Komplete Kontrol A49 Controller Keyboard (25237)

Short Version: If you are looking to buy a bass deck, and you live in a lot of the Native Insturments’ world of virtual synths, this is a no brainer and dare I say, better than the M32 Long Version: I bought the “Analog Dreams” synth pack from Native Instruments at the start of Quarantine, and was VERY impressed with the sounds and overall 80’s vibe. VERY impressed. But, my main controller is an Arturia. Nothing against them, but the mapping always had to be done manually, and using the stand alone control software for live playing just didn’t work. Since I was mainly looking for a bass deck, I did my research and it was down to the A25 or M32. Everyone raved about the M32, but I didn’t hear much about the A25. So, after some deliberation, I bought one. First impression- This is not a small controller when it comes to 3-octave decks. The matte plastic finish and full sized keyboard were flat out impressive feeling. The discrete label controls also made it look VERY German, and very cool. The keys are a full size “Semi Synth Weighted” affair, and feel fantastic! I have fat stubby hands and I am no concert pianist, so the large layout felt natural. It is also quite a bit taller than your average 25 key deck, but since I don’t intend to try to write anything on a plane, I didn’t care about how portable it was. In fact, the large footprint is a plus as it fit well into a spare mixer stand I had. DAW and plugin integration- While this is a very smooth controller to play, it really is best when paired with Native Instruments software and plugins. The controls are mapped out simply and well, and when running the Kontrol environment app, there is ZERO issue! Although, I found out when installing this on a Mac, make sure you disable all other MIDI devices first. I had my Arturia Keylab 49 and my mixer’s DAW controls active, and the controller wasn’t able to be read properly. So, I had to uninstall and reinstall the Kontrol app and then things worked fine. Once you do that, it works like a charm. Jumps right into ProTools and Ableton without fuss. Even tried it in Reaper (My preferred editing DAW), which is famous for working with ANYTHING, but usually you have to do some routing and mapping no matter what. All I had to do was to decide which MIDI channels to use for the I/O in Reaper, and once again, it worked like a treat! Performance- The semi weighted keys are placed naturally for any piano player, and nothing on the keyboard feels cramped. This controller also rocks the pitch and mod wheels to the left that are a decent size and don’t feel overtly plastic. All together, this just *feels* premium. It really shines as a bass synth, with everything within reach of a single left hand. The only issue is that the LED display is quite tiny, and you find yourself squinting to see what info is on it. But, given. How it performs and at the price, I can overlook that as my attention should be on the laptop if I am tweaking the settings. Speaking of price, it is more expensive than other 25-key controllers, but you are really getting your money’s worth. This is especially true with the free software that comes with it. I have paid for plugins and synths that sounded and performed worse. If you have a home studio that doesn’t need moved around constantly, this is a VERY wise companion to you main controller. As an audio engineer and a musician, I am of the mind you really only need 3 main MIDI components: A large format keyboard, a small format keyboard and a drum pad/sequencer. This is exactly the kind of 25 key that you need for that kind of setup, and would be almost perfect with their Machine pad controller for producers who are looking for a clean, integrated beat production setup. For a keyboardist like myself, this sits above my Arturia and is the best bass key controller so I can double up on multiple tracks.

This product is a controller, and as such, you must program it for the software you're planning on using. This can be a complex step if you're unaware of how to work with the software you want to use this with (i.e. Ableton) - I bring this up because I read a 2 star review about how this doesn't work with Ableton 9, which it does, it just takes some configuring finesse. It comes with Ableton Lite, which I've enjoyed using thus far, but my primary software of choice is Maschine 2. This is an ideal companion (well, the S88 is the Ideal, but I'm a grad student with a family) for the Maschine Mk3. The two pair up well together, and I've had a lot of fun working with them. I'm not a professional musician these days. I used to DJ 20+ years ago, and I never got into the production side of things because computers weren't really ready for running controllers back then (at least, not what I could afford). But now, if you have a good system, production is a fraction of the cost to get into, especially with Native Instruments. I purchased this keyboard with the intention of learning to play the piano, and also to improve my own production abilities via Massive, Kontact Player, and Komplete Kontrol, etc. That said, I've read few comments complaining about the latency (how hard you have to press the key to make the sound) of the controller. I grew up playing with my grandparents' grand piano, and the latency is spot on to playing a real piano. In that regard, I have no complaints about this at all! I would like to have the same muscle memory when I sit down to play a real piano from learning how to play on a keyboard. I believe this product is ideal for this. If you're looking for something with a synthetic keyboard feel (i.e. you don't have to press on the keys hard to get the full tone), then you'll want something else, as I haven't found a way to modify the latency (yet). The Native Instruments forums are a phenomenal place to search out any help with your gear, the community is really amazing. If you're looking for a cheap (relatively speaking, this is a well-made device and it's definitely worth the money) keyboard controller, the A series is amazing. When paired with Kontact Player (I got player free with Maschine Mk3, so I'm not sure if it comes with the keyboard) you gain access to organ recordings as well as The Gentleman (a piano), which gives you the full sound (fully customizable as well!) of playing a piano or organ. And, because it's a controller, you can program it to play any number of instruments that come with Kontact Player. I think this is a great way to spend quarantine, learning to play! Hope this is helpful for those who are considering this device over others.

Ordinato ed arrivato il giorno dopo... il prodotto è veramente ottimo già provato con Ableton Live... lo consiglio vivamente come consiglio il rivenditore per la serietà e la velocità nel spedire.

La utilizzo con Cubase e FL Studio... assolutamente perfetta. Viene riconosciuta subito dal sistema e permette di utilizzare tutti i VST senza alcun problema. Si alimente direttamente dalla porta USB e i controlli sono assegnabili. Robusta e ben costruita. Anche esteticamente rende l'idea di uno strumento professionale. Consigliata.

I like, but a want sustain pedal

takes a minute to set up but once it gets going it feels good it plays good Fl studio compatability is there you can record play pause and even loop however its not as quick as it is in ableton, the workflow is much quicker in ableton because of session view which compliments live recording the software it comes with is actually pretty solid nothing great but for what you pay it comes with some great synthesizers and pianos

I bought this as a gift for a musician friend. The recipient was delighted.