Best 61 key Keyboard for VST/DAW use at home?

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I own NI Komplete Ultimate 11 and UVI Falcon as the main sound sources. My DAW is Sonar Artist, also looking at Reaper out of curiosity.

I'd like the best 61 keyboard to control both those instruments and DAW. As a Komplete owner, I naturally looked at the Kontrol S keyboards. Great hardware, but I really dislike the VST Wrapper approach ... looks like too much annoying hassle. So what's the next best thing in terms of versatility and DAW control? I was thinking the Nektar Panorama P6. But for full deep control, they only seem to support a scarce few DAWs, which doesn't include Sonar (but reaper).

I like the idea of having to use the mouse as little as possible ... to have a more hardware approach play, more "be in the workflow". Most other keyboards seem to mostly "only" be MIDI controllers, no great DAW support or integration.

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If I was looking for an all-in-one, 61-key MIDI controller, I'd look at the Novation Impulse 61. I have the Impulse 25 and love it. Great key feel, aftertouch, lots of encoders, transport keys, pads for drumming or arpeggiator programming, and full support Kontakt/Reaktor and numerous DAWs (including Sonar) with pre-programmed setups.

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Hm, can it switch its sliders/knobs easily from "DAW mixer" to "current VST" etc? Those are the important things in DAW control to me ... the goal is to leave the mouse where it is for a lot of things .. so the whole process becomes more hardware controlled/intuitive. That's where the Panorama seems to shine. but not for Sonar sadly.

EDIT: Just sa wit has a midi/mixer mode button .. interesting. Have to look at it, thanks for the pointer.

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I remember the Akai Advance series of keyboard controllers got good reviews about a year or so ago when I was looking. Went with the NI. Now my favorite Kontakt synths aren't NKS so I still have to map everything manually.

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Yeah but Advance is the same thing as NIs solution, asfaik ... it enforces you to use their VST wrapper ("Kontrol" etc) to use their features ... I don't like such things ... I prefer complete, detailed direct control. That may be less convenient and requires more manual work, but in the end, seems to be more transparent and doesn't force you to work through some pinhole wrapper.

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RichieWitch wrote:If I was looking for an all-in-one, 61-key MIDI controller, I'd look at the Novation Impulse 61. I have the Impulse 25 and love it. Great key feel, aftertouch, lots of encoders, transport keys, pads for drumming or arpeggiator programming, and full support Kontakt/Reaktor and numerous DAWs (including Sonar) with pre-programmed setups.
+1 For the Impulse.

Just comparing in the shop, the other keyboards look and feel like toys next to it. By far the best keys of all keyboards in this price range. If you are concerned with space though, it's the bulkiest of all. Haven't tried the Akai Advance, though.

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Very surprise people like the keys on the impulse, feel quite bad for me, they try to be fake semiweighted sutff and they fail.

The Novation SLmk does have very good keys, synth action. I don't like its layout and automap as a wraper is a PITA.

The Ni kontrol series has good keys, few controls but if you use their instruments it might be a good solution, if there is one company which will support and improv ethe "control software" for controllers is going to be NI, also since the NKS standard can be adopted by any developer it can only get better support. Akai VIP is already suffering because all depends on Akai, a company with not a long history in software and in a conglomerate(Inmusic) that is all about selling new stuff every year.

For a generic controller the Roland Apro line has good keys, small foot print and good MIDI features.
dedication to flying

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Advance works nicely for the most part but VIP (the wrapper) has a tendency to chrash without warning. It got better after the update though.
Unfortunately, they rarely update the software and we still miss a lot of plugin maps for the later instruments like Arturia V5 and Keyscape.
I hop they won't abandon the software. If they do however, the Advance can still work as a generic MIDI controller as you can map anything and everything manually. Keybed is a bit stiff but I'v actually grown to like it.

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even with the challenges of the automap software; I love my Novation RemoteSL61. Just the keybed alone makes it for me.
From everything I've gathered, there really isn't one best key controller out there. Every model has it's pluses and minuses.
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I had an Akai Advance for 3 months - worst decision I made this year. Had to send it back, after lots of emails back and forth with Akai. Promised a lot, delivered little. Plus very patchy (no pun intended). They advertised "control all your vst's" - not even 20% (for me, your results may differ). A colleague had one and pitch wheel stopped working after a week.
Novation SL MkII definitely worth a look, that's what I'm running currently, and previously had a Nektar which is also worth checking out. Novation Impulse I've also heard good reviews.
There's no such thing as "best 61 keyboard for VST/DAW..." just what is best 61 keyboard for you for VST/DAW. :)
Don't Tech No for an Answer

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I'd say around 80% works within VIP for me. That doesn't mean I use all 80 % though. Stuff like Omnisphere is too advanced and not intuitive enough in VIP. Kontakt and Battery both have plugin maps but they are rather pointless and I never used them.
I had no problems with mod wheel or pitch wheel.
My Advance is positioned above a Roland A-90 controller with 88 weighted keys (which is too weird to midi map since it has no sliders or knobs) that I use for the playing. To me this is a pretty good combination.
But that said, the VIP wants more than it can handle in terms of technology.

V-synth is a great controller (too) since it has both knobs and a touchpad not to mention great keys. I love mine but mostly use it for the synth engine itself. If you can find one cheap and don't need the weighted keys, it's absolutely worth considering :)

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