My budget allows me to buy either one of those at the moment.

My biggest concern is keybed longevity because i do a lot of finger-drumming. My keystation 49 MK2 did not last that long lol.

Don't really care about difference in feel because i can adjust.

Only important concern for me is keys quality/longevity.

Which one do you recommend?

Thanks!

 

Roland really has the best keyboard. All Roland products are equipped with the same high-quality keyboard. Nothing rattles there, it's not spongy, very good feel. I also have a Roland-A800 Pro myself and would buy it again, if only because of the keyboard. Many who had problems with other keyboards end up at Roland and are then happy.

When you order from thoann, you have these advantages: - 30-day money-back guarantee & 3-year Thomann guarantee
169 € www.thomann.de/de/roland_a49_black.htm Info: www.roland.com/global/products/a-49/
The A-49 is also available in white for € 179. www.thomann.de/de/roland_a_49_white.htm

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2021

don't even think about it .. take a Roland and enjoy it .. I have both and they are perfect for any type of use

 

Thanks guys. All Roland votes. Nice.

 

I have a Roland a-49 and I think it is the lowest quality keyboard I have ever owned. And it's my second one. First one didn't turn on at all. Spoke to Roland, who for weeks straight tried to convince me it was due to me not having installed the driver. I exchanged it for a new a-49 at the shop I bought it at. Very difficult procedure, but in the end I guess that's not Rolands fault. The keyboard worked fine until 2 months after when the joystick started outputting wrong data, preventing me entirely from using the pitch. Mod worked fine. No help. Shop wouldn't take it back. It stopped working completely after a little over a year and is currently under the bed in my guestroom.

#Edit: Might also wanna add it feels totally like a toy.

 

Other three that could be considered would be:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/novation_launchkey_49_mk3.htm

https://www.thomann.de/gb/nektar_impact_lx49_395176.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Alesis-V49-Keyboard-Controller-Buttons/dp/B00IWWEW20?th=1


Novation are famous for the quality of their keys..
I don't know if this applies to the smaller 49 keys versions, but they could be good.

Nektar does good stuff, I've got the 88 key one and no complaints,
afaik the keys on the 49 version are Not semi-weighted as in the 88+ tho..

Alesis also does good stuff, and this has a lot of pads if you're into that (I personally prefer the Keys even for Drums tho),
also afaik the VI versions do have semi-wheighted keys? and aftertouch.. things to consider..


As for the three you posted, I'd surely get the Roland over the M-Audio
It looks like a good package, is it semi-weighted?

I don't know about Komplete tho,
but I guess the NI software side of things is also good to consider..

 

Oh wow, curveball answer here compared to the others. Sorry about your experience! I looked it up and it's been released a long time ago.

My decision was probably going to be with Komplete Kontrol until the A-49 option popped up later.

 

Thanks! Only the 3 i mentioned are the ones i can get now. So it's going to be either one of those options. Yes the A-49 is semi weighted, important for me for finger-drumming like Dave Weckl LOL

 

For a little more money, you also get more.

Roland A-500 PRO MIDI Keyboard Controller (269 €)
www.roland.com/global/products/a-500pro/
www.thomann.de/de/cakewalk_a500pro.htm

 

Yeah.. I saw the recommendations and figured i needed to share. But! The joystick would be great if it didn't break. Very intuitive. I have owned and worked with many kinds of midi keyboards the past 15 years. All time favorite. M-audio Axiom 49. Don't think they made them anymore. Extremely sturdy. Easy to use.

 

Not available, not an option (you really don't wanna know).

I can only buy locally from music stores here. Can't buy anything online due to debit/credit card restrictions imposed by our government hence the economical collapse we've been facing for a year now.

(Would rather not say which country please, thanks)

 

I don't know the reason, but I can confirm PitchWheels or Joysticks tend to fail like that,
and eventually just start sending random ghost data.. and this happens even if you don't use the PitchWheel at all.

Had it on an M-Audio Keyrig,
have it now on the Nektar even tho I NEVER used the wheel, only used one time to check if it was working..

I didn't mention before because well, I consider it normal,
so I just filter that ModWheel data with a Reaper plug called "Midi Event Filter", good stuff


(also I would say it isn't really Dust related because,
I've got the keyboard covered in a thick cloth, and under the desk..
and as I said I never used it, so it's very unlikely that a big quantity of dust has fallen into the mechanism..)

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2021

I see, so are only the 3 available or is there still nectar left? Keystation 49 MK3 // Komplete Kontrol 49 // Roland A-49

 

Thanks for the warning! I use Reaper too by the way.

 

There are many more availalbe from Novation to Arturia to Alesis. But my budget only allows those 3 unfortunately. The keylabs and the Novation are way out of my price range (based on the store prices of course). Online would be different ball game!

 

UPDATE:

Two new options entered the poll. Just found a store that has them within my budget price:

- Arturia Keylab Essential 49
- Novation LaunchKey 49 MKIII

 

When I looked into it this impressed me the most, although I still haven't bought one yet ... And for finger drumming why not get a Maschine? I picked up a MkII very cheap and it controls my DAW too.

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2021

.

 

Novation Launchkey 49 MK3 / Amazona Review / German
www.amazona.de/test-novation-launchkey-mk2-25-49-61-controllerkeyboard/

As with the first generation of the launch keys, the workmanship is still very good. Here and there it is too easy for me, for example with the pitch bend and modulation wheel, but here you definitely don't have to be afraid that something will give up its mind. The eight potentiometers are still not rasterized, there is also no reference point for the center position.

However, the line drawn all around is now dashed, so you have at least a rough clue. The faders are easy to grip and run neatly in their tracks. The housing of the Launchkey 49 MK2 is made of plastic, so that the keyboard weighs just 3.1 kg. The dimensions are 77.0 x 8.1 x 27.0 cm. Keyboard and connectors As already mentioned, the Launchkey MK2 is still available in three different sizes. The 49 keys of our test model can be played comfortably, but the weighting could be a bit tighter.

On the other hand, the keyboard is astonishingly quiet, since lately I have had significantly louder keyboards with a very audible clacking under my fingers. The strength of the attack can be adjusted in four stages with the Launchkey. As with the first generation, the keyboard unfortunately does not have aftertouch. It's a shame, because in my opinion this shouldn't be missing on a controller keyboard with such extensive features.

Arturia KeyLab Essential 49 49-key Keyboard Controller Reviews
www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KeyLabEss49--arturia-keylab-essential-49-keyboard-controller/reviews

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2021