

- SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS UPGRADE
- SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS SOFTWARE
- SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS TRIAL
- SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS PLUS
- SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS MAC
Native Instruments' higher price points mean that the company's keyboards often fly under the radar, especially among non-enthusiasts and amateur musicians.
SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS UPGRADE
Outside of the color screen, it's not a massive upgrade from MPK249 as the price might indicate.
SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS SOFTWARE
Not a dealbreaker (the VIP software is an extra), but would have been nice to use this fantastically useful software without the crashes. The Akai VIP software used for cataloging instruments keeps crashing, especially on Mac.Some important issues that we'd like to get addressed: Even if you have a huge studio desk, it is nice to have a keyboard that doesn't hog it entirely. Other competitors in this space, like the NI S49, are absolutely massive.
SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS PLUS
One major plus that a lot of people overlook is the small footprint. Pro Tools recognizes the keyboard but you'll still have to fiddle around with key mappings to get the optimum performance. Integration with Pro Tools is relatively smooth. But then again, this is a studio keyboard, not a live stage one. We would have liked to see at least 16 pads to give us options for more expression. Although the pads are quite responsive, we feel that 8 is too few. The control knobs, in particular, offer great feedback and fine control. Other control options include 8 RGB pads and 8 endless control knobs. You'll enjoy playing it, even if you're used to a full-fledged digital piano. In terms of feel, it is somewhere between a mid-range Yamaha and a Casio keyboard. The keybed is semi-weighted and velocity-sensitive. You're better off using your mouse to do this.

The bad news is that most serious musicians have thousands of sounds and finding the right one is a serious pain in the a**. In addition, Akai's VIP software will catalog all your VST instruments and synths, and you can select them right from the screen. More importantly, it lets you use this keyboard as an instrument and skip the monitor entirely. It natively supports AAX plugins as well so you can get data on your most important plugins, in real-time. This color screen gives 1:1 real-time feedback of key plugin parameters. The standout feature of the Advance 49 is its bright, high-resolution built-in screen. 25 keys is too few and 61 is overkill for the kind of applications a studio has (casual playing, entering notes, and mostly, automation). We feel this is the ideal size in a studio setting. However, given the poweruser demographic of Pro Tools, we feel that the incredibly powerful (but expensive) Akai Advance 49 is a better option than the more conservative MPK249 ( read our review here). Like a lot of our other keyboard lists, an Akai tops the charts here as well.

The last point is particularly important.
SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS MAC
Worked effortlessly on both Mac and Windows (though Windows-running studios are increasingly hard to find).Offered enough control options for a pro user.Could take the rough and tumble of studio use – reliability was a key factor.Instead, we deliberately picked MIDI keyboards that: Cheap $100 Akai MPKs were out, as were tools designed specifically for one DAW (like the Ableton Push).

Given this user base, our choice of the best MIDI controllers/keyboards for Pro Tools had to be different as well. It's not easy because it's not meant to be easy. The entire interface and setup patently discourages casual users.
SETUP VIRTUAL MIDI PIANO KEYBOARD PRO TOOLS TRIAL
If you've ever used a trial version of Pro Tools, you'll know why.
