Arturia KeyLab 88 MkII 88 Key Weighted USB MIDI Keyboard Controller — Aftertouch, Velocity Sensitive, Hammer-Action, Piano Feel, With 16 Drum Pads, 9 Faders, 9 Knobs and Analog Lab V Software Included

There is very little to say negative about this beast of a midi keyboard. It's preprogrammed to work with multiple DAW'S including Reaper which is the DAW I use. I was battling in my head which keyboard to buy between the Arturia and Native instruments Komplete Kontrol. Both are great midi controllers and have their perks and disadvantages. But in the end I chose the Arturia mainly because of its its solid outer shell steel construction where Komplete's is plastic, it's versatility to be able to operate so many DAW'S straight from the keyboard itself, Komplete only integrates with it's own Kontact software, and because it's an absolutely beautiful piano that is stunning to look at. Don't get me wrong Komplete is an amazing keyboard too but it's selling pitch is having that control over their software & while it is true Komplete does have a color display right on the keyboard and you can fully operate their software right on the keyboard itself and no you don't have complete control with the Arturia only some control but with the Komplete that's the only thing it has full control over. You still have to use your laptop to do any mixing and editing or to operate any other software. I do have the Komplete ultimate 13 software and it is amazing but I don't need to fully operate it from my keyboard. I simply choose the instruments I want to use right on my laptop that sits directly above my keyboard. It's much easier to operate on a laptop anyway because you get a very limited view of options on the small color screen on the Komplete than you do on a computer screen and it takes longer to get to the instruments you want and you don't have the ability to manipulate or integrate the sounds like you can on your laptop so you end up having to use the laptop anyways, and the Arturia plays the software perfectly, so I don't find that as a strong selling point. I find it easier to just operate Kontact from a laptop so I'd rather have a midi controller that works with all software and operates multiple DAW'S which Arturia does. Another great feature is all of the things you can connect to this thing just blows me away. You can connect multiple keyboards or other midi instruments directly to it and operate everything as one unit right into your DAW of choice The software itself that comes with the keyboard too is top notch. The piano sounds are dead on. I will say it did have one flaw which was the velocity of the keys was a little stiff meaning if you played soft vs. hard there was not much difference in the volume so it was very difficult to play dynamic music but they sent out a software update that fixed that and now it plays like a dream. Also the weighted keys are a little on the heavier side vs other weighted keyboards and I know some pianists don't like it that heavy but I do and the difference is minimal to me. I really can't find any other flaws with it if you consider these flaws. It's an absolutely wonderful piece of hardware. I don't think there is any other midi controller out there that can out perform this thing. It's just that good!!!

The packaging that Arturia uses for the Keylab 88 mkii is a thing of beauty. They use an inner box with excellent materials and another outer box which also includes foam to cushion any unfortunate mishaps. The 88 key weighted keybed uses the Fatar TP-100 piano action. I was familiar with the feel as it is used on the Komplete Kontrol S88 from Native Instruments. My ancient StudioLogic Studio 900 finally bought the farm after 23 years so I had to replace. I considered the more expensive Komplete Kontrol s88 MK3 as I use a lot of Native Instruments software but I also use a lot of Arturia's software and their Keylab 88 MKii integrates superbly with it. With the Keylab's 8 faders, 8 knobs, 16 pads (all assignable) , transport controls for your DAW, as well as 3 assignable pedal outputs in addition to the sustain pedal output, I had to choose the Keylab 88 mkii. Also, the Keylab is a few hundred dollars cheaper. The casing is made from metal as opposed to the standard plastic that most manufacturers use. This is the most solid keyboard I have owned. Although I might prefer the Fatar TP40 wooden key action of the StudioLogic SL88 Grand or the Balanced action Yamaha uses on the Motif/Montage 88 key series, there is something I like about the FatarTP-100 action. It is very quiet compared to a lot of current keybeds and definitely solid-feeling. You may read a number of reviews from people that claim the action is too stiff, heavy or slow. Even pianists who mainly use acoustic piano as their main instrument have disliked the TP-100 action to their own piano. I used to practice on a 9' Steinway grand a few decades ago and that was the most challenging action I have ever known. You'll also find reviews from pianists who love the Keylab 88 mkii action. I have to say, I am relieved to find I like action as the features and build quality are so good, it would have broken my heart to have to part with it.