5 Best Keyboards for Music Production – Create Magic!

I like to think I’m an adventurous musician, both in what I play and listen to. I love Chopin as much as the sequenced electronics of Tangerine Dream.

However, at the end of the day, to be connected to what I play, I want to feel it. I want to feel the piano vibrate, bend strings, turn dials. Too often, DAWs rob producers of that hands-on element.

The Impact fixes this problem. With its organized faders, buttons, encoders, and pads, it turns your DAW into hardware.

One of the Nektar's best features is intelligent mapping, which allows the keyboard to launch with templates for controlling nearly every aspect of different music software like FL Studio, Reaper, Logic Pro, and others. At first, I thought this was marketing hype — that it would just assign generic controls to whatever program was open — but it genuinely adapts to each specific environment as advertised.

This versatility is crucial for my work with international clients who visit Los Angeles. Whether they're songwriters bringing works-in-progress to enhance or artists starting fresh studio sessions, the Nektar adapts to their needs.

Since many of these artists are producers, they work best in their familiar software environment. Taking them out of that comfort zone can limit their creative flow.

Plus, when they're flying in from Japan or Australia with gear and instruments, the last thing they need is to pack another keyboard — especially since we have plenty here in Los Angeles.

I keep a Nektar ready in the studio, pre-configured for whatever software the artist brings. It often becomes our primary controller throughout the album process, as I can simply switch the USB connection when working in the artist's software.

The Nektar makes file swapping and session management effortless, eliminating complex routing issues. It's particularly impressive how it adapts its transport layout for different software systems' unique commands. This flexibility is essential when I move between my studio and an artist's apartment, bringing the Nektar to control their system from my station.

When I'm working from hotel rooms, the Nektar's intuitive layout proves invaluable. They've included simple but genius features, like marking lines showing controller slider positions — a basic yet surprisingly rare feature in many controllers.

Some companies might think, "Why bother with position markers when it doesn't have motorized faders to recall settings?" But these marking lines let you photograph and share fader positions with collaborators, documenting your filter cutoffs or envelope settings. When you've carefully adjusted settings like attack time for a synth pad, these visual markers make recreation simple.

These thoughtful touches elevate the Nektar from a mere control surface to a true instrument. The quality shines through in every detail — from the precise feel of the sliders to the responsive knobs and intuitive transport layout.

For example, as a Radiohead fan, I used the Impact and my guitars to make a cover of “No Surprises” on Reaper.

I switched between tracks and adjusted volumes using the faders and buttons beneath them. I used the encoders to adjust parameters on a mellotron VST.

The result? By the end, I’d barely touched my mouse! I felt like I was playing a real mellotron and using a real mixer.

The abundance of physical controls eliminates the need for a large, detailed screen — you only need to see numerical values for reference.

While I've typically preferred endless pots and encoders over those with fixed endpoints, the notched lines on both the sliders and encoders are perfect here. These details make it feel like a genuine instrument.

Classic synthesizers like the Roland Jupiter-8, Juno-106, and Prophet-6 use notched sliders and pots rather than endless encoders — just like this one.

This design deliberately recreates the familiar feel that producers and synth players remember from these legendary keyboards. In today's world of digital emulations and plugins, what people miss most is that tactile, notched, physical experience.

Consider the Jupiter-8, which now sells for over $30,000. Its appeal lies in its physical layout and sound.

Though simpler than Sequential synthesizers, with fewer modulation options and functions, it remains one of the most iconic instruments ever made — thanks to its intuitive, notched-slider design.

The Nektar Impact follows this same philosophy, and it succeeds brilliantly. As a synthesizer enthusiast, my first thought was "wow, this feels familiar."

And sometimes, that familiarity is all it takes.

It's worth noting the keys feel a little cheap. The keys have a nice tension to them. They feel more like an analog synthesizer's keys than a modern weighted piano-style controller — some players will appreciate this lighter touch, while others might prefer a stiffer action.

The drum pads left me somewhat unconvinced. While functional, they're clearly designed more for launching DAW loops than for MPC-style performance drumming.

This focus makes sense, as the keyboard comes bundled with Bitwig — an underrated DAW that takes Ableton Live's philosophy and design in a more eclectic direction. The pads are perfect for clip and sample launching.

Viewed through this lens, the pads are a valuable feature, and I'm glad they're included.

Even with these little hiccups, personally, I find the DAW integration worth the sacrifice. After all, what’s not to like about pairing it with free VSTs emulating $1000+ equipment?

Sure, it won’t be the exact same. But when your creative workflow feels organic, you will enjoy the process much more.

The controller's white shell casing incorporates tastefully integrated wooden side panels, giving it an elegant, premium appearance.

The KeyLab provides everything needed for playing, modulating, and automating — all essential for modern music production. Coming from the Nektar, I miss the notched sliders, though the KeyLab's smooth faders feel great. The black line at the top of each fader provides a useful visual reference point.

Without this marking, tracking fader positions would be difficult against the white surface. While not equivalent to multiple notches, this single reference point serves its purpose well. I'm hoping for more notches in a future Mk4 version.

The information screen stands out as a key feature. Its high-quality LCD color display shows all necessary parameters with crystal clarity. Given such premium display quality, the keyboard's reasonable price surprises me — I would've gladly paid twice as much for this build quality alone.

Both this and the Nektar feature transport controls, but the Arturia's color scheme proves more intuitive. The bright red record button and green play button match the standard colors found on traditional tape machines and modern transport controls.

That red record button provides an extra boost of focus — signaling it's time for the real take, time to deliver your best performance. Though seemingly trivial, these small details significantly impact your focus and ability to create your best music.

The drum pads surpass the Nektar's in quality, though they don't quite match MPC standards. While perfectly suitable for performance, having only eight pads (like the Nektar) can feel limiting. However, this isn't primarily a drum machine.

Instead, it offers more sophisticated features than typical drum machines, with RGB backlighting and velocity/pressure sensitivity — more comparable to controllers like the Novation Launchpad or Native Instruments Maschine than an MPC.

I frequently use RGB backlit instruments in my expressive live performances.

For example, I often trigger monophonic synthesizer basslines using drum pads rather than keys. Why? The pads put me in a more percussive mindset, resulting in better grooves. Recently, I was creating a dubstep track with a wobbling, distorted supersaw bassline — your typical aggressive dubstep sound.

Playing on the keys felt too piano-like and lacked tightness. When I switched to the Arturia's drum pads, my note cutoffs became much sharper — I was thinking like a drummer cutting off a snare or hi-hat rather than releasing a piano note.

This relates to note-off velocity, which is the opposite of note-on velocity. While quantization typically aligns the start of notes, it doesn't affect their release timing.

Drum pads provide better note-off response than keys due to their physical design. While keys have slight lag from their mechanical return motion, drum pads respond almost instantly due to their thinner profile.

This responsiveness is essential for modern production, particularly in pop, EDM, and dance styles where precision matters most.

I love the RGB backlighting for DAWs like Bitwig and Live since you can color-code different instrument families or clips. These illuminated pads are invaluable during live performances.

Two weeks ago, I performed with a singer whose music channels Charli XCX's dance-pop style, with filtered, distorted vocals in the choruses. We avoided using backing tracks to keep the tempo flexible.

We needed certain ethereal drone vocals, though. Since these samples lacked strong transients, they worked perfectly as tempo-independent atmospheres. I assigned them to color-coded RGB pads and triggered them throughout the show.

The color coding proved crucial as we performed six songs back-to-back with minimal breaks. My template switching between songs updated the pad colors automatically — red for verses, yellow for choruses, green for bridges, and darker shades for effects.

This controller truly excels in live performance.

Arturia's keys are my favorite of any controller. They balance proper weight with quick response perfectly, letting me play everything from rapid drum patterns to expressive piano parts.

I love their choice of synthesizer-style keys over piano keys — they're better for programming drums. At my recent electronic pop gig, many songs featured short, plucky, FM-synthesis-style sounds, similar to those in Katy Perry or Kygo tracks.

Playing tight, plucky sounds on piano keys is frustrating — and I say this as a classically trained pianist! These parts are more like clavinet parts, meant to be funky, and synth keys are far better suited for this style.

Try playing house music on a grand piano — it simply won't respond the same way, even on a $200,000 Steinway.

As French pioneers of electro-pop music, Arturia clearly understood their target audience's needs when designing the snappy keys for their 61-key version. The 88-key version is understandably different, with its piano-focused design.

While I prefer touch strip-style modulation and pitch bend controls over traditional wheels, I understand why they included classic Minimoog-style wheels on the left side — it's the layout most players expect.

The sliders have a robust yet smooth feel, making them excellent alternatives to touch strips for modulation — though perhaps not for pressure control. They're particularly effective for filter sweeps.

I love how they've placed a dedicated encoder knob above each fader. Unlike the Nektar's scattered layout, this arrangement better mimics a traditional mixing console's channel strip design — which is exactly how I use this Arturia.

I've created templates that pair these controls with my UAD SSL channel strip plugin, using the faders and encoders to control preamp, gate, compression, volume, and EQ parameters.

Using physical sliders and rotary encoders to automate plugins feels much more natural than using a trackpad or mouse.

A major advantage of choosing Arturia is its bundled software. The controller includes the impressive Analog Lab V and two piano plugins — a beautifully modeled Steinway by UVI and Native Instruments' "The Gentleman" — which excels for indie music.

I've always preferred Arturia's emulations, and given the wealth of synths in these bundles, the controller's price is exceptional. The value of the included software easily outweighs any minor feature omissions.

As a frequent traveler, I wish this keyboard was lighter, though this would mean sacrificing build quality and those gorgeous wooden panels that enhance live performances. While its weight isn't ideal for travel, I understand the compromise.

Your choice ultimately depends on your needs. If you're focused on studio production while traveling, you might prefer a lighter option. However, for live performances — especially when aesthetics matter for video content or YouTube recordings — the KeyLab's stunning polar white and wood panel design is unmatched. In these situations, the extra weight is justified.

The Kontrol S49 by Native Instruments has a completely different look from other controllers on this list, with its minimalist layout.

MPC producers know the struggle — while loving the MPC's pads and sequencer, they've always needed a separate mini keyboard for inputting chords, basslines, and melodic elements.

This arrangement was inherently awkward — studio space constraints often forced the keyboard to sit beside the MPC rather than in front. The MPC Key 37 elegantly solves this problem by combining an MPC and synthesizer into one integrated unit.

The striking Ferrari red finish invites immediate engagement. Despite owning three vintage MPCs — the 3000, 4000, and MPCX — I couldn't resist purchasing one on release day. It quickly became my "DAW killer."

This machine is so powerful that you can create complete tracks without touching a computer. The MPC — Music Production Center — provides a comprehensive production environment. I've produced finished tracks that only needed DAW mixing, no overdubs necessary. It's a compelling alternative to computer-based production.

The MPC's enduring appeal also stems from its superior MIDI timing compared to DAWs. This isn't mere marketing — I've measured the MIDI precision myself. MPCs capture performances more accurately than computers, particularly when recording without quantization.

Computer lag stems from buffer size latency. Even at 64 — the lowest buffer size most DAWs use — there's a slight delay between striking a note and capturing the MIDI signal. As a result, your audio lags behind your playing.

For drummers and musicians with excellent rhythm, direct audio recordings sound perfect, but the same performance through MIDI can disappoint due to less precise timing capture.

MPCs excel at both capturing and sequencing performances more musically. This capability originated with Roger Linn's work on the MPC 60 — after creating the legendary LinnDrum, he incorporated and enhanced all its sequencing techniques with newer technology.

Linn used funk drummer patterns to create swing quantization templates, giving the MPC a distinctive feel that hip-hop producers loved — it sounded like a funky drummer playing hip-hop beats.

Most hip-hop from the '80s through the 2000s was produced using MPCs.

This advanced MPC system offers another compelling feature: you can load plugins directly within it, using various synth-based instruments and keyboard sounds without needing a DAW.

For songwriters, this makes it an incredible creative tool, functioning like a workstation arranger keyboard. You can use it independently to create beats, lay down chords, and prepare tracks for vocals.

Though not primarily designed for vocal production like typical arranger keyboards, it serves as a fantastic controller that integrates seamlessly with your DAW.

Thanks to tight USB-C MIDI synchronization between its onboard sequencer and your DAW, you can smoothly transition your work to your computer. You can transfer tracks for mixing or editing, or run it in sync while recording vocals in your DAW.

The keyboard works well with DAWs in multiple ways — its encoders effectively automate parameters in both the MPC keyboard and your DAW. With just four encoders and no sliders, it's not meant to be a traditional MIDI controller, but rather focuses on sequencing, pads, keys, and performance.

This article explores music production keyboards beyond simple MIDI controllers. Not every production requires extensive automation, filter sweeps, and CC controls. Sometimes — and I do this often — it's refreshing to track audio as we did with tape machines.

Making music by playing instruments has become something of a lost art, which is why using standalone sequencers and simpler interfaces without extensive MIDI control can reignite creativity.

That's partly why I still use MPCs — I prefer feeling like I'm using an instrument to create drums. Many current tracks use the same generic loops from third-party websites, making everything sound similar.

I've heard identical loops in three different tracks released in the same year. That's embarrassing if you call yourself a producer.

To avoid generic production, I turn to standalone instruments from makers like Elektron, Akai, and Behringer. Behringer has been recreating iconic vintage gear at affordable prices. I recently got the LM Drum, essentially a clone of the famous LinnDrum — the MPC's predecessor.

Many modern producers clearly prefer using instruments rather than doing everything in-the-box with a mouse, trackpad, and keyboard. That's why hybrid instruments like the MPC Key are crucial innovations.

Beyond listing specs, I want to share creative ways to use these keyboards.

I creatively use the MPC Key's drum pads for almost everything except chords — triggering slices, creating unusual basslines, and of course, programming drums and percussion.

The result is typically more minimal but modern and cool, leaning more toward hip-hop than pop or rock. Even when using ethnic world sounds and cinematic instruments, the MPC's sequencing approach makes them interesting.

If you're experiencing burnout from laptop-based production and want more of an instrument or sequencer experience, but lack space or patience for multiple Elektron boxes and vintage synthesizers, this might be your ideal keyboard.

It provides everything needed for full-scale modern production — just add vocals and mix.

In fact, aside from the MPC Key, this has one of the best sequencers available, especially on this list. I'm not talking about a traditional MIDI sequencer you'd see in your DAW — I mean a step sequencer that truly sounds incredible.

Arturia are the kings of emulation, and while many of the keyboards they emulate have arpeggiators built in, those are based on vintage keyboard designs. They lack the modern features that the KeyStep brings, which makes it truly invaluable.

It's like an 808 drum machine meeting a Sequential Pro 3 keyboard. It combines the tight step sequencing of the Sequential synth with the groove of the 808. Don't mistake it for a scaled-down version of their KeyLab — that couldn't be further from the truth.

This is more of a modular sequencer-type keyboard than a MIDI controller, though it excels at both. If you're making dance music, remixes, or doing extensive synth work, this might be the keyboard you need, regardless of whether you already have another MIDI controller.

The keyboard features a 64-step sequencer with patterns and chord sequencing capabilities. It also includes an arpeggiator and a chord strum and scale mode that lets you sequence full chords and guitar-like strums with just one finger.

What sets it apart from doing the same thing in your DAW is its tight, responsive feel. I've tried routing MIDI from these notes through my DAW to my hardware synthesizer, and it sounds notably different than going directly from this keyboard to my synthesizer. You might wonder how computers could be so poor at handling MIDI when everyone uses them.

I'm talking about a specific type of groove. These keyboards have an amazing feel, making sequenced lines simply better.

Here's a tip: I run this keyboard to different hardware synthesizers — both monophonic and polyphonic — creating sequences with different feels and swing parameters. I record these loops in real-time into my DAW as audio, not MIDI, then slice those loops and save them as clips.

While Bitwig and Ableton Live are the best-known clip launchers, Logic and even Pro Tools now handle clips and REX files, so you can maintain a library of these sequences and sync them to any track. It's like creating your own custom version of the best splice.com dance arpeggio packs.

They're unique because you made them yourself, and you can create sequences with any synthesizer, including VST plugins. I love sending sequences from the KeyStep to trigger the Arturia Juno-60 plugin, but instead of recording MIDI, I record the KeyStep playing the plugin directly as audio.

Though it might sound confusing, going directly from the KeyStep to the instrument is always tighter. I've tested this countless times and am always amazed at how much tighter it sounds when bypassing DAW MIDI recording and playback.

Just try it yourself — you'll see.

Using this keyboard as a loop maker alone justifies its price. It does have limitations: the 37 semi-weighted, piano-style keys aren't ideal for piano parts. But they're not meant to be — they're designed for triggering sounds.

With its built-in arpeggiator and step sequencer, you can trigger both through the keys to create loops. You can also program drums — I create great trap-style hi-hat loops using 32nd note accents on this keyboard.

For those into modular or vintage synths with CV and gate inputs, you can trigger modular systems and create unique loops to record as audio, then transfer them to your clips libraries in Ableton or Bitwig directly from this keyboard.

I view this keyboard as a MIDI controller that doubles as a loop maker, arpeggiator, and sequencer for vintage synths. With its full MIDI capability, it can also serve as a hub between different hardware synthesizers.

While it's not designed to be your main transport controller, they've incorporated many elements from their larger KeyLab line. It includes a simple but capable transport CC automation encoder and all the basics needed for either standalone use with hardware or sequencing your VSTs.

In general, it's just a very versatile and cool controller.