The BEST Midi Keyboard for FL Studio! Novation FLkey 61 Review

[@FireWalkMusic]

Buy the Novation FLkey here: (Global Amazon links) FLkey mini: geni.us/flkey-mini FLkey 37: geni.us/flkey-37 FLkey 49: geni.us/flkey-49 FLkey 61: geni.us/flkey-61 Buy the Novation FLkey from Sweetwater (USA): Flkey Mini: sweetwater.sjv.io/eKZAaX FLkey 37: sweetwater.sjv.io/q4XrJ5 FLkey 49: sweetwater.sjv.io/PyN11e FLkey 61: sweetwater.sjv.io/Jzy5ER Releasing a song? Save money on DistroKid by using my discount link: distrokid.com/vip/firewalk 🎹 Do you need professional feedback on your music? Or perhaps mastering? Check out my gigs on Fiverr: www.fiverr.com/firewalk

[@HellFireno88]

Thanks

[@NovationHelp]

Thanks for taking the time to create this, it's great to see that you're a fan. You may be interested to know that in the v1.1.1 update, we added the ability to switch on/off the Pads and LEDs when not in use. You just need to press and hold 'Shift' and 'Settings' for 2 seconds.

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome! Overall, I'm very pleased with this keyboard and I think it's one of the best choices for anyone who uses FL Studio and looking to buy a MIDI keyboard in this price range. Someone mentioned this in the comments about a week ago, so I went ahead and updated the firmware on mine, and it works. This little "hack" is now included in the video description. :) Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of this when I made the video.

[@VenVile]

😮 This is a very thoughtful feature! Thanks!

[@Frikoppie]

I'll just ask you directly, is it a full analog position sensing keyboard? Coz velocity is easily derived from position.

[@Frikoppie]

I highly recommend you consider the Razer Huntsman v3 and Steelseries Apex Pro mechanisms. I could say more (I'm a geometer/physicist/coder, etc), but I don't want to rant too much now. Oh and my initials are actually F(G)L.

[@freakdog]

The quantise is awesome! Nice keyboard!

[@FireWalkMusic]

Indeed! I find it super useful! 😀

[@RookSoto]

I have (and love) the mini. Wasn't sure about getting the 61 until this video. Thanks!

[@RuhkcusTV]

is there a way to update the firmware on it? and have you done so before?

[@FireWalkMusic]

The mini is great for anyone with limited space, or who wants to take it along when traveling for example. The 61 is ideal for people who like a full-sized keyboard and like to use both hands for example. :) The larger ones also have more faders, buttons etc than the mini.

[@FireWalkMusic]

@@RuhkcusTV You can update it here: support.novationmusic.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360002211360-Updating-firmware-using-Novation-Components I recommend using the web version (the standalone version didn't work for me): components.novationmusic.com/ Make sure that FL Studio is closed when doing this. If another program is using the midi then it will fail to update the firmware.

[@c1966m]

Good to hear you review Firewalk. I recently got the FL Keys 37 and sent it back, as an experienced FL user it slowed me down, the opposite of what I thought, found the whole thing convoluted. For example assigning a parameter, you have to press shift/ custom, them move the knob you want to assign to instead of just simply moving the knob. Or when you have a lot of channels in the rack and mixer, using the FL key to scroll through to change levels or pan just takes so much longer than simply doing it with the mouse. But yep the keys were really nice, much better than my Alesis Q49, In my mind It's designed to use FL with the channel rack a lot, yep - "making beats" like you say if that's what the user wants great. I also think for someone new to FL that needs a controller they'd probably find it really fun and useful. As you mention I found the screen useless, if you're left handed your hands constantly over the tiny screen, it should be raised at an angle. All in all I was constantly looking first at the FL keys, then looking at the screen, instead of just looking at the screen and whizzing around getting stuff done with the mouse super quick. Hopefully that'll help someone.

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome. I've seen some people working really fast on the FLkey, but I kind of agree that it's not immediately intuitive for everyone, and I too work kind of slow on it still. I suppose some people are more "hands-on" than others. It will certainly take some getting used to, but once you get into the workflow I'm certain it will speed up workflow tremendously, especially if you like to work in the step sequencer a lot. Probably particularly useful for people who prefer making their own beats. I must say that I really enjoy the enhanced transport controls on this thing. Makes it much faster to record something, undo, try again, dump the score log, and quantize. Just that alone is kind of worth going for this in my opinion. :) And of course, the keys, which are no doubt among the best I've seen in this price range. :)

[@kevintran9321]

Great review! Might get myself the flkey mini at some point.

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks!

[@kinglions23]

Sup, first let me say I love ur videos bruh, My thing is how can they create a midi keyboard (any) but this 1 specifically for fl with without a !!! LOOP !!! Button, it's one of the main things I look for in a midi keyboard is Transport keys, They almost did it right, and the kicker is novation made a keyboard before that has a loop button, it's ridiculous. Keep doing your thing with the videos, You keep me refreshed & informed on things I didn't know or forgot about FL & producing , I really do appreciate your hard work.

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks! Glad to hear that you enjoy the videos! :) By loop, do you mean the song/pattern mode? or the loop recording mode? Transport controls typically can't be overridden by custom global links in FL Studio, but it might be possible to set this up as a custom mode in the FLkey itself. You can go to components.novationmusic.com/flkey/ and see if there's anything there. I haven't looked much into this myself yet, to be honest.

[@kinglions23]

@@FireWalkMusic I'm talking about the Loop recording, I had a loop button on my m-audio axiom 49, but the keyboard stopped working on me. I was really happy when they introduced the FL key specifically for fl, imagine my disappointment.. when I didn't see a loop button. lol.. but' o well, I'll take your advice yet again & look more into custom modes in FLkeys , Thanks again for the info, but this time thanks for responding & helping me specifically.

[@FireWalkMusic]

@@kinglions23 You're welcome 😀

[@konstantinosl2839]

Very helpful video,thank you FireWalk!

[@thomasfroland762]

Thanks for this!

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome 🙂

[@ddeafner]

I just got the 49 key version and I love how well integrated it is within FL Studio. Compared to using my previous AKAI MPK49, its way easier!

[@MCHmuzykaElektroniczna]

Nice keyboard

[@tobiastho9639]

I can recommend getting an USB with on/off switch. There are plenty options...

[@justin6point7]

I want the 61 for the extended key range and faders on my desktop, but I wish it had a built in XY pad. I haven't messed with the stock Effector plugin much, but if it had a control surface, it would be nice to have a keyboard with a built in Kaoss Pad, so you can hold a key and XY modulate the parameters. I was thinking it might need something like a Korg nanoPad, but the nanoKontrol is awful for FL, so I don't know if I'd trust the nanoPad mapping any better. I like the idea of the quantize button for loop editing, but an arpeggiator would be way more functional for live performance.. guess I'll still use a 1998 Yamaha DJX-1 for that basic keyboard feature. A couple functions to add to a Pro version of the 61? Maybe Novation will make a MiniFaderBank and MiniXYControl to pair with the MiniKey for a trio of mobile mini controllers? There's optimism.

[@FireWalkMusic]

You should send them an email and suggest it to them. Apparently, they listened to the community and released the larger 49 and 61 key versions. After getting some backlash regarding the lack of a dedicated power button on the back, apparently the newest firmware now makes it possible to hold shift and settings at the same time to turn off the lights. So they do seem to listen. :)

[@BrianAndersonTT]

FL gang still craves a desktop controller with encoders and motorized faders.

[@user-de4tq1bm9i]

Heisann igjen. Jeg sitter enda og ser på videoene dine og lærer mer om fl studio. Jeg har allerede ett piano stående som er 88 tangenters ikke midi keyboard. . Men jeg er helt enig med deg og heller kjøpe en 61 tangenters midi keyboard. Jeg vurderer sterkt og kjøpe en slik novation fordi det også støttes av fl studio. Ikke at jeg kommer til å bruke de knappene til trommer. Men det viktigste er vel bare for å kunne teste lyder og ta opp litt forskjellige ting på midi keyboardet i forskjellige rytmer :) Enda bedre er det hvis det går ann å putte keyboardet under bordet. Foreksempel kunne dra midi keyboardet ut når man vil og at det ikke stanger i føttene på bordet :) alt avhenger av størrelsen selvsagt :) Jeg liker også når midi keyboardet har litt mer trykk i seg og ikke bare blir billige fjæringer når man spiller på det. Btw. Håper du kan lage enda mer innhold angående EQ. Jeg har prøvd å kikke gjennom noen fl studio bøker men noen av de nevner ingenting om gain staging osv.

[@FireWalkMusic]

Ja det er veldig skjelden man trenger 88. 61 er mer enn nok til to hender som regel. Dette er jo et keyboard i "budskjettklassen", men syntes det er en av de med bedre fjæring. Det er ofte veldig plastikk-aktig og veldig dårlig demping på de billigere varientene, men dette var helt ok. Transport kontrollene, undo, redo osv er faktisk veldig praktisk, spesielt i piano roll. :) Jeg har noen videoer om EQ generelt, og EQ av bass, kick osv. Har også en video om gain staging. Bare søk etter det på kanalen så dukker det nok opp. Har planer om å lage mer EQ relaterte videoer :)

[@mikelawson9805]

With the latest firmware update you can hold shift and settings together and it will turn all the lights off

[@FireWalkMusic]

That's awesome! I'll add that to the description. Thanks for the tip!

[@wyshwood]

I assume the integration includes expression on the fader for playing virtual orchestral samples? Looks pretty good all round.

[@FireWalkMusic]

I'm sure that's possible. I haven't had enough time to test it out much, beyond FL Studio itself and the native plugins yet, but I see you can also download custom modes and set it up with novation components. It is also possible to manually set up global links in FL Studio, which will work across different projects. I have a video about that here:kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6XGi2WVa656asUsi=DvJbyy78hB2PVYgB

[@HellFireno88]

Thank you!

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome 😀

[@JostSchwider]

Thanx a lot! 👍💚

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome 😀

[@Juliano_DJOL]

I think my mpk249 trumps this by a good amount and cld probably be found around the same price! I use it with Logic on a Mac and then use my older Nektar Impact in FL in PC.

[@RuhkcusTV]

did you have to update the firmware on it before using it? hearing that the smallest model crashes sometimes and stops working in FL unless its unplugged and re plugged in.

[@FireWalkMusic]

No, I haven't updated the firmware. Just plugged it in, and it worked nicely right away. 😊

[@RuhkcusTV]

@@FireWalkMusic which firmware version does it show on your unit when you boot it up? wondering if they are shipping with different/newer FW as l have yet to find a simplistic way to update the firmware

[@FireWalkMusic]

@@RuhkcusTV Have you tried this? support.novationmusic.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360002211360-Updating-firmware-using-Novation-Components I just updated mine to version 1.1.1 using the web version. For some reason, the standalone version didn't work. It found my flkey 61, but I couldn't press the channel rack button to confirm, so it wouldn't install, but the web version worked (I'm using Google Chrome)

[@GigaTodd]

❤❤❤

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks!

[@GigaTodd]

@@FireWalkMusic You're welcome.

[@ottomanbeatsofficial]

How do you do your expressions with kontakt instruments? I have a oriental strings library, which has “heart of violins” expression (Crescendo Decrescendo). Linking Midi cc11 to the mod wheel is suppose to do the job, but the way fl studio is, it doesn’t work as it should. When i link the cc11 it just does the regular dynamics like how it would be with orchestral libraries. Even the image line employees from the forum admitted that what im trying to do isnt so simple & even if i get a expression pedal it wont work. They say its possible with patcher but thats another headache of its own.

[@gemstonelabs1]

You missed the biggest problem with this keyboard. There are no led's in the transport controls. That's completely insane!. You still have to constantly look up at the monitor to verify that you're in 'record' mode, which defeats the entire purpose of the controller. It drives me crazy every single day.

[@Frikoppie]

Razer Huntsman v3? Coz I mean, full analog, 0th derivative, position sensing. Velocity sensitivity is 2nd derivative. I've occasionally used a Korg 61 key thing, and tbh, while the feel is nice, the build quality and functionality is kinda...meh. Also, from my testing, it seems to only have truncated 3-4bit accuracy. Have a good day.

[@luiswega]

I just can't stand that old outdated blue display. Why can't they update it to a small black display. Btw the Nektar impact has better keys.

[@FireWalkMusic]

I agree the screen could have been better. They need to cut costs wherever they can to keep the price down, so I guess it's just something we'll have to live with when it comes to entry-level gear like this. I strongly disagree about the keys though. I have both and I must say that I much prefer the keys on the FLkey over the Nektar impact ones. They feel much softer and not as springy, and they don't make as much noise when you hit them. I suppose it's down to personal preference though. Some people will probably prefer harder keys while others prefer more dampening. :) Ideally, it would be best to go to a store and try a bunch of keyboards first, in order to get a sense of what's preferable. :)

[@djbitterdjb4625]

I'm right-handed . Unfortunately - pads, triggers etc are placed - left. Why ?

[@konstantinosl2839]

I use FLstudio for electronic music production,for the moment i'm using Traktor audio 6 as the main soundcard because i'm mixing music also with Traktor Pro 3 with dvs. I'm not using any live instruments for my production,do i need also to replace this soundcard with something like FocusRite Scarlett or not? Thank you in advance.

[@Suchitttt]

I have Fl key 49

[@FireWalkMusic]

💯👍

[@tobiastho9639]

Longer cables are coming with downsides too tho...