Novation FLkey 37 and FL Studio is the basis of all my music. I started using it back in 2003 and I will never stop. It's easy to use and understand. Plus it's versatile, I can make, mix, master and record my music all in the same program. I wanted to downsize on my MIDI keyboard. So here is my honest Novation FLkey 37 Review
The price of Novation FLkey 37
If you are looking for a small, compact and cheap MIDI keyboard for FL Studio then this is your best option. The other option is Akai MPK mini which is also good but it's not tailor made to FL Studio like the FLkey is. Coming in at $200 its alot of bang for your buck.
The build
Very sturdy plastic but at the same time lightweight. It's perfect to fit in a producer backpack with your laptop and charger.
The plastic on the pads aren't bad at all.
Check out my review on the Akai MPC Live II about it's pads.
Features
For a producer that is always making beats in FL Studio the main selling point was compatibility. This was made in connection with Image Line and this keyboard can perform numerous functions inside of FL Studio.
A great example is you can play a chord using fixed chord and it will be mapped out all across the keys giving even the most novice piano player the ability to come up with new and interesting chords.
The pads on this are amazing for the price. Even though I prefer my MPCs pads these smaller but responsive pads are a close second. You get 16 just like and MPC and you can actually use them to trigger the step sequencer inside FL!
It is powered by a USB cable and there is MIDI support but that's pretty much it.
If you look at the images in this post you will see that there are knobs at the top above the pads. These can be used to gain stage in the channel rack before you even hit the mixer! It make the process of mixing your music much more personal.
You also can trigger the metronome, play stop and arm to record. There's also buttons for Undo, Redo and quantize.
4/5 stars!
For the value you get a lot out of this keyboard.