I’ve been talking about the original Keylab 88 now for years and how much I liked it. The Arturia Keylab MKII 88 is brand new and to be honest, I was really waiting for this to come out. Arturia Keylab MKII 88 – Overall Best 88 Key MIDI Controller Solid pad functionality and an overall lightweight frame give way to a great controller. My overall thoughts on the Nektar Impact LX88+ are that it’s currently the best 88 key MIDI keyboard controller you can purchase under $300. Pads: 8 velocity-sensitive pads that are coloredĪuto Mapping: You can map this to the following: Bitwig, Cubase, Digital Performer, FL Studio, Garage Band, Logic, Reaper, Reason, Sonar and Studio One. This means to split your keyboard with 3 different sounds Zones: Can map 3 different zones at the same time. Keys: 88 velocity-sensitive semi-weighted keys You won’t have a ton of problems using this as the MIDI technology has been greatly improved from its predecessor. This is actually a pretty popular 88 key MIDI controller because of the price and its basic functionality just being pretty solid. It has 8 drum pads that you can assign to different parameters as well as use for beats. This controller feels like it’s more on the cheaper end because it is.
Light-weight and easy to use are the first things that come to mind with the Nektar Impact LX88+. Nektar Impact LX88+ – Best Budget 88 Key MIDI Controller I have had the privilege of playing on all of these following options. Best 88 Key MIDI Controller Keyboardsīelow are our picks for the best 88 key MIDI controllers currently available. The nice thing is that USB also powers your instrument making it so you don’t always need to have a separate power source.Īre you looking for a case for your keyboard? Here are some 88 key keyboard cases I recommend. For now, you will need MIDI or a USB cable to connect to your computer or laptop.
BEST MIDI KEYBOARD 88 KEY BLUETOOTH
The Bluetooth MIDI world hasn’t made its way into the 88 key MIDI controllers yet. These are fun and you can use these to map portamento or any other kind of effect you would like to have.
BEST MIDI KEYBOARD 88 KEY MOD
Mod wheels are usually present on 88 key controllers. I personally love aftertouch and think it’s one of the more popular features as it allows you to use way more dynamics when playing. I like these just because they really do speed up your workflow.Īftertouch is not on every controller. For example, they are the buttons that your “stop, play, record, or pause.” This makes it so you can do it right on your device and not have to use your computer. These are the controls that are on your keyboard that allow you to speed up your work process. The killers do things like this a lot in their recordings and I personally love it.
For example, you can layer in a subby bass on your left hand and have your right hand play a lead. What this does is allows you to split your keyboard into different zones. This is a feature that a lot of keyboards have in general. You can use these pads to trigger parts and to write in percussion parts and beats. These are common in smaller controllers and drum pads. One of these features will be trigger pads. Some of the controllers will have more features than others. I will mention the keyboards with weighted keys, but just keep in mind that a lot of MIDI keyboards won’t have them. They are meant for the musician to access a bunch of different sounds of their liking. This is mainly because controllers aren’t really meant to be played as just a piano. What To Look For In An 88 Key MIDI Keyboard Weighted KeysĪ lot of the controllers that have 88 keys surprisingly don’t have weighted keys. Quick Glance At The Best 88 Key Controllers
3.3 Akai MPK Road 88 – Best 88 Key MIDI Controller For Touring.3.2 Arturia Keylab MKII 88 – Overall Best 88 Key MIDI Controller.3.1 Nektar Impact LX88+ – Best Budget 88 Key MIDI Controller.3 Best 88 Key MIDI Controller Keyboards.2 What To Look For In An 88 Key MIDI Keyboard.1 Quick Glance At The Best 88 Key Controllers.