Polyend Keys: mechanical keyboard that doubles as a MIDI controller - August 26, 2026

Polyend Keys is a new mechanical keyboard that doubles as a MIDI controller with a three-octave piano layout and nine rotary controls.

Today, August 26th, Gamescom, the world’s largest event for computer and video games, kicks off in Cologne, Germany. It’s the Superbooth of the gaming industry. This is normally a non-event for Synth Anatomy unless a well-known music tech company is exhibiting there.

Not just that, they are also showing something new. Just in time for the start of it, Polyend unveils Keys, a product that sounds like a new Synthesizer, but isn’t.



Polyend Keys
Keys is a new, low-profile, custom-designed aluminum mechanical QWERTY computer keyboard from Polish developers. It uses hot-swappable Kailh low-profile switches, so you can swap individual switches without soldering.

The keys are backlit, and it can connect wirelessly over Bluetooth or wired via USB. Okay, that doesn’t sound like anything special. Companies like Logitech and Razer have been doing that for years.

Polyend, however, came up with something special for the Keys keyboard. Yes, it looks and works like a mechanical computer keyboard, but it’s also a MIDI controller. It’s a hybrid keyboard designed for musicians.

It comes with all the standard input functions (yes, Control-Alt-Delete is also onboard) and a number pad. It also features function keys and a number row. However, they are uniquely arranged in a three-octave piano layout with white and gray buttons.



Who hasn’t experienced this: triggering a few sounds in the DAW using the computer keyboard when you don’t have a keyboard handy. Polyend turned this way of playing sounds into a new standalone product.

I’m surprised no one thought of this before. Okay, that brings back flashbacks to the E-mu Creative Prodikeys series, which had a MIDI keyboard docked to the keyboard. What times!

MIDI Controller
Polyend Keys: the same keyboard you use to type can play notes and record melodies. And that’s not all. It also doubles as a traditional MIDI controller.

Above the keys are nine rotary controls that you can freely assign to MIDI CCs to control parameters in a DAW or hardware instrument. Just as you know it from your daily MIDI controller. Not a musician? No problem!

You can also use them for everyday computer functions such as volume, scrolling, and brightness. An integrated display provides feedback for the controls and can be used by different applications and future features.



Exciting: the Keys’ firmware is open-source, so you can “hack” it and create new functions beyond what’s onboard. This could be alternative layouts, new control modes, custom MIDI controllers, sequencers, and more.

On the connection side, it has a USB-C port for data and charging, plus a TRS MIDI output for connecting to external gear. Keys is powered by USB-C or a built-in rechargeable battery, making it a portable MIDI controller.

The data stream runs over USB-C or Bluetooth, so you can also play melodies and tweak the cutoff frequency over the air.

First Impression
The idea of combining a mechanical keyboard with a MIDI keyboard is very exciting. At first, I thought, “Why?” but when you think about it, it makes sense.

Typing, composing, and controlling all in one sleek product sounds very appealing, especially for computer musicians. Even more if you prefer minimal desk equipment.

I don’t really see myself using the keys to control my synths exclusively; I prefer classic controllers for that. But as a 3-in-1 desk tool for my daily routines, it’s interesting.

Gamers will certainly take a look too and understand why they’re showing this at Gamescom. For now, it’s a prototype, but I will follow the development with interest.

Polyend Keys availability and price are TBA. For now, it’s a prototype.

More information here: Polyend

Source: https://synthanatomy.com/2026/08/po...yboard-that-doubles-as-a-midi-controller.html

 

I wonder if the regular QWERTY keys are velocity sensitive, so that I can write CAPITAL letters just by hitting the keys harder.

 

Turns out they are MPE enabled & you can apply accents, umlauts & other things by wiggling the keys around

 

pretty silly, but also kind of a great idea lol.

 

Could have at least cleaned out the keyboard of hair and dust on those closeup shots lol. You'd think for a promo footage trailer you'd want to make it look nice as possible.

 

started to pour over the pictures to find what you are talking about but then realized I'm happier not seeing it and stopped myself

 

You remember Creative's Prodikeys with the keyboard under the palm rest? This was over 20 years ago.

 

I kinda want this but I’m still planning to get a MacBook so this wouldn’t have much dedicated use unless I docked my Ally or got a new desktop in the future… it’d probably work better with a Mac mini though

 

I saw an ad for this today, and outside of price, velocity sensitivity was actually the first thing I wondered about. If I can do velocity and/or aftertouch, that would make me want this, probably. It is a strange idea, but it would also be kind of handy for when I'm just plodding through presets on a VSTi. Saves me swapping between typing keyboard and MIDI keyboard. It also looks like it's a decent keyboard perhaps.

I'm wondering how you toggle between typing and sending MIDI. Anyways, I am actually excited about this, as long as it isn't ridiculously expensive (given the price of their other devices, I'm sure it's almost free... *sarcasm*), and ideally really has some way of doing velocity and/or aftertouch.

What a lame promo video though, unless this thing is a long ways from production.

 

It is a cool concept, especially considering the keys are low profile. This should be doable with any hall effect (magnetic) mechanical keyboard, since the actuation is variable and can be converted to data. No one has done it yet, though (not crazy considering those keyboards are made for competitive gaming).

Since the keys are low profile, it's most likely not a hall effect keyboard, so I wonder if the keys will take a hit on how good they feel to write on.

 

Unless they add a theremin I'm out!

 

I'm really trying to not like this.

 

it looks rather ugly

 

Any keyboard can be used for MIDI input using Reaper.

 

That's true, the only difference here is that this keyboard outputs midi data and that it possibly also has velocity sensitivity. Those Kailh switches can't do it, so they would have to add some extra circuitry for that to happen.

 

Any chain is always only as strong as its weakest link. Which means here that I don't see any quick TACTILE switch toggling between the computer mode and MIDI mode. Nor can I see any clear indicator of the current mode. Every time I would want to use the MIDI keyboaord, I would have to doublecheck it in fear of pressing "delete" or some other key incidentally. Which would stop me using this keyboard after a couple of days.

I hope the designers have thought about this and the final product will dispel my fears.

 

cool idea, but whenever something is trying to do more than one thing at once, ends up sucking at both...

 

That's also true, but it's enough for sketching out new ideas, etc., while any serious work should be done on professional keyboards.

 

Imagine going berserk with your musical performance: suddenly you have a lot QWERTY keys pressed as well, as they are close to those MIDI keys.

 

lol, it was on the video, very start few seconds in with the close up on the fingers. in between the keys is like strand of hair and some dust and all the usual keyboard filthies :D