what's up guys if you're new to music production you're probably looking for a
small MIDI controller keyboard to help you create music today I've got four
options that you should consider all these keyboards have 25 keys and help
you control your sound but they also have unique features that make each one
of them special I'm going to cover things like price feel portability and
software included you'll find links to purchase these keyboards in the
description below let's get started let's take a look at a chi and arturia
first because they're at the same price point of a hundred dollars these two
keyboards pack a lot of features for the price they've got many keys knobs
buttons and pads but while you look at them consider this what are you really
going to use if you like creating and modifying your own sounds especially
from vintage sense by the art Aurea minilab mark 2 for $100 this keyboard
comes with Ableton Live light so if you're new to music production you'll
get the software that you need to start creating music sound design on the
Arturia mini lab mark 2 is a dream it's got 16 encoder knobs 16 and these are
programmable to any plug-in but they're best used with artorias synths and
keyboard sounds in fact this keyboard comes with analog laughs 21 keyboards
and since with the best presets from artorias v collection
the mini lab helps you find these sounds really easily and design them with ease
here are some other things to note it gives you Hardware control of Ableton
plugins and third-party plugins this works really well for Ableton plugins
and native instruments plugins it feels really well made and it's
pretty portable the downside is the pads don't feel great and they're kind of
small this is where I prefer the Akai if you want to do more finger drumming by
the Akai MPK mini for $100 the pads feel better with more natural sensitivity
compared with the Arturia they're also bigger which is great when using two
fingers on one pad you'll like the note repeat button and the arpeggiator button
as well
it's really nice to have those Hardware buttons for live performance but also
just on-the-fly inspiration the thumbstick is an interesting replacement
for the pitch and modulation wheels it worked better than expected but I found
myself accidentally modifying both at the same time
the keys are mini for sure if you've got big fingers it may take some time
getting used to them I'm not impressed with the included software compared with
the other keyboards in this comparison it comes with hybrid 3 by air and sauna
Vox wobble but the others have really nice instruments included and some even
included all the build quality feels a little cheap but the upside is that it's
really lightweight the arturia keyboard feels a lot more solid before we get to
the next two don't forget to hit the subscribe button and the like button if
you like what you're seeing you'll find tons of videos on my channel featuring
new gear plugins and production tips alright up next is the 825 from Native
Instruments if you are ready to dive into the deep end of virtual instruments
if you need to prepare to deal with a massive number of plugins and presets by
the complete control a 25 keyboard for a hundred and sixty dollars the 825 is
fully integrated with native instruments this means you can easily find an
audition thousands of sounds by Native Instruments Arturia Yui output contact
libraries and other nks compatible plugins the keys feel really high
quality
these aren't many keys like the others you've got the tiny screen that's taken
from a 1980s Casio calculator watch the screen is small for sure and I find
myself looking at the computer screen more than this one but the screen is
really not the selling point of this keyboard a 25 works well with lots of
plugins through the complete control software allowing you to use the 8 knobs
to manipulate sounds and create your own the whole thing feels really solid it
comes with some nice instruments including the gentleman monarch reactor
prism and scarbee mark 1 and it's got dedicated dock controls however this
thing is pretty big it's the biggest of these 4 I mean it doesn't even fit in
this camera view and it's definitely not gonna fit in your backpack another issue
I have is that the buttons are really loud it also doesn't have drum pads like
the Arturia and the Akai okay lastly if you're looking for a second keyboard
with amazing expressiveness by the Seaboard block for $300 the expressive
feel of the Seaboard block is something you need to experience
this keyboard feels modern almost alien like something I never knew I needed but
now I can't live without however it doesn't really help you out with your
DAW experience or with other plugins and it's expensive compared with the others
for that reason I think it's best as a second keyboard now it looks pretty
simple but there are several features you don't see it's wireless for one but
bluetooth that works really well it also works with mobile devices especially
well with GarageBand on iOS it comes with some nice sounds that really lend
themselves well to the expressiveness of these keys it does surprisingly well
with the expressiveness of instruments in GarageBand and logic but Ableton
doesn't like it very much you'll be spending a lot of time setting up
Ableton to take the Seaboard to its full potential
all right so all of these keyboards can be set up to control plugins in your DAW
pretty easily except for the Seaboard block so which is my current favorite
it's the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol 825 and here's why I've been
producing music and YouTube videos for a while now and I've collected tons of
plugins finding sounds is difficult and the a25 makes my workflow faster speed
is a priority for me but is it for you whatever you choose I'm here to help if
you've got a question put in the comments below click the like button if
you like this video and subscribe for more videos on music gear keep making
the music that you love and I'll see you guys later
you