I like the keyboard just fine... the software sucks! You spend a lot of time downloading, setting up accounts and installing it all (A simple disc would have been preferred!) Analog LAB 3...you can download better-sounding software for free on the internet. Lightbag II is a much better sounding B3 and you can program your Leslie to how fast you want it to spin up and slow down and you can choose how you want to activate it (expression wheel, foot pedal etc.) Most of the Synth sounds can be found on free VSTi's as well. I was expecting much more from the glowing reports on Youtube. Most of the 5000 sounds are of little use except for screwing around with and some of them are so close to one another you wonder why they included all of them. I'm thinking that if you want a GREAT Rhodes sound you have to buy the Arturia software, same with the Fairlight, Synclavier, and B3... Many of the sounds are just General Midi sounds with a bit of reverb or distortion added to them. I would suggest that you check out the free VSTi software online.

I compared the roland a49, nektar gx49 and arturia keylab49 against each other at the same time and chose the keylab49.

This product massively exceeded my expectations. The keyboard trounces all over my original m-audio oxygen 49 keyboard. It has synth key action (roland a49 has heavier piano key action) which feels much better than the oxygen which feels very plasticky and cheap. Obviously I'm in the group that prefers synth action keys to piano style 'weighted keys.'

The pads feel great. The mod and pitch wheels aren't those stupid tiny ones that are getting popular for some reason. They are the normal sized big mod/pitch wheels (unlike the nektar gx49). They feel great, there's just a smidge of tactile resistance to them which i like.

You may want to be aware of the difference in placement of the mod/pitch wheel placement on the 49key vs 61 key models. 49 key has it to the side of the keys, and the 61 key has it above the keys as seen in the picture. Don't know why thats the case, but with my 49 key model the mod/pitch wheel is to the left of the keys which is where i prefer it.

One of my only gripes is I wish I could have gotten it in black instead of white. Every time I walk into my dark, led lit studio, it feels like there's this giant white polar bear sitting on my desk trying to pretend its a Virus or something. But function is more important than aesthetic to me and this thing functions so well that sometimes I actually forget about the color coordination nightmare happening on my desk.

I thought the included Analog Lab 3 software was a gimmick to get you to perceive more value and buy the Arturia Keylab. I was surprised to find it's a full flegged, flagship sample library. Looking at it right now in my daw it says theres 5500 presets, which means 5500 unique instruments pulled from Arturia's robust line of analog synth emulations. They sound great, but i imagine that you could find out yourself by just demoing analog lab 3 before you buy the keylab 49.

You can modify these instruments within the analog labs software. It gives you something like 16 parameters for each instrument that you can modify to shape and change the sound which is really cool. For each preset, the parameters are automatically mapped to the 16 faders and knobs on the keylab and you can quickly switch through them with the big center knob, or arrows to the left and right of it.

There was a lot of hate and dissatisfaction with earlier models but I have not experienced any of those issues as they have been remedied in this revision. That being said I've only owned it for 5 months now.

This is one of those experience where I was really surprised. I've already had a few experiences on amazon where at a given price point the product that has more reviews isn't the best and this is one of them.

The keyboard itself exceeds the pricetag, and the bundled Analog 3 Software makes it above and beyond best midi keyboard offering in this price range.

Love it! Integrated instantly with Analog Lab 3 and took 5 minutes for full integration with Studio One! Solid Build. Knobs and sliders have good resistance. Very customizable features, simple to do and save. Love Arturia! Great Customer support over the last year. Beautifully crafted sounds and a keyboard that knows its language. Highly recommend.

Oh I love it - I'm a film composer, and was looking for a midi controller light enough to move on and off my desk comfortably, but an upgrade from my 25 key M-Audio Oxygen midi controller. The keys have better action than my 25 key controller; that was my major concern before pulling the trigger on the Arturia Keylab 49. Obviously not weighted, but passible. Really enjoying it!

Overall good controller. It integrates great with Analog Lab. Analog Lab has some solid sounds to mess with, though none are very customizable. The controls strike a nice balance. 9 faders and encoders, the drum pads, and the transport section are versatile without giving you a bunch of controls you'll never use.

The build quality is decent. The plastic frame is solid enough so it doesn't flex too much when on a keyboard stand. The knobs feel fantastic.The pads and faders are solid enough. The keys are relatively flimsy though. They're smoother and have less wiggle than a Novation Launchkey, but the action still isn't very satisfying. The drum pads aren't particular responsive, but they work well enough. At this price, it's reasonable that there are trade offs. This isn't a controller that gets one thing really right. It's a general purpose controller that does everything you'd expect it to with competency.