Considerations-
The most "hands free" operation you'll likely experience with Studio One would be purchasing a Faderport 8 or 16. Still, there is no one controller that eliminates use of the mouse, touch pad, trackball, or some device pointer.
The FP's are a worthy consideration, and one I've always suggested for serious control over a song or production.
It wouldn't be horrible (jmho) to keep your controller you have and buy the multichannel Faderports. Heck, even the single Faderport will keep your fader level honest because any track you scroll to, or select with the mouse will jump to attention. This eliminates finding some repositioned syncing from a fader or encoder in some other position as you change banks. $350 for an FP8 seems to be right in your budget, me thinks.


As BobF explains, the LX is another consideration. I would also expect as he does, the T and P have that and more, but I don't know those details either. Something to check out.

FC-2 wrote: The contentious point is still Analog Lab...do I want the extra 1500+ presets? If that is at the cost of the controls; then probably not. I can always catch up a sale at 50% off, so that Analoglab would cost me just $80 in the worst case.

Just to clarify - Analog Lab has over 6000 presets (with some adjustment). I think the Arturia mini has a scaled down version of Analog Lab with about 1500 sounds. I think that might be where you're getting the 1500 number from.

* The Essential and MKII comes with Piano-V as well. A modelled collection of Pianos ranging from American (Steinway), German (Bosendorfer), and Japan (Yamaha). Or equivalent, and a lot of variations. They are pretty darn good pianos that don't take forever to load, and include some pretty esoteric designs as well (glass piano). There's mic arrangements, pedal control, room and piano sizes, reflections, etc. It's a nice addition from a company that base their reputation on modeling sounds. Not as perfect as a high end sample library (Vienna, Alicia Keys, etc.), but darn good for tracking.

Additional info - If you get Analog Lab by either purchasing it, or get it free with Essential, or MKII, and want to go full bore with full control on all of those instruments, you're then qualified to buy V-Collection 7 for something like $300, which otherwise sells for a lot more. That also adds about another 1500 presets, which makes for about 8000, and unlimited user control.

Tidbits - just my own experience, but may be a consideration. Novation has little to no customer support. No idea on Nektar, but seems Ok from other users at least making contact with them. Arturia is very good, and will at worst take 1 day to email you back.
Sales speak at trade shows of these goods, always sounds vibrant, leading edge, and there's an army of friendly little musically skilled elves making more to meet the demand, when in fact these companies are pretty small, parts either shipped or assembled in China, and you'd have better luck contacting an alien with any degree of product knowledge, unless you get to speak with a chef developer, or CEO.
What's important is you get what YOU need.
You're doing this research is the smart thing to do, and likely may help others ask, or learn what they can before buying.

Plus, products develop, making purchases all the more relevant.

Really see what those Nektar differences are, so BobF can fill you in.

[Corection- Essential and MKII come with Piano-V, not Analog lab which is its own program]. Sorry for typos.

FC-2 wrote

BobF wroteSomething to watch out for ... SO focus vs device controls mapping.

Example. My LX+ came with really nice SO integration out of the box. But I wanted the 9th fader to ALWAYS control Master regardless of plug-in focus. The only way to achieve this in SO is to have a separate device/controller that is always in global focus.

The LX+ handled this by allowing me to custom map different controls to different MIDI ports, then define multiple ext devices for the same controller in SO.

I ended up with the LX+ split/defined as 3 separate devices; a keyboard + two controllers. This was super simple to do because of the flexibility found in both the Nektar LX+ and SO.

I have no idea if the 'T' and 'P' keyboard/controllers are this flexible. Worthwhile checking out though.

This is really a great insight...would you mind explain how did you accomplish the split? I suppose if I go for either keyboard, I will need to do what you did, and end up with the main keyboard and some sort of small side controller for extras?

My LX+ is in the closet (replaced with S61-MK2), so this is from memory:

1. In the LX I configured the knobs and faders 1-8 to send on port 2
2. The buttons and fader 9 were left on port 1
3. Saved to LX Preset 5

In SO I added a keyboard and 2 controller devices with send/recv set to the LX, The keyboard part just works.

With Global focus, MIDI learned the first controller buttons and fader 9, mapped transport and other buttons to SO functions.

With plug-in focus, learn & map F1-8 and B1-8 as desired. Can be different on a plug x plug basis.

It reads worse than it is. A few minutes of experiments will help mentally map it out. Seems like I remember having channels 1-15 enabled for the keyboard, leaving ch 16 for the first controller definition, but I'm not sure that ended up being necessary.

What made this possible is the ability to edit each and every button/knob/slider in the keyboard/controller. SO has the flexibility to deal with the rest of it.

As Lokyfly suggests, an FP8 or 16 with a separate keyboard that has a bed you like might be the best choice for you - IF you're committed to Studio One. There is no problem at all having multiple devices with transport controls. In fact, having a FP Classic and X-Touch Mini along with keyboard controls means I can always use what happens to be closest. Sometimes it's still easier to use the dreaded mouse

Thanks to both of you!

So, I took the dive and got both keyboards to compare them A friend of mine is getting whatever I don't want to keep, with a discount, so he is getting a deal no matter what, and I get to try first hand both my options. Got the Keylab MK2 and the T4; and these are my findings.

- Keylab MK2:
Impressive build quality; it is a tank; solid, heavy, won't move even if you jump on it. Most controls are solid and clicky, although the pads feel worst than an Akai MPK mini to be honest. Faders are also wobbly, but still solid, and the knobs are not all tight as others; but not a deal breaker.
Keybed is good; although it does not feel either like my synth (Korg monologue) nor like my Akai Advance; it is its own thing, and it feels quite good.
Integration: I can use it in DAW mode, and use what is already set, so faders for volume, knobs for pan and buttons for tracks; the jog wheel works as scrubber, which is great. Transport works fine; and overall it does what you expect.
In midi mode, I have 3 pages of controls. I need to use the midi app to set it up correctly; since page 2 and 3 has the same CC ID for both the knobs and the buttons, but it was a breeze. The only negative is that in midi mode you can't assign anything else except that controls on the right (faders, knobs, buttons) and the 10 buttons in the DAW section, but it is OK. I just miss a 4 way button setup, like a crosspad on a gamepad, but it is doable.
Switch between modes is easy, and so far it is very close to the experience I was trying to achieve.

- Nektar T4
The build quality is OK; if the Keylab is a Mercedes, the T4 is more akin to a BRZ: well built but no frills. Buttons are nice to use and overall feel as solid as the Keylab. Just muuuuch lighter, and the screen is actually nicer, with more real estate, while the Keylab has a 1990 dual text LCD, of the type you may find on industrial machinery.
Keybed is not ideal; good but very similar to the keybed I had on my old m-audio keyboard. It is serviceable but not really as satisfying as the Keylab. The aftertouch is nice but I didn't use it much to be honest
Integration: very good with the integrated profile, but still you need to set it up correctly. It is very similar in operational functionality to the Keylab, but has a major drawback: in Studio one you can use only one set of controls; so you are limited to the actual hardware, because there are no pages to select, unless you use Nektarine (which controls VST, not necessarily the DAW).

Analog lab is really impressive, and while it has a limited set of controls, it doesn't bother me, since I won't be creating sounds anyway, and rely on presets (for sound engineering I have a Digitone for FM and the Monologue for analog, plus a slew of synths VST); so it is an added value that indeed bring up the Arturia package.

The T4 didn't offer much software to be honest, but the price is also much lower; I don't use Ableton live at all so the included DAW for both was left untouched.

Now, as far as final verdict; I liked both of them, but since I can keep only one, I went for the Keylab MK2.
- 3 pages of controls is really important to me
- Analog lab is awesome
- Solid like a tank
- More pleasant keybed
- Integration with S1 is great, and works great with Cubase and Logic too

This is of course a personal preference; I am in no way endorsing either controller as better than the other, because each person's needs may differ. I am just glad that I had the chance to try both of them!

As far as the P4; I am not sure if it offer more than the T4 as far as functionalities, but I had no way to try one, and the only affordable ones were used on Ebay; for almost the same price as the Keylab Mk2, so I didn't want to risk to spend too much money for something that I may not even use nor be able to sell.
I tried at the Guitar center in my area, the Keylab essential, and while it was more appealing than the MK2 because lighter, cheaper and not that different from each other; it didn't have the 3 pages of controls, nor the ability to control external gear as the MK2, plus the keybed felt very cheap, so I decided it was fine to spend more but get something that will last for a long time.

I was tempted by the Novation SL MK3; probably the most beautiful controller I have ever put my hands on; beside the NI SL49 MK2, but sadly the workflow was not there for S1 nor Logic, since Novation is the preferred controller for Ableton live, beside the push; so I had to think about integration first, and that's why I moved on from the SL MK3 (also the price...gosh....).

I can't thank you enough for helping me with your suggestions and insights; it really helped me in making the best choice for my case, and now it is just a matter to figure out how to set up everything, so I can start being productive and begin to put to use the new keyboard

On a side note, where can I learn what each command assignable to a midi controller do, in S1? The manual does not seem to be that specific, and I have limited patience to try them all to see what they do. Found some that works for me, but I may ignore others because I have no clue how do they work.

First, congrats!! Compliments go to you for weighing decicions. You are 100% right. These are no endorsements over any other gear, as each have their own use,  price point, and advantage. The Arturia MKII is a winner and is very well laid out.


Nice job describing those differences in controllers.
Funny, I have an Akai pad controller, and I really hate the feel of it. Hate the Novation MkII pads as well. They're both very hard, plasticky, and have limited response adjustment. I wont even use them. LOVE the Arturia MKII drum pads. Lol. Just shows how we all have our preferences.
Hey, that's why some drummers pick Fibes, Roger's, Slingerland, Pearl, Tama, Ludwig, etc.To the distant observer, drums are all the same. Not!! (As most instruments arent the same, either). We find our weapon of choice.

A few benefits I think you'll find useful with the Arturia MKII are the ability to create your own custom chords on the fly, right off the pads, along with the Transpose function. I think both of those features grow on you through time.

The DAW integration with the MKII is pretty nice. Love the scroll knob function as well. Left right arrows allow moving through tracks. How nice! The punch in/out, undo, and mixer call up, read/write, etc. All good and a bit more control than the norm. Arturia make a very nice crossroad switching from DAW to User, to Ano Lab.

I'll throw one suggestion your way and you can yell at me later for spending your money. Get a Faderport. The type is your decision on what you need and can spend. I'll simply promise it will be one of your best hardware moves when using Studio One.

Anyway, ya did good!" She's a Benz!

FC-2 wrote: On a side note, where can I learn what each command assignable to a midi controller do, in S1?

Probably best to give a for instance. With each command assignable towards some specific instrument, I usually call up the MIDI list that is assignable for that instrument. I.e. NI's FM8 may have its own set of MIDI assignable parameters than perhaps MAI TAI. The Control Link plays a big part with MIDI mapping. Studio One's own macros help as well, so you'll likely want to raise some specific questions there. Also view some of the existing macros to see how they use commands.

I've been following this thread closely.

I had been pretty much settled on getting a Nektar T6 to replace my older Nektar LX49 (I actually placed an order for a demo/used T6 through a large music etailer, but a day after placing my order, it was canceled... even the sales rep I talked to afterwards couldn't explain why that happened). My Nektar LX49 still works fine, but I wanted more keys and better integration with Studio One. The KeyLab 61 MKII wasn't on my radar before this post, but I'm glad I was alerted to this option.

Thank you, FC-2, for your helpful and practical summary of the two keyboards you were able to try out. Following your adventures as you try to get the KeyLab working perfectly with Studio One and Analogue Lab.

Thanks Lokeyfly!

With all the controls available on the market, I am sure that it is harder and harder to understand which one is better fit for a specific DAW or workflow. As such, you need to research, otherwise you end up with something you don't need (like I did in the past), and the market for used midi controllers is really not that great, so a bad purchase stay with you for as long as the device works.

I just figured out something peculiar: When you use Studio One and map controls to the Keylab; some of the controls are shared with the Analog lab. So if you want to use Analog lab, you can't assign certain CC controls to the User mode. It is a bit restrictive, but workable.

The issue is that I have no idea about which CC controls are assigned to Analog lab, when in Analog lab mode; so that is making things harder to figure out, if you want to have Keylab inside Studio one. The workaround is just ignore keylab button if you want to use controls, and map the knobs and buttons and faders to CC controls in User mode; although it kinda defy the point of having a dedicated button for keylab.

Didn't notice this issue with the Nektar T4; although still I stand behind the Keylab Mk2 as better choice. Maybe the P4 is better; I can't say because I did not have one to try,

Mucusman wroteI've been following this thread closely.

I had been pretty much settled on getting a Nektar T6 to replace my older Nektar LX49 (I actually placed an order for a demo/used T6 through a large music etailer, but a day after placing my order, it was canceled... even the sales rep I talked to afterwards couldn't explain why that happened). My Nektar LX49 still works fine, but I wanted more keys and better integration with Studio One. The KeyLab 61 MKII wasn't on my radar before this post, but I'm glad I was alerted to this option.

Thank you, FC-2, for your helpful and practical summary of the two keyboards you were able to try out. Following your adventures as you try to get the KeyLab working perfectly with Studio One and Analogue Lab.

Glad that our chatting is of use to you

Maybe the cancelled order was a sign to not get the T6? I liked a lot the T4 but it fell short compared to the Keylab; the price difference is well worth the extras you get.

BTW don't think that the Keylab is the solution to complete integration; in some ways, the T4 is more integrated, but the keylab is more flexible as standalone and due to thelarger amount of controls that can map. Maybe you would give up on 2 pages of controls, in exchange for a better integration; that is something that you have to decide.

If you already have VSTs and can live with a slightly cheaper controller, in exchange for a more intertwined integration with Studio one, go for the T4; you also save about 150 dollars, which you can invest to buy analog lab if you wish