What is it?

Expressive E is a company that has always pushed the limits of MIDI control, through its impressive lineup of hardware and software. At the very heart of its development manifesto is the ability to control electronic instruments in a unique way, exploring some of the outer limits of the MPE format.

Its journey began with the unique design of the Touché, a hardware controller of sorts, which was designed as an add-on to your existing MIDI or modular setup. Then came software that fully embraced the MPE format, inviting users and players to engage the Touché for all of those control niceties.

The pinnacle of its most recent explorations arrived a couple of years ago, with the Osmose synthesizer keyboard. This not only allowed us to see its unique keybed technology for the first time, but also gave us a very weighty onboard MPE synth engine, taking full advantage of a performance-level keyboard package.

Now Osmose is available in a new CE format, providing a cheaper controller option for those who don't need Osmose’s internal sound engine. The unique selling point is undoubtedly that, where other MPE controllers provide unique styling and design, the heart of Osmose is a traditional piano layout, at least at first sight. Beyond that, the Osmose keyboard responds to all manner of strikes, after touch-style pressure, lateral movement, and more!

Performance

So if you are paying considerably less for the CE edition, what are you losing? In essence, the onboard sound engine! The keybed technology is identical in every way, so we could easily argue that there is no compromise. The lack of a sound engine is unlikely to be a deal-breaker for anyone who is studio-bound and DAW-based. Apart from its availability in both a 49 and 61 key (four and five octave) format, there is an included bounty of over 900 sounds available, through the installation of the Ctrl-e software, which runs as a VST or AU plugin in your DAW.

At the present time, there is no standalone version of Ctrl-e, or indeed a version that might run on a tablet, but maybe that might be something that appears in future. Osmose CE integrates fully with Expressive E’s other products, and arguably opens an entirely new area of control for Soloiste (its virtual solo string instrument plugins) and Noisy 2 (synth), although the Ctrl-e software is a fantastic MPE showcase for other manufacturers too, who have contributed patches – Synapse, G-Force and Kilohearts, to name just a few – alongside Expressive E’s own included sounds.

Build and construct

The hardware itself is manufactured in Poland, with the component elements being a black metal base and aluminium upper panel. The keybed sits proud of the fascia, with pitch and modulation sliders located on the far left, along with a number of buttons and pots and the ever-important display.

Power is supplied via USB-C, meaning that you can plug it directly into your computer for both data/MIDI and power connectivity. It's a very neat solution. Should it be more convenient for your setup, you can also connect MIDI via more usual 5-pin DIN connectors, both in and out, although you will still need to connect USB-C for power. The build quality itself is exemplary.

Use and feel

So how does Osmose CE perform, as an MPE-biased controller, versus more regular pianistic use?

This starts with the physical attributes of the keys themselves. When you play a key, pressing it down with the force of your finger, there is quite a lot of travel. Unlike a piano or similar keyboard, there is no hard stop, that is, unless you increase the travel of your finger to the very depths of a key’s depression point. This means that you effectively have a halfway point, which might be considered the more usual stopping point for a regular keyboard. If we refer to the rest of the travel as an ‘aftertouch zone’, there is about the same degree of movement again, but of course, the point here is that you can initiate further control through the software, such as the induction of vibrato, or the application of some form of synth-based modulation.

Osmose CE goes much further, though, with lateral movement too, which often induces vibrato. Bizarrely, this concept of lateral movement dates back to the 14th century, and the instrument known as the Clavichord. However, Expressive E has taken the concept to new heights, with a high level of programmability which complements the sound engine palette. This means that you can engineer considerable secondary control, once the initial note strike has occurred.

Thanks to the accompanying Ctrl-e software, you can quickly get up and running with an incredibly extensive sound palette, which is designed to show off Osmose to its fullest potential. There are plenty of pads, synths and guitar-like plucks within the software, but we were also interested to test Osmose CE with its unique Soliste suite, which concentrates on members of the orchestral string family.

The level of control supersedes what may be possible with a conventional controller, but it underlies one notable point, which is that this is such a radical design that you may need to engineer some Osmose practice to get the very best from the action. It is a different instrument, in the way that it plays and feels, and while it's clearly very simple to switch to a piano sound, it is also a very different proposition if you are used to sitting at an acoustic piano, or one of the excellent fully-weighted MIDI controllers that are currently on the market.

Integration and install

There can also be a high level of integration between Osmose CE and your DAW. We were testing the unit with Logic Pro, but must note that installing all the appropriate software that might be required wasn't quite as simple as it could be.

The basic setup of plugging in gets you off the blocks very quickly, but installing additional components, notably the Ctrl-e software and support script for your DAW, are treated as separate elements.

The Ctrl-e software is essentially a sound source, in the shape of a plugin. The installation procedure was simple enough, but we had to do a number of full restarts of our system and Logic before the plugin was recognised and appeared. It just seemed to be a little bit temperamental, which might also be because of the presence of iLok, for authenticity.

The accompanying DAW script allows the Osmose CE to integrate fully with your DAW. This extends from sound selection within Ctrl-e, through to transport and even fader control. As a specification, this seems like a good idea; however, the Osmose CE display is nowhere near as gratifying as a computer screen, so while incremental/decremental navigation of sounds might be useful, it seems unlikely that you will use the onboard display when your computer screen will presumably be very close at hand.

Moreover, navigation via the display is through six infinite and clickable pots and five buttons, and while it does get easier with use, it’s not the most intuitive menu hierarchy or way of getting things done. It's also worth noting that loading times for many of the Ctrl-e sounds felt quite laboured. This did vary from one patch to another, and probably has everything to do with the sonic complexity of each sound.

There are two 1/4” jack connection points on the rear of the unit for pedals, one of which could easily be a sustain pedal. In operation, we also noted that applying the sustain pedal meant that any attributes that had been triggered within a patch, such as a change in filter cutoff, would not be held with the sustain. Presumably, this is to do with the nature of MIDI sustain pedals, where they tend to operate in an off/on scenario, for notes only.

You also have to use the display for making settings on the Osmose CE, which is entirely fair enough, particularly as you probably won't need to change these settings very often, but for DAW control, it feels somewhat surplus to requirements, although the tactile nature of the transport controls has a degree of appeal.

Verdict

Being available in both four and five-octave versions, Osmose CE is incredibly appealing for anyone making music within a DAW. It is capable of some pretty clever party tricks, such as the Pressure Glide mode, which allows portamento movement between notes, but with a useful degree of control and accuracy.

Where the jury may be out is with its attractiveness as a straight replacement for a conventional MIDI keyboard. If you are a pianist or keyboard player, there is an overwhelming attraction to an MPE controller, which looks identical to a regular piano keyboard. This is, however, where it ends!

The playing experience is very different to that of the piano, and will take some time and encouragement to fully embrace. Playing slower and more chordal progressions allows you time to embrace the MPE control, but rapid playing presents greater challenges, particularly as ends of notes are nowhere near as tight as more conventional controllers. The upside is, of course, you get all the other MPE elements, which you could not do in the same way with a regular controller, even armed with a bank of faders.

There is something very musical about the way you can approach playing Osmose CE, and we like that an awful lot. The only problem is that we are thinking that we might need to make space for two controllers in our studio setup, in much the same way that we have a weighted keyboard and a synth action keyboard. It has to be worth it, just for the sheer style of the Osmose CE!

Hands-on demos

Expressive E

Alternatives

Specifications

Novation has announced the next edition of its dedicated MIDI keyboard controller for FL Studio, FLkey 2.

Developed in collaboration with Image-Line, the DAW’s developer, FLkey 2 is designed from the ground up for seamless integration with FL Studio’s tools and workflows and offers hands-on control over essential DAW functions straight out of the box.

Each model in the FLkey 2 line-up has been equipped with new pads with improved sensitivity, eight endless encoders in place of the previous generation’s standard fixed-position knobs, and an OLED display for project feedback.

Like the previous generation, FLkey 2 is available in four models: a Mini 25-key version alongside 37-, 49-, and 61-key models. Both the 49-key and 61-key editions have been upgraded with semi-weighted keys and feature nine faders for control over levels, sends, and more; the Mini has dual touch strips, but every other model in the range has proper pitch and mod wheels.

The main draw of an FLkey controller, of course, is its deep integration with FL Studio, which Novation says goes even deeper in its second iteration. Delivering hands-on, pre-mapped control over FL Studio’s Channel Rack, Mixer and plugin parameters via enhanced DAW scripts, FLkey 2 also offers more sophisticated sequencing abilities for its 16 RGB-backlit pads, Scale and Chord Modes, and a new arpeggiator.

Every FLkey 2 controller arrives bundled with a generous software collection that features a six-month subscription to FL Studio Producer Edition, a selection of instruments and effects from Native Instruments, GForce and Klevgrand, and Novation Play, a virtual instrument with curated presets based on samples of vintage synths.

Though it’s designed to be paired with FL Studio, FLkey 2 can also serve as a conventional MIDI controller for other DAWs or MIDI-compatible gear, thanks to Mackie HUI support and a MIDI Out connection.

“We’re proud to have worked so closely with Image-Line to deliver the only keyboard controller designed specifically for FL Studio,” says Novation’s Nicholas Howlett.

“Through this collaboration, we’ve added even more direct hardware access to the features and workflows that are most important to FL Studio's core user base. We know FLkey 2 will be a huge step forward for beatmakers and producers.”

Find out more on Novation's website.

Pricing details and further information below.

Pricing

FLkey 2 Mini 25: $129.99/£109.99/€109,24/$119.99

FLkey 2 37: $229.99/£199.99/€193,27/$209.99

FLkey 2 49: $279.99/£229.99/€226,88/$249.99

FLkey 2 61: $329.99/£279.99/€277,30/$299.99

Key features

• Lay down beats: FLkey’s 16 RGB pads are perfect for triggering samples in the Channel Rack, step sequencing, or finger drumming with FPC, Slicex, or Fruity Slicer.

• Play basslines and melodies: Each FLkey controller features great-feeling keys plus pitch and mod wheels or touch strips. 49 and 61-key sizes now feature semi-weighted keybeds.

• Build tracks with Patterns: Create and duplicate Patterns with a dedicated layout on the colour-coded pads.

• Fine-tune levels, sweep filters, dial in effects, and more: Everything maps automatically to FLkey’s eight knobs and, on FLkey 49 and 61, nine faders.

• Quickly and easily lay down chord progressions, melodies, and patterns: FLkey has inspiring Scale and Chord Modes plus a powerful arpeggiator built right in.

• Essential info, right where you need it: The crisp, new OLED display shows you exactly which parameters you’re adjusting, chords you’re currently playing, and more.

• Split and layer the keys: FLkey 49 and 61’s keyboards can be split into independent zones or layers for playing two instruments at once.

• Go beyond FL Studio: Connect synths and other MIDI hardware via the MIDI Out port, craft custom layouts with Components, or control other DAWs with Mackie HUI support.

• NKS-ready hardware: Native Kontrol Standard creates a two-way connection between FLkey and all your Native Instruments and NKS-ready software.

• Everything you need to get started: Start creating right away with six months of FL Studio Producer Edition, plus Novation Play and a wide range of premium instruments and effects from Native Instruments, GForce, Klevgrand, and Orchestral Tools. You also get access to a selection of bespoke finger-drumming and keyboard lessons from Melodics.

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Ahead of Superbooth 2026, Expressive E has unveiled the Osmose CE, a MIDI controller based on the same expressive, MPE-enabled keybed as the French manufacturer's Osmose synth. Available in 49- and 61-key versions, Osmose CE is priced at $999 and $1,199 respectively.

Released in 2023, the original Osmose put MPE-level expression into a traditional piano-style form factor, its full-size black and white keys offering three-dimensional control over its internal EaganMatrix synth engine, with per-note pitch bend, polyphonic aftertouch and specialized keybed gestures opening up new performative possibilities.

Osmose CE is based on exactly the same expressive keybed as Osmose, but ditches its EaganMatrix synth engine. In its place, Expressive E has developed Ctrl-e, a free companion plugin that gives users access to a library of expressive sounds that have been mapped and optimized specifically for the Osmose keybed.

Custom-built to respond to Osmose CE's seven expressive gestures (Tap, Press, Pitch Bend, Vibrato, Shake, Strum, and Note-Off), Ctrl-e's presets can be browsed directly from the hardware when used with supported DAWs, and eight pre-mapped macros are available per preset. The sounds also take advantage of Osmose's performance tools, like the MPE Arpeggiator and Press Glide, which allows for a dynamic portamento that reacts to the pressure placed on two notes on the keyboard.

As well as drawing on Expressive E's own software instruments, Ctrl-e integrates multiple sound engines from a number of third-party developers, including Synapse Audio, AAS, Kilohearts, GForce, Dawesome and Vital. Collectively, these cover a variety of synthesis types, including wavetable, physical modelling and analogue modelling.

Outside of Ctrl-e, Osmose CE can function as a traditional MIDI controller, a fully-fledged MPE controller, or anything in between, and it's equipped with dedicated DAW controls for transport, track and device navigation, and mixer control, which are currently compatible with Ableton Live, Cubase, Bitwig and Logic Pro.

On the hardware front, Osmose CE is decked out in a slick white aluminum, and weighs a tad more than the synth version at 10kg. You get 5-pin DIN MIDI In, Out and Thru, along with a USB-C port and two assignable pedal inputs.

Find out more on Expressive E's website.

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Cre8audio has unveiled Programm, a MIDI and CV sequencer designed to bridge “the gap between human performance and algorithmic generation.”

Programm has 12 sequencer tracks that can be used in a mix and match fashion across its analogue and MIDI outputs.

There are four monophonic melodic tracks, which can be used as distinct sequencers when output via MIDI, or via two sets of analogue pitch, CV and gate outputs. These are joined by eight percussive sequencer tracks, each of which has its own analogue trigger output.

Programm is designed to be used both for precise programming and for generating randomised ideas. Each step can be configured via pitch, gate length, ratcheting, CV/CC, note offset, and step condition parameters.

Each sequence can have its own individual length up-to 64 steps. The device can save 64 patterns as well 32 multi-pattern songs.

The melodic sequencer tracks can be used in four modes – mono, chord, arp, and chip, which combines the chord and arp functions. The sequencer can make use of key and scale functionality, as well as six groove modes that Cre8audio says “expand far beyond classic swing”.

As well as being programmed step-by-step, sequences can be played in using an external MIDI controller or input using Programm’s button interface in keyboard mode.

The device also puts a heavy emphasis on generative tools, allowing each parameter to be randomised per-step or across a full sequence. Programm also has an always-on recall function, allowing users to capture ideas created through live tweaking or randomisation.

"We built Programm because we’ve used every sequencer under the sun," Cre8audio says. "We loved the speed of some and the randomness of others, but the workflow was never just right. Programm is a creative playground where you can step it in, play it in, or let the machine take the lead, but no matter what, the creative flow is always going to be there."

The sequencer ships as a desktop device housed in its own case, but it can be removed from this and used as a Eurorack-compatible module.

Programm is out now with a projected street price of $349.99/€319.99. Head to the Cre8audio site for more.

Having previously advised that “MIDI controllers can be expensive” and that using your QWERTY keyboard to record notes “works just as well,” PinkPantheress has now conceded that she really would like to own one particular wearable performance controller that definitely doesn’t come cheap.

We’re talking about the Mi.Mu gloves, the wearable musical mittens that enable you to trigger and control sounds using hand and finger gestures.

The idea for the gloves came from Imogen Heap, who began developing them with her team back in 2010. Heap, it turns out, is a big inspiration for PinkPantheress, something that she recently revealed to Derrick Gee on his YouTube channel during an interview.

But Gee was way ahead of her: he already knew this and, prior to the interview, had invited Heap to send a question for PinkPantheress that he could surprise her with, and she had been happy to oblige.

“I would like to ask you a question about production,” began Heap, in a pre-recorded clip. “So, I know you produce a lot of your work, which is brilliant. And I would like to know if you've got any special tricks, basically anything insightful that I could go buy or something that you know about in one of the programs you use that I could have a play with.”

There was more, though, because Heap was also wearing a pair of the aforementioned gloves, and set PinkPantheress a challenge.

“I have just now recorded a little bit of me singing one of your songs. A little bit of one of your songs. And I have it in my gloves, and I'm going to ask you to try and figure out what it is. But I'm going to go backwards to forwards.”

All of which drew quite the reaction from PinkPantheress, who was clearly astonished to see one of her songs, which she managed to correctly identify as True Romance, being sung by one of her heroes.

“You don’t understand,” she said. “That’s going to hit me later, and it’s going to make me cry.”

And then a plea: “Those gloves are everything. I've always wanted a pair of those – I want to ask her for some.”

Well we guess she sort of has now.

PinkPantheress went on to reveal that she and Heap have been close to working together in the past, and to explain just why she was so overwhelmed at hearing Heap singing one of her songs.

“So many of my melodies I feel like are born from her. It feels like it's full circle. Like, that is a melody she would sing… I am her daughter.”

That might come as news to Heap, but we get where she’s coming from. And if Heap doesn’t come through with a pair of gloves, PinkPantheress might like to know that they’re available on the Mi.Mu website, though she’ll need to find £2,699 if she wants to buy a pair.

As for production tips, despite being named Producer of the Year at this year's Brit Awards, PinkPantheress humbly suggested that there was nothing she could teach Heap that she didn’t already know.

“As if she's asking me. She's asking me what tricks I have. I have no tricks that she doesn't know about.”

It goes without saying that, these days, not all successful producers go about their business in lavish studios using expensive gear, but we’ll admit that we didn’t expect PinkPantheress’s setup to be quite as slimline as it appears to be.

Having recently become the first woman to be named Producer of the Year at the 2026 Brit Awards, the chart-topping artist (real name Victoria Walker) has just given us a quick insight into how she created Tonight, the lead single from her 2025 mixtape, Fancy That.

In the video, we learn that PinkPantheress’s setup is basically just a MacBook running Logic Pro (she used to use GarageBand but has now upgraded). And that means no MIDI keyboard – Walker demonstrates how she composed and recorded Tonight’s chord progression using Logic’s Musical Typing QWERTY keyboard option.

“The first thing I start off with is figuring out the chords like this,” she explains as she taps away on her MacBook. “As you can see, I put them in manually”.

As we see her concentrating, there’s a caption that reads: “MIDI controllers can be expensive! Inputting [notes] into whatever software you use works just as well.”

The bassline was also recorded by using this method, and we learn that Walker ended up pitching the chord progression up a semitone and changing the original piano to a synth sound for the final version, which also samples Panic! at the Disco.

“I’m bad at drums so I got my co-producer, Count Baldor, to do the drums,” she adds.

This kind of workflow might not be to your taste, but seeing it in action demonstrates once again that, in today’s music production world, the quality of your ideas is more important than the amount of gear you have at your disposal. If you’ve got a computer and some software, you’ve already got everything you need to get started.

What is it?

As one of the all-time best-selling MIDI keyboards, Akai’s MPK range will need little introduction to anyone who’s even dabbled in the realms of music production. With the arrival of the Akai MPK Mini IV, there’s yet another MIDI controller added to an already long list for music makers to consider.

The MPK series is highly regarded as one of the best all-rounders for getting people started in music production, but it’s also a very capable controller for more advanced musicians. Akai hasn’t played too much with the format versus the previous generations here, instead choosing to make a series of small upgrades that will improve usability and enhance production workflows.

Most noticeable is the replacement of the much-maligned joystick with separate wheels for controlling the pitch shifting and modulation control. The function buttons, once scattered across the unit, are now all in a single row above the keybed for easy access. The screen remains from the previous version but is upgraded to full colour, and now with its own endless encoder to allow you to control a brand new instrument collection, a first for an Akai MIDI keyboard.

Other changes are more subtle, like the slightly smaller MPC-style drum pads or the 8 slightly redesigned encoders for controlling various parameters. It also features dedicated transport controls for use with your chosen DAW, promising ‘1 to 1’ control with most major software. Chord mode returns from version 3, as does a more advanced version of scale mode, which has jumped from pad-only to be playable on the keybed.

The apreggiator has also gotten an upgrade, with the introduction of three new modes to jazz up your compositions with mutate, arp freeze, and pattern mode. In a boon for synthesizer users, the MK4 version also has a 5-pin MIDI output for hooking up to external hardware.

It’s available in two colourways with a familiar black and red motif and on my review model, a very fetching grey and off-white colour scheme that echoes the aesthetic of the original MPC, and gives me some '80s Amstrad PC vibes, too. It’s a very cool-looking piece of kit, and a nice balance of retro and modern.

Performance

As with most things I review, I prefer to jump straight in, so I plug the MPK Mini MK4 straight into my MacBook Pro M3 and load up a recent Pro Tools project. I’m pleased to report that after I create an instrument track and load up my copy of Wavestate Native, the MPK works straight off the bat, and I can begin adding some orchestral sweeping pads to a spacious guitar interlude immediately.

Keen to try what in my eyes is the biggest change from the previous iteration, I get to working the pitch and modulation wheels to see the action. The pitch wheel has a nice bit of resistance and automatically returns to the middle position when I let go, so I find I can really slowly and subtly bend the notes as they tail off. The travel of the wheel appears on the screen as both a bar that fills either way depending on where I bend, and a selection of numbers.

The modulation wheel has less resistance to it, which makes sense based on its use case. Here, the wheel sits where you leave it, and again is represented on the screen as a bar that gradually fills and a number. It’s taken Akai a while to upgrade these from the joystick of the previous versions, and it’s a much better experience than I’ve found on the prior generations of the controller.

The 8 encoders in the top right also work straight off the bat in Wavestate Native, so I can manipulate my sounds in real time. The labels don’t correlate, so presumably the MPK just picks the first 8 controls in the plugin of choice, but it’s great to see it work without any further input required. I immediately start experimenting with sounds, adjusting the timing, pitch, and step sequence without having to reach for my mouse or keyboard.

However, the same can’t be said for the transport controls, which don’t work for me straight out of the box. After an extended period of messing around with various presets, I head for the Akai website to get the software that comes with it and attempt to get all the controls up and running, as well as demoing in the brand new suite of instruments that comes with it.

I downloaded the inMusic Software Center, which houses the MPK software bundles. It includes Komplete Select 15, Ableton Live Lite 12, and the Studio Instrument Collection. The process asks me to update the firmware, which leads to the pads becoming illuminated, which wasn’t the case previously, as well as asking if I’d like to install DAW control scripts for FL Studio, Cubase, Logic Pro, and GarageBand. Unfortunately, there’s no script for my DAW Pro Tools, nor is there AAX compatibility, so I can’t run the Studio Instrument Collection inside my DAW either, which is a big shame.

I can run the software in standalone mode, so I chose to demo it that way for the purposes of the review. Upon initial load, I have to change the latency settings so that there isn’t a delay between hitting the drum pads and the sound emerging, but I find a second issue in that the control knobs don’t change the corresponding controls in the software. After some searching online, I’m told to delete the MPK from the MIDI Studio on my MacBook, which resolves the issue.

Diving into the software, there’s a huge array of sounds to choose from on the synth side, with over 1,000 different presets to choose from. These can then be augmented via the control knobs, which are sometimes just labeled as ‘Macro 1’, whereas on other presets they’re given proper names like Resonance, Attack, Cutoff, etc.

Combining so many presets with the ability to edit each and every one means there’s a huge depth on offer here. They don’t feel like they’re tacked on sounds either, with the tones being very high quality from the off, and the controls as responsive as any soft synth I’ve tried. I lose a good few hours demoing different sounds and tweaking them, and I only really touch the surface of what’s on offer.

On the drum side there’s less to choose from however, with just 36 kits. This feels a bit anaemic compared to the synth side of the program. It features techno, trap, boom bap, classic house, and more genres to choose from, and you can buy more kits via the MPC store to fill out your collection, but it’s a quick process to get through these sounds, and some are better quality than others.

Verdict

The Akai MPK Mini MK4 doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to MIDI keyboards, but it certainly adds enough to make it a worthwhile upgrade for music-makers, especially as it’s less than $/£100. The new pitch and modulation wheels are much needed, and the brand new Studio Instrument Collection gives you a lot of value for money in the software department.

I am disappointed that there’s no AAX version for it, although I do appreciate that the core audience is likely to be using Ableton, Logic, or FL Studio. Still, it would be nice if this were introduced in the future so that everyone can use the excellent sounds within the Studio Instrument Collection.

Hands-on videos

Alternatives

Specifications

OXI Instruments is the Spanish manufacturer behind the OXI One, a popular and versatile sequencer that received a MKII update earlier this year.

This week, OXI announced the latest addition to its product lineup: E16, a portable and lightweight controller that OXI promises will allow you to "control your entire set-up from one compact interface". (It's a busy week in the controller world – Serato just launched a dedicated controller for its Serato Studio DAW.)

OXI One is a powerhouse sequencer with an extensive set of features, and while E16's design looks a little more stripped-back at first glance, there's a similarly comprehensive level of functionality under the hood.

E16's aluminium unibody chassis features 16 endless encoders encircled by LED rings that display parameter values, joined by a single shift button in the top-left corner next to its OLED screen. Each knob has two assignable destinations and the LED colours can be customized to your liking.

Each of E16's 16 scenes stores 12 pages of controls with 16 per page, giving the user 192 controls per scene that can be mapped directly from the hardware or through OXI's companion app. Customized layouts and banks of parameter values can be saved to each scene as presets for instant recall.

"We didn't want to make just another controller – we wanted to bring the OXI philosophy to the MIDI world," OXI says of the E16 in the demo video embedded above, pointing to a handful of features that expand its capabilities in a live performance context.

E16 offers a neat grouping function that allows the user to link multiple controls together to be controlled via one macro encoder – useful for executing complex transitions that involve a number of different parameters or instruments. E16's snapshot feature goes even further by letting the user morph, Octatrack-style, between two sets of 16 saved parameters across an entire page of controls with a single knob twist.

There's also a knob recording function onboard that allows the user to capture the movement of a given encoder, which is played back on an unsynchronized loop – each encoder has its own loop buffer and length, so you'll be able to dial in evolving, polyrhythmic modulation with ease.

On the I/O front, E16 has two 3.5mm MIDI outputs, a MIDI input and wireless Bluetooth MIDI, alongside its USB-C connection and two virtual USB ports. It's available in two editions, a standard edition with smooth, non-detented encoders, and a limited edition with "clicky" encoders that give tactile feedback as they're turned.

Priced at £339/€409/$499, OXI E16 is available for preorder now – first units will ship at the end of December. Find out more on OXI Instruments' website.

Launched in 2018, Serato Studio was originally pitched as an entry-level DAW designed to lower the learning curve for DJs getting into music production. With an interface loosely based on that or Serato’s DJ software and an emphasis on loops and samples, it was designed to allow musicians familiar with the basics of dance music construction to build track ideas quickly.

Now at version 2.5, while still simplified compared to most DAWs, Studio is a well-rounded music production tool offering audio and MIDI recording, step sequencing, automation, built-in instruments and effects, plugin support, stem separation and more.

Now Serato, with the help of AlphaTheta, has launched Slab – its first hardware product and the first dedicated controller for Serato Studio.

Although it was already possible to map controllers to Studio, Slab aims for a slick plug-and-play workflow that mimics the intuitive and user-friendly experience of the software. The hardware itself has been created in collaboration with AlphaTheta, a brand with experience of bridging the gap between DJ and production hardware.

Slab is a pad-focussed controller laid out in the style of Akai’s MPCs and Native Instruments Maschine. Its main interface element is a grid of 16 velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive performance pads. These pads are flanked by a variety of other control elements including four rotary encoders, a touchstrip and a variety of buttons for switching between Studio’s various functions.

To the left of the hardware is a large transport section featuring sizable play and record buttons, and a chunky dial used as the primary browsing/navigation tool.

This dial can also make use of a handy feature called Focus Control, which allows the user to hover their mouse cursor over any parameter within Studio or a third-party plugin, and then adjust that parameter with Slab’s main dial, allowing for quick tactile control without the need for MIDI mapping.

Slab’s pad grid can be used in a number of different ways, including triggering sample slices and step sequencing, as well as a Pad FX mode, which allows users to layer and manipulate multiple effect types across the 4-by-4 grid.

Although Slab is primarily designed for use with Serato Studio, it can also be used with Serato Sample and Serato DJ Pro.

In all three applications, the controller can be used for hands-on control of the software’s stem separation features, allowing users to adjust the volume of individual stems with the device’s four rotaries – a feature that could make it a potentially handy additional controller within Serato DJ setups. DJ Pro users can also use Slab to control other performance features within the software.

Although it’s clearly capable of undertaking a variety of tasks, Slab is also notable for how stripped-back it looks compared to the latest generation MPCs and Maschines. That simplicity is clearly by design though, with its creators aiming for the same approachable learning curve as that of the Studio software it accompanies.

As the tagline on Serato’s official website states, “The best MIDI controller setup isn’t about having more—it’s about staying connected to what matters. SLAB keeps your head in the game, and your hands on the beat.”

Yoshinori Kataoka, President and CEO of AlphaTheta Corporation, said: “This product was designed to empower DJs, artists, and creators to explore new creative possibilities and more intuitive ways to make music. From people who want to make their first-ever track to experienced producers, we can’t wait to see how music lovers around the world will use SLAB to turn their ideas into sound.”

The Slab hardware itself is compact and lightweight, with a footprint slightly smaller than an A4 piece of paper and less than 50mm thick, weighing in at 1kg. It connects to a computer via USB-C, which also provides power.

Slab is priced at €299/$299/£259 and includes a full license for Serato Studio. Head to the Serato site for more.

We’ve seen plenty of synths with built-in speakers, but how about a speaker that has a built-in synth? That’s the seemingly unlikely premise of Popumusic PartyStudio, which is billed as “the world’s first wireless MIDI synthesizer speaker.”

It sounds like a crazy idea, but if you think about it, it does make a certain amount of sense. Assuming you’ve got a Bluetooth MIDI keyboard that can run on battery power (which, we’ll admit, is a bit of an assumption) all you need to do is pair this to the PartyStudio and you can start playing. “No complicated setups. No software. No cables. Just play,” is the tagline.

There shouldn’t be any issues with latency (under 16ms, according to Popumusic), as the audio itself is being played directly from the speaker. What’s more, you can link up to three wireless MIDI devices simultaneously, each triggering a different sound, which opens up the possibility of multiple people jamming together. You can also use one additional cabled MIDI connection if you’re not completely wedded to the idea of being 100% wireless.

The possible downside is that there are only 128 sounds (we suspect some kind of General MIDI offering), but these should cover the ‘stock’ bases (piano, strings, synth, guitar, etc) and Popustudio suggests that more sounds could be added via over-the-air Wi-Fi updates. There’s also a built-in drum machine with 50 rhythm patterns and customisable tones, which means that the PartyStudio could be a practice tool.

When it comes to control, Popumusic has chosen to keep things simple: two knobs, two buttons, two switches and a touchscreen. This isn’t one for hands-on tweaking, then, but that’s not really the point.

The speaker itself has 70 watts of power courtesy of two 10-watt high-frequency drivers, two 25-watt mid-low speakers and a rear passive radiator. In keeping with the ‘party’ vibe, there’s also a light-up colour strip that pulses with your music. There's a built-in rechargeable battery that we're told has a life of up to eight hours.

The PartyStudio has an official price of $499 but is set to launch on Kickstarter soon for the early-bird price of $299. Find out more on the Popumusic website.

Five years on from the release of the MPK Mini Mk3, Akai Professional has unveiled the next generation of its compact MIDI controller keyboard: MPK Mini IV.

A major update that Akai is describing as the “most substantial redesign” in the series’ history, MPK Mini IV introduces pitch and modulation wheels, revamps the keybed and pads, adds a 5-pin MIDI output and USB-C connection and bundles the controller with a new software instrument that features more than 1,000 presets.

Among Mini IV's array of upgrades, the headline is the pitch and mod wheels, which replace the four-way joystick found on the Mk3. MPK Mini's strongest competitors, Arturia's Minilab and Novation's Launchkey Mini, both have touch strips for pitch bend and modulation, so the wheels are a welcome addition, even if they're arguably not quite the "industry first at this price point" that Akai is claiming they are.

The wheels are joined by an updated 3rd-gen 25-key keybed that reportedly offers “enhanced expressiveness” and eight velocity-sensitive RGB backlit pads that Akai says are more responsive than those found on the Mk3. Rounding things off in the control department are eight assignable rotary knobs.

Mini IV swaps out Mk3’s monochrome OLED display for a full-colour version and introduces a transport section for hands-on control over essential DAW functions – the controller ships with pre-made scripts for Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio and Cubase. There are new Scale and Chord Modes for staying in key and building chord progressions, and the arpeggiator has been equipped with three new modes, including an intriguingly named Mutate function.

With the release of Mini IV, Akai is introducing Studio Instrument Collection, a new software instrument that features 1,000 sounds from brands across the inMusic family, including Moog, AIR and Akai themselves. You’ll also get a license for Live Lite 12, a cut-down version of Ableton’s flagship DAW.

What’s more, Mini IV brings a full-size 5-pin DIN MIDI output, making the controller a far more versatile tool for integrating with DAWless setups and external gear. There’s also a USB-C port in place of Mk3’s USB-B connection, and a sustain pedal jack. The controller is available in two colourways: a standard black and red finish and a retro grey that’s reminiscent of classic MPCs.

"The MPK Mini IV embodies our commitment to empowering creators of all skill levels with professional-grade tools," said Akai Pro’s Andy Mac. "We've completely reimagined what's possible in a compact controller — delivering tactile, expressive controls; instant access to premium sounds; and true portability at an accessible price point. It’s designed to inspire creativity from the moment you plug it in."

All that for under $100 makes MPK Mini IV a serious contender for the best cheap MIDI keyboard on the market. This is a proper update, bringing many of the most desirable features of the pricier MPK Mini Plus to its 25-key sibling, and making a budget controller that was already among the most appealing options in its price bracket even more of a tempting proposition.

The Akai Professional MPK Mini IV is available now for $99/€109.99/£94.99. Find out more on Akai's website.

What is it?

The most functional MIDI controllers usually take the form of mixers – the Novation Launch Control XL has been a fine example of this since 2014, and for 2025 we have the Launch Control XL 3.

The core XL features are present, along with a cosmetic update, an OLED display, endless encoders, transport controls, full-size MIDI DIN, and RGB LEDs.

The box contains the Launch Control XL mk 3, and a 1.5m USB A-to-C cable. A free software bundle gets you started, including Ableton Live Lite, Cubase LE, and plugins such as Klevgrand Fosfat (drum dynamics processor), Baby Audio Parallel Aggressor (saturation and compression) and Output’s Movement (rhythmic multi effects).

The top panel features a 128x64 OLED display; below which are page, track, rec and play buttons, then buttons for shift, mode, and solo/arm, mute/select, DAW/Mixer. There’s also a mysterious Novation logo button. There are three rows of eight endless encoders, each with an RGB LED, eight faders, then finally two rows of eight buttons, again with RGB LEDs.

The rear includes a Kensington lock slot, USB C, MIDI Out 2/Thru, MIDI Out, and MIDI In, each of these being on a MIDI DIN – big MIDI’s back!

The top panel features a 128x64 OLED display; below which are page, track, rec and play buttons, then buttons for shift, mode, and solo/arm, mute/select, DAW/Mixer. There’s also a mysterious Novation logo button. There are three rows of eight endless encoders, each with an RGB LED, eight faders, then finally two rows of eight buttons, again with RGB LEDs.

The rear includes a Kensington lock slot, USB C, MIDI Out 2/Thru, MIDI Out, and MIDI In, each of these being on a MIDI DIN – big MIDI’s back!

Performance

We connected the Launch Control XL to a MacBook Pro M3, checked for firmware updates, as advised on the box, and started up Ableton Live 12.2.1.

Configuration is simple – Live recognises the Launch Control XL immediately. The Launch Control XL swaps between DAW Mixer Mode and DAW Control Mode, by pressing Shift, then one of the Mode buttons. Mixer Mode provides control over track levels, sends, and pan, while DAW Control Mode handles device controls, and transport controls – which really adds value in Arrangement View, performing tasks such as controlling playback position, horizontal and vertical zoom, loop controls, marker selection, and tempo.

Everything you do is reflected in the OLED display, making it simple to keep track of what control you’re tweaking.

Using the Launch Control XL with Logic Pro required just one more step – downloading a control script. Novation also offer scripts for other DAWs such as Cubase, FL Studio and Bitwig Studio.

We went on to try various other synths on macOS and iOS; no issues, and we found that the Launch Control XL paired well with Novation’s Launchpad Pro.

Novation’s free Components editor handles deeper editing and each individual control can be configured; an encoder or fader can send a specific MIDI CC, with min and max values, on a specific channel, with specified LED colours. The 16 buttons can also send MIDI notes instead of CCs. Edits are then saved as Modes, recallable from the hardware using the 16 lower buttons.

Thanks to the Components app, and those full-size DINs, the Launch Control XL has fantastic potential for performing as part of a hybrid system, using a computer or tablet alongside MIDI hardware such as synths or samplers.

Verdict

We’re genuinely enthusiastic about this update to the the Launch Control XL – previous models always found a place on our table as a useful controller that never gets in the way. The OLED display is compact, but adds great usability, particularly when making it work as a standalone hardware device.

Talking of ‘standalone’, the upgrade to full-size MIDI DIN connections will be irrelevant to some users, but is a massive convenience for anybody who needs to connect and control hardware, without resorting to the dreaded adapters.

New look, new display, new features, proper MIDI out – this is a big update and we’d go as far as recommending it even for users of previous versions. It really is that good.

Hands-on demos

Novation

Alternatives

Specifications

What is it?

We’re big fans of Arturia’s controller keyboards, and with good reason. They play well, look great and offer tailored control of its Analog Lab instrument framework. The latest model to get the mark 3 upgrade is the MicroLab, which is the smallest in the range, and like many other Arturia keyboards is available in both black and white versions.

MicroLab Mk3 is a 25 mini key USB-powered controller keyboard. It looks a lot like a cut-down version of the MiniLab Mk3, and features a similar slick design with wood effect panels at each end. However, the layout has been tweaked a little bit and with the touch zone strips for expression and pitchbend at the left-hand end, it’s slightly wider, though considerably shallower, front to back than its bigger sibling.

On the back you’ll find a USB-C port, Kensington lock aperture, and single ¼” control pedal jack, although there’s no MIDI out, which is a bit of a shame. Meanwhile, on the bottom are six sturdy rubber feet. If you’re using it on a desktop these keep the keyboard steady but also generate enough friction to keep it firmly in position when playing.

Finally, in the box you also get a 1.5m USB C to USB A cable, and the registration card which unlocks the software package. This includes Analog Lab Intro, which features 500 presets from Arturia’s V Collection instruments, and Ableton Live Lite.

Performance

MicroLab Mk3 has the same key bed as the MiniLab 3, and this has a positive and quite springy synth style action. Despite being smaller than a regular keyboard it’s also very playable and is mechanically pretty quiet. This is a hallmark of Arturia’s controller keyboards and definitely contributes to the overall sense of quality.

The touch zone strips are very sensitive, making pitchbend and modulation moves easy, although this sensitivity does make it easy to inadvertently activate the strips with your left hand.

Just above the touch strips you get dedicated backlit octave buttons (+/- 4 octaves), and the backlight intensity helps indicate which octave is selected. Just above this is the note Hold button, and by default this sends out CC64 (Sustain), which is great if you’re unable to use a pedal.

Finally, the Shift button accesses further features and these are labelled in grey. Options include MIDI channel selection using the keyboard keys, and also the chord memory using the Hold key. Selecting Shift and Hold together activates Chord mode and you then simply select the notes you want (up to 16). The Hold key blinks slowly to indicate the mode is active.

Shift also allows patch selection in Arturia’s Analog Lab software. You’ll find if you have Analog Lab’s browser open you can use the touch strips to quickly spin through patch categories, USB categories and specific presets. Meanwhile the octave buttons will cycle through the presets.

Finally, MicroLab is supported by Arturia’s MIDI Control Centre software, and although the options here are more limited than more complex controller keyboards, you can adjust velocity curve and various other MIDI output parameters such as the Hold MIDI CC number.

Verdict

MicroLab Mk3 is Arturia’s simplest keyboard controller, and it would be easy to focus on what it doesn’t do. However, the remit for this backpack-friendly controller is to keep things small and simple, and it meets that remit admirably. What’s more at under £50, it’s ideal for beginners or more seasoned users after a sofa or travel device.

Hands-on demos

Arturia

Alternatives

Specifications

Nektar has updated its Impact LX range of MIDI keyboards across four models spanning 25-, 49-, 61- and 88-key configurations, bringing redesigned hardware, enhanced DAW integration and Native Instruments NKS support to its Mk3 line of keyboard controllers, which the company describes as "the MIDI keyboard that goes beyond MIDI".

The Mk3 range's most notable upgrade is the re-engineered keybed, which Nektar says offers an "expressive playing experience with a clean action and subtle velocity control". The 25-, 49-, and 61-note models get a new and improved synth-style keybed, while the 88-note model features semi-weighted keys based on the Nektar GXP88.

On the hardware front, the keybed is complemented by banks of eight faders, eight pads, eight encoders and nine LED-illuminated buttons, and joined by a new, central Global Control encoder that integrates with compatible DAWs to offer control over channel volume and cutoff, alongside a third mode that maps the encoder to any DAW or plugin parameter with a single click.

The Global Encoder also features an additional mode that provides precise parameter control at 10-bit resolution, providing a broader range of control than standard MIDI. (Standard MIDI CC messages send values in the 0-127 range, which can result in coarse, stepped adjustments on parameters like filter cutoff – Nektar's 10-bit resolution boosts this range to 0-1024.)

A new set of performance tools are on offer, including Scale, Chord and Hold modes, and the range has been equipped with new options for DAW timeline navigation and a loop creation workflow designed for quick performance capture in compatible DAWs.

The Impact LX Mk3 range now features support for Native Instruments' NKS (Native Kontrol Standard) protocol, which hooks up the controllers with NKS-compatible plugins, instruments and effects via pre-mapped control layouts designed by the developers, giving the user instant hands-on control without having to do any MIDI mapping.

Impact LX Mk3 owners will get a free copy of Native Instruments' Komplete Select bundle, along with Bitwig 8-track and the MOK Miniraze synth. To celebrate the launch of Impact LX Mk3, Bitwig and Nektar are giving away a complete copy of Bitwig Studio Essentials to the first 500 registered users.

The Impact LX Mk3 range offers DAW integration with Ableton Live Suite, Bitwig Studio, Cakewalk/Sonar, Cubase (13 or higher), FL Studio, Garageband, Nuendo,, Logic Pro (10.8 or higher), Reason, Reaper and Studio One (5 or higher). Connectivity on offer includes USB-C and 5-pin MIDI-out, and there's a 1/4" TS jack for footswitches.

The Nektar Impact LX Mk3 range will be available August 1st.

Find out more on Nektar's website or check out prices below.

Impact LX25^mk3: $129.99 / €109,99 / £ 94.49

Impact LX49^mk3: $199.99 / €179,99 / £154.99

Impact LX61^mk3: $229.99 / €199,99 / £172.99

Impact LX88^mk3: $339.99 / €299,99 / £259.99

What is it?

For a good while, Bitwig had been quietly working on its first hardware product behind the scenes, and the Berlin-based outfit hadn’t wanted to rush things. On first hearing the news of hardware development, our minds immediately veered towards a controller of some sort - a well-trodden path. However, an audio interface wasn’t very high on the list. I mean, what else can you really bring to market that hasn’t already been done before? Well, it would seem there’s plenty.

Enter Bitwig Connect 4/12, a four-in, 12-out DC-coupled audio interface with MIDI and two virtual loopback channels. In fact, it’s more than your average audio interface with the addition of monitor and DAW transport controls, and some very neat control functionality for all you Bitwig Studio users.

Housed in a very solid metal chassis, the 4/12 is a hefty piece of kit, somewhat reminiscent of the weight and build quality of UA’s Apollo Twin interfaces, complete with a big multi-use dial adorning the faceplate. However, here, the 360-degree rotary is touch-sensitive, so will respond to several different types of gestures, which I’ll go into a bit more detail later.

The I/O is split between two ins and four 3.5mm TS outs located at the top of the front panel and the rest located around the rear, which include: a Mic/Line/Instrument combi port on channel one; a 1/4-inch TRS balanced Line/Instrument jack on channel two; six balanced 1/4-inch TRS balanced outputs (channels one to six); a 1/4-inch stereo headphone output on channels seven and eight; 3.5mm TRS MIDI in and out (breakout cables included); and finally a USB-C/USB2 port for bus-powered connectivity to your computer.

In the box, you’ll find a bright orange and black braided USB-C to C cable, a USB-C to A dongle, two MIDI 3.5mm TRS to 5-pin cables and four braided 3.5mm cables to connect to your outboard gear.

Performance

When it comes to the I/O, it’s inputs three and four and outputs nine to 12 are where all the fun lies, if you’re looking to connect modular devices, that is. The two inputs are switchable between audio or CV signals and as such feature a DC filter that will cut the signal below 20Hz, thus eliminating any unwanted DC offsets when recording audio, and opens a whole ton of options when connecting to your modular set-up. Utilising the CV hardware device in Bitwig Studio with these I/O options is a doddle and you won’t even need to refer to a manual to get things up and running, it’s that easy and intuitive.

The patching options at your disposal here bring your modular and Bitwig even closer than ever before. It has to be said that the real fun lies with the Grid, and again, using the I/O modules, you can easily patch your hardware with the software modules.

I loved the Grid when it first landed with version 3 of Studio, but with Connect, it breathes new life into the virtual modular environment for me. I’ll admit to not owning much in the way of modular hardware, owing mostly to a lack of space, not to mention the question of affordability, so spending out on a Eurorack audio interface and the space to house it has never been high on my list. As such, I’ve never fully explored the Grid with external hardware. Connect 4/12 neatly kills two birds with one stone here, so there’s no worry about having to make extra room in the diminutive modular. The Grid feels even more fun and more powerful than ever.

Control panel

Connect 4/12 comes with an accompanying Control Panel app with opens up even more functionality and gives you full access to the routing and settings. Here you can adjust the sample rate and buffer size and you can easily change channel input settings here from mic, to instrument or line level inputs and also toggle the phantom power on channel one, saving you the faff of fumbling to reach the buttons around the rear of the unit.

There are also deeper settings for the Alt option in the Control Panel. You can select different outputs for wiring up an alternative set of monitors, which are then easily selectable by the Alt button on the hardware.

Levels for everything can be adjusted within the software as well as using the big rotary dial and various button combinations. While the tactility of the dial is most welcome, sometimes you may just want to freely type in an exact value, so having the option for both is great.

Big dial energy

The 360-degree touch-sensitive rotary dial is, hands down, the main attraction here. The two main options to access this power come courtesy of the Scroll and Bitwig buttons located on the bottom right corner of the front panel. As the name suggests, Scroll gives you the ability to easily scroll and zoom your views, but the Bitwig button is where the real fun begins.

Activating Bitwig mode grants you the power to control any parameter by simply hovering your mouse over it, so jumping from one parameter to the next can be as fast as it takes for you to move your mouse around the screen. Both Bitwig and Scroll modes can be used momentarily or latched and you can achieve this in one of two ways: either double-clicking the mode button or by double-tapping the dial itself, and the LEDs will change colour accordingly.

The momentary function will only give you control over a parameter while the mouse pointer is hovering over it. Using the latch function will lock the physical dial to the parameter of your choice, so you can freely move your mouse pointer elsewhere and still have control over said parameter.

It took some getting used to, as I’m so used to solely using a mouse/trackpad, but after a while, activating the Bitwig and Scroll modes was second nature and even more so when using the double-tap function. It’s a simple and yet very effective improvement on using Bitwig Studio. Many of you who already use MIDI controllers in this fashion will likely scoff at its simplicity, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a hands-on control system as fast and intuitive.

The ‘Double Tap’ function in Bitwig mode can also be customised within Studio’s Controller settings menu. Double tapping by default latches the control, but you can also select the Reset option which will allow you to reset the value of said control. There are also options for setting the speed of the Scroll function and setting the Transport to either pause or return to the original position when stopping playback.

Working well with others

Clearly, most of the testing for this review was using Bitwig Studio, but Connect can work well with other DAWs. The most obvious match is Ableton Live and I found no issues when using the CV tools and connecting to modular gear, as both Live and Studio have their similarities, there’s no surprise here.

I also tried out Connect with Logic Pro, which, like most DAWs, will map multiple outputs ready for multichannel monitoring if you so wish, which is a nice touch. As for CV connectivity, well, you won’t find much af that here, unless you’re using third-party plugins.

It goes without saying that the Scroll and Bitwig buttons won’t have any effect within other DAWs, and the transport buttons won’t straight away either, but Connect 4/12 does support Mackie Control (MCU) protocol, and you can configure this if your DAW supports MCU (they pretty much all do).

Where we did get a bit stuck was when testing it with iOS. Though I must stress that nowhere does Bitwig claim that Connect 4/12 is iOS compatible, so this was merely a test to see if and how it worked with Apple’s mobile operating systems.

On connecting to it to an iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16, a warning flashed up stating that the accessory uses too much power to operate. Playback seemed to work from app to app, but when trying to monitor or record in Garageband, there was no signal.

However, with an iPad Air (M2) running iPadOS 18.3.1, I had no such warning with power and the device worked perfectly fine with Garageband able to see all the available channels. Recording and monitoring behaved as expected and even some (not all) of the controls were recognised as MIDI notes when using Alchemy.

Verdict

Bitwig clearly knows its market and knows what its users are looking for when it comes to breaking out of the box. I’ve always found that Studio’s hardware integration options have been top-notch and beat a lot of other DAWs out there and the 4/12 further adds to this.

Connect isn’t the only DC-coupled audio interface out there, but it’s by far the most modular-centric one I’ve come across. The addition and location of the 3.5mm ins and outs are ideal, but if I had one complaint, it’s that everything else is around the rear. I much prefer having headphones in a more accessible location, i.e. the front. Nowadays, many manufacturers even put an instrument input on the front panel too, so I’m thinking that maybe all the I/O should be on the top here?

Another very slight annoyance is that the phantom power and input-type switches are also on the rear. I guess that, visually, it’s better to have an uncluttered interface, but ergonomically, this doesn’t work for me. It’s a bit annoying having to peer around the back of the unit when plugging in cables, let alone having to scrabble around for buttons.

I can see the presence of only one mic pre as off-putting for some, but I don't think it’ll be too much of a deal-breaker. I, for one, rarely need to capture more than one microphone at a time, but those who do might want to look elsewhere.

Connect packs a lot of tools into an already feature-rich box, so I have the feeling that its size and price would be greatly affected by the addition of another mic pre. Perhaps the addition of an optical input for channel expansion would’ve been a good option, but at what cost?

The AKM converters offer industry-standard clarity and plenty of headroom when recording. You won't find any extra signal processing usually found on audio interfaces around this price point, but it's not a deal-breaker with everything else going on.

The bottom line

Testing Connect with the likes of iOS and iPadOS, while not strictly necessary, I was interested to see how much use you would get from the interface in a wide variety of studio setups. Granted, you’re not likely to be hauling this around whilst creating music on the move, but it’s good to know that, in a pinch, you could utilise its I/O with an iPad setup.

The main USP for Connect 4/12 is the seamless integration and added functionality for Bitwig Studio, once you’ve installed the Control Panel app. The multi-use, touch-sensitive controller dial with the intuitive Bitwig and Scroll modes will help you get more out of the DAW.

There are cheaper options within Eurorack as well as other DC-coupled audio interfaces out there, but if you’re primarily a Bitwig Studio user, then getting Connect 4/12 should be the next thing on your shopping list. It’s an excellent all-round device for your I/O needs.

If you've been unsure of making the jump to Bitwig Studio, then Connect might just be the sweetener to seal the deal.

Hands-on video

Alternatives

Specifications

MicroLab is Arturia's most affordable MIDI keyboard, a compact and portable 25-key controller aimed at musicians that want to perform or record on-the-go.

Today, Arturia releases MicroLab mk3, a comprehensively upgraded version of the already-affordable MIDI keyboard at an even more affordable price.

MicroLab's hardware has received a full redesign: the controller has been equipped with a new and improved two-octave keybed, featuring the same velocity-sensitive keys found in MiniLab 3, and a new sustain pedal input, making it a more capable instrument for expressive performances.

Gone is the colourful rubberized casing of the mk2 model that helpfully stored a USB cable, and mk2's recessed USB-B port has been replaced with a USB-C port. Mk3 is now available in white and black versions with new faux-wooden cheeks - a nice visual touch.

If you don't have a sustain pedal to hook up to MicroLab, you can activate the controller's Hold Mode using a button in the corner. The same button also activates Chord Mode, which can be used to play chords with a single key - a helpful feature for beginners.

MicroLab ships with an newly-updated bundle of software that includes Analog Lab Intro, a virtual instrument featuring hundreds of presets from Arturia's V Collection software, and Ableton Live Lite, a stripped-down version of the popular DAW.

Arturia has knocked a decent chunk off the price, too, bringing MicroLab down to to $59 and making MicroLab mk3 a serious contender for one of the best cheap MIDI keyboards on the market.

Find out more on Arturia's website.

When we launched our Superbooth live report last week, we prefaced it by saying that “Superbooth has grown to become the most significant date in the annual music technology calendar.” That statement remains true, but in retrospect feels like an understatement.

For a few years now, the Berlin synth show has been a focal point for music technology gear announcements, but the 2025 iteration took this to another level. The sheer volume and variety of new music making gear on display in and around the FEZ event space was beyond anything we’ve seen in previous years.

In 2025, Superbooth is more than just a significant date in the annual music technology calendar – it feels like the focal point of the whole industry. Even brands that weren’t at the show itself, such as Roland, got in on the action with conveniently timed synth news. From small DIY projects to major brands releasing flagship instruments, this year’s Superbooth had something fresh around every corner.

If there was anything that was going to sour the vibe at this year's show, it was the looming spectre of tariffs. The implications of Donald Trump’s baffling trade war lent an unspoken air of uncertainty to this year’s Superbooth. More often than not, when we asked brands about price and availability of upcoming products, any information was accompanied by a caveat that uncontrollable factors might change things.

From our perspective, the main problem with this year’s Superbooth was that such a massive volume of exciting new releases makes narrowing things down to a manageable ‘best of’ list incredibly tough. Honestly, we could waffle on here for thousands of words.

As it is, our team on the ground has argued out their favourites and whittled it down to 12 highlights – plus a few honourable mentions. You can hear more of our reasoning along with audio demos of everything mnetioned in the video above. Visit our Superbooth live report for even more from the show.

Synths and keyboards

Frap Tools Magnolia

Italy’s Frap Tools has made a name for itself in the modular world, but Superbooth 2025 sees the company stepping up with its first full polysynth. Based on ideas previously explored in the company’s Bresno oscillator module and Cunsa filter, this 8-voice analogue synth combines ideas from conventional subtractive synthesis with ‘West Coast’ features such as wavefolding, flip sync and audio rate modulation.

Key to the synth’s sound is through-zero FM, applicable between each voice’s two oscillators, but FM can also be applied to the high and low pass filters. Combined, it produces some wonderful metallic tones that can morph into edgy, aggressive territory easily. The company described it to us as like exploring digital sounds in the analogue realm, which seems pretty fitting.

Another important element of Magnolia’s sound is the bi-timbral design, which allows two sounds to be split into dual, keyboard split, morph and unison modes. Assigning these layers appears to be very easy, and in our demos the synth really comes alive when combining elements of bright FM tone with rich, traditional poly patches.

The keyboard has poly aftertouch, along with a user-friendly mod matrix, and assigning expressivity looks like it would open up a lot of interesting sonic potential. It reminds us quite a lot of UDO’s synth designs, which is no bad thing, but already seems to have a distinct sonic palette of its own.

Availability: Towards the end of 2025

Price: TBC, but we’d expect top-end

Moog Messenger

Moog Messenger may be a monosynth with a simple architecture and an accessible knob-per-function interface, but the instrument has a few tricks up its sleeve, specifically wavefolding oscillators inherited from the recently-released Labyrinth and a “next-generation” ladder filter that delivers four modes (4-pole low-pass, 2-pole low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass) thanks to its versatile pole-mixing design.

Filling a hole in Moog’s product catalogue left by the recent discontinuation of the Subsequent 25, Messenger gives music-makers a way to access the classic Moog sound for under $1000, without losing a keyboard and venturing into semi-modular territory.

And it’s clear that with Messenger - as with several recent releases - Moog is attempting to complement the sound that the company is known for with modern enhancements and an exploratory new direction.

In person, Messenger surprised us a little with how compact it is, and we feel this form factor might be divisive. It’s also got some tough competition from other monosynths at this price point. We’ll never complain about getting our hands on a new Moog monosynth though.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: £699/$899

Instruō Seashell

Bridging the knob-twiddling hardware world of modular synthesis with the software landscape via an accompanying plugin, Seashell aims to bring perfect integration with your DAW or software control environment.

The synth itself has a semi-modular architecture fuelled by dual analogue sawtooth-core VCOs sporting sync and cross modulation. There’s a wave folder and lowpass filter (CV controlled) and on the modulation front, there’s an LFO, a flexible envelope generator and a stereo diffusion effect. All of these elements can be manipulated via the accompanying software. It’s also patchable via CV inputs for external signal manipulation.

Connecting to your computer (Mac, Windows or Linux) via USB-C, users can modify any and all of the Seashell's analogue components via the plugin’s fairly contemporary-looking UI, with high resolution digital control (14 bit) over its main areas.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: £649

Drum machines, samplers and grooveboxes

Erica Synth HexDrums

The big news from Erica Synths at Superbooth this year is the release of HexDrums, an analogue drum machine that inherits the DNA of percussion modules from now-defunct Eurorack brand Hexinverter Electronique.

In typical Erica Synths fashion, it’s a beastly-sounding instrument that packs all the percussive firepower one could need into its sleek black-and-yellow shell. It also packs a master compressor, based on Hexinverter’s Mutant Hot Glue module.

We love the chunky sequencer buttons and abundance of hands on control here. In use, HexDrums feels very intuitive and its meaty sound is perfect for raw techno, capable of serving hard-hitting percussion and meaty bass parts side by side.

Availability: Late 2025

Price: TBC

Cre8audio Boom Chick

Boom Chick is a Eurorack-friendly drum machine from Cre8audio and Pittsburgh Modular. Its five drum voices feature the expected kick, snare and hi-hat alongside two multifunctional voices that can be used to craft toms, claps, cymbals and experimental percussive textures through waveshaping and frequency modulation.

The sequencer is surprisingly deep and flexible for such an affordable instrument ($399) and there’s more than enough connectivity here with individual outputs per voice. We’re impressed.

Availability: Mid-May 2025

Price: $399

1010music Bento

Bento is an eight track sampler and sequencer, designed to be the hub of a DAW-free setup. Its neat form factor feels just right to us - small enough to feel light and truly portable, but not fiddly. Its touchscreen is clear and responsive, although it remains to be seen how well it works as an interface for deeper editing.

First impressions are that Bento feels a lot like Polyend’s Tracker, albeit designed for those put off by the more esoteric elements of that machine’s retro-influenced design. With the ability to live play its pads, step sequence and edit on a piano roll via the touchscreen, there’s plenty of ways to sculpt patterns.

Although sample content is very much the focus, with one-shot, looping and multi samples catered for, the inclusion of the granular engine from 1010music’s Lemondrop adds a touch of textural synthesis to the sound palette. We like the overall look and feel of Bento. And the inclusion of plenty of MIDI and audio connectivity.

It’s worth noting that while the instrument is available to purchase now, some notable features are yet to be implemented, including some clip functions and the ability to process external sounds through effects. These are said to be on the roadmap for the very near future.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: £849/$899

MIDI controllers and sequencers

Novation Launch Control XL 3

Launched in 2014 as a dedicated Ableton Live controller that expanded the capabilities of the dinky Launch Control, Novation’s Launch Control XL has since gained a reputation as a reliable and affordable DAW controller, though it hasn’t been updated since the MK2 version gave it a mostly visual refresh back in 2017 - until now.

Novation’s Launch Control XL 3 sees the controller transitioning from a primarily Ableton-focused device into something that’s aimed equally at users of all DAWS - and those who have ditched them altogether. It’s got out-of-the-box integration with Ableton, Logic, Cubase, FL Studio and more, and now thanks to its new MIDI I/O, it’s a viable option for those looking to control a hardware-based set-up.

XL 3’s hardware also received a complete redesign: its new OLED display makes it easy to reference parameter values and assignments while performing, while LEDs under each encoder denote values via their brightness and colour. It’s also got a sleek and minimalist new look. Launch Control XL has historically been a pretty decent controller at a reasonable price point, but it was looking rather outdated in 2025: this is the update it needed.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: $249/£189/€193

Neuzeit Instruments Drop

Arriving out of nowhere this year is something entirely unexpected from Neuzeit Instruments, a manufacturer best known for its experimentally inclined Eurorack modules. Drop is a formidably powerful snapshot-based MIDI and CV controller: 32 LED-equipped knobs, eight faders, eight mutes, and 20 buttons (all duplicated across two layers) give you tons of control, while 4x MIDI ins and outs and 2x CV ins and outs provide ample connectivity.

The concept at the core of Drop is right there in the name: it’s designed to make it easy to create impactful build-ups, transitions and drops. 20 banks of 20 snapshots can be used to program multiple scenes, which can be pre-scheduled. Line up your drop for a chosen number of bars, then go nuts on the effects to create a dramatic build-up, knowing that the next section of your song will automatically drop in at the specified time.

If you’re working on live performances that incorporate multiple instruments and pieces of gear with complex arrangements and transitions, this could be the controller for you.

Availability: Late-summer 2025

Price: €799

Effects processors

Polyend Mess

The latest in Polyend’s relatively new line in stompboxes, Mess is an abbreviation of Multi-Effect Step Sequencer. There are 125 effects under the hood, including reverbs and delays, granular and glitch processors, overdrives and bitcrushers, pitchshifters, loopers and slicers.

You can use all of these without the sequencer if you wish, stacking them in any combination you like, but there’s almost certainly more fun to be had if you start tweaking those parameters over time.

You can set the speed and length of each track to create polyrhythmic or polymetric patterns, while the chance/probability options introduce elements of randomness and ensure that the effects just keep on changing. 200 presets are included, along with 1000 slots for your own concoctions.

The knob-per-function interface should help to ensure that preset building is as fun as playing, with sequences being built across 16 step pads. Connectivity includes MIDI I/O, Stereo TRS audio I/O, an expression pedal input, USB-C and a slot for a Micro SD card.

On the show floor we got to test Mess on a guitar, and loved the way it could turn simple chords into richly modulated soundscapes. We can’t wait to see what it can do on things like synths or drums.

Availability: June 2025

Price: $599

Innovations

Korg Berlin Phase8

Launched as an experimental offshoot of the Japanese synth company, headed up by Volca designer Tatsuya “Tats” Takahashi, Korg Berlin has spent the last few Superbooths demonstrating its acoustic synthesis concepts in various forms of development.

At Superbooth 2025, the team is finally showing a (near) finished product. Phase8 is a desktop synth built around the concept of acoustic synthesis. Its eight independent voices are electromechanical. Sounds are created using tunable metal resonators–- these can be sequenced and tweaked using envelopes, waveshaping and audio modulation.

Sonically, Phase8 certainly falls into experimental territory. Its sound is somewhere between percussive and melodic, and can initially come across as a little flat and one-dimensional. The beauty of the synth reveals itself, however, as you explore how subtle changes to the velocity of each note, the shape of the envelope and depth of modulation can alter both the tone and rhythm of the sound.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Phase8 is the way its resonators can be physically manipulated. Placing a hand or any sort of object on to the resonators can mute the sound or alter the tone in a similar manner to working with a prepared piano.

Availability: Early 2026

Price: TBC, but aiming for below £/€1000

Clank Uranograph

Uranograph is undoubtedly one of the most unique instruments at Superbooth 2025 (and that’s a tough category). Its creator describes it as an instrument that "merges the expressive depth of classical instruments with the limitless possibilities of synthesis.”

In practice, this involves a five voice microtonal synthesizer controlled by dual capacitive keyboards inspired by the expressive articulations of MPE instruments. These keyboards are highly customisable to work with different scales and tunings, and the instrument comes loaded with over 50 keyboard layouts.

The keyboards respond to velocity and aftertouch. There are also articulation plates for creating glissando, staccato and trillo effects.

The synthesis core makes use of additive and phase morphing synthesis, with wavefolding capabilities as well as asymmetrical distortion. There’s also a delay-focused DSP effects engine that can process both internal and external sounds.

This is certainly not an entry level synth – Uranograph looks deep, complex and utterly unique. It sounds pretty fantastic too.

Availability: Available to pre-order

Price: 1st batch €1552, after that €2240

Eternal Research Demon Box

Demon Box works based on the concept of sensing and converting electromagnetic fields. It does this using the 33 ‘hand tuned’ inductors placed on its top panel, which can pick up signals from everyday objects – the company’s Superbooth display had people using phones, power tools, toys and more.

The electromagnetic fields are converted to raw audio, which Demon Box can output via the individual audio outputs. Demon Box can also output signals via MIDI, CV and USB in order to act as a control device for other gear.

Whether used as a way to generate soundscapes from the world around you, or an interesting way to get expressive with other music hardware, Demon Box looks like a fun and innovative device with lots of potential.

Availability: Available to pre-order

Price: $999

Honourable mentions

These are our highlights from the Superbooth show floor, but we’ve barely scratched the surface of what Superbooth 2025 had to offer.

Alongside new gear, there were numerous updated products on display, including some of our favourite bits of kit from recent years. Polyend’s Synth, for example, gained a new dual-sample engine, while Ableton updated its compact Move groovebox with much-requested sample slicing as well as better MIDI capabilities.

Several existing products gained impressive looking new siblings too. Groove Synthesis’ excellent 3rd Wave is one of our favourite synths of recent years, but it’s expensive and probably has more voices than a lot of us need. That’s why its new smaller, relatively affordable sibling the 3rd Wave 8M is a welcome addition.

Bastl has added another addition to its always-fun Kastl 2 range of mini synths. The latest Kastl model, named Wave Bard, is a stereo sample player that looks like it will be great fun for experimental sound mangling.

Superbooth 2025 also saw the release of a huge wealth of Eurorack and modular gear we’ve barely had a chance to touch in this roundup. If we were forced to highlight a single module, it would have to be Make Noise’s new Polimaths – an eight-channel function generator that expands on the design of its widely-loved Maths module.

Superbooth 25: Launched in 2014 as a dedicated Ableton Live controller that expanded the capabilities of the diminutive Launch Control, Novation's Launch Control XL has since gained a reputation as a reliable and intuitive DAW controller, though it hasn't been updated since the MK2 version brought a visual refresh in 2017 - until now.

Today, Novation has unveiled the next generation of Launch Control: XL 3. Transitioning from a primarily Ableton-focused device into a controller aimed equally at all DAW users - and those working with hardware-based DAWless setups - XL 3 brings updated hardware, improved connectivity and a striking aesthetic redesign to this popular control surface.

Though it's undoubtedly got a faint whiff of Ableton Push about it (with a touch of Elektron and AlphaTheta), XL3's new look is impressive, bringing the controller straight out of the 2010s with a sleek, simple and uncluttered design that aligns with the recently-refreshed Launchkey MK4 range.

On the hardware front, XL 3 has been equipped with a new OLED display that'll make parameter assignments and navigation quicker and easier, along with new dedicated transport controls for play, stop and record functions.

These are joined by three rows of eight encoders, eight 60mm faders and two rows of eight assignable, LED-equipped buttons. XL 3's encoders are now endless, and each features an RGB LED that indicates its position via colour and brightness levels.

XL 3 now offers out-of-the-box integration with several major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio and Cubase, and supports HUI integration. Two new Encoder Modes offer a convenient way of navigating control of your DAW: in DAW Mixer mode, encoders are mapped to sends and pan settings for your DAW's mixer, but switching to DAW Control mode gives you instant access to a selection of controls for the currently selected plugin or device on the top two rows, with the third row giving you control over navigation in your arrangement view.

With the release of XL 3, Novation opens up the controller to hardware-based set-ups via the addition of 5-pin DIN MIDI ports, bringing a single MIDI input and two outputs to Launch Control, one of which can be used as a thru port to daisy-chain multiple devices.

This means you're able to use XL 3 to interface with all manner of MIDI-enabled synths, grooveboxes and drum machines, with or without a computer. Up to 15 user-defined mappings combining parameters from multiple devices can be programmed and stored using Novation's Components software, then recalled later when you're using the device standalone.

Novation Launch Control XL 3 is priced at $249/£189/€193.

Find out more on Novation's website.

UPDATE 20/05/2025:

Novation has let us know that some of Launch Control XL3's features will not be available upon release and will instead be implemented following a future firmware update. A full list of these is copied below.

• Macros
• Snapshots
• MIDI learn
• Onboard Custom Modes editing
• Fader pickup
• Fader preview
• MIDI USB-to-DIN conversion
• MIDI channel routing (incoming MIDI will be routed to any available port but it won't be possible to change incoming MIDI's channels)
• Acceleration curves for encoders
• HUI
• Power-on mode
• Momentary Mode button

Superbooth 25: Ableton Move arrived last year and was quite a surprising release from the Berlin software brand.

Although, on the surface, it looks like just another pad-based Live controller, Move is actually a self-contained instrument that functions like a cross between Ableton’s flagship Push hardware and its Note iOS app.

In short, Move allows users to play and sequence four tracks’ worth of instruments, based on devices derived from counterparts in Live. These include sampled beats and instruments, making use of Live’s Drum Racks and Drum Sampler, as well as synths powered by the likes of Drift and Operator.

Move also allows users to sample directly into the device, manipulate sounds using a small selection of Live effects, as well as act as a Live controller when hooked up to a computer running that DAW.

Now Ableton has launched a new firmware update for Move, which looks to be its most significant update yet.

When Move launched, one of the most common complaints from potential users was its lack of automatic sample slicing. Although Move allows users to sample using its audio input, onboard mic or internal routing – and lets users manually spread a recording across different pads – at launch it lacked the ability to automatically slice a loop to be triggered across different Drum Rack pads, in the way Live allows.

With the 1.5 update, Move now offers that option to slice a sample into equal regions, with the amount of slices set by the user. Users can then adjust the individual slice points in order to fine tune the process.

Move 1.5 also significantly enhances the device’s MIDI capabilities. Move can now simultaneously send and receive MIDI across its four tracks, which can each be configured with its own MIDI in and out settings. Move can also now receive MIDI clock settings from external devices.

It’s worth noting that Move uses its USB port for MIDI I/O, and doesn’t have conventional MIDI input and output ports.

Live’s newly overhauled Auto-Filter device also comes to Move 1.5, along with a range of presets. The update also adds some refinements to how Move functions when controlling Live, along with a variety of bug fixes.

These new updates join several other enhancements to the Move workflow that have been added since launch. These include the ability to sample using the device’s USB port, as well as improvements to the arpeggitor and quantize modes.

The 1.5 firmware is currently in public beta, head to the Ableton beta program site to find out how to join.

Move itself is available now, priced at £399/€449/$449. For more info visit the main Ableton site. Revisit our original review below.

It’s almost that time again. Next month, synth-heads of all stripes will head to Berlin to visit Superbooth, the gear expo that’s become the place to show off what’s new (and old) in the world of synths, drum machines, sequencers and controllers.

And given the show’s reputation for hosting small, innovative companies, being the first place to try the most new and unusual (read: obscure) gear around, it’s not hard to see why we’ll once again be in attendance, bringing you all the latest live from the show. Watch this space…

As we approach this year's show, the gear announcements are slowly beginning to roll in, and this one's perhaps the most exciting yet. Drop is a new, "snapshot-based" MIDI controller, being the first non-modular product from the well-regarded Eurorack brand. Building on their smaller and synth-ier Orbit and Warp modules, their aim was to produce a single controller for every possible need without dwarfing the rest of your gear and becoming too much to handle, or too expensive to afford in the process.

As such Drop effortlessly merges both MIDI and CV control, giving you 32 rotary encoders, eight mute buttons and eight faders to play with. And should that not be enough controls, a quick flick between complete, discrete A and B sets effectively gives you double that.

The aim here is to deliver the kind of convenient digital recall that analogue set-ups are often forced to forgo in favour of tweakable fun. As such Drop can store 20 controller snapshots per bank with 20 banks being available in total. Create a perfect setup for a song, or a section of a song, and conveniently switch through snapshots while mapping macros to up to eight MIDI targets with individual curves for each destination.

And that name – Drop – comes from the Drop’s ‘Drop mode’. Thanks to the controller's integrated master clock, snapshot changes can be timed and sequenced in advance, allowing you to program builds and drops with all of your gear jumping to new settings for a new sound at the perfect time. Chain together your Drops to create songs.

Alternatively (and excitingly) use the built-in circular bar counter to fire in your choice of snapshot live at just the right moment, placing you in complete control of the performance and what your gear does next.

Drop will merge incoming sequencer and keyboard MIDI with its own internal MIDI before sending it out once more, and it supports all MIDI messages, including 14-bit CCs (NRPN), program change, bank select, aftertouch, pitchbend along with standard notes and CCs. And, feeding back into the digital side of your set-up, you can even use it as an Ableton Live clip launcher.

On board you’ll find two USB-C ports with automatic host detection for quick DAW-based MIDI control, four MIDI in and four MIDI outs (delivered via TRS type A or B sockets) and two CV in and two CV outs for clocks and 0-5V control signals. Power comes via that USB-C connection or the (included) external power supply.

Drop will drop in late summer 2025, at a price that’s as yet TBC. Find out more on Neuzeit Instruments' website.

What is it?

Owning an 88 key hammer action MIDI controller keyboard is a major commitment. They are large, heavy and typically pretty expensive. However, whether you’re performing keyboards or programming beats, that hammer action is without question a highly seductive experience.

Last year Arturia began the process of upgrading its flagship Keylab controllers to their third version and that process has now reached the 88 key model. Built around the latest Fatar TP/110 hammer-action keybed with aftertouch, and housed in a slick metal case with Arturia embossed wooden end panels, the Keylab 88 Mk3 is a solidly built and stylish unit. It comes in both white and black colour schemes, and further features include a slot-in sheet music stand and top panel laptop extender. Should you want to continue the wooden design detail, it can also accommodate Arturia’s bolt-on wooden legs.

Like other Keylab Mk3s, the Keylab 88 is more streamlined than its predecessor with fewer panel controls. Obvious changes include 12 aftertouch equipped RGB pads (there were 16 on the Mk2), meanwhile less obvious changes include ditching the CV outputs on the back.

Even so, the feature set is in many ways better suited to contemporary needs, with progress being made in DAW and plugin integration. At the heart of this is a new 3.5” colour screen, as well as dedicated DAW transport controls and touch-sensitive faders and knobs.

Rounding out the package are bundled Arturia plugins (Mini V, Augmented Strings, Piano V, Rev Plate-140) alongside NI’s The Gentleman, and Analog Lab Pro, which includes over 2,000 sounds. You also get Ableton Live Lite and time-limited subscriptions for Melodics and Loopcloud.

Pricing

• Price: $1,299 | €999 | £839
• Wooden legs €199

Performance

Keylab 88 Mk3’s keyboard has a great feel with an action that leans slightly towards the heavier side. As you would expect there’s a subtle thump when played harder, but with no other extraneous noises the overall build is reassuringly solid and is a joy to play. It also balances performance and DAW integration features in a manner that’s easy to navigate. Onboard options include 2-part keyboard split, arpeggiator, chord mode with predefined and custom chords, and also scale mode, which is handy if you’re not the greatest player. Much of this is accessed via dedicated buttons. Deeper global settings such as velocity curve, pedal calibration, controller assignments and pad settings including pad colours are accessed via the screen menu. Settings are saved in User presets, which are also editable using Arturia’s MIDI Control Centre desktop app.

Keylab 88 Mk3 has two further screen selected modes for DAW control – DAW and Arturia. DAW mode supports HUI and MCU protocols, but we think is at its best using the DAW specific scripts, which you install on your desktop. These are currently available for Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Live and Bitwig. In addition to transport and utility controls, each script delivers DAW specific use of the screen and its contextual buttons as well as pre mapping of Keylab’s encoders to DAW track controls and native DAW instrument parameters. In Logic Pro for example contextual buttons let you switch between track and plugin modes and solo, mute and record arm tracks. In Ableton Live there’s similar use of contextual buttons, plus pads are used for clip launching.

Arturia mode works in conjunction with their Analog Lab platform either in standalone or plugin form, with the encoders and faders matching the visual layout of Analog Lab’s main controls. Meanwhile proper preset browsing and selection is available via Keylab 88 Mk3’s display.

Verdict

Keylab 88 Mk3 may not be a groundbreaking product, but Arturia’s continued drive to streamline DAW integration both with their own Analog Lab software and with onboard DAW instruments, coupled with the latest version of Fatar’s reliable hammer action keybed makes for a fantastic combination. Meanwhile further features such as the laptop stand and optional legs will appeal to many users. Top marks.

Hands-on demos

Arturia

Alternatives

Specifications

What is it?

MIDI keyboard controllers have been promising the world since software music production became ‘a thing’ and its producers, rather stubbornly and obtusely, realised they wanted to revert to the feel of hardware.

Controller technology has gone through various phases and upgrades to deliver these promises. There have been big advances like Novation’s Automap, where compatible controllers instantly mapped to specific instruments and DAWs, and Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol, which has blurred the software and hardware music-making experience, so much so that computer (Komputer) screens are less of a requirement.

That all said, we’ve never really settled on one controller to recommend above others as each seems to have specific pluses and minuses. Melbourne Instruments’ Roto-Control could be ‘the one’ though, maintaining the big promises and claiming to be a “truly unique motorized MIDI though, unlike anything seen before”. We should “rethink software and hardware interactions,” MI says, and it might well be right. This diminutive desktop device combines ease of workflow – mostly within Ableton Live at this stage, it must be said – with a very cool and non-invasive aesthetic, all at a pretty decent price. Finally, some promises worth listening to then?

What is Roto-Control?

It’s a desktop controller that has Mix, Plugin and MIDI modes to control Live, its instruments, and a range of other software and hardware devices. There are eight motorised rotaries which give you access to eight switchable parameters at a time, and an internal storage that can recall 8,000 assignments.

Taken individually, Roto-Control’s main draws have been seen before. The motorised rotaries, which instantly recall settings when you dial up mix sessions or specific virtual instruments, aren’t entirely new in the world of MIDI, with Mackie, Icon, Nektar, and Behringer among others offering this style of instant recall, albeit usually via faders.

Similarly, while Roto-Control’s hi-res screens for each of its eight rotaries are amazing – in that they change colour and description according to the device or DAW channel you are controlling – again, screens like this are out there (hello Komplete Kontrol), and even early Automap devices could recall parameter names.

However, it’s the combination of these features alongside Roto-Control’s editable haptic response that could justify those claims. This feature can introduce a different feel as you rotate the dials, with stepped notches being introduced, or a resistance feeling centre-point used (for example) in panning. Add in a one-touch ‘Learn’ mode and RC’s cool form factor, and it could be the compact controller to marry to your laptop… if you are that Ableton Live user. Yes, it is set up to work out of the box with Live, but Melbourne Instruments has plans for DAW expansion, which we’ll come to later.

Pricing

• £379/$419

Roto-Control was announced during NAMM 2025 and quickly became one of the most talked-about announcements at the show.

At the time of writing this review, many stockists have Roto-Control listed as pre-order only, but more stock is only around a week away from becoming available. We have a feeling that this one will be quite popular, so you might want to get in there early to avoid disappointment.

Performance

Out of the box and Roto-Control is a solid unit; a metal chassis means enough weight – combined with rubber feet – to keep it in place on your desktop. It doesn’t take too much room up either – about the same width as our 15-inch test Mac laptop – and its rotary and classic-style punchy computer keys feel durable and responsive. You get a separate power supply (although it can be powered by USB), and a carry bag – a nice inclusion, although it’s not going to protect the unit if dropped.

You need to download the Mac/PC Roto-Control app (currently v1.1.3) which as well as setting the unit up, will auto-update its firmware. The app then tells you to “configure track names and colours in the active Ableton Live Set. Roto-Control will do the rest!”, so we duly did. It’s not quite as simple as that – you’ll have to set Live’s MIDI control surface as Roto-Control, and click the Track, Sync and Remote options.

You then select from Roto-Control’s three main modes. Hit the Mix mode (and we randomly had to hit the Function key) and your selected Live set automatically appears across the eight rotaries, complete with colours and track names plus the motorised volumes set on each rotary. Hit a dial to select a track, and turn it to control its level. Nice! If you have more than eight channels, simply hit the left or right cursor to set Roto-Control up with the next/previous eight.

The main Func button focuses on the highlighted channel, accessing volume, pan, and send levels, all controlled across the highlighted rotaries. Holding the Sel button lets you set the rotaries to control volume (default), pan, and send, or mute (default), solo or record arm individual or groups of track via the buttons. The transport button to the left of Sel lets you start, stop, punch in and out, loop, and more; hitting both arrow buttons accesses the return and main tracks. Just used on this level, controlling Live as a standard DAW quickly becomes a new experience and you’ll be working faster within its flow in no time.

Next, in Plugin mode, the unit homes in on your selected track plugins and you can choose between multiple plugins on one track using the Sel button. We found that it was automatically set up with some of Live’s native plugins, but if not, it is incredibly easy to set controls up using the one-touch Learn button. Hit this, press a track button or dial, and simply move a control in the software. Within seconds we had Operator’s course and fine tune set up on dials one and two, with button one selecting its LFO type.

Do this just once and Roto-Control will automatically recall the assignments and settings you created when you call up the plugin on any channel. Undoing assignments is simply a matter of holding the Learn button and clearing each channel.

With third-party plugins, the process is slightly more complex in that you hit Configure in the plugin window and select which parameters you want to control, and then ‘Learn’ them with Roto-Control. It’s still easy but we did find some third-party plugins (NI, Fabfilter, Arturia) were more responsive than others (GForce). Still, when it works it is a do-once solution and very fast.

Another important Roto-Control point is that it makes writing (and writing over) and reading automation a breeze. This can be recorded once you have set up a parameter, and the unit will read existing automation data both from plugins and mix channels. One final feature in Plugin mode is that you can easily set up macros where one dial on Roto-Control will apply to several parameters on different plugins.

The last mode is MIDI, which we’ll cover rather quickly as it’s simply a way of using the unit to control external hardware gear, and you can get the unit to Learn in a similar way as the software described above, or via the app or specifying the MIDI CC value. All you also need to know is that it’s almost as straightforward to create a setup and you get 64 locations to store them in.

Other features

Perhaps the real highlights of Roto-Control are its haptic editing and Motion Recorder. With the latter, you can set it up to record automation across the first eight knobs over a certain number of steps (16, 32, 48 or 64) using Roto-Control as a slave or sending clock data out. Simply hit record and turn those dials and loop around to add more if you wish.

The haptic editing is also a bonus as you can change the range of each dial, the sensitivity and even the feel. Here you can add up to 16 steps, and labels for each step, so the knobs feel like they are stepping through parameters – great for selecting, say, filter types. It’s a very neat feature, although perhaps more ‘cake icing’ than a necessary ingredient.

Verdict

That Roto-Control is currently skewed towards Ableton Live users is bad news for other DAW users, although because it clearly handles the many demands of that DAW it should easily be updatable for other DAWs. You could use it to ‘learn’ those other DAW commands yourself, although after some fiddling we were unable to get much out of Logic. However, the good news is that Melbourne Instruments has some big plans for other DAWs. “Bitwig is coming soon and we are working on other DAWs," Melbourne Instruments tells us. “There is a lot of demand for Cubase and Logic, and we are looking at these but we can’t give any specific dates at this time.”

However, as far as Live goes, this is as slick a controller as you can ask for in terms of mixer and plugin management, although it does lack instant clip control – very much Ableton Live’s ‘thing’ – so you will need to factor in an additional controller for that (simple clip launchers from the likes of Akai or Novation are cheap options here). Again, though, MI has this covered in a future firmware update ("sooner rather than later") and there are workarounds in MIDI mode.

Otherwise, Roto-Control is a sleek, reasonably-priced, and excellent compact controller that might be Live centric at the moment, but we can easily see it becoming a DAW favourite in the future, especially among laptop users. Check out future additions to this review as firmware updates become available.

Hands-on demos

MusicRadar

Melbourne Instruments

Alternatives

Specifications

Native Instruments’ flagship Kontrol S MK3 MIDI keyboards continue to improve, with the latest firmware update (v1.9.4) looking particularly useful for those who like to use their controller in standalone mode.

DAWless music-making, of course, has become increasingly popular in recent years, as growing numbers of creators have come to the conclusion that it can feel liberating to jam without involving a computer and use a selection of hardware devices instead.

Thanks to the expansion of the Kontrol S MK3’s on-device Play Assist feature, which was introduced last year, standalone users now have arpeggiator and note repeat features built into the hardware, giving them more creative options.

What’s more, they can also use the USB and 5-pin MIDI outputs simultaneously, and specify which data should go to each of them.

These features greatly add to the Kontrol S MK3’s versatility, and there are software-specific additions in the firmware update, too. You can now sync the MIDI tempo with connected plugins, and there’s support for the Maschine 3.1 update.

The Kontrol S MK3 continues to be available in 49-, 61- and 88-note configurations and you can find out more on the Native Instruments website.

Native Instruments' Maschine 3.0 software arrived late last year and was met with a somewhat mixed response from many users (us included).

Although v3.0 added features including stem separation, new MIDI edit tools, custom tempos per scene and audio bounce in place, many considered it a fairly lightweight update, particularly given the 11 year wait for a full version upgrade from Maschine 2.

Combined with a lack of new Maschine hardware and controversy over the discontinuation of some older units, NI has some work to do keep the Maschine community onside.

To that end, the company is now back with another update – Maschine 3.1 – which is free for existing version 3 users and offers a much-requested user chords feature. This allows users to save banks of chord progressions for use across projects or to share with others.

3.1 also notably adds a new fullscreen mode in the standalone app version – something that has, incredibly, not been included until now.

The release is likely to please some users more than others though. While the new update will be coming shortly to PC and Mac, users of the standalone Maschine+ will have to wait a little longer.

NI is promising that Maschine+ will receive the 3.1 update later this year, but bearing in mind that users are still waiting for version 3.0 to arrive, this might sound like a slightly hollow promise.

The 3.1 update does, however, add Ableton Live integration for Maschine+ when used in controller mode.

Quiet obsolescence

The recent history of Maschine has been something of a mixed bag for users.

Back in October NI ditched support and compatibility for its latest Maschine software with the Mk1 and Mk2 Maschine controllers (having previously quietly ditched Komplete Kontrol compatibility for its Mk1 keyboards). While this isn't an uncommon practice for hardware brands, it does leave users of older controllers unable to upgrade to the latest version of the software.

More jarring is the lack of significant updates for the standalone Maschine+, which is now a version behind the desktop software, and has had little in the way of new functionality since it arrived in 2020.

What's more, given the constraints of the Maschine+ hardware, it's unclear whether Maschine 3's headline feature – stem separation – will be available on the hardware at all. In recent updates, NI has indicated that, at least initially, Maschine+ will be able to play but not generate stems when the v3 update arrives.

It’s understandably something that owners of the pricey Maschine+ (£1019) aren’t happy with, particularly since it follows soon after the news that Maschine+ wouldn’t be getting access to the software version’s Play Series instruments and Expansions sound packs. This despite the fact that the company's hardware rival, the similarly standalone Akai MPC, would.

The move seemingly tipped Maschine+ users over the edge, claiming that NI were fracturing and planning to abandon their beat-based DAW altogether, an uproar which prompted a rapid backtrack by NI.

However, with this update NI is promising full 3.1 and reinforced Play Series compatibility with Maschine+ for later this year.

As to how long the existing Maschine+ can keep up, and when a yet-to-be-announced update to the Maschine+ hardware may surface, remains to be seen.

Read full details of the Maschine 3.1 update at Native Instruments' website.

Last year, French manufacturer Arturia released the third iteration of its MIDI controller keyboard, KeyLab, in 49- and 61-key versions, bolstering the range with a new keybed, redesigned interface and touch-sensitive controls.

Today, Arturia has unveiled an 88-key version of the KeyLab mk3 that boasts similar upgrades, along with a "premium" Fatar TP/110 hammer-action keybed with weighted keys and channel aftertouch that you won't find on the 49- and 61-key models.

Like its smaller siblings, the KeyLab 88 mk3 and is equipped with 9 potentiometers and faders that are touch-sensitive, so you're able to tap a control and check its associated information on the KeyLab's display without altering the value.

These are joined by 12 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads, two mode wheels and an array of dedicated DAW controls including save, undo, redo and transport controls. KeyLab 88 also features the same full-colour 3.5" screen as the other mk3 versions, surrounded by eight buttons and a dial for navigation.

KeyLab 88's Scale Mode will automatically adjust notes to a chosen scale, and its new arpeggiator can be used to create generative patterns that randomize parameters such as ratchet, octave shift and division time. There's also a Chord Play mode for playing preset or custom chords with a single key.

KeyLab 88 mk3 is equipped with pre-mapped templates for many of the major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Logic Pro and FL Studio, and arrives with a generous software bundle that includes Ableton Live Lite, Analog Lab Pro, and a number of software instruments and effects. You'll also get a subscription to sample library Loopcloud and tuition platform Melodics.

KeyLab 88 mk3 is priced at $1299 and is available in both black and white. Find out more on Arturia's website.

NAMM 2025: The NAMM show in Anaheim, California has long been the world’s biggest music gear convention, although in the music technology realm it’s lost a little of its influence in recent years. In part, this comes down to the pandemic – NAMM took a sizeable hit after being forced to cancel in 2021, and it’s only now getting back to being anywhere near the size it was pre-Covid.

For makers of synths and studio technology, however, the emphasis was shifting away from NAMM even before then. Berlin’s Superbooth, while smaller in scale, now feels more significant as a venue for music technology news. What’s more, these days many synth-makers opt to forego trade show announcements altogether in favour of unveiling gear online and via social media.

All that being said though, NAMM remains a significant industry event and 2025’s show was undoubtedly the biggest and busiest in several years, with major players like Roland and Behringer returning to the show floor.

MusicRadar’s Managing Editor Si Truss and Tech Channel Editor Matt Mullen sat down at the show to discuss this year’s biggest music tech stories and the hottest new products. Watch our full rundown of the biggest NAMM news in the video above, or catch up with our quick summary below.

While we’ve rounded up a few highlights here, there’s much more to see from NAMM, for music technology fans, guitarists, drummers and beyond. Catch up with all the news with our live show coverage.

NI meets Akai (and more)

The biggest news to come out of NAMM is typically the unveiling of a hype-worthy new product from a well-known manufacturer. This year, though, one of the most significant – and unexpected – announcements hasn’t arrived in the form of a shiny new synth for us all to drool over, but something very different entirely.

No, Native Instruments hasn’t rocked up to NAMM 2025 with the next generation of Maschine or an upgraded Kontrol keyboard in tow. Instead, it’s arrived with a message of co-operation and a mission to empower music-makers, no matter whose products they use.

Ahead of this year’s show, the company announced that it’s teaming up with a handful of top names in music tech – brands that could be considered its biggest rivals – to integrate its software ecosystem with products beyond the realm of Native Instruments, giving owners of instruments from brands such as Akai, Novation and Korg the opportunity to access its content and take advantage of integration with its NKS protocol.

We got the chance to check out some NI Kontakt instruments running on MPC hardware during the show, and it certainly makes for a good combo. Our biggest question, however, is where this leaves the future of NI’s own hardware business – should we see this collaboration as an admission of defeat by Maschine to its most direct competitor?

Behringer’s latest clones nail authenticity – for better and worse

Behringer has had to defend itself from ‘vaporware’ accusations in recent years – the suggestion that the prolific synth brand announces a considerable amount of gear, some of which never actually makes it to market.

Given this, the company’s return to the NAMM show after a 10 year absence is a good opportunity to try and get our heads around the shape of the company’s current lineup of genuine products. Highlights from the booth include recent releases like the controversial LinnDrum inspired LM Drum and PPG emulating Wave.

Early impressions are that both Wave and LM Drum sound on the money, and feel authentically vintage – for better and worse. Those looking for an authentic old school experience will likely be happy, but despite a few modern niceties, both designs feel decidedly old school.

The big surprise from Behringer was its clone of the Yamaha DX1 – an ultra-rare, bitimbral, frequency-modulating beast that’s the crown of the DX series.

Like the DX1, Behringer’s BX1 is a 32-voice FM synth with a formidably complex architecture, but the German manufacturer’s remake departs from the original on a few significant points, most notably its analogue filter. All in all, the BX-1 certainly looks like a crowd-pleaser, and it’ll likely be cheap enough to keep Behringer’s fanbase on side when it’s eventually released.

We’re not entirely convinced that FM synths are as ripe for recreation as vintage analogue though, particularly in a world where we’ve moved on to excellent modern FM synths like Elektron’s Digitone or Korg’s Opsix.

Melbourne Instruments’ Roto could be 2025’s best controller

Melbourne Instruments is the Australian brand behind Nina and Delia, two analogue polysynths with a twist: their knobs are motorised and rotate all by themselves in response to modulation and patch changes.

This year, the company has made the ingenious decision to repurpose these touch-sensitive, self-rotating knobs for a MIDI controller, appropriately christened Roto-Control. It’s a simple idea, but an excellent one, giving you real-time feedback on parameter changes in your DAW or device.

It’s not all about the knobs, either; eight keyboard-style buttons and a row of displays provide additional control and versatility, while Roto-Control’s Motion Recorder feature allows you to automate and loop MIDI parameters on external hardware and software.

Donner’s L1 puts a modernised spin on the SH-101

Chinese brand Donner's latest release is another generously priced analogue synthesizer that also takes cues from a vintage Roland instrument: the SH-101. Joining the B1 in the brand's Essential series is the L1, a modestly-sized monosynth that complements the expressive tones of Roland's '80s classic with a modern touch.

L1 is built around a 3340 analogue oscillator and 3109 voltage-controlled four-pole filter, a recreation of the SH-101's original filter chip that features the same self-oscillation abilities. L1's oscillator can produce saw, pulse and triangle waves, along with noise and a sub-oscillator.

These are joined by a single multi-waveform LFO and two envelope generators - one more than the original SH-101 - the first can modulate several parameters including pitch and filter cutoff, while the second shapes the VCA. The synth also features a 64-step sequencer, with storage space for 128 patterns and 32 songs, and a multimode arpeggiator.

Stylophone’s CFM DF-8 filter promises both beauty and beastliness

Coming in the same brutish-looking form factor as Stylophone's DS-2 drone synth, the DF-8 filter includes both an emulation of the smooth 2045 low-pass filter and Stylophone’s dirtier Gen R-8 filter, creating a device that the company says has ‘beauty and the beast’ vibes. But that's only half the sound design story.

While the 2045 filter has just a single low-pass mode, the R-8 can be run in low-pass, band-pass, high-pass and notch configurations. When the two filters are combined you get three additional modes: Bandpass+, Band Reject+ and Notch+.

You can access any of these modes in each of the two channels, and these are controlled by a pair of ADSR envelopes. Trigger options include gate a signal, an audio signal threshold and a manual trigger button, while there’s also an auto-repeat mode that works like an LFO.

With a desktop or modular-friendly form factor and a promised price around $300, the DF-8 looks like a potentially brilliant sound mangling tool that could pair while with budget synths and Eurorack systems alike.

There’s potential in Roli’s tech if you can look past PR bluster

Hear the word ‘piano’ and the chances are that you’ll visualise an acoustic or digital instrument with 88 keys that can be played without the need to connect it to anything else. ROLI, however, has other ideas: its new ‘Piano’ is a 49-note light-up controller keyboard that’s designed to be used with its previously announced Airwave hardware and piano learning software.

The ROLI Piano looks like a larger version of the company’s Piano M, which itself bears more than a passing resemblance to the Lumi keyboard that we first heard about way back in 2019. Alongside ROLI Piano, we’re also getting a companion AI Assistant, a generative AI platform that promises to make learning to play “easier, more intuitive and more fun than ever before”. When these two products are combined with the Airwave, you get what ROLI is calling the ROLI Piano System.

In typical ROLI fashion, the brand wasn’t shy of hyping up the potential of its tech, heralding it as the future of the piano and claiming that, “in a few years from now there will be no piano that doesn’t have a camera”. While that statement is undoubtedly hyperbolic, there’s certainly some interesting tech behind Roli’s system. We’re not convinced it’s quite ready to reshape the world just yet though.

The stage keyboard wars are hotting up

2025 sees Roland return to NAMM after taking a few years off. On the music technology side of things, the brand’s biggest announcement was its new V-Stage piano – a flagship stage keyboard that sees Roland parking its tanks on Nord’s lawn, right down to the cheeky inclusion of red panelled wooden ends.

“It’s basically an all-in-one gig rig but it has a complete focus on keyboard sounds, so that means organ, acoustic piano, electric piano. We do have a synthesizer section as well but the main focus is keyboard sounds with a dedicated section for each. It’s also designed to be very quick to operate, to set up your scenes and your patches,” Roland’s product specialist David Ahlund told us.

While Roland has its eyes on Nord’s turf, the Swedish brand has its own products to show, in the form of updated Piano and Organ lines. In short, it’s a good year for keys players and touring musicians.

Bitwig’s first hardware release wasn’t quite what we expected

We’ve known that Berlin based software brand Bitwig has had a hardware release in the works for a while, but not the precise form of what that would be. It came as something of a surprise then, to discover that rather than follow the familiar route of creating a controller that physically manifests their software (in the style of Ableton’s Push) Bitwig has instead chosen to make an audio interface.

Intrigued, we found out more from Fredrik Astevall, Bitwig’s business development manager on the NAMM show floor.

“Bitwig Connect is more than an audio interface,” Astevall explains. “It’s got all the interface features you would expect – all the ins and outs – but the CV coupling means that you can control analogue hardware, like a synthesizer, Eurorack modules, that gives it an extra layer. “And on top of that it’s a MIDI interface, there are DAW controls and a special Bitwig mode…”

NAMM 2025: Melbourne Instruments has announced ROTO Control, a new controller that utilises the company's groundbreaking motorised fader technology - as found on its Delia and Nina synths - to create a device that aims to revolutionise hardware or software control.

We first got wind of ROTO Control just before the NAMM show, with a teaser video announcing the groundbreaking desktop controller. But now Melbourne Instruments has officially launched the unit and given us all the glorious details about its new unit.

As you can see, ROTO Control is designed to tackle all studio hardware and software, and comes with the same type of motorised faders that appear on Melbourne's Nina and Delia synths. These allow instant recall of settings and user-defined levels of control and tuning.

ROTO Control can be set up to control all sorts of hardware and software parameters, with 16,000 memory locations available for instant recall. At the moment, ROTO Control links up best with Ableton Live, with pretty much instant syncing to control both the DAW's mixer and plugins. We're assuming that future updates or releases will include templates for other DAWs, although there's nothing to stop you customising the unit's controls to your DAW of choice.

The device has three modes to switch between: Mix, Plugin and MIDI with Motion Recorder. Mix syncs the controller with your Live Sets so that the track names and colours appear on ROTO Control's front panel, meaning you are less reliant on your computer screen. As all data is taken from the Ableton Live Set currently loaded in, ROTO Control automatically updates its displays as you change anything within the software.

In Plugin mode, ROTO Control syncs to Live's plugins using a one-time learning setup to recall everything later. You can set it up to control up to 64 plugins per channel with up to 128 controls (64 each for knobs and buttons) per plugin. That's a pretty exceptional number of options, and makes us feel inadequate that we'd never need that level of control in one of our typical projects.

Finally, you get MIDI Control with Motion Recorder. This mode enables you to control any MIDI device - that could be software, hardware, or lighting - and use the Motion Recorder to record automation data via the motorised dials, with up to eight parameters per setup.

ROTO Control is available now for around $419/£389/€419 and there's more information on the controller at the Melbourne Instruments website.

NAMM 2025: Hear the word ‘piano’ and the chances are that you’ll visualise an acoustic or digital instrument with 88 keys that can be played without the need to connect it to anything else. ROLI, however, has other ideas: its new ‘Piano’ is a 49-note light-up controller keyboard that’s designed to be used with its previously announced Airwave hardware and piano learning software.

The ROLI Piano looks like a larger version of the company’s Piano M, which itself bears more than a passing resemblance to the Lumi keyboard that we first heard about way back in 2019. It’s said to feature “full-sized, full-plunge depth keys that feel and sound phenomenal,” though of course, the actual sound you hear will depend on which software you’re controlling. There’s also per-key pitchbend and polyphonic aftertouch.

Alongside ROLI Piano, we’re also getting a companion AI Assistant, a generative AI platform that promises to make learning to play “easier, more intuitive and more fun than ever before”. When these two products are combined with the Airwave, you get what ROLI is calling the ROLI Piano System.

The Airwave is a physical stand that looms over your keyboard and includes infrared cameras that track 27 points in each hand at 90 frames per second. It generates real-time feedback that’s designed to help you improve your hand positioning, finger placement and technique.

When you’re using the companion ROLI Learn app - and as with the Piano M - the ROLI Piano’s keys will light up so that you can see which notes to play and when to play them. And if you want to indulge in some real-time sound design, raising your hands off the keyboard will enable you to use air gestures - glide, tilt, flex and slide - to control the parameters of your choosing.

Once connected to your computer or tablet over Bluetooth or USB-C, ROLI Piano can be used with your choice of DAW and/or software instrument, but with the ROLI Studio software also included, you already have plenty of presets that have been designed specifically to get the most out of the keyboard’s features.

The ROLI Piano is certainly a hi-tech piano learning solution, and we don’t doubt that, if you buy into ROLI’s ecosystem - a ROLI Learn subscription costs £13 a month or £100 for the year (currently £80) - you’ll make some good progress. However, you’ve also got to factor in the cost of the piano itself: currently $399/£319/€399, but rising to $599/£419/€599 in due course.

If you want the Airwave as well, it’s available in a bundle that currently costs $648/£548/€648, rising to $948/£798/€948.

Our concern is that the 49-key size means that, at some point, you’ll probably want something bigger than the ROLI Piano. Four octaves might be fine to begin with, but as your skills progress and you start to play more expensively with both hands simultaneously, it’s probably not going to be enough.

Find out more on the ROLI website. The earliest shipping date for the ROLI Piano is May 2025, while the next round of Airwaves is scheduled to land at the end of June 2025.

NAMM 2025: The biggest news to come out of NAMM is typically the unveiling of a hype-worthy new product from a well-known manufacturer. This year, though, one of the most significant - and unexpected - announcements hasn’t arrived in the form of a shiny new synth for us all to drool over, but something very different entirely.

No, Native Instruments hasn’t rocked up to NAMM 2025 with the next generation of Maschine or an upgraded Kontrol keyboard in tow. Instead, it’s arrived with a message of co-operation and a mission to empower music-makers, no matter whose products they use.

Today, the company has announced that it’s teaming up with a handful of top names in music tech - brands that could be considered its biggest rivals - to integrate its software ecosystem with products beyond the realm of Native Instruments, giving owners of instruments from brands such as Akai, Novation and Korg the opportunity to access its content and take advantage of integration with its NKS protocol.

If you’re not familiar with Native Instruments products, you might be wondering what exactly that last part means. NKS stands for Native Kontrol Standard: essentially, it’s a means of integrating software - virtual instruments and audio effects - with hardware controllers.

Once opened within NI’s Komplete Kontrol software (available as both a plugin and standalone application) NKS-compatible plugins, instruments and effects are immediately hooked up with your hardware controller via pre-mapped control layouts designed by the developers, giving you instant hands-on control without having to engage in the bothersome process of manual MIDI mapping. Not only that, but parameters can be viewed and presets can be browsed via the controller’s display thanks to bidirectional communication between software and hardware.

Up until now, NKS has only been fully integrated with Native Instruments hardware, like Maschine and the Kontrol series of MIDI controller keyboards. Today, the company has announced an NKS Hardware Partner program that invites manufacturers to integrate NKS with their products, giving their customers access to a fast-growing collection of more than 1800 NKS-compatible instruments and effects - a list that includes popular plugins like Arturia V Collection, u-he Diva and NI’s own Kontakt 8 - over which they’ll be able to enjoy seamless and intuitive control.

Five industry-leading brands - Akai Professional, Novation, Korg, M-Audio and Nektar - have partnered with NI to adopt NKS for their products, giving owners of popular controllers such as Akai’s MPK Mini and Novation’s Launchkey the opportunity to experience the convenience of NKS integration. While the program is launching with basic NKS support on a limited range of existing devices, Native Instruments’ Chief Product Officer Simon Cross tells us that later in the year we’ll be seeing new products hitting the market with NKS integration incorporated “in a much deeper way”.

“If you think about a regular controller, it’s kind of dumb,” Cross says. “It’s just sending messages to the computer. What NKS allows us to do is send data from the computer back to the device, so we can render parameter values onto the display. Not only that, but you can also browse and preview presets across all of these instruments and effects. You can scan through your whole library trying to find the sound that you want, all of that on the controller.”

Cross believes that the expansion of NKS provides the answer to a longstanding question: how to integrate the varied ecosystem of hardware controllers with the vast universe of plugins and instruments available to the modern music-maker in a way that’s simple and convenient. “All of the controller brands have good DAW integration, because there’s only around 10 major DAWs,” he says. “But when it comes to plugins, it’s a huge universe, and there’s not really any solution that connects knobs, faders and buttons to the massive ecosystem of plugins that exists. That’s what NKS does.”

“What we’re solving here is a very clear user problem that’s been very hard for these partners to solve themselves,” Cross continues. “Designing a standard way for controllers to control thousands of plugins from thousands of different brands is very difficult to do, but that’s what we bring to the table. The reason why these companies are partnering with us - and why we’re lucky to be launching with five of the best brands - is because they see this as an opportunity to dramatically level up the experience they can offer to their users.”

Launching in February with a basic level of integration, the partner program will ultimately expand to make a much deeper form of integration accessible to owners of compatible products. “Step one is based around MIDI mapping; just being able to load a MIDI map for your specific device so that everything just works,” Cross says. “Later in the year, we’re launching software that will allow us to write data back to the device and give the device more advanced DAW control, along with more control over loading and managing plugins.”

Hoping to give music-makers a taste of how NKS integration can benefit them, Native Instruments is offering a free copy of Komplete 15 Select - a $99 software bundle that features an array of NKS-ready instruments and effects - to owners of any controller that’s becoming NKS-compatible. This includes Akai’s MPK Mini series, Novation’s Launchkey MK3 and MK4, and Korg’s Keystage; you can find the full list of compatible devices below.

What’s more, Akai is taking its new partnership with Native Instruments one step further with the announcement that Native Instruments content will be available on the MPC platform for the first time. Beginning with a curated selection of Play Series instruments and Expansions sound packs - each “tailored specifically” for MPC - the partnership will eventually offer MPC users access to Native Instruments’ vast library of samples and sounds, directly from the hardware.

“This is just the beginning of a really long journey,” says Joe Richardson, Chief Marketing Officer of Akai’s parent company inMusic. “It’s not often that you get to pressure-test your best thinking with someone who may have been a competitor a year ago. But we’re a better brand because of it. Native looks at us with a fresh set of eyes, we look at their offering with a fresh set of eyes - and to be unified in trying to create something great for musicians, it’s making us both better. It’s going to make us tough to compete with.”

There’s no question that the partnership is good news for music-makers, and that NKS integration offers NI’s partners (and competitors) an obvious benefit, instantly making their controllers more appealing to consumers by expanding their compatibility and creative potential. But what’s in it for Native Instruments? While its message of empowerment and collaboration is an admirable one, Native Instruments remains a corporation with shareholders to answer to - the majority shareholder being a billion-dollar private equity firm.

Considering that exclusive compatibility with NKS has historically been a not-insignificant selling point for the company’s hardware, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that today’s announcement signals a change in direction, suggesting that Native Instruments will be prioritizing its software offering over the development of new hardware from this point forward.

After all, production and distribution costs are significantly lower in the software business, and it's a market that offers greater scalability, along with the potential for recurring revenues via the much-maligned subscription model. And, in light of the fact that MPC users can now access NI Play Series instruments from their standalone devices while owners of Native Instruments' own Maschine+ cannot, a cynical observer might well see this as a death knell for the company's once-flagship groovebox, which hasn't seen a hardware update in five years. 

Cross tells us that this isn’t the case, and while he concedes that Native Instruments is, at its core, “a platform company and a partnerships company”, he assures us that it has no intention of shifting its focus away from the hardware market altogether. “What we want to do is give customers more choice,” he continues.

“The majority of our customers are using NI software with other people’s hardware, and those people have not had the great integration with our software and the NKS ecosystem that our hardware customers have enjoyed. So we’re expanding the reach of that experience. Over time, there’s going to be many more devices that support NKS and can provide users with a seamless experience to control plugins, instruments and effects, far beyond what’s possible today.”

In keeping with this co-operative, platform-first ethos, Native Instruments has also revealed that it will be opening up Leap and Tools - two new features introduced with the latest version of Kontakt - to third-party developers. Leap is an Arcade-style sampler instrument that can be used to transform loops and one-shots into new hooks and textures, while Tools is a suite of generative MIDI tools that act as a kind of compositional assistant within Kontakt.

By releasing SDKs for Tools and Leap, Native Instruments hopes to give Kontakt developers scope to create even more powerful and versatile instruments. “There are companies all around the world that create instruments for Kontakt - in fact, there are entire companies that only exist because of Kontakt,” Cross says. “So when we built Tools and Leap, we could have decided to make these things that only Native Instruments could use. But actually, what’s so great about Kontakt is how third parties use it to innovate, when given the tools.”

Today’s announcement finds a handful of companies that have historically been in close competition teaming up to improve customer experience: Native Instruments’ software and sounds will reach the hands of more musicians and producers, while hardware from its partner brands will be granted a more sophisticated and frictionless level of control over an expanding catalogue of almost 2000 plugins, instruments and effects.

For inMusic’s Joe Richardson, the most transformative aspect of the partnership is how it will empower music-makers to focus solely on their creativity. “There’s a universal understanding that we’ve gained, that all creators want to stay in the creative flow,” he says.

“The things that take them out of that creative moment - that leave them thinking more than producing and creating - that’s where the friction is going to be taken away. This relationship will allow them to use the best sounds on the best, high-performance hardware, so that they can capture what they’re doing in the flow and not have to overthink the mechanics of how these things work together. That simplicity is golden.”

NKS-compatible hardware

● Akai Professional: MPK Mini Series (MPK Mini, MPK Mini Play, and MPK Mini Plus)

● Novation: Launchkey MK3 and MK4, FLkey, and SL MK3 controllers

● Nektar: LX MK3 

● Korg: Keystage 

● M-Audio: Oxygen Series keyboards

NAMM 2025: Australian manufacturer Melbourne Instruments had the synth world in a spin back in 2022 when it announced the release of Nina, a 12-voice analogue poly equipped with specially-developed motorized knobs that respond to parameter changes in real time.

This means that you're able to select a patch and Nina's knobs will instantly spin themselves into the relevant positions, or hook up an LFO to a parameter and watch the associated knob rotate all by itself as that parameter is modulated. Pretty neat, right?

Three years on, and it appears that Melbourne Instruments has placed those motorized knobs in a MIDI controller. While no official announcement has yet been made, images and video have appeared on Synth Anatomy, MatrixSynth and the Elektronauts forum that show a modestly-sized rectangular controller equipped with eight of Melbourne's self-rotating knobs.

The video - which unfortunately has no audio - appears to show the controller hooked up to Ableton Live, its eight knobs mapped to specific parameters in the DAW. 

A row of LED-equipped, keyboard-style buttons sit below the screens, mapped to the Mute controls for eight tracks in Ableton's mixer; the track names are visible on small displays above each button. On the controller's right hand side is a keypad with several more buttons, and it seems to be equipped with both a USB-C and MIDI DIN port.

To our ears, applying the motorized knob concept from the Nina and Delia synths to a MIDI controller sounds like a stroke of genius, giving the user real-time feedback on parameter values without having to refer to a screen, and making it far more convenient to use the same knobs for multiple parameters. 

With NAMM just around the corner, it seems likely that Melbourne Instruments will be officially unveiling the mysterious controller next week. When we know more, so will you.

NAMM 2025: Reloop - a brand best known for its DJ gear - has announced the release of a new MIDI controller with wireless MIDI capabilities and comprehensive Bitwig integration.  

Keypad Pro is a lightweight and portable controller that's nonetheless equipped with a variety of options for both DAW control and live performance. Its 25-key, velocity-sensitive keyboard and obligatory pitch bend and mod wheels are joined by a 16 velocity-sensitive, aftertouch-equipped pads that can be used to trigger drum sounds or launch clips. 

Above the pads we have a bank of eight channel strips complete with volume faders, pan encoders and two smaller potentiometers for sends. These are joined by three backlit function buttons. On Keypad Pro's left-hand side you'll find a DAW master section that comprises an array of essential controls for transport and recording. There's also a small OLED display for referencing parameter values.

Keypad Pro is MIDI-compatible with all major DAWs, but offers full, plug-and-play integration with Bitwig Studio, so Bitwig users can access convenient, hands-on DAW control right out of the box. The controller can be powered via USB or AA batteries and can be hooked up to your computer via USB or wirelessly through Bluetooth MIDI. On the unit's side you'll also find a TRS MIDI output and sustain pedal jack. 

The controller ships with a bundle of free software that includes Bitwig Studio 8-track, a limited version of Bitwig's flagship DAW, and Lifeline Expanse Lite, a multi-effect from Excite Audio. You'll also snag a two-month subscription to Loopcloud Studio and a three-month license for Serato Studio. 

All in all, Keypad Pro looks like a solid choice for those building a portable set-up: if you're a Bitwig user on the hunt for a versatile controller for mobile music-making, this could be the device for you.

Keypad Pro is priced at €249/$249/£219. Find out more on Reloop's website.

Novation Launchkey MK4 49 and 61: What is it?

The Novation Launchkey MK4 range of keyboards/controllers presents six options: Mini 25 and 37, synth action 25 and 37, and finally, the ones we’ve got here, the Launchkey 49 (four octaves) and 61 (five octaves), both with full-size, semi-weighted keys.

Broadly speaking, all of the MK4s share common features, with a few variations as they scale up. We’re reviewing the 49 and 61 together, and you can click on the links to read our reviews of the Minis and the 25 and 37 models.

The box contains the keyboard, USB cable, and details for downloading the free software bundle and firmware updates. Alongside the larger keys, the top panel features (from left to right) pitch and modulation wheels, octave buttons, nine faders and buttons, an OLED display, scale and chord buttons, eight continuous encoders, 16 velocity sensitive Launchpad-style pads, and an assortment of other buttons, some of which we’ll come back to.

The rear panel features a USB-C connection, MIDI output, sustain pedal input, and a Kensington lock slot.

The software bundle includes Ableton Live 12, and plugins from Klevgrand, GForce, Orchestral Tools, as well as free music lessons from Melodics. It’s an excellent package, same as with the rest of the Launchkey range, although we felt it’s more biased towards general production rather than specifically keyboard playing.

Novation Launchkey 49 and 61 MK4: Performance and verdict

We installed everything, connected the Launchkey to a MacBook Pro M3 (it’s powered by USB), then opened Ableton Live 12.1 Suite and browsed some piano presets. The semi-weighted keys are credible and add authority, especially when playing sounds that correspond to real-world instruments that might have similar keys.

Then we had some fun time creating instrument racks, especially with the 61 – using racks and splits works so well when there are more octaves to play with. The Live control elements integrate nicely, covering mixer, device parameters, track and scene navigation, and more. Live users also benefit from the Launchkey’s onboard step sequencer, which automatically creates a MIDI clip as a sequence is constructed with the pads.

Other onboard features are available to all users, such as the arpeggiator, and the chord detector, which uses the OLED to display a little graphic, and the name of any chord that’s played. Scale mode locks the keyboard to a selected scale, and notes outside that scale are either muted or forced into correct pitches. The pads can be used to play drums or chords, and in chord mode, fixed chords assign a chord to the keys, all of which provides some different ways to play accompaniments. Incidentally, not only are the pads velocity sensitive, they will do aftertouch too, if you want it.

The 49 and 61 both have that array of nine faders, and they are really useful for managing track levels (which is the default function), and helping you play more easily while running your software, and the entire interface benefits from the OLED moving closer to the centre, bringing everything visually more into line; a small improvement, but yes, we can be picky.

There are buttons below each of the nine faders, covering custom functions and also being the place to organise keyboard splits – there are two Parts available, which can be used to split or layer the keyboard, accessed via the Shift and Fader buttons, and the length of each keyboard split is user-definable.

Beyond Ableton Live, we used the Launchkeys with Logic Pro, and assorted plugins including SynthMaster 3, as well as with hardware sound sources like the Akai Pro MPC One+; they are excellent all-around controllers.

User customisation is available through the Components app, where custom settings for encoders, pads, faders, and buttons can be created and combined; these new configurations can be sent to the keyboard hardware, and archived on the computer.

You’re definitely in the driver’s seat with these keyboards, and they serve perfectly as flagship models in the Launchkey series (unless an 88-key version appears). If you’re more of a synth player, you might be content with the 25 and 37 versions, but if you’re somebody who’s likely to be playing more ‘traditionally’ musical parts, while still needing to hold the reins on a DAW or plugins, or a hardware rig, the Launchkey MK4 49 and 61 are going to float your boat.

MusicRadar verdict: The Launchkey 49 and 61 MK4 keyboards provide a full range of controls for instruments and DAWs, along with a semi-weighted keyboard that’ll please the players among us. The trade-off in portability is worth it.

Novation Launchkey MK4 49 and 61: The web says

"Most producers need a tactile everyday keyboard hooked up permanently to their DAW and ideally some well-thought-out transport and control features too. The revamped Launchkey 61 delivers both, and at a sensible price."
MusicTech

Novation Launchkey MK4 49 and 61: Hands-on demos

Novation

Sanjay C

Gear4music Synths & Tech

Yaahn Hunter Jr.

Dom Sigalas

Novation Launchkey MK4 49 and 61: Specifications

• 49 or 61 semi-weighted keys
• 16 velocity and aftertouch pads
• DAW integration for Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase-Nuendo, FL Studio, etc
• 128 x 64 OLED display
• Pitch and modulation wheels
• Transport controls
• Capture MIDI button
• Fixed chord mode
• Scale mode
• Chord detector
• Chord map
• Software bundle includes Ableton Live 12 Lite, GForce synths, Orchestral Tools, Kievgrand plugins, Melodics lessons
• USB-C connection (bus-powered)
• MIDI 5-pin output
• Sustain pedal socket
• DIMENSIONS: 49 key version: Width 730mm, Depth 263.5mm, Height 93mm. Weight 4.08kg. 61 key version: Width 895mm, Depth 263.5mm, Height 93mm. Weight 4.78kg.
• CONTACT: Novation

Novation Launchkey MK4 25 and 37: What is it?

Novation has released the Launchkey MK4 range, including 25 and 37 mini keyboards, 49 and 61 semi-weighted versions, and these, the 25 and 37 synth-action models. They share common features, and the same software bundle. Novation has been big on the MIDI keyboard/controller scene since the 1990s, and is still holding its own against offerings from Akai Professional, Arturia, and Native Instruments, amongst others.

These Launchkeys are monochrome monoliths – in their unpowered state there’s no colour whatsoever. The 25 and 37 are identical, other than the number of keys. As well as the keys, you’ll find (from left to right) pitch and mod wheels, octave buttons, an OLED display, and buttons for track navigation, Scale and Chord modes, Arpeggiator, Fixed Chords, and Shift and Settings. Next to that are two buttons to scroll Ableton’s famous Session View box, two rows of eight pads, and eight encoders. Then there’s a function button, encoder bank select buttons, then finally buttons for transport, Capture MIDI, Undo, Quantize, and Metronome.

At the back, are a USB-C connection, 5-pin MIDI output, sustain pedal input, and a Kensington lock slot.

The software bundle is well worth installing, especially if you’re building a setup from scratch. Ableton Live Lite 12 is included, as well as plugins from Klevgrand, GForce, and Orchestral Tools, along with the Melodics music tutorial app.

The Launchkeys are powered by USB, and a USB-C-to-A cable is included, although we used a USB-C cable to connect to a MacBook Pro M3, (macOS Sequoia/Live 12.1), and as soon as it powered up, there was light and colour courtesy of the OLED, the pads, and backlit buttons; it looks cool, and will work on a murky stage (is there any other kind?).

Novation Launchkey MK4 25 and 37: Performance and verdict

Downloadable scripts add support for popular DAWs such as Ableton Live, Logic, Cubase-Nuendo, and FL Studio. Live 12 gets transport and mixer control, and track and scene navigation.

Select any device or rack, and the encoders take over the first eight parameters, then the encoder bank buttons will scroll through parameters in blocks of eight (for example Live’s Operator synth gets nine banks in total), while the Function button cycles the pads through mute, solo, clip launch, and track stop. So much of using the Launchkeys is about the Shift and Function buttons, and referring to the OLED to check where you’re at.

The pads live up to the Novation Launchpad name, with velocity, aftertouch, and changing colour according to the current function. They can be used to play drums, or to feed the arpeggiator, the step sequencer, or to trigger chords, and full progressions can be stored and played across the pads. For Live, there’s a step sequencer, where the pads and keys are used to define steps and pitches, including other sequencer tricks such as nudging, and a new MIDI clip will be created in Live automatically, which is a very neat integration.

Although the step sequencer is Live-only, other functions are available to all users, including Scale Mode where the entire keyboard conforms to a user-selected scale (no wrong notes ever again – hopefully), Chord Mode, where a single key can trigger a full chord, and Chord Detecto, a very useful feature where any played chord appears on the OLED, with the name and a graphic showing the notes played. User-defined Custom modes are also available, where presets can be saved for custom MIDI mappings.

We connected to an iPhone 15 Pro Max’s USB C port, and there were no problems powering the Launchkeys while playing our favourite synth apps. This created the impression of a standalone synth; a nice little setup for jamming or gigs.

The new Launchkeys are a pleasure to use – it’s easy to play synth parts and control the parameters from the encoders, then flip into controlling your transport, mixer, sends, or whatever. They have a logical control layout, which quickly becomes second nature. In a world of pad-based controllers, the Launchkeys are a reminder that sometimes a keyboard is still what you need, even with Ableton Live. As to which version you should go for – the 25 has the features in a smaller package, but the 37 breaks it out into more of a ‘hardware synth’ mood. It’s your call.

MusicRadar verdict: The updated Launchkeys are just as good as controllers as they are keyboards. Use them with your favourite software or hardware, and these versatile devices will take care of pretty much everything for you.

Novation Launchkey MK4 25 and 37: The web says

"The package and pricing here is terrific. And it’s tough to compete with Novation’s fantastic software integration, especially for Live and Logic, but also across the exceptional DAW control range here."
CDM

Novation Launchkey MK4 25 and 37: Hands-on demos

Novation

Loopop

Sanjay C

Novation Launchkey MK4 25 and 37: Specifications

• 25 or 37 synth-action keys
• 16 pads with velocity and aftertouch
• DAW integration:
  Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase-Nuendo, FL Studio, etc.
• 128 x 64 OLED display
• Pitch and modulation wheels
• Transport controls
• Capture MIDI button
• Fixed chord mode
• Scale mode
• Chord detector
• Chord map
• Software bundle:
  Ableton Live 12 Lite, GForce synths, Orchestral Tools, Kievgrand plugins, Melodics lessons
• USB-C (bus powered)
• MIDI 5-pin output
• Sustain pedal socket
• Dimensions:
  25 key: W 461mm, D 251mm, H 79mm
  37 key: W 557mm, D 251mm, H 79mm
• Weight:
  25-key: 1.8kg
  37-key :2.18kg
• CONTACT: Novation

Released in 2008, Korg’s original NanoKey MIDI keyboard spawned a slew of imitations. A low-profile, super-portable 25-note controller, it sold, we suspect, by the bucketload.

How do you disrupt the mini MIDI keyboard market again, though? Korg’s answer is the NanoKey Fold, a new 25-noter that, as its name suggests, can be folded up to make it even smaller. In fact, we're told that it's designed to be "as mobile as your smartphone".

Taking design cues from the new wave of foldable phones, the NanoKey Fold genuinely can be transported in your pocket, ready to be unfurled whenever you need it. What’s more, the silent membrane keybed is said to be silent, so you won’t annoy your fellow passengers if you whip it out on a train or plane. You can adjust the velocity settings of the keyboard to suit your playing style.

The NanoKey Fold might be small, but Korg has still managed to pack in quite a few of the features that you’d hope to see on a full-sized contemporary keyboard. These include Scale and Chord modes - always useful for non-players - and an arpeggiator. There are no pitch and mod wheels, obviously, but you do get a pair of touch sliders in their place.

What’s more, although there are only 25 keys, you still have the option to split the keyboard and have each side operating independently, so you can play two parts at once.

The NanoKey Fold has both USB-C and TRS-MIDI outputs, and comes supplied with a TRS-to-MIDI DIN adapter. There’s no Bluetooth connectivity - a cost-saving measure, perhaps? - but the keyboard can be bus-powered over USB.

Of course, convenience is one thing: the other question is how well the NanoKey Fold actually plays. We’re not expecting it to feel like a grand piano, but we hope that it’ll at least be suitable for playing simple chords, basslines, beats and melodies.

The NanoKey Fold costs £110/€129 and is available in orange, green, beige, black or white. You can find out more and get your order in via the Korg website.

We’ve seen a lot of changes in music technology over the past 25 years, and French company Arturia has been there for pretty much all of them.

From its beginnings as a developer of an all-in-one software studio - Storm, anyone? - to creating a groundbreaking Minimoog emulation with Bob Moog - yep, the man himself - the company has become a specialist in vintage synth and cutting-edge plugins, hardware instruments, audio interfaces and, of course, MIDI controllers.

In fact, Arturia’s MIDI keyboards are as highly regarded as they come, and the latest model in its much-loved KeyLab range, the Mk3, takes the series to yet another level.

The improvements are there for all to see, most obviously in the addition of a large colour display. Replacing the monochrome screen from the Mk2, this provides you with far more insightful visual feedback, giving you a clear view of your currently selected instrument and its key parameters.

In fact, so comprehensive is the integration with Arturia’s Analog Lab and the company’s other instruments that you can play and control them from the KeyLab Mk3 without having to look at your computer screen, replicating the experience of using a hardware synth.

And speaking of playing, with an updated aftertouch keybed design, the KeyLab is now better to jam on than ever. The balance, weighting and spring tension of the keys has been fully reworked, resulting in a more premium feel that allows for greater levels of expression.

The same can be said of the upgraded pads, which have much improved velocity and pressure sensitivity and are perfect for finger drumming, clip launching and any other tasks you want to assign them.

The knobs and faders have been enhanced, too; capacitive touch sensitivity means that tapping on any of them will enable you to see on the screen what it’s controlling, and the current controller value. This is a significant upgrade, and removes the guesswork when you’re performing with synths or making tweaks in your DAW.

Elsewhere, connectivity has been brought up-to-date with the addition of a USB-C port, and developers of various big-name DAWs have contributed scripts so that control of their software is as tight and straightforward as possible.

And, remember: this is just the new stuff. KeyLab Mk3 still offers all the best features of its predecessor, such as creative playing aids (Chord Mode, Scale Mode and Arpeggiator, the last of which has a generative randomiser for quick idea generation) and full MIDI customisation.

There’s a stellar package of bundled software, too: Arturia’s own Analog Lab Pro, Augmented Strings, Rev Plate-140, Mini C V and Piano V plugins, plus Ableton Live Lite and NI’s The Gentleman.

If you’re looking for a high-spec MIDI keyboard, then, the KeyLab Mk3 is a no-brainer. In fact, all you really need to think about is whether you want the 49- or 61-key version and your colour option (black or white).

You can find out more on the Arturia website.

Native Instruments is rolling out its Black Friday music deals, offering some very tasty discounts on a range of immense music production tools. The headline offer sees it offering a hefty 50% discount on a selection of its instruments and sound packs, including the renowned Alicia’s Electric Keys and Guitar Rig 7 Pro. 

Alicia’s Electric Keys captures the soulful tones of Alicia Keys' personal electric grand piano, while Guitar Rig 7 Pro is a versatile amp and effects modelling software with a huge library of amps, cabinets, and effects. 

For those looking to expand their sonic arsenal, Native is also offering a 50% discount on its all-encompassing Komplete 15 plugin bundles when purchased alongside their S-Series keyboards. The S-Series keyboards, now in their third iteration, are known for their seamless integration with Native Instruments software and offer high-quality keybeds, intuitive controls, and impressive on-device displays that make finding a sound, tweaking parameters, and much more a cinch. 

Komplete 15 itself is a monstrous collection of instruments and effects, covering everything from cutting-edge synthesizers to realistic sampled instruments, making it an invaluable resource for any producer.

Beatmakers, samplers and producers will be interested in the standalone groovebox, Maschine+, which is now available at a reduced price of £839, down from £1,019. Maschine+ combines the intuitive workflow of the Maschine software with the freedom of standalone hardware, allowing producers to create music without the need for a computer. It features a pretty comprehensive library of sounds, powerful sequencing capabilities, and a responsive, tactile interface, making it an ideal tool for live performances and studio sessions alike.

DJs can also take advantage of a 30% discount on Traktor Pro 4, Native Instruments' flagship DJ software. Traktor Pro 4 offers a suite of professional features, including four-deck mixing, a vast array of effects, and advanced track management tools. Its intuitive interface and high-quality audio engine make it a favourite among DJs seeking reliability and creative flexibility in their performances.

These Cyber Season deals from Native Instruments provide a unique opportunity to acquire top-tier music production tools at significantly reduced prices. Whether you're looking to expand your instrument library, upgrade your hardware, or enhance your DJ setup, these amazing deals cater to a wide range of musical needs and preferences. Don't miss out on the chance to elevate your music production capabilities with these exceptional deals.

Looking for more studio-based bargains? Well, be sure to head over to our Black Friday plugin deals page, where we've rounded up the very best offers we could find from the biggest names in audio production.  

Below, you'll find epic offers on software that are available right now

• Antares: 50% off annual
• Avid: Save 33% on annual
• IK Multimedia: $450 off plugins
• Loopcloud: Half price annual
• Loopmasters: 60% off samples
• Plugin Boutique: Up to 92% off
• Waves: $19.99 plugins

Native Instruments has launched version 3.0 of its Maschine software – the DAW-like application designed to work as a counterpart to its range of Maschine controllers.

Although, when it originally launched in 2010, Maschine was primarily positioned as a beat making tool, the modern version of the software is designed as a one-stop shop for producing electronic music, offering sequencing, sampling, built-in synths, track arrangement and mixing tools.

Version 3 brings several refinements to the Maschine workflow, but the most notable new features are the addition of stem separation – powered by the tech from iZotope RX – and a major shake up to the Maschine factory library.

It’s been 11 years since NI released Maschine 2.0 into the world, and although the software has received numerous upgrades and new features along the way – the latest iteration stands at v2.18 – there’s no doubt that a full update has been long overdue.

Unlike version 2, Maschine 3 doesn’t launch alongside any new hardware. NI is, however, launching a sale whereby users can get between $50 and $200 off of Maschine Mikro, Mk3 and Maschine+ until 15 January. Find out more at the Native Instruments site.

Native Instruments Maschine 3.0: What is it?

Whereas the jump from Maschine 1 to 2 brought some fundamental changes to how the Maschine software worked, introducing a mixer view and suite of inbuilt drum synthesizers, there’s no major changes to the overall workflow for version 3.

That’s not to say Maschine 3.0 feels identical to version 2.0. Over the course of its lifespan, Maschine 2 introduced radical changes to the way it handled arrangement, audio and sampling, as well as adding native Poly and Bass synth devices. But, beyond the modernised and smarter looking UI skin, those moving from Maschine 2.18 to 3 might struggle to identify any obvious changes upon opening the software.

The basics

Each Maschine Project contains up-to eight Groups, which can themselves contain up-to 16 Sounds. The Sound slots can be filled with a variety of sources, including one-shot samples and multisampled instruments played via Maschine’s inbuilt sampler, audio loops, Maschine’s stock synths, and VST or AU plugins. Maschine can also be used to sequence external hardware, which can then be captured using the software’s audio inputs or sampling capabilities. Each Sound and Group can also host effect chains, again sourced from either Maschine’s stock devices or external plugins.

Although the Maschine hardware takes its primary inspiration for the workflow of classic MPCs, in software terms Maschine is equally influenced by the non-linear workflow of Ableton Live. Groups are sequenced using a mixture of a step sequencer and piano roll to create patterns. These clips can be arranged and triggered as Scenes using Maschine’s Ideas view, or arranged into longer compositions using the Song view.

Maschine is designed primarily for use with one of the company’s complimentary controllers. Version 3 is compatible with Maschine Mikro MK3, Maschine MK3, Maschine Studio and Maschine+ in controller mode. It also has limited compatibility with Maschine Jam. With this new release, NI is also introducing compatibility for the company’s latest generation keyboard controllers, the S-Series Mk3.

Whereas Maschine was originally only available bundled alongside one of its associated controllers, in more recent years NI has made the software available for purchase on its own. With the introduction of new keyboard shortcuts and its new library of sound content, NI seems to be positioning Maschine 3.0 as more of a viable purchase for those that don’t own Maschine hardware.

Native Instruments Maschine 3.0: Performance and verdict

Given that stem separation is the headline feature of v3, it’s surprisingly hard to find. The functionality is accessed by loading an audio file into a sampler in any available Sound slot, and then accessing the sample edit tab. Alongside the previously available options here – cropping, looping, normalising, etc – Maschine now has a Stems button. Pressing this begins an offline separation process, at the end of which Maschine will create a new Group with the individual Drum, Bass, Other and Vocal spread across the first four sound slots.

The separation is powered by the same tech found in iZotope’s RX, which has impressed us previously. On the M1-equipped MacBook Pro (2020) we used for our tests, separating a four-minute R&B track took just over two and a half minutes, rising to just under five minutes for an eight-minute electronic track. It’s possible to use the rest of Maschine’s UI while waiting for a track to process, but it’s only possible to separate a single track at any one time.

We tested a few different tracks across a variety of genres, including Frank Ocean’s pop/R&B track Swim Good, Talking Heads’ alt-rock classic Once In A Lifetime, Autechre’s skeletal electronic remix of The Bug’s Skeng, and Let’s Start from Fela Kuti’s 1971 album Live! The quality of the separation was generally high throughout and certainly up with the best of Maschine’s rivals.

Our best results came from the more straightforward tracks in our test, with both Frank Ocean and Talking Heads tracks benefitting from clean separation of their elements. Maschine tends to do best at isolating drums and vocals. In the case of the Fela Kuti live track, the drums were isolated well, but bass, brass and vocal elements tended to drift in and out of each other’s lanes a little. With the Autechre track, Maschine occasionally struggled to define where to draw the line between drums and bass (perhaps unsurprisingly, to be fair). In all cases though, we were left with results that would certainly be usable for creative purposes.

Each stem is loaded within a sampler by default, but it’s possible to switch the relevant track to Audio mode in order to play the stem back wholesale. Using a sampler, however, allows the user to make use of Maschine’s standard sample editing and playback tools, allowing stems to be truncated, reversed, cut and pasted, looped, shifted and stretched. In all its a flexible toolset and there’s a lot of fun to be had manipulating stems like sampled loops, although Maschine’s tempo auto-detect function can be a bit patchy when loading full tracks – particularly unquantised funk or soul – meaning that getting part of a stem to fit perfectly over your track can be a little fiddly.

Central selection

The other headline feature of Maschine 3.0 is its new Maschine Central library. This is a full refresh of factory content that the software ships with, replacing the Maschine and Maschine 2 libraries. It weighs in at just under 8GB, broadly divided into 103 kits of one-shot samples, 144 Kontakt-derived multi-sampled instruments and 204 presets for Maschine’s Drum, Bass and Poly synths, as well as NI’s Massive, Monark and Prism.

Maschine Central is also offered alongside a bundle of additional software. This includes iZotope’s Ozone 11 Elements, which offers a series of simple mastering tools, as well as the aforementioned Massive, Monark and Prism synths. We're told purchesers of the Maschine hardware will also receive a version of Komplete Select, and Maschine+ will ship with an enhanced bundle of software (although we don't have details on what this will include at the time of writing).

We’ve always been impressed by the quality of Maschine’s sounds and – although we’ve not had a chance to explore the entirety of Maschine Central’s library for this review – the kits and presets included seem to be well-designed and highly usable. There’s been an obvious effort to update the sound palette here, including kits aimed at drill and modern pop production alongside more standard hip-hop, trap and drum machine offerings.

While there’s a nice breadth to the included sounds, with enough for music makers in most genres to get started with, it’s far from definitive, and the collection seems designed to leave enough obvious holes to tempt users into buying NI’s more targeted and comprehensive Expansions.

For existing Maschine users, Central can be purchased as an optional add-on, with or without an upgrade to v3. While it’s not unreasonably priced, it doesn’t strike us as a must-have addition if you already have previous Maschine libraries and/or Expansions.

What else?

Aside from these headline additions, Maschine 3 comes with a few quality of life changes. There are new MIDI options, allowing users to split, join, audition or mute MIDI notes, which are each assigned a keyboard shortcut. These seem designed to aid those who might be using Maschine without a controller, or for more nuanced editing alongside one.

Maschine can now trigger changes in tempo when changing Scenes, which will certainly be handy for those building Projects for live performances. The software also adds the ability to render sounds or patterns to audio in place, which is handy for saving on CPU load. There’s also improved audio file compatibility, with the ability to import MP3, MP4, FLAC and OGG files – all of which is useful given the stem separation tech.

Verdict

There’s still a lot to like about Maschine in 2024. Over the past decade the software has matured into a well-rounded and accessible tool for quickly creating ideas. Particularly when paired with one of the core pad-based controllers, the general workflow remains fast, and still channels the tactile fun of playing and sequencing sounds in a style rooted in the workflow of classic ‘90s MPCs.

That being said, it’s hard not to feel a sense of disappointment when assessing the total of what Maschine 3 has to offer. As we mentioned above, when Maschine 2 landed it brought new synths, mixing tools and a revamped audio engine, which significantly broadened what the platform was capable of. Aside from the stem separation capabilities, there’s little here that presents new creative opportunities or radical workflow upgrades.

While the stem separation technology is a nice addition and capable of decent results, it’s hardly groundbreaking – the tech itself is lifted from iZotope RX, and similar functionality is already found in NI’s newly revamped Traktor DJ software. Its inclusion here is also a case of playing catch-up with some of Maschine’s key rivals, notably Akai’s MPC software, Serato Sample and FL Studio, all of which already feature similar capabilities.

Although the technology itself is decent and is certainly usable within the Maschine workflow, it does feel a little tacked-on. It would have been nice to have seen a proper rework of Maschine’s sample/audio editing view designed with stem extraction in mind, making it easier to say, grab a vocal hook from a chorus or warp elements to fit the groove of a track. As it is, it’s just an option added onto the end of the existing tools.

There are, undoubtedly, plenty of areas where Maschine could be improved or updated. For one thing, Maschine Central still leans heavily on Massive, Monark and Prism, all of which are well over a decade old. While these are technically not part of the Maschine software itself, their heavy use for sounds emphasises how much Maschine is crying out for some innovative new sound generation tools in order to compete with the devices offered by the likes of Ableton Live. It seems like, as with the recent Komplete refresh, NI is leaning more and more on Kontakt libraries, perhaps because the company no longer has the soft synth expertise it once did.

Similarly on the effect front, it's been a good while since Maschine received any updates to its stock of creative and mixing tools, and it feels like the company is now simply leaning on tech from its sister brand iZotope to take up the slack.

It’s almost comedic to tout the addition of MIDI tools as basic as split, join and mute as major new features, when compared to what else the market has to offer right now. Where are, for example, the probability and generative tools, Euclidean sequencers, conditional sequences or MPE capabilities that would help Maschine compete with other software tools? To bill this as a step into a new generation after 11 years and offer such a dearth of features worth getting excited about is incredibly underwhelming.

As we’ve said, there is undoubtedly still plenty of fun and creativity to be had with the Maschine platform. And to be fair, the $29 upgrade price for owners of Maschine 2 isn’t unreasonable, if you’re interested in stem separation. However, musicians that have invested in the platform over the years through hardware purchases, Expansions or simply integrating Maschine into their music making, deserve more than this.

If NI brings as many updates to Maschine 3 as it did 2, this could shape up into a far more interesting proposition. For now, this 'new' version isn't much to write home about.

MusicRadar Verdict: While there’s still plenty of fun to be had with Maschine, this is a very underwhelming step into a supposed new generation.

Native Instruments Maschine 3.0: Specification

• Contact: Native Instruments
• Pricing: Maschine 3, Maschine Central, and additional software bundle: $99 / €99 MSRP, $69 / €69 upgrade from Maschine 2. Maschine 3 without Maschine Central or additional software: $29 / €29 upgrade from Maschine 2. Maschine Central sound library without additional software: $49 / €49
• Controller compatibility: Maschine 3 functions without hardware, and is supported by following controllers: Maschine Mikro MK3, Maschine MK3, Maschine Studio, and Maschine+ in controller mode. Supported Keyboard controllers: M32, A-series, Komplete Kontrol S-Series MK2 and basic integration with the Kontrol S-Series MK3. Maschine Jam is supported by Maschine 3 but without an update to the browser interface. Currently, projects created standalone on Maschine+ in the Maschine 2 format will open in Maschine 3, but not vice versa.  Compatibility for Maschine 3 with Maschine+ in standalone mode will be added in the Maschine 3.1 update, coming soon.

It may have been announced in 1983, but it was in the mid-to-late ‘80s that MIDI really started to have an impact in bedroom music production circles. By then, we had the Atari ST, a computer with built-in MIDI ports, and software sequencers that were capable of taking advantage of them.

Plus, multitimbral synths were getting more affordable, so it was possible to buy just one keyboard and use it to create a complete arrangement.

Which brings us nicely to 1990, when MIDI music-making was established enough to warrant an appearance on BBC 2 - at the time, one of just four terrestrial TV channels in the UK.

In a segment presented by Kate Bellingham and recently posted to the BBC Archive YouTube channel, we see a digital musician, Clive Williamson, demonstrating how he uses just an Atari ST running C-Labs Notator - the forerunner to a little-known DAW called Logic - and a Roland D-10 (a cutdown version of the D-50) to create a new-agey piece that shows off the synth’s familiar ‘80s soundset. The show is called Techno, but the music definitely isn’t.

‘Electronic keyboards”’ like this, explains Bellingham, can be found in “any reasonable music shop,” while Williamson is billed as a man who “composes music and sells his own tapes”.

When asked by Bellingham if a great deal of musical expertise is required to make music using a setup like this, Williamson replies that precisely the opposite is true. “I love MIDI because you don’t have to have a great deal of knowledge - you just have ideas.”

Despite this being an explainer video, there’s some familiar confusion about where the sounds are being generated - at one point, Williamson mistakenly says that “the piano sound is coming from the computer”; he later gets it right when he says that “all these sounds we’re hearing are coming from one synthesizer” - but it’s towards the end that things really take a turn for the bizarre.

After explaining that MIDI enables you to use multiple digital instruments together, William pulls out his “digital horn” - something from the Casio DH range, we think - before inviting Bellingham to jam over his Notator tune on her oboe while he plays the flute, an instrument he was inspired to take up after getting into MIDI music making. Fellow Techno presenter Mat Irvine is also roped in to play MIDI guitar (used to trigger the strings, we think), and then the whole thing just ends as the camera pans out.

It’s all gold, and we can’t help but think that Williamson, Bellingham and Irvine’s trio was the inspiration for The xx, who formed some 15 years later.

If you’re just about to embark on your journey as either a music-maker or producer, then you’ve found the right page. This feature intends to provide an answer to one of the most essential questions that many people starting out have: “How do I work with a MIDI controller to make music with software?”

This is the first part of a new ultra-simple series here at MusicRadar, which seeks to untangle the complexities of the various entry points to music-making. They’re the topics that are all-too often overly complicated by the experts who, even when writing beginner-level content, tend to assume a degree of knowledge that many haven’t got a handle on yet.

Well, we’re keeping things very, very simple here. We're assuming little to no knowledge of, well, basically anything. But, we are going to assume that if you’re reading this, then you’re fuelled by the hunger to start making the music you know you have inside yourself, and want to learn how to do it.

So, let’s unpack the first step, which is how to work with MIDI. Hopefully, you'll learn that understanding of how it works is central to the world of music production and unlocking your own creativity.

What is MIDI?

MIDI: What is it?

MIDI is essentially a communication language. It's an acronym for 'Musical Instrument Digital Interface' and allows your physical instruments and dedicated controllers to communicate with computers, tablets and devices.

MIDI data doesn’t send out any actual sound, but instead transmits data about what you’re doing with the instrument/controller. So, as you play your MIDI keyboard or controller, the position of your fingers on the keys, the speed at which you play and any additional manipulation you do (e.g. moving any modulation or pitch wheels up and down) will be communicated to your computer or device. This data is then routed to the virtual instrument or plugin you're currently working with.

MIDI controllers are typically connected to your computer via a simple USB cable. Older instruments might require you to plug in a MIDI connector (aka, a five-pin DIN plug) into an audio interface, but increasingly, USB 2.0 or 3.0 connections are more common.

Why do you need to know about MIDI?

Why do I need to know about MIDI?

MIDI is absolutely central to the world of modern music production, as the MIDI data you send controls the virtual instruments on your computer, and can be used to trigger other samples, loops and effects. Once you’ve got your MIDI keyboard plugged in to your computer, the next step is to record something with your instrument.

In most mainstream DAWs, such as Logic or Ableton Live, you’ll be asked to create either an Audio or Software Instrument/MIDI track that you want to record into when you open it for the first time. For recording MIDI, you’ll need to choose the second of these options.

Next, you’ll want to choose an instrument to send the MIDI information to - and get audible results from. Every DAW is different, but with Apple-based DAWs like Logic and GarageBand, you could choose from the existing Apple-provided banks of software instruments by choosing from the left-hand menus, or, down in the mixer area, clicking on the ‘Input’ option for that track and choosing from your own bank of software instruments (if you have any) to load. Other DAWs have different routes, so check out the specific manuals/instructions on how to prime your track with the correct virtual instrument.

Once you’ve recorded the part you want to record, you’ll notice that instead of a waveform, you have multiple rectangular blocks that correspond to the notes you’ve played. This is known as a ‘MIDI Region’.

If you’ve slightly got the timing wrong, or accidentally slipped your fingers when playing and triggered another note, then one of the best things about MIDI is that you don’t have to waste time re-recording. You can simply click on your MIDI performance which (in most DAWs) will open up the performance in greater detail – and enable you to drag, lengthen/shorten or even change the instrument you’re playing the MIDI through.

This area is known as the ‘Piano Roll’. If you drag your notes up or down, you’ll notice that the pitch of the note changes in accordance with the piano keyboard layout on the left-hand side.

There’s also the option to ‘Quantise’ your notes, so they lock more tightly in at the right time in sync with your currently set tempo. This isn’t always advised, as sometimes you may want to capture impromptu performance fills and flourishes, and making everything too locked-in can often lead to slightly rigid-sounding results. MIDI has 16 channels per connection, which means up to 16 instruments can be controlled simultaneously.

Getting a grip on how MIDI works is just the starting point that most of your adventures in virtual instruments, synthesis, track arranging and melody-making will be built on-top of.

10 Key MIDI Points

10 key MIDI points

1. MIDI doesn’t just trigger playable string and synth instruments, it can also be used as a controller for drum kits, brass instruments and basically anything you can imagine. If you want it, you’ll be able to find a virtual instrument or sample library version of it, where your interaction with a MIDI interface/keyboard enables you to map out a performance.

2. Continuing on from the above, MIDI keyboards and controllers can be used as samplers in their own right. Most DAWs have sampler plugins built in, which can be assigned to your MIDI keyboard, making it able to play various note variations of your own originally-sourced sounds or audio.

3. Beyond playing instruments and launching samples, the knobs, wheels and pads on your MIDI instrument can be assigned to control various different parameters on the virtual instruments (such as filters on synths, or reverb/delay levels). Setting up these ‘Control Change' ('CC') messages will vary DAW-to-DAW, but it’s typically a straightforward process to set-up them up. In Logic, entering Learn Mode (⌘+L), clicking on a specific parameter you want to control and moving the selected knob/fader on your MIDI hardware will latch them together.

4. Typical MIDI message types includes ‘Note On/Off, Program Change, Control Changes, Pitch Bend and Aftertouch, these basic messages underpin how your computer (and the program/instrument you’re running) reacts to your inputs

5. Beyond keyboards, more advanced MIDI control surfaces include pad-based workflows (such as Ableton Push 3 and Novation’s Launchpad), as well as the guitar-leaning Artiphon Instrument 1 and MIDI drum-kits such as Roland’s V Drum.

6. One of the biggest problems with interfacing solely with a MIDI keyboard is making the sampled instruments you’re controlling sound ‘human’, particularly with instruments like brass or breath-controlled instruments. There are numerous routes around this, such as laying down the shape of the melody and then forensically shaping the MIDI notes until the performance sounds more organic. A less time-consuming way would be to use an MPE instrument (see point 10)

7. There’s a plethora of MIDI packs out there, which import pre-made MIDI data into your DAW. Typically these consist of repeated loops of grooves or chord sequences. These pre-shaped MIDI sequences can be highly useful starting points. Many of which are free.

8. When you record a MIDI performance, you’re essentially directing your software to play the inputted notes at a certain time, which is different to recording audio. As the number of MIDI instruments stack-up so too will the demands on your processor. This could lead to crashes and lag. The best solution would be to ‘freeze’ the MIDI performance once you’re happy with it. Different DAWs will have different approaches to freezing, but the principle means that the performance/sound is saved as audio and your DAW has less to do (don’t worry, you can always un-freeze and bring back the original, editable MIDI data).

9. MIDI Automation allows you to pre-draw the movement of specific CC instructions (see point 3), this means you can adjust the opening and closing of envelopes, filters or the incorporation of effects over time. While you can do this manually with your MIDI controller, pre-drawing allows you to prepare and sculpt certain changeable attributes (like fade-outs or swells) ahead of time, adding more movement to your track.

10. When shopping for MIDI keyboards and controllers, you may also notice a rising array of MPE instruments. These keyboards and control surfaces modify the original MIDI spec and allow for a wider array of control. MPE in itself is worthy of a deeper look, but in general these instruments grant more playability for those musicians looking to create more organic, evolving sounds and realistic performances

Further Reading

MusicRadar further reading…

Over the years, we’ve produced many articles and features on using MIDI and getting the best from both controllers and more in-depth MIDI editing.

Your starting point should be our guide to the best MIDI keyboards. Continually updated and refreshed with our latest picks, this is a one-stop, indispensable read if you’re not sure which one to buy first, or if you want to upgrade.

Next you’re going to need to know how to connect up your MIDI hardware to your computer.

Here are seven ways to work smart with MIDI in your DAW, going deep on some DAW-specific avenues that will transform your approach and mindset to getting creative with MIDI.

Next we have a fascinating feature, going deeper on the history of the MIDI specification and how it fundamentally changed the music production landscape.

Following on from that, if you want to know more about the next evolution of MIDI, then here we unpack the details of how MIDI will evolve in the future

Don’t have a dedicated MIDI controller but instead have a digital piano? Then this too can be used as a MIDI controller, this feature will explain how to set it up.

Alternatively, if you have a standalone hardware drum machine, this can be put to use as a MIDI controller, we break this down in a meaty feature

Speaking of drums and all things beats, this comprehensive tutorial unlocks how you can program MIDI drums that sound like the real thing

And, on the piano front, if you’re after some astounding piano sounds, playable with your MIDI controller, then our guide will steer you onto the right path

Finally, here’s a comprehensive overview on running a perfect studio workflow, with your MIDI controller in the context of other instruments, speakers, interfaces and hardware

This week saw Ableton launch its newest hardware device, Move. Somewhere between a mini version of Push and a hardware version of the Note app, Move is designed to be the perfect sketchpad for Ableton Live, letting users rough out ideas for beats and melodies, as well as capture samples, apply basic effects and record automation.

Move is designed to be easy and intuitive, which it achieves. But there are still a few less-obvious or secondary functions that are easy to miss but can be key to bringing your ideas to life.

To get up to speed with Move’s workflow, we sat down with Ableton’s product specialist Brian to watch him quickly put a groove together. You can watch his tips in the video above or read about them below. We’ve also added in a few tips of our own based on our time with Move.

READ MORE: Ableton Move review

Nudge hits off the grid to add groove

In his first workflow tip, Ableton’s product specialist Brian demonstrates how nudging a few hits off of the quantise grid can help to add a humanised feel to a drum groove. To demonstrate this he layers up three snare sounds. To create a little space between them, he holds down the relevant step on the sequencer and uses the left and right arrow keys to nudge two of the hits so they sit just before or after the beat.

“I'm nudging the notes to move them over to just give it some space” he explains. Finally, he applies some extra groove by holding down the Shift key and accessing the Groove menu. “It’s just to give it a bit more swing, so now we have a looser beat.”

Save your custom kits

Move’s stock presets are well organised by sound type and relatively easy to navigate, but loading user-uploaded samples can be a little more time consuming. Loading a one-shot sample to a Drum Sampler pad involves navigating out of Move’s list of sound types into the User Samples folder, and then finding your sound among your own sub-folders. Hardly a hardship on its own, but annoying to do 16 times in a row.

If you’re likely to use your own samples regularly, we’d recommend taking some time to create and save custom drum kits in advance. Having ready-to-go kits built around a useful combination of sounds will speed up your creative workflow. Saving these to a kit also allows you to configure things like envelope and filter settings, and appropriate send and insert effects too.

Quick switch presets from the browser

As Brian demonstrates in the video, Move offers an easy way to try out new sounds using existing patterns. To see how a drum groove sounds using different kits, simply use the browser wheel to scroll through Move’s various kit options, previewing them as you go. If you want to return to the original, simply hit the Undo button.

Detune vs transpose

When using sampled instruments in move, the first of the touch rotaries is used to transpose the source sample up and down. As standard, this is done by semitones. If you want to make adjustments by an amount other than a whole semitone, however, hold down Shift and the transpose mode will instead detune the sound by cents.

Spice up beats with Playback Effects

The Drum Sampler Playback Effects are one of Move’s strongest features. In our video Brian demonstrates how the pitch envelope mode can be used to add a characteristic bend to a sound.

Other favourite modes of ours include the Stretch function, which can apply granular warp-like effects, reminiscent of old school sampling. The Loop function is great for stuttering repeats too.

Use Capture for quick automation

Move’s Capture function – based on the same tool in Live – is an easy way to recall your playing and turn jammed-out ideas into clips. As Brian demonstrates for us, it works for parameter automation too. Experiment with tweaking settings using Move’s eight encoders, if you hit upon something you like, hit Capture to record the movement as part of your clip.

Automation can be deleted easily, by holding the Delete button and touching the associated encoder.

Turn drum pads into melodies with 16 Pitches

Although Move might initially look like it puts a hard limit on having no more than four melodic parts in any one project, there are actually several ways to work around this. As Brian demonstrates in his third tip, one of the easiest ways to do this is by creating melodic patterns from one-shot samples loaded into one of the 16 Drum Sampler slots of a drum kit.

To do this, simply hold Shift and press the layout button on Move’s sequencer. Now the 16 pads to the right of the kit will light up and can be used to play the selected sample at different pitches fixed to the project scale. This means that any one kit can house up-to 16 melodic patterns each making use of different one-shot samples.

Resample everything!

Move’s ability to resample its main output can be used to significantly expand its capabilities. If you regularly find yourself butting up against the four-instrument limit, try bouncing down riffs, basslines or drum grooves that would otherwise be taking up a full instrument slot to a single pad in a kit. To access this, press the sampling button and use the browser wheel to change the input mode to Resample, then press a free pad to start recording.

It’s worth noting the Move records the full main output, so you’ll need to mute any elements you don’t want to capture. Move doesn’t, however, record the metronome when resampling, so leave this on if it helps with the timing of the recording. If you engage resampling while the transport isn't running, playback will start as soon as you press the pad to start resampling – which can also be useful for timing.

While this is useful as a workaround on its own, doing so can also be an inspiring creative tool. Try resampling sounds with automation and/or effects baked in, then try triggering the recordings at different pitches to hear how it affects the audio. Make use of the Drum Sampler's fantastic Playback Effects too, to loop, stretch or ring modulate your resampled audio.

Slice up samples with multi-pad recording

Move doesn’t feature sample slicing like you would find on higher-end samplers or within Live itself (ie the ‘slice sample to new MIDI track’ feature). There’s a way to work around this, however, using the multi-pad recording function. This allows the user to manually record incoming audio across multiple pads of a Drum Rack.

To do this, enter Sampling mode and press an available pad to start recording. As soon as you want to create a new ‘slice’, press a different pad, and so on. Each time you press a new pad, you will be creating a sample ‘slice’ into a new Drum Sampler slot.

If you’re finding this hard to time correctly, for example, while trying to slice the transients of a fast drum break, try slowing the incoming audio down and then pitching it back up using Transpose once it’s recorded.

Arturia KeyLab 61 mk3: What is it?

Arturia’s flagship keyboard controller range has had a revamp. The KeyLab range are premium keyboard controllers, offering a serious uplift in features and price from Arturia’s more affordable and more compact KeyLab Essential range.   

On first impressions, the KeyLab 61 Mk3 (which is what we have for review) has things in common with its predecessor, including nine faders and nine rotary encoders (which dovetail with Arturia’s Analog Lab instrument), dedicated DAW transport controls, a central control section and a high quality keybed. But despite the familiarity, much of this has been redesigned, including the all-important keybed. This new design delivers a wonderfully positive action but is also mechanically quiet. It also includes aftertouch, which is a must for a premium controller.

Arturia KeyLab 61 mk3: Performance and verdict

Visually, the most obvious of the changes would be the new display, which features a high-quality menu driven colour screen with eight contextual buttons and a push button rotary data encoder. Also different are the backlit RGB pads. There are 12 (not 16 as before) and you now have four banks. In the fader section there are no longer selector buttons as these features are handled via the screen. However, the faders and encoders are now touch-sensitive, so you get immediate on-screen feedback of values without having to move them. Excellent stuff. 

Overall the new layout is cleaner, more professional and oozes quality, with the genuine beech wood end-panels finishing the job. But despite all these positives it’s worth saying the KeyLab Mk3’s physical connectivity has been downscaled somewhat, with fewer pedal inputs (three not five) and removal of the CV options.

KeyLab Mk3 has excellent software integration with DAWs and software support via their own MIDI Control Centre desktop app, which handles user customisation of encoders and so on. However, customisation via the onboard menu is now much more extensive and coupled with the Chord, Scale and Arp modes and keyboard split options provides a more self-contained approach, if needed.

In terms of DAW integration, dedicated onboard buttons including transport, save, quantize, undo/redo and metronome are further enhanced by DAW-specific scripts for Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Cubase, FL Studio and Logic Pro. These provide DAW features via the screen contextual buttons and also pre-mapping of faders and encoders for use with Arturia and native DAW instruments. 

From a user perspective, the dedicated DAW scripts vary in features and are at their best with DAWs such as Ableton Live, where all eight screen-contextual buttons are used, and the pads are used for clip selection. For wider compatibility, KeyLab Mk3 also supports HUI and MCU protocols and includes DAW control protocols for Pro Tools, Reaper, Studio One and Reason.

Finally, KeyLab 61 Mk3 comes with a software bundle, featuring five of their own products (Analog Lab, Mini V4, Piano V3, Augmented Strings and Rev Plate-140) plus Ableton Live Lite, Native Instruments The Gentleman and introductory subscriptions for Melodics and LoopCloud.

All told, KeyLab 61 Mk3 is an impressive update, and though the removal of some features is a shame, improvements to its core features are welcome.  

MusicRadar verdict: A new keybed, solid DAW integration, touch sensitive controls, and deep configuration all unified via the new display.

Arturia KeyLab 61 mk3: Hands-on demos

Arturia

Sanjay C

Creative Sauce

Arturia KeyLab 61 mk3: Specifications

• 61-key velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch
• 12 touch/pressure RGB pads
• 12 DAW controls
• Touch assignable encoders and faders
• USB-C-powered/12V input
• Three pedal inputs, sustain, expression and one assignable
• Pitch bend and mod wheels
• Chord, Scale and Arp play modes
• Plenty of DAW scripts
• CONTACT: Arturia

After having teased its arrival earlier this month, Ableton has finally unveiled its latest hardware device. Move is a compact controller and instrument that – like the latest version of Ableton’s flagship controller Push – can operate both tethered to Live and as a standalone device, thanks to an onboard CPU and rechargeable battery. 

Although it shares some obvious characteristics with Push, Move actually has more in common with the company’s iOS sketchpad Note. In its standalone mode, Move runs an onboard OS that closely resembles the workflow of Note. This allows the unit to run up to four tracks, each of which makes use of a version of one of Live’s Instrument Rack or Drum Rack devices.

These Racks make use of a limited selection of Live instruments and effects to produce both melodic and percussive sounds. The Drum Racks can contain 16 instances of the Drum Sampler device, which was recently added to Live 12.1, while the Instrument Racks can each contain a single instance of either Drift, Wavetable or Live’s Melodic Sampler. Each Rack can host two effects, one send and one insert, chosen from a limited selection of Live devices.

READ MORE: Ableton Move review

Patterns can be programmed using Move’s grid of 32 polyphonic pressure-sensitive pads, or via the button step sequencer along the rear of the unit. Both playing and automation can be recorded, overdubbed or recalled using Live’s Capture functionality.

Although, on the whole, the sounds offered by Move are largely preset-based, all sounds can be customised using the parameters controlled by a bank of eight touch-sensitive rotaries along the top of the unit.

Move also features onboard sampling capabilities. Users can sample via a built-in mic, a 3.5mm audio input on the rear of the unit, or by resampling the main output. It’s also possible to import samples via either a wired connection or Move’s onboard WiFi.

On that front, Move offers a number of methods for users to take ideas started in standalone mode for further development in Live. This can be done using the browser-based Move manager – again accessible via either wired or wireless connection – or by using Ableton Cloud, which lets users transfer Move projects to Note or Live.

Along with its standalone capabilities, Move can also function as both a controller for Live whereby its pads, sequencer and rotaries can be used to play and edit Live’s devices, trigger clips and input patterns. Move also functions as a USB interface.

The hardware itself has a fairly minimal range of I/O. The rear panel has 3.5mm jacks for audio input and output, which are joined by two USB ports. The first, a USB-C port, is used for power and connection to a host computer, the second, USB-A, is used for connection to MIDI devices. According to Ableton, Move’s onboard battery life is around 4-hours. It can also sync with other devices via Ableton Link.

Move is available now priced at £399/$449/€449. Find out more at the Ableton site.

Ableton Move: What is it?

Last year Ableton gave its official Live controller Push a significant overhaul and took the unexpected step of adding a CPU-equipped configuration, capable of running a version of Live within the controller itself. Whether used in this way or not, the third gen version of Push is an impressive and well-designed device – but it certainly isn’t cheap. 

Even without a CPU, Push is priced over $/£800, with that figure nearly doubling for the processor-equipped version. When we reviewed it, we concluded that its price point left an obvious gap in the market for a more affordable and less fully-featured controller; a potential ‘Push mini’.

Now Ableton has unveiled Move, which on first glance looks a lot like the little sibling to Push that we predicted. But is that an accurate way to categorise Move?

On the surface Move has several obvious things in common with Push. Like Push, Move is focused around a central grid of pads that are used to play, sequence and trigger instruments. Along its top edge are a bank of eight touch-sensitive rotaries, and a clickable wheel is used as its primary tool for browsing and selecting sounds.

The similarities go beyond what is obviously visible too. Like the top-end Push, Move comes with a rechargeable battery and its own processor, allowing it to operate both as a controller for the desktop version of Live and a completely standalone device.

There are, however, some crucial differences between what Move and Push are designed to do. Whereas Push aims to offer hands-on control over as broad-as-possible a selection of Live’s tools, Move is intentionally limited in what it’s capable of. Unlike Push, which can function as a creative tool, day-to-day DAW controller or live performance tool, Move – at least in its standalone mode, which is very much its main focus – is intended first and foremost as a sketchpad for initial ideas.

In fact, it’s more accurate to compare Move to Ableton’s iOS app Note. In its standalone mode, Move effectively acts as a hardware version of Note, using an OS that is a near identical copy of the app. 

This allows Move to load up to four tracks each based around a simplified version of Live’s Instrument and Drum Racks. The Drum Racks house 16 instances of Live’s newly-added Drum Sampler. The Instrument Racks, meanwhile, can each host a single instance of either Live’s Drift or Wavetable synths, or its Melodic Sampler.

Each Rack can also host two effects, one as an insert and one as a send. These can be selected from a list of Live’s more basic Devices – Reverb, Delay, Chorus-Ensemble, Saturator, Phaser-Flanger, Channel EQ and Dynamics. Move offers basic mixing functionality too, along with a hidden master limiter on the output.

On the whole, these Devices are all focused around presets – Move comes stocked with a generous library that matches the sounds found in Note, including various artist-created patches. All sound can be edited using the touch-sensitive rotaries along the top of the unit though. In most cases these allow for relatively deep, albeit still limited, editing of sounds. Sampled sounds are served slightly better than the synths here, which are largely restricted to macro-level control over core waveform and filter parameters.

The creative workflow will be familiar to anybody that has tried Note. It’s effectively a simplified version of Live’s clip-launching Session View workflow. Live’s Capture functionality – which retroactively recalls recently played notes and parameter changes – plays a major role, but it’s also possible to record and overdub in a more conventional manner. Standard Live tools such as quantise, scale modes, groove, note repeat and an arpeggiator all add extra flexibility.

Ableton Move: Performance and verdict

To preempt a criticism that will likely be levelled at Move, it is, in effect, just a fancy hardware version of an app that’s available for under £/$10. This is true in terms of pure functionality – in fact, Note isn’t bound by the 4-track limit, meaning you can conceivably create far more complex projects on your phone than you can with Move.

Aside from the fact that this characterisation ignores the value in the well-designed Move hardware itself – which we’ll come to shortly – it also misses the fact that, in-use, Move is more than the sum of its parts.

While Note can be fun and is packed with quality sounds, in our experience it suffers from an over-reliance on Capture and a lack of offline sequencing, as well as occasionally fiddly editing controls. Move immediately addresses these weaknesses simply by virtue of being a dedicated hardware instrument. Its polyphonic pressure-sensitive pads, unsurprisingly, also offer a far better playing experience than you would get with a touchscreen.

Ableton has also been smart in including a simple step sequencer along the lower edge of Move’s interface, meaning that patterns can be programmed more like a classic drum machine, as well as by live playing the pads.

A highlight of Move’s workflow is its fast and fun sampling functionality. By simply hitting the sampling button and pressing a pad in the Drum Rack, users can sample via Move’s 3.5mm audio input, through its built-in mic, or by resampling the output. 

This latter feature is particularly handy, as it allows the user to work around that 4-track limit by bouncing patterns or simple melodies down to a single Drum Rack pad. Doing so isn’t simply a way to overcome limitations, but also proves to be one of Move’s most creative tools. It’s here that the new Drum Sampler emerges as the real highlight of the toolset thanks to its playback effects that allow the user to apply ring modulation, granular stretching, looping, pitch envelopes and more.

A similarly handy feature is the 16-pitches mode that lets users play each Drum Sampler pad melodically, effectively allowing users to turn simple one-shot samples into melodies or basslines.

The hardware itself is also impressive. Move is slim and lightweight – far more so than Push – making it feel like a truly go-anywhere device, aided by the inclusion of the onboard battery (Ableton’s promise of 4-hours of life seems broadly accurate in our tests) and a built-in speaker, which isn’t much to write home about quality-wise, but means Move is a properly self-contained device.

On the whole, despite just a small screen, Move’s layout design is intuitive enough that users won’t get lost and reach for the manual – although some of the symbols used to indicate shift functions verge on being a little style-over-clarity.

While browsing sounds is mostly an easy and quick process, without the tagging system of live, adding user-imported samples to kits can be a bit of a hassle. If you're likely to use a lot of your own sounds, it's worth taking some time to prep and save custom Drum Rack devices.

It’s also worth mentioning that, although Ableton seems keen to put the emphasis on Move as a standalone device, its capabilities as a compact controller really add to its appeal. While the functionality in this mode is far more limited than that of Push – there’s little interaction with the browser or audio editing, for example – simply having the playing pads, step sequencer and eight macro controls available in such a convenient device will likely be very appealing to Live users looking for a compact controller setup.

 It makes for a convenient on-the-go interface too, although the limited audio outputs mean it’s not really a substitute for a proper I/O device.

'Continuity' and connectivity

Move performs well when it comes to what Ableton calls ‘continuity’, ie how easy it is to take your creations beyond the device itself. Move is WiFi-equipped but can also connect to a computer via USB-C. It’s compatible with both Ableton Cloud and its own browser-based Move Manager, and between these options users can export projects to both the desktop version of Live and Note on iOS. Ableton also tells us that export to Push standalone is coming in a future update too. As you’d hope, opening projects in Live is seamless, with both clips and devices available for deeper editing and arrangement.

While there’s no way to transfer clips or projects to Move from Live, users can upload their own samples to the device. A coming update – which we’ve tested – will let users create compatible Drum and Instrument Racks in Live and upload them to Move, albeit only making use of the compatible device list.

Verdict

What Move does, it does very well, but it’s also worth considering what it isn’t. As mentioned previously, Move is very much a sketchpad tool, and while a coming update will let users load custom drum and instrument patches created in Live, it’s really a one-directional tool. Move will allow you to develop ideas up to a point, but it’s definitely not an end-to-end device that will let you create a finished track. Given its limited analogue connectivity – just a single output for headphones or main out, USB MIDI but no conventional MIDI I/O – it’s not really suited for live performance either. Although the inclusion of Ableton Link does help here.

It’s also a sketchpad that will suit certain Live users far more than others. Move is great for roughing out rhythmic and melodic ideas, and playing around with simple sampling, but its sound design capabilities are fairly light beyond that. If, for example, you’re a musician who tends to base tracks around complex, self-designed synth patches, or by processing sounds using Live’s more complex and creative effects, you may find the included capabilities a little limiting. Similarly, while the sampling capabilities are great for quickly creating one-shots and simple loops, there’s little in the way of audio editing tools, and no sample slicing. 

It's worth saying too, that while Move's price is reasonable for everything it does, to get your money's worth, users need to buy into the full workflow. If, for example, you're interested in a standalone synth and sample sequencer but not concerned about seamless Live compatibility, Novation's Circuit Tracks offers more bang-for-your-buck. Similarly, both Novation and Akai make better-value compact devices if you're only interested in controlling Live.

None of that is necessarily a criticism – Move is limited and focused by design, creating a workflow that is fast and accessible. Overall that works in the device’s favour, but as a result it will never be able to please all users. For some musicians, Move might prove to be a gamechanger, but others will likely struggle to fit it into their creative workflow. All the same, within its remit, Move is a very well-designed device at an appealingly reasonable price.

MusicRadar verdict: Move is an excellent sketchpad and handy Live controller. Its limitations make for a fast and accessible workflow, but as a result it will suit some users far more than others.

Ableton Move: Hands-on demos

Ableton Move: Specification

KEY FEATURES: 4-track standalone instrument and controller for Ableton Live. Onboard battery, speaker, audio-interface, WiFi. I/O: 3.5mm audio out/headphone, 3.5mm audio in, USB-C (power and host computer), USB-A (MIDI). Polyphonic pressure sensitive pads, 16-step sequencer, 8 touch-sensitive rotaries.

CONTACT: Ableton

Roli Seaboard Block M review: What is it?

UK brand Roli has a lot invested in the MPE game. Since the introduction of the Seaboard and its “squishy” keys, it seemed to be Roli who was pushing most for the standard to be adopted into the official MIDI specification, which did eventually happen. Despite experiencing a financial rise and fall, the company continues to sell its Seaboard Rise and Grand instruments, as well as the Block, which is the smallest and cheapest of the line, at 24 keys.

Don’t underestimate the Block though. You can chain them together to make larger keyboard setups, and integrate them with Roli’s Lightpad Block and other controllers in the Blocks ecosystem. So how does the new Block M model fare as a Block and as a standalone small-form MPE controller?

Roli Seaboard Block M review: Performance and verdict

On first play, the Seaboard Block M feels very intuitive. Even if the experience is new, the ability to bend notes and vary a factor like pressure just feels like you’d imagine it to – there’s no recalibrating needed in your head, handling is all very intuitive. There are slide pads above and below the ranks of keys, giving you another way to bend pitch other than with the key itself, which is appreciated when moving beyond vibrato into full-on THX chord-bending territory.

Compared to other Roli controllers, the Block M’s keys now feel a more akin to its higher-range models. It’s not that your brain will be tricked into thinking you’re playing a Seaboard Grand, but it’s easier to slip back into the Block M than it was to the original model.

New connections

The Seaboard Block M is now equipped with MIDI Out, meaning that if you’ve got any MPE-capable hardware synths, you can now get the most out of them. Not everyone will get much out of this addition, but for those who integrate hardware into their setup, this makes the Seaboard Block an option, and it means that for manufacturers thinking of releasing small form factor MPE synths, there’ll now be a base of players ready and waiting.

The Seaboard Block M now has more control options available. While holding the Mode button, you can press the Octave selector buttons to change presets in Roli Player Studio, a valuable workflow addition and nod to continuing creativity. That Mode button also helps select modes, between MPE, multichannel and single channel.

You can customise your playing response using the Roli Dashboard app, and access all Roli synths with patch-level browsing through Roli Studio Player, which is simple to download for Seaboard owners.

The Seaboard Block continues to be an easy and relatively affordable entry point into MPE music-making. Any owners of the original will probably be happy to keep what they’ve got, but those wishing to connect it up with hardware should be more convinced by the M.

It’s good to see improvements and continued commitment to the entry-level product line, which gives us that bit confidence that it’s here to stay.

MusicRadar verdict: Roli has made a restrained update to the Seaboard Block. New users will appreciate the M more than the original, not that everyone will be clamouring to upgrade.

Roli Seaboard Block M review: The web says

"The future of MPE-based MIDI control has never looked brighter and, with the Seaboard BLOCK M, ROLI is making access to a new world of creative performance and control more affordable than ever."
MusicTech

Roli Seaboard Block M review: Hands-on demos

ROLI

Doctor Mix

Obleo Creates Stuff

Roli Seaboard Block M review: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: Redesigned keywaves (aka Keys), built for more expressive play. Changing presets and play modes is now possible from the device. i/0: MIDI Out (five-pin DIN via adapter cable).
• CONTACT: Roli

Ableton has posted an image on its website appearing to tease the forthcoming arrival of something called Move. 

The image in question – posted on a new section of the site labelled 'Move' – is captioned ‘Ableton Move is coming soon’ and shows posters being pasted onto a wall displaying the date 8 Oct. Below, under the heading ‘Want to know more?’, Ableton invites users to sign up to its newsletter.

Sadly, that’s the sum total of information on offer right now. It’s safe to assume that the Berlin brand is planning on announcing or releasing something called Move next month, but what that will be remains a mystery.

Ableton is best known for its DAW, Live, which recently received an update to version 12.1, adding a new Drum Sampler device, Auto Shift effect and various other enhancements. It’s worth remembering, however, that the company also has various other stings to its bow. 

Push is Ableton’s official Live controller device, which was updated to version 3 last year. That launch saw the introduction of a standalone configuration that allows Push to run a version of Live on a built-in processor. Ableton also has an iOS app called Note, which acts as a sketchpad for ideas to be finished in Live.

Beyond that, Ableton has also developed a sync protocol, Link, widely used by iOS apps and hardware. The brand has also run several music making conferences under the name Loop. As for where Move might fit into that picture, it's anybody’s guess. 

We’ll find out what the company has in store on 8 October. Until then, you can watch our review of last year's Push update below.

Having announced last year that it was bringing keyboard lessons to its platform, Duolingo has just put a little more skin in the music tuition game by partnering with Loog on a portable piano: the Loog x Duolingo Piano, to be precise.

Essentially a Duolingo-flavoured version of Loog’s existing beginner piano - which means that it comes in Brat summer green - this three-octave, synth-action instrument promises a “musician-grade” piano sound and has a built-in battery and speakers.

There’s a volume knob on the top and, round the back, octave shifter and sustain ports, a 3.5mm headphones output and a USB-C socket for charging and transmitting MIDI. A wooden phone stand comes in the box, as do Duolingo Piano Flashcards. 

Of course, this particular keyboard isn’t essential if you want to use Duolingo’s music lessons - we’re guessing any other MIDI-equipped model would do the job - but it certainly looks the part, and at $249 is reasonably affordable. 

The Loog x Duolingo Piano is available for pre-order now on the Duolingo website.

Novation Launchkey Mini Mk4: What is it?

There are six devices in Novation’s updated Launchkey Mk4 series of MIDI controller keyboards, and here we’re looking at the Mini variants – the Launchkey Mini 25 and Launchkey Mini 37. You can think of these two as the same keyboard, same features, just different numbers of octaves. 

The package contains the keyboard, a USB C-to-A cable, and a downloadable software bundle. Build quality seems fine – you never really know until you take it to some gigs – but we’ve never had problems with Novation controllers in the past. The top panel features the ‘synth action’ mini keys, control strips for pitch and modulation, an OLED display, several buttons, eight touch-sensitive encoders, and sixteen velocity-sensitive Launchpad-style pads. The rear panel includes a USB-C port, 3.5mm MIDI out jack, sustain pedal input, and a Kensington slot.

The software bundle is comprehensive; there’s Ableton Live 12 Lite, then three plugins from Kievgrand – LUXE, a channel strip plugin that provides compression and saturation with a uniquely simple interface, the Röverb delay/reverb, and Slammer, a multisample-based drum source with a lot of customisation. GForce contributes modelled classic synths, with the Oberheim SEM, Oberheim OB-EZ, and AXXESS (based on the vintage ARP Axxe). The Orchestral Tools Parallel Orchestra Bundle includes instruments such as piano, strings, and percussion, and finally, there’s the Melodics app, which provides music lessons configured exclusively for Novation users.

Novation Launchkey Mini Mk4: Performance and verdict

Control over Live is available immediately, with the Session View rectangle representing the area covered by the pads. There are dedicated transport and record buttons, and navigation around the Live set (if there’s any doubt about a particular function, the Shift button probably covers it). The OLED display is bright and clear, and shows what you’re working with – including track names, device names, or parameters.

The Launchkeys have some interesting creative features. Chord mode accesses up to 40 banks of chords, playable from the pads, while you continue playing with your free hand, which really expands the range of a small keyboard, and custom progressions can be saved. We love that when playing a chord, it appears on the OLED, showing the keys used and the name of the chord. Along the same lines, Scale mode locks the keyboard to one of 30 different scales. 

There’s also a built-in arpeggiator, handy for use with hardware instruments. Live users can use the on-board step sequencer, which will create MIDI clips in Live’s Session View. For further configuration, Custom modes can be created via the Novation Components site or app. 

Although the Launchkeys were originally conceived as Ableton Live controllers, the current iterations use provided scripts to work with DAWs including Logic, Reason, Cubase/Nuendo, and FL Studio. Anything not available with a script can be configured through MIDI mapping. On a side note, we were able to power the Launchkeys via USB-C from an iPhone 15 Pro Max, squeezing some funk out of the Moog Model 15 iOS app – the beginnings of an extremely compact live rig. 

The Launchkey Minis are ideal for producers on a budget, educators who want to kit out a classroom, and pros who want a fully-featured travel keyboard. It’s not a matter of which size is better, it’s a matter of which size works best for you.

MusicRadar verdict: The updated Launchkey Minis bring incremental improvements. Although superficially they look like Ableton controllers, they’re equally handy with other DAWs and hardware.

Novation Launchkey Mini Mk4: Hands-on demos

Loopop

Sanjay C

Novation Launchkey Mini Mk4: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: Updated physical design. A choice of 25 and 37-key versions (both with the same features). Seamless integration with all DAWs. Step sequencing for Ableton Live. Built-in Arpeggiator and chord maps. Scale mode. Chord detector (chords displayed on OLED). Comprehensive software bundle. Split keyboards available on 49 and 61 key models.
• CONTACT: Novation

In sad and unexpected news, Keith McMillen Instruments has announced that its pioneering founder, Keith McMillen, has died. He was 67.

Best known in recent years for expressive controller keyboards such as the K-Board and QuNexus, McMillen began his professional career when he founded Zeta Music in 1979, where he developed an electric violin.

In 1992, he would go on to join Gibson Guitars, founding the company’s G-WIZ R&D Lab. This resulted in the creation of ZIPI, a new instrument control language that evolved into Open Sound Control (OSC) and laid the foundations for the MPE and MIDI 2.0 standards.

McMillen founded his eponymous company in 2005, and used patented Smart Fabric sensors to create a range of expressive electronic instruments. In 2014, he founded BeBop Sensors in a bid to bring Smart Fabric to the wearables market, and later went on to use it to create a ‘robotic skin’.

“Keith dedicated his life to revolutionising how live interactive music is played and experienced,” his instrument company wrote on its website. “[His] work exemplified a lifelong commitment to exploring how computer intelligence and user interface can enhance and expand musical performance.

“His passing is a great loss to the world of music and technology, but his innovations and achievements will continue to inspire and shape the future of both fields.”

Our condolences go to McMillen’s family, friends and colleagues.

Novation has unveiled the fourth generation of its Launchkey range of MIDI controller keyboards. Made up of six models, stretching from the 25-key Launchkey Mini 25 to the 61-key Launchkey 61, the series has received a comprehensive update that brings new features and functionality to the table.

Novation has fully reimagined the Launchkey Mk4 range, overhauling the look and feel of the controllers while integrating new features that make them a more versatile tool for hands-on DAW control and live electronic performance.

Every model in the range has eight encoders and 16 velocity-sensitive pads that are now equipped with polyphonic aftertouch. The previous generation's screen has been replaced with a brighter and larger OLED display to make navigating parameters and controls faster and more efficient. 

The 49- and 61-key models also feature nine faders for hands-on control of your DAW's mixer, along with redesigned keyboards with semi-weighted keybeds that offer a more precise response and an authentic piano-like feel. You can now split the keyboard into independent zones to control different sounds, or use the layer feature to control two instruments using the same keys. 

Though Launchkey has always been able to control almost any DAW via the HUI protocol, the range has formerly been aimed at Ableton Live users. This is no longer the case, as the Mk4 range now ships with custom-built scripts for Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase and Reason, so users of those DAWs can get started straight out of the box.

Launchkey mk4's Scale Mode has been updated with 22 new scales, which play nice with Live 12's new Scale Awareness feature. Its Chord Detector will analyse your playing to tell you which chords you're playing, while three new Chord Modes can be used to perform chords using single keys. The patterns of Launchkey's arpeggiator can now be edited and sequenced using the controller's 16 pads.

The range arrives bundled with a suite of software that includes Ableton Live 12 Lite, along with Klevgrand effects plugins, vintage synth emulations from Gforce and orchestral instruments from Orchestral Tools. You'll also get access to keyboard tuition platform Melodics.

Prices and specs for each model can be found below.

Visit Novation's website to find out more.

Launchkey mk4 range

• Launchkey 61 - (61 full-sized semi-weighted piano-style keys and nine faders): £279.99/$299.99
• Launchkey 49 - (49 full-sized semi-weighted piano-style keys and nine faders): £229.99/$249.99
• Launchkey 37 - (37 full-sized keys): £199.99/$209.99
• Launchkey 25 - (25 full-sized keys): £169.99/$179.99
• Launchkey Mini 37 - (37 mini synth-action keys): £139.99/$149.99
• Launchkey Mini 25 - (25 mini synth-action keys): £109.99/$119.99

Arturia has announced updated 49- and 61-key versions of its flagship MIDI controller, with an improved keybed, redesigned interface and more. Keylab mk3 is the successor to the KeyLab mk2, released in 2021. 

Available in both black and white colourways, KeyLab mk3 sports a handsome new design somewhat reminiscent of the Arturia AstroLab, a stage keyboard unveiled earlier this year. 

The layout of the controls is largely the same as the mk2, with a few notable differences. Arturia has dropped a row of pads, so you'll now have 12 velocity-sensitive pads to play with instead of 16. Despite this, Arturia has added four 'banks' of pads accessible through buttons alongside, so technically you'll now have 48 at your disposal.

Another striking addition is the 3.5", 480x320 screen in the centre, which is now in colour. Along with the upgraded screen, the most significant improvement to the mk3 is its enhanced, "pro-grade" keybed, which Arturia tells us gives you greater control of synth and piano sounds thanks to a full redesign affecting keyboard balance, weighting and spring tension. It's velocity-sensitive and semi-weighted with channel aftertouch, but there's no sign of the polyphonic aftertouch that many KeyLab users were hoping for.

KeyLab is a MIDI controller that specializes in DAW control, arriving with pre-mapped templates that can be used to control many of the major DAWs, including Logic Pro, FL Studio and Ableton Live. KeyLab has dedicated controls for transport, along with handy features like Undo, Redo, Save and Quantize. Along with its nine faders, its newly touch-sensitive set of nine 360° rotary potentiometers will be useful for tweaking sounds and balancing mixes.

Arturia has also added a new arpeggiator and Chord and Scale Modes. Chord Mode assigns chords to single keys across the keyboard while Scale Mode locks the keyboard to one of a selection of pre-defined scales, making it easier to perform chord sequences and solos.

KeyLab mk3 arrives bundled with Arturia's largest software bundle yet, a collection that includes Ableton Live Lite and Analog Lab V, a software instrument that offers thousands of presets taken from its V Collection bundle of synth plugins. You'll also get Mini V, Arturia's Minimoog emulation, along with two piano instruments and a two-month subscription to Loopcloud.

The 49-key version of KeyLab mk3 is priced at €449 and the 61-key is €549. 

Find out more on Arturia's website.