Hello

I am looking to sell my Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2 midi keyboard but will need to get another keyboard to replace it, At the moment I am looking at Arturia, so was wondering how the two compare?

The only reason I going to sell my Komplete Kontrol keyboard is because it just won't play nicely with Komplete Kontrol and Kontakt libraries. I have had the same problem over the last few years, and no matter what people have suggested, it just hasn't worked. So at this point I've decided that it isn't worth me keeping it, and could find a keyboard that better works with my synths.

I do use quite a lot of Arturia plugins, so thinking that maybe an Arturia keyboard would integrate nicely with everything.

What would you recommend from the Arturia line? (Ideally 61 key versions)

Thanks

 

I got rid of my Native Instruments S25 Mk1, M32, and S49 Mk1 and replaced all with Arturia. I hated Native Instruments' Komplete Kontrol plugin enforcement to get any meaningful use out of their keyboards, as they're just basic 'dumb' MIDI keyboards in the main without the Komplete Kontrol plugin, and Native Instruments dropping support for their Mk1 in Komplete Kontrol 3.0 made me realise Native Instruments have no interest in keeping long-term customers happy by providing ongoing support/compatibility.

I have since purchase an Arturia MiniLab 3, KeyLab 25, and a KeyLab 61 Mk2. To me, as a non-proficient and sausage finger my way though type of piano player, the keybeds feel very comparable between the two. Though the NI build quality is by no means bad, the Arturia's blow them away with sturdy, metal frames and smoother knobs, buttons, and faders. I also use Arturia's plugins, and so the ability to use the Arturia devices to control regular MIDI, Arturia gear, and DAW, without enforcing a wrapper, is much better for me.

I haven't looked back nor regretted the move at all!

PS - Note I said KeyLab 25, being a 10-15 year old controller I believe that is still fully supported by Arturia's software, and fully editable as expected. NI could learn from this!

 

Last edited: May 30, 2024

Yeah, as someone who spent too much time with Kore 1, then Kore 2, then Maschine etc.... NI is real bad at supporting the ecosystems they breathlessly sell you... so I never looked at their keyboards really, (well, I guess I also wasn't in the market as well..)

With k'd versions of their software is it possible to get Komplete Kontrol or whatever they call it, "nks" ready plugins, etc to interact with them or is that not a thing due to some difficult cp on their keyboards? I have legit and non NI, and I could see it being cool with some things, but if it just doesn't work even on their newer ones with a mixed system as described, I'm just never going to even consider it...

(and again, hell, I'm not sure why I would anyways with all the time wasted on their other controller/ecosystems etc....)

 

They stopped working for Mark one keyboards? I never knew that so we the release of Mark three Mark two is surely going to be next then?
What arturia keyboard would you recommend?

 

They do work fine, and nothing 'technically' stops them working with k'd software. However, the caveat is that you have to install the .nks version as well as standalone and VST2 (even if you only exclusively use VST3) of most compatible software, meaning duplication and storage being eaten unnecessarily. It also depends on whether whoever released the k'd software includes the .nks format within the installer, which obviously isn't guaranteed.

 

Yup: Komplete Kontrol S series MK1 keyboards End Of Life — Community (native-instruments.com)

If you have the bucks, the latest KeyLab versions will be the best (unless you wanna splash out on the AstroLab), but size depends on your needs.

I have the MiniLab 3 on my desk top as my easy access keyboard to play in basslines or monosynth kind of things. I also use the knobs and faders on it to control some of the more common soft synth controls, e.g. faders for ADSR and rotaries for filter frequency, cutoff, resonance, and so on. The MiniLab 3 is perfect for this.

I then have the KeyLab 61 on a pull out shelf, which I only really pull out to play more melodic, chord, pad, pianos, strings, and these types of things. I do actually have a full hammer action 88 key digital piano too, which I tend to use for playing piano for pleasure.

The KeyLab 25 I tend to use outside of my DAW as the controller for hardware synths.

Short version, everything I have is great, but has a use case for my setup. Therefore, just consider your use case, and go for the cheapest option to meet that need.....then spend what you save on hardware synths

 

When you say Keylab you mean the essentials version?

 

For me, some of the Native Instruments bass libraries don't show up. I mean like the MM based - amped etc. Of course, I can only use the version of the Kontakt libraries that have been provided on the sister site etc and don't know if any more recent versions of those have been released by Native Instruments. However, based on what you said about stopping support for the Komplete Kontrol MK1 there probably isn't any recent versions of those plugins

 

No. They do a KeyLab and a KeyLab Essentials. The first is their more premium offering and the Essentials is their more budget-oriented offering.

General current offerings, from most premium to lowest budget:

Arturia - KeyLab MkII

Arturia - KeyLab Essential mk3

Arturia - MiniLab 3

Arturia - MicroLab

 

About 1.5 yrs ago i was tossing up between a NI Komplete Kontrol S49 mk2 keyboard and a Arturia Keylab 49 mk2. I tested both in the shop and compared them side by side (although the NI was an S61 mk2), and literally couldn't make up my mind even when comparing them.
To me the S61 had a slightly nicer keybed, slightly smoother knobs and modwheel. The Arturia had thinner/lighter keys, but still nice, and it also looks way cooler imo.
I ended up buying the NI S49 mk2 because of the screens, i really liked the idea of controlling plugins with the knobs and seeing the parameters on the screen.
I never really set that kinda workflow up in the end, and tbh these days i kinda wish i had gotten the Arturia instead. I basically never use the Komplete Kontrol plugin, so the purchase hasn't been optimized at all.
I also don't like the boxy aesthetic of the way it looks. Way prefer the Arturia. Not that looks should matter, but, well, it kinda does lol.
Also, the keybed on the S49 that i have doesn't feel as nice as the S61 in the shop. The S49 feels kinda stiff, kinda like the old Akai boards. I really wish i had gotten those nice soft/spongey/light Arturia keys