you don't use Ableton Live buy the Nektar
Impact LX 25+. First of all this is not a traveling keyboard. It's big but
it may be quite nice for live performance. It's got full-size keys and
they feel really good but I don't like the loud springy sound that the keys
make. It makes the keys feel cheap. This keyboard has so much DAW control and I
quickly got accustomed to the intuitive workflow.
I love the button that switches the knob controls from DAW control to virtual
instrument control. However the knob size and spacing are not optimal in my
opinion. They're a bit too tall and too close together. The dock control features
worked very well when I tested it with GarageBand, FL studio, and Logic. The
Nektar Impact includes Bitwig eight-track ,which is a light version of
a nice DAW with built-in instrument sounds. But the Impact is not Ableton
friendly. Although there are configuration instructions for Ableton, I
couldn't get the knobs to work and without clip triggering it doesn't make
for a good Ableton controller. If you're an Ableton user my next keyboard is for
you. Before I get to the next keyboards don't forget to subscribe and also hit
that little bell icon so you stay up to date on my latest video. Also hit the like
button if you're finding this information useful. Also if you're
looking for the basic gear you need to start with music production, check out my
video on music studio essentials - everything you need to start making
music on a low budget. Now let's get to the Novation keyboard. If you're a live
looping Ableton user and want easy control for
recording and triggering clips and scene, buy the Novation Launchkey Mini.
The keys are small - similar to the Akai MPK Mini. They feel softer, squishier to
the press. But they're surprisingly expressive. You get 16 pads! More than any
other keyboard I've reviewed. I'm really impressed with the sensitivity and feel
of the pads as well. They feel decent for finger drumming even though they're
pretty small. The Launchkey has some extra tricks up its sleeve for the pads.
You can use them to trigger clips and scenes. When I tried this in Ableton it
was instantly super fun. You can launch clips and scenes and trigger clip
recording. It's so simple and great for live looping.
You also get eight knobs which control Ableton instruments and effects. The
Novation Launchkey Mini does an excellent job mapping controls
automatically. Why is this important? Well you're gonna spend more time making
music and less time setting up and mapping your keyboard.
The downside with a Launchkey is the lack of some standard MIDI keyboard
features. There's no sustain pedal port or dedicated pitch and modulation wheels.
That's really surprising for a MIDI keyboard these days.
It comes with Ableton Live Lite, your choice of a piano by XLN Audio and
Novation V Station and Bass Station plugins, which look outdated but actually
sound really good!
OK, I've said it once and I'll say it again - If you're ready to dive into the
deep end of virtual instruments and you need a keyboard to help you find and
control sounds it doesn't get better than the M32
by Native Instruments. This is the keyboard many of you were waiting for!
Unlike the other keyboards in this video the M32 has 32 keys. It's the first
portable keyboard by Native Instruments with mini keys, yet it packs all the
functionality of the larger A-Series keyboards. The M32 delivers a serious
collection of sounds and a good launching point for collecting a ton of
amazing instruments. It comes with a wide range of excellent Native Instruments
sounds and the Maschine beat making software it also includes Ableton Live
Lite. The downside is that the M32 does not
have drum pads like all the other keyboards. If you need a combo keyboard
pad device you need to look elsewhere. Also the M32 is the most expensive in this
round up at $130. For a full review of the M32, watch my
video here.
This keyboard comes with a small screen that gives you a window into what you're
doing on your compute. The M32 is fully integrated into Komplete Kontrol, the
Native Instruments software and it makes it very easy to find and control sounds.
All right we've got two more to go but first, if you think you need to upgrade
to a more powerful keyboard with more keys I've reviewed Arturia's Keylab
MKii - it's got a ton of features and superior DAW control. Now in my last
video I talked about the Arturia Minilab Mkii and the Akai MPK Mini. I still
stand behind my recommendations for these. If you're looking for a keyboard
that will help you sculpt sounds and give you excellent Ableton Live control
buy the Arturia Minilab Mkii. This keyboard has solid construction and the
keys are slightly larger than other mini keyboards. The Minilab includes the
highly coveted Analog Lab software that gives you amazing control of vintage
synths. It also includes Ableton Live Lite. I didn't love the pads on this
keyboard but the Ableton integration was excellent. If you want to see the Arturia
Minilab in action, check out my full review and a cover of the Blade Runner
theme here.
Lastly if you're looking for a mini keyboard with excellent drum pads and a
variety of performance features for any DAW buy the Akai MPK Mini. The Akai's drum
pads have the best sensitivity of all the keyboards in this review. It has
buttons to activate the arpeggiator and note repeat. These are great for playing
live
The keys are okay. It's small and light but it feels kind of cheap. The included
VIP software looked promising but didn't work as advertised for m. If you can get
it to work, it looks like it would be useful, I must mention M-Audio keyboards
as well. Even though I didn't have one for this review, I have owned one in the
past the M-Audio Oxygen 25 has full size keys and many of the features of other
keyboards in this review. Many owners comment that the keys have very good
velocity response. If you have any questions leave them in the comments
below. Links to buy any one of these keyboards are in the description. Keep
making the music you love. See you guys later!