Arturia KeyLab Essential 49 - 49 Key USB MIDI Keyboard Controller with Velocity Sensitive Synth Action Keys, 8 Drum Pads, 9 Faders, 9 Knobs and Analog Lab V Software Included

The Arturia Keylab 61 MkII is a well-made keyboard with decent key action and a variety of controls. It connects via USB cable to a computer and requires a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and some Software Instruments to play. The knobs and faders are assignable to any MIDI functions on DAWs and plug-ins. The package includes Analog Lab software with 6000 synth sounds, Ableton Live Lite, and UVI Grand Piano model D. It supports midi-out and can control hardware synthesizers. The keyboard is not suitable for playing without a computer and requires a software plug-in running on the PC to hear anything. The keyboard can be hooked up to a Mac via a USB-A >C adapter and still get powered directly from the Mac. Although the software side of things is one of the worst experiences, Arturia support is relatively quick to respond and helps with the issues. The keyboard works just out of the box, no need to install drivers on Windows, and is recommended for beginners and pro musicians and music producers, even for small live gigs. However, there is a steep learning curve for a beginner.