Great price for a great board with great features. All A-series controllers by NI include the FULL Maschine software (called Maschine Essentials)-- it's a stripped-down sound library (2gb instead of 8gb) but, what a deal. To have this, and a used Maschine MK2 controller (can be bought secondhand for pennies these days), you have Maschine, plus several other great NI instruments for literally less than $400. Killer sounds and functionality.My only gripe-- the screen's a little too small, and the buttons are VERY loud when you press them. Also, seems the firmware doesn't play well with Reaper (yet).. and there are also small quirks with the keyboard, but in general, awesome and great price.

Excellent product, build-wise and playability; only problem that pressing the 4D encoder does nothing. GAK collected and tested the item and found no physical fault. It was concluded that this is a software incompatibility with my M1 Silicon Mac. Hopefully NI will update the software sometime. Otherwise the keyboard is still entirely usable. I just have to use the computer mouse to perform the selection function that would be provided by the encoder.

So I got this keyboard because I trust NI to make instruments with the musician in mind, I was right. I have to learn how to properly map it for Logic Pro X. All the buttons works as labeled but the buttons like "track instance" have to be map which is annoying . As a beginner I will grow into mapping it but not now. The keyboard keys it self is responsive and is good for Left and right hand practice. So I recommend this piano for beginners because its not heavy in weird settings that lead to hours of setting up the equipment. Its mainly plug and play.

A good piece of kit but Mac M1 users be wary.

The unit itself is well built and I would expect nothing less from NI and kind of goes without saying. I found a little awkward to play on as the keys travel quite far into the bed but this shouldn’t be an issue for the amateur music producer. It’s got all the features you would need and is compatible with pretty every DAW out there. I was using logic and had a good experience however (and it is a big however), this unit was not fully compatible with my Mac M1. NI are in the process of intergrating their kit to work with Apple’s new silicon based chips. It was functional but none of the transport keys worked which reported to me having to use the trackpad a lot of the time. It shouldn’t be long until there’s an update which makes silicon fully compatible. Overall I ... MoreThe unit itself is well built and I would expect nothing less from NI and kind of goes without saying. I found a little awkward to play on as the keys travel quite far into the bed but this shouldn’t be an issue for the amateur music producer. It’s got all the features you would need and is compatible with pretty every DAW out there. I was using logic and had a good experience however (and it is a big however), this unit was not fully compatible with my Mac M1. NI are in the process of intergrating their kit to work with Apple’s new silicon based chips. It was functional but none of the transport keys worked which reported to me having to use the trackpad a lot of the time. It shouldn’t be long until there’s an update which makes silicon fully compatible. Overall I stilll think it’s a great entry level MIDI which is clearly built to last and provides everything you could need to get into the world of production. Great service from PMT by the way.

Excellent feel, awesome interface at a great price!

I love the look and feel of this board. This has better feel than other keyboards that are over twice as much. I really like the Komplete kontrol interface. I was already using Komplete Ultimate so this was an easy choice. It's replacing my old 49 key Axiom board, it's a great board. Only replaced as it was sending ghost cc midi changes. So while this doesn't have pads or as many knobs and faders, on the plus side it might last longer, as there's less to go wrong with it.

Just be very gentle with the keys

The A49 keyboard is a great simple to use midi controller. If you are like myself and want an easy setup especially if you own Komplete software, then this is a great keyboard. The reason I gave it 4 stars is that the keys themselves really do feel cheap and i'm not sure how long it's going to last. A couple of the keys are already making sqeaky and clicky sounds when pressed, but i would still recommend this keyboard to anyone that is starting out in the MIDI music songwriting scene, and at this price point I can't really complain too much.

MUST have MIDI keyboard

After doing research i am glad I purchase this Beast because it has everything you need for Music Production.The Knobs, drum pad, keybeds, like everything has a nice feel and function. Whether you are a beginner or pro, i can guarantee that you will love this Beast. Totally worth the investment. *shhh* i think it's better than Komplete kontrol a series too again

NI ce.. Controller

Overall:Set up with Cubase 10 and Ableton Live 9 no issues. Although it took a while to download and install the software package it is worth it. Komplete integrated lots of my other soft synths and plug ins for Kontrol over pre selected parameters. Parameters are assignable as well if you want to tweak em’. The keybed is nice and responsive. For the money ... great bang for the buck.Ive had axioms nektars and icons NI feels and responds Cohesivly with my workflow. I like using something i dont have to fight with slowwing down the creative process.

Review of Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A49 MIDI Keyboard Controller

Durability? Ask me in a years time. Good value, the only gripe I have is the lack of a second socket on the back for power. For a few coppers, a second USB socket would have allowed you to use it with an iPad and most people have a spare USB wall wart lying about.

Very good product, I would buy it again.

I use this product as a MIDI controller for production. It suited me perfectly, it's not too heavy and has sensitive keys that helps me a lot on my creative process.The weight is perfect, the size not much, but the overall hardware is really light for the size.There are some imperfections on the knobs, some of them are not so centered but nothing that harms my productions. The buttons are a bit hard to press. I think that if it was softer, it would seem more fancy and precise.In addition, it comes with a lot of plugins,instruments and samples, which is the greater advantage in my opinion.