Top 6 NEW MIDI KEYBOARDS for 2024
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 พ.ย. 2023
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1. Arturia Minilab 3 geni.us/qjYl
2. Akai MPK Mini Plus geni.us/FMNDS7
Akai MPK Mini geni.us/6M2JNEM
3. M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini geni.us/cdGB7p
4. Native Instruments M32 geni.us/r1YI
5. Launchkey Mini Mk3 geni.us/lL0Yhsy
6. FLkey Mini geni.us/ASBlQ
I compare six of the best midi keyboards around $120 and help you decide which one is best for you. If you are looking to buy a midi keyboard, you need to watch this video. This video is especially helpful if you are new to music production. Depending on your needs, I recommend which of these midi keyboards is right for you. The six keyboards I’m comparing here are the M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini, the FLkey Mini, Native Instruments M32, Arturia Minilab 3, Akai MPK Mini MK3 and the Akai MPK Mini Plus and the Novation Launchkey Mini MK3. All these keyboards have 25 keys (except for the M32, Oxygen Pro Mini, and the MPK Mini Plus) and are capable of playing sounds through software and your DAW, and also controlling the sounds you make. I will cover features, feel, portability, build quality, and included software. These are midi controller keyboards, so they don’t make sounds on their own, they need software which is included to produce sounds. All keyboards are around $120, except for the MPK Mini Plus which costs a bit more. These midi controller keyboards work with DAWs including Ableton Live, Logic, FL Studio, and many others.
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1. Arturia Minilab 3 geni.us/qjYl
2. Akai MPK Mini Plus geni.us/FMNDS7
(Akai MPK Mini geni.us/6M2JNEM
3. M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini geni.us/cdGB7p
4. Native Instruments M32 geni.us/r1YI
5. Launchkey Mini Mk3 geni.us/lL0Yhsy
6. FLkey Mini geni.us/ASBlQ
Can you talk about M-Audio Oxygen Pro 25, as it has everything you mention, and great keys too.
And it looks like it the best on the market...
Great in-depth comparison of the Top 6 Midi Keyboards. Thank you. I really look forward to your “best of” videos. Keep them coming!
Great video Sanjay! There's something about MIDI keyboards that are just so fun to watch and hear about. I got the AKAI Mini Plus recently and haven't looked back, and paired with my AKAI Fire, I have fantastic control over FL Studios. It's always nice to see these in depth reviews on what else is out there, so thank you!
Super helpful, thanks. Still trying to decide!
Great to see doctors taking some time out for themselves
Great video as always, I love the screen in screen shots so we could completely see you and the keyboard at the same time. I have older versions of the M Audio Oxygen and the Arturia MinLab (my favourite)
As always keep up the great work 👊🏾
I JUST watched your MIDI keyboard review from a year ago, great timing.
I always enjoy your comparisons and deep dives! Excellent video as always Sanjay!
A big deal for someone like me is having a midi-out port. Small keyboards are great, but when you have a lot of outboard gear the inclusion of a midi port is the difference between whether or not you can make use of it in a lot of situations. Glad to see them showing up more in this price range/product focus
Hobbytronics is once again selling their USB MIDI host to DIN adapter, which for around 50 bucks solves the problem. You can also cobble something similar up from a RasPI or an Arduino and a DIN daughter card, but I'm willing to front a few bucks for the convenience of someone else building it for me.
Thank you for yet another video made with love, great information, and in-depth knowledge.
You're welcome! I hope you also watched the best headphones of 2023 video th-cam.com/video/fvcguBzVR3g/w-d-xo.html
@@SanjayC brother please help me should I go with arturia or m audio mentioned above
Amazing content sanjay as always,
Here im trying to get 61 midi keyboard but i dont know which one should i get because im into key feels
Great review SanJay you really went in on this one..
Thank you, Sanjay! I'm in the market for a small keyboard addition to my growing studio, and your review has shortened my research time significantly. As of now, it looks like the NI M32 + Maschine Micro + a slider bank of some sort are in my near future.
Love the shirt 👍🏽. Haha! I like how you measured the down weight of the keys. Very important
Thanks for this very informative video.
None of these kbd feature aftertouch, let alone MPE or polyaft. Do they ?
Thanks so much for this video
:)))
Another amazing video!
Thanks so much! Which one would you pick?
@@SanjayCI like the Mini lab 3 for the keys, but, I own the Akai MPK mini and the Akai MPC key 61 so it makes sense to get the plus because I already enjoy the Akai line of midi keyboards
I like the nit picking and the scenarios that you add to the keyboards. That’s great reviewing 🎉
as the first search result I was hesitant, but when I saw you putting calibration weights on the keys my confidence in your review went way up
Great video. Looking forward to a similar review of 49-61 key controllers!
Thanks...I need to get on that next!
Thanks for the video my man. Seen a number of your joints, you're good at it! Its appreciated. Im new to all of this but Im interested in learning and would like to make make beats. Dont know where to start as far as what to purchase. Should I get the MPK MINI with the MPC ONE or just one piece of equipment in the MPC Key 37? Thanks in advance for help and or advice.
Awesome video..this is such great advice. Which of these small (or any midi controller) would be most appropriate for someone who writes/ composes orchestral music only? I only write for classical orchestra. Do I need the faders, knobs, pads, etc? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
How would you rank these 6 keyboards?
I truly appreciate your videos. You are truly the man and very professional.
I am a new piano player at the young age of 50. As a disabled US Marine, learning to play the piano has been a phenomenal tool for stress release.
My love for piano began with my passion for praise and worship.
I would like to know if you would consider doing a review of the Sunday Sounds Appropriate and software. It's idea is fantastic, but I am starting to wonder if it is my keyboard (SL88 studio), my playing, or the quality of the piano VSTs. I would love to get the grandeur, but the cost wow. I love the Sunday sounds pads and pianos, they just don't seem to sound great.
What would you suggest for someone that wants pads, ambience sounds and praise and worship type piano sounds..?
Thank you again for your time sir...
You should the alesis vi series (specific ly the alesis vi49) its very simple but the best one i have ever tried it integrates very well with ableton live
great video, but which one has a hold button?
Excellent vid! is it possible connect any of these midi controllers to a Midiplus Mini engine instead of a computer?
I'm loving your channel. As a musician looking to get back into music writing and production after many years, your info is very helpful. I think I've decided to get a 37 key controller and would love to see a comparison of all the best ones. I haven't yet decided on a particular DAW so I'd love to find a 37 key controller that can work with several DAWs rather than being primarily designed for a particular DAW. Please help us all with a review of the current best in this category, when you can find the time!
Thank you Sanjay!
Thanks!
You're welcome! And thanks for the Super Thanks!
Thank you for helpful video
Great review! On a side note, the title threw me off at first. At first glance, I didn't realize this was the top new "MINI" keyboards - I was thinking overall MIDI keyboards.
Great video. A beginner's question: Which of these keyboards have split keyboard functionality? Or is keyboard splitting something you can do with the accompanying software? Thanks
Just wondering which one you recommend for a beginner? I want to learn how to make music as I can sing and song write but can’t play any instruments.. yet! Thanks for your video even if I don’t get a reply I will decide on one of them!
Thank you so much for the detailed review.
But as someone who can only afford midi keyboards, not pianos, I'm looking for the best full-sized midi keyboards for practicing piano. May you please make a top list for those? I trust you because you're a solid pianist.
Thank you! ^_^
Thank you Sanjay C for such an excellent video, I have a boy who plays piano (he is learning but has great ears for music, and 8 years old). He started to play with other sounds and I wanted to give him some options to play, create, and record sounds and music. What could be a good option to purchase? I know that I have to think about purchasing some other stuff as you explain in your other video for a music studio. I would appreciate any help. One note, we have a Casio CT-S300 and an Alesis Virtue piano. I don't know if with the Casio I could do it and only purchase a drum pad or maybe is easy for to him use a MIDI Keyboard.
Hey Sanjay, great overview! Just wanted to know if you have a method to extend the pitch and mod wheel on the Launchkey mini? I realize the touch controls don't really do it for me, and I'm looking for a way to get the physical wheels without buying another keyboard (though it might be about the same price as the extension). Thanks!
this helped soo soo much thanks!
thanks alot. i was looking to get a small midi keyboard with a good feel for fl studio, i dont care about drumpads, i dont care about controlling the channelrack. my first thougt was akai, because most people i watch on youtube uses it, but then i saw the flkeys that had a really good integration, but integrations that i dont feel i need, but the arturia seems really interesting, never seen it before, so thanks for enlighten me.
Great video. I will probably have a new midi controller soon to have a more "piano" play style for the studio. Since I got the Atom SQ I'm pretty surprised by all the amazing feature. If there is a good discount, maybe the Minilab will join this year :D
Just got a surprised. A co-worker gave me the kompleteA25
Great Video
Please let me know where you got the bashee.... great video btw. I will be purchasing one of these after making a pros and cons list.. 😅
I have both the Arturia MK3 mini and 61 keys.. amazing keyboards really love them
Since I have no idea of midi keyboards yet: Why do you own both of them and not only the 61 key version? Is there something the MK3 mini can do what the 61 key version can't?
Hi thanks, a lot for this video, which keyboard should I use if I do mainly classical music (piano and strings flutes...etc.) I want to create some songs for my games. I use Cubase as software
Big Fan! Bought an arturia minilab 3 just for them keys, was thinnking of buying a rock solid interface, I noticed Volt 476/276, what would you recoomend.
Can you tell us what you think about the M-WAVE 25?
Im a begginner that does not know much about midi keyboards. I do want to become serio us about using the keyboards. I love drumpads. torn between akai mini and oxygen. I dont want to miss out on any features that could later be useful for me when I learn the works of the keyboard. so what is the most proffesional + easy to learn keyboard that I should buy
Hi Sanjay, thanks for your videos! I'm looking for a new midi keyboard, between 49-61 semi weighted keys, drumpad, maybe sliders, under 500. I use ableton and native instruments plugins the most (a lot of Kontakt). I make original lo-fi, rock, funk, hip hop, etc. I want something that doesn't feel like a toy, maybe something with bonus plug-ins or software but not crucial since I have a ton of plugins already. I also play guitar and want to do live looping. What would you suggest? thx! p.s. I have an old NI Komplete Kontrol but seems to be very latent all the sudden and doesn't have a drum pad.
How are the drum pads on M-Audio oxygen? Are they same in quality to those from Akai since it's under same company?
Is there a best choice for the Waveform DAW?
Hey Sanjay. It felt like you were a bit 50/50 when it comes to the FL Keys keyboard. I really want a solid option to use in FL.
Is it still an excellent choice to go for this one or are there simply better options out there?
I love the Minilab 3! It’s my absolute favorite for the key feel/size. I like it better than the Keylab 61 Essential.
Same
Why do you like the MiniLab more?
@@AlexanderPochertPiano It was mainly for portability and key-feel. BUT... Since I posted this comment, I got hold of a used Roli Lumi Keys and it's my new fave. The keys are so comfortable, and make far less noise. It's smaller than the minilab and it can do bluetooth.
@@tiffanyanthony Thanks a bunch for your answer!
I bought the Arturia Essential Keys 49 mk3 and I was really disappointed by the key feel, so I sent it back after 3 days. I’ve read that the Minilab may have a better key feel but too few keys for my taste. It seems that only much more expensive products will ally a good key feel with more DAW controller options and a good sound bank. I still haven’t bought another midi keyboard yet. I’ll need to save up for a better and more expensive one. Also looking on the used gear market.
Man all the best keyboards are all timy boys this time. Lovely video!
I’m a bit confused about the M32. So in order to use the scale mode I can only use it with NKS related plugins, or all plugins, including the ones not supported by Native Instruments?
I'm between the m32, the m-audio, and the mpk mini plus. I really like the extra keys on the mpk mini plus, but it sounds like the keybed is not as good, and as someone who used to play piano, that sounds offputting. The m-audio seems like a good choice, but I don't like the lack of endless knobs. Finally the m32 seems super sleek, which I like, but it's lacking drum pads. It's not a make or break for me, but it would be the easy choice if it had some.
You should take a look at the more expensive Akai Midi’s.
In this price range, i feel like the Akai is the best out of all worlds.
Got the alpine white lab 3 and came across this...with a keystep pro im invested already but wanted a portable set up and got some ath prox5 in white to be that guy at cafés etc lol thanks for helping me feel assured
You seem like you know what you're talking about, you've got my sub!
I want to start making my own music ( i did like 30 years ago, with fasttracker, madtracker etc and a mini korg synth, only keys) Now i want start making some dance/trance music. What is the best program to work with Fruitloops? I am thinking of the Akai MPK mini plus. good choice?
help! do i get the novation FLkey49 or the Roland GoKeys?
hobby with FLStudio and Ableton, and i got a 25 key but needed more keys.. ssince i already have the oxygen25, should i go for the gokeys which is a standalone keyboard or still FLkeys49 since i can do a lot more with it?
thanks sanjay
THAK YOU GOOD SIR
You're very welcome!
Yes, good video. I personally don’t need a keyboard controller that small. I‘m always looking for a keyboard controller that works best together with Logic Pro and has 61 or 73 (76) keys. There seems to be none like that on the market. Most likely the Nektar controllers, but somehow I don’t like their outer appearance…
Which midi keyboard or combination midi pad controllers fits best with CUBASE
What would you guys recomend for someone stating i don't have much software either
im looking for the best keyfeel! ty!
was wandering what outputs would I need for my speakers to connect my MacBook Pro m3 would I need to buy a audio interface?
Which one for live performance through mixer, using NI and Cubase?
I want a 37 key version of either the Arturia Keylab MK3 or the new NI Komplete Kontrol Mk3 - these are both a great compromise on size and capability. I can't really work with a 25 key keyboard and 49 is too big. I have the Novation Launchkey 37 and it's pretty great, but does not have the integration with software like Arturia and NI.
I'm an FLstudio user and I'm trying to decide between the FLkey 37 and the Akai Midi Plus, any suggestions?
I'm only here for a dose of keyboard envy😉 as I already have the M32 which I like a lot. But the weighted keyboard feel of the Minilab is tempting :-)
Yeah true i Have Native s 61 mk3 I also feel like going for minilab and they have nice vst collections also.Now Native instruments and Arturia are my loved keayboards feel like having minilab from thoman
Before buying Native s 61 mk2 I was confused with which to take because I had 3 midis which I selected Native instruments 61 mk3,Arturia 61 essentials ,and nectar panaromic 61 and m audio code 61 which was discontinued my Selected thing after watching Sanjay video I went for native instruments
What kind of soundcard should we have to play this sounds!?
When I was younger only Soundblaster AWE32 had nice instruments to play in midi
I already had a maschine mk3 mikro, so the m32 was the perfect addition, and in that time NI had a deal + komplete 14 select with the purchase of a m32, thank you for your past review on this. Best buy ever, now I feel komplete.
Do they still have that deal?
@@dlsidoti91 yes! right now, Black Friday deals, hit it!
Which would have the longevity (playing wise) for a 3 year old? I like the arturia for the keys and the software (when he eventually gets a PC) but the MPK MP has more keys and a better drum pad. Is there anything that has all these features in one unit?
Analog lab pro comes with Arturia Minilab? Or is it a lite version
Hey Sanjay! Im a beginner at producing music but I really enjoy trying to make songs on my midi keyboard. I would really like to find some type of online training course that would help broaden my skills at producing music. Do you have any suggestions?
Please do a review for Donner DMK-25 Pro!
Couldn't you take the m32 and pair it with a launchpad x? If so i might go that route. Still undecided about my first midi
hi, do arturia plug ins (virtual instruments I guess) work with pro tools?
Do you think Arturia, Novation, Akai and Native Instruments will release midi 2.0, full MPC and polyphonic aftertouch to catch up with the Korg KeyStage in 2024? Will we be forced to buy new hardware, or will vendors just release firmware upgrades?
I was hoping there would be more new MIDI controllers announced at NAMM. In particular, I'm interested in a 49 key controller with a good feel that integrates nicely with Logic Pro. If it has scale mode, ARP, chord mode that would be nice also. What do you recommend? Maybe you could be a second roundup video focusing on this size.
what about pitchshift and modulation wheel in the arturia minilab?
Hope one day they will make that untimate mini controller. nice screen tight intregration super pads great library of sounds midi in & out's phatt sequencer wireless for on the go applications. and for you sanjay nice sayjay approved key feel.. wonder what company will do that i think none because it will kill the bigger controller market.. we know its about them dollars.. but to dream is nice
Hi. Great channel. I'm looking for a controller that is not full size 88 key but does have full size keys at less octaves. Is there a video for this on your channel?
I was looking for this video a few days ago and I'm excited it's here! I decided to get the Arturia minilab 3 because of the virtual instrument integration, time to watch the video and see if I have buyer's regret...
OK, I'm still happy with my choice thanks to your other reviews. Still great to see the other choices! Thank you!
@@AdrianWan do you like build quality and everything else on it ?
you should make a video on mpc beats
Cool 💯🎹
Thanks!
Excellent work thank you for sharing. Have a great day my friend.
Endless encoders on Minilab aren't exclusive to Arturia software, right? Can be mapped to DAW controls or other synth parameters? Cool feature but I don't use Arturia synths.
Which one works better with Luna daw
Is FLkey works well to with FL studio mobile version , sir ?
If there was an excel sheet with each pro and con stated here that would be really helpful for looking back
Faders are very important imo, and that's why minilab wins it for me. And also it looks good.
Are there any midi controllers that have medium sized keys? Tried the Minilab mk3, and while I really like it, the actual keys are just to little for me... I already have a larger controller with regular sized keys, but my hands are small, and playing octaves on the left hand is a bit of a stretch...arthritis doesn't help either... I'm looking for something in between but I haven't seen anything available... Thanks for any suggestions!
What is the silver grey thingy with three knobs and 3 faders that is visible at 0:49 in the right side of the video?
Sanjay, I really wish you would show and rate how easy it is to depress each key near the top of the keys. To me, this is the singular most important aspect of a keyboard's key feel! If you can't easily depress the keys near the top you can't play most stretched chords. Much more important than key uplift force.
That's a really nice suggestion for my next video. Thanks, Jonathan!!
Any of these work with omnisphere 2?
Thanks for making this video! I found it very useful in picking out a mini midi controller. Ended up with both the MPK Mini 3 and Minilab 3. One update for your video is that the MPK Mini 3 can be configured to match the Minilab 3's encoders when using Analog Lab via Akai's MPK Mini Editor app. The parameter name can also be assigned to the same encoders for display. For the lower four encoders use cc# 93-Chorus, 18-Phaser, 19-Delay, 16-Reverb going left to right. For the upper four encoders use cc# 74-Brightness, 71-Timbre, 76-Time, and 77-Movement. Once you do this, the MPK Mini 3 encoders match the Minilab 3 and display the correct variable on the screen. Of course, there are no sliders in the MPK Mini 3 to match the Minilab 3. Hope this helps!
Between the Akai and the Minilab, which one do you prefer?
@@LS95774 the Akai, once I matched the knobs to the Arturia encoders, I use the Akai more because it takes up a lot less space. Not sure if they improved the build since Sanjay reviewed it but the Akai I got feels as solid as the Arturia.
None of them have aftertouch. That's a showstopper for me. One that does is in this price range the Arturia Keystep, which sadly mostly only ever gets reviewed in the context of being a sequencer and not a regular midi controller.
Drum pads are a MUST:-)
Anybody who isn't familiar with the Nektar midi keyboards I highly recommend checking them out, they easily have the best daw integration of any midi keyboards I've ever used, their Panorama series are my favorite midi keyboards ever & their LX mini is one of my favorite $100 midi controllers similar to these, the levels of daw control they give you are something I never thought Id see on a midi keyboard
@Sanjay C : do I need drivers to use oxygen series? I'm stuck in Protools MP9 with iMac 10.6.8 (long story)
But what about donner dmk-25 pro ? Is it wors then them or what?
Only to get the analog software alone its worth to just buy the Aturia.
I myself got the FL keys 61, novation impulse 61 and Aturia 88.
Aturia playing the nicest, second impulse and third the fl keys tho.