Whether you’re a professional or a hobbyist music producer getting started with FL Studio, you’ll almost certainly need a MIDI Keyboard. A mouse and keyboard in your DAW will not suffice, and a midi keyboard will be required. As a hip-hop producer, electronic artist, or beat maker, you’ll need to know how to use FL Studio and how to operate your hardware.
But which midi keyboard is ideal for FL Studio? There are a lot of them available from different companies, but only a few of them are up to par. Choosing one from the numerous available can be difficult, but this article will help you through the process by providing reviews of the best midi controllers. The Arturia KeyLab Essential was the best overall option out of the nine midi keyboards examined, as no other midi keyboard could match its mix of great functionality, durability, and value.
This best keyboard for fl studio, as the name implies, is used to control everything and everything. However, in order to choose the best, you must first determine what you require. Once you’ve decided what you want from it, you may look at a few possibilities and see if their weight, dimensions, control options, and connectivity meet your requirements.
Table of Contents
AKAI Fire MIDI Controller for FL Studio with RGB Clip
- FL Studio Music Production Essential- Dedicated USB MIDI hardware...
- Workflow Revolution - 64 velocity-sensitive RGB Pads for creation of...
- Beat Production Simplified – Transform Fire into a beat maker essential...
It’s a pad-filled MIDI controller that’s ideal for beatmakers and sample-heavy producers at a great price tag. Despite having 64 RGB back-lit triggers, the layout of the best midi controllers for fl studio is well-organized; they are arranged in four rows of 16, and are an effective command center for your DAW, syncing automatically. The midi controllers allow you to program one bar of 16 beats or four bars of 4 beats in real time. Their crowning achievement is scale-locking and mode selection, which enables persons with less music theory or practical melody-playing ability to generate chords and other sounds without using traditional keys. Image-Line collaborated with Akai to design this controller and pack it with as many extra features as possible.
You can select a channel using shift and the selection dial, which is clearly indicated on the LED screen. With the four assignable ‘Touch-Capacitive’ knobs offered, you may adjust the volume, panning, filter, and resonance. It also features specialized buttons for step, note, drum, and perform, as well as a separate metronome and auxiliary actions of accent snap tap and overview. This is the Best MIDI Keyboard for FL Studio in 2023.
Nektar Panorama P6 61-key MIDI Controller Keyboard
- Nektar's most advanced MIDI Controller. 61 semi-weighted full-size velocity...
- Deep DAW integration for Cubase, Logic, Studio One, Bitwig Studio, Nuendo,...
- Comprehensive MIDI functionailty. Compatible with all MIDI music software...
Nektar’s Panorama P Series brings the concept of a studio keyboard controller with deep FL Studio integration to a whole new level, giving you unprecedented control over your plug-ins, mixing, and transport controls. The Panorama P Series’ motorized fader section is an amazing feature.
It’s always connected to the mixing channel you’ve chosen in FL Studio, putting you in complete control. You also have quick access to Mute, Solo, and Arm. Furthermore, these keyboards contain an auto-mapper that simplifies the mapping of your favorite plug-ins and VIs to the hardware controllers. The Panorama P Series features solid synth-action keybeds that respond to velocity and aftertouch. Your mouse and keyboard will officially start collecting dust once you buy one of these controllers! The Nektar Panorama T Series contains the 49-key P4 and 61-key P6, which are ideal for studio producers. This is the Best MIDI Controller Keyboard for FL Studio in 2023.
AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3
- Music Production and Beat Maker Essential – USB powered MIDI controller...
- Total Control of Your Production - Innovative 4-way thumbstick for dynamic...
- The MPC Experience - 8 backlit velocity-sensitive MPC-Style MIDI beat pads...
AKAI has done everything right with the third edition of its USB controller keyboard for hip hop producers. The keyboard has been fully revamped, allowing for very dynamic play despite its small size.The pads are identical to those found in MPC X and Live 1/2, and they may be played loudly. An OLED display is a new innovation, but its impact is hampered by the small typeface. The eight inexhaustible knobs are likewise brand new. AKAI employed non-endless controllers in previous versions.
Overall, the AKAI MPK Mini MK3 is a robust and well-built controller keyboard that can work well in the studio, on stage, or in a mobile setting as the best controller for fl studio.
Novation Impulse 49 USB Midi Controller Keyboard
- Ultra-responsive semi weighted keyboard with aftertouch
- Full DAW/plug-in control surface with 8 knobs, 9 faders and buttons
- Automap 4 control software enables instant hands-on access to your DAW and...
Novation’s top-mounted keyboard has a combination of multi-functional drum pads, fader-style sliders, and buttons. The keys are just semi-weighted, but because to Novation’s Aftertouch Impulse technology, which allows users to capture the expression they play with, they are extremely responsive.
It has a clean design and an unique LCD screen to assist with navigation. It is simple to set up and use thanks to its Automap 4 control software, which is suited to Ableton (which it comes with along with a bonus set of plug-ins) but can be modified to run in FL Studio without issue with a little mapping.
The 8 velocity-sensitive pads can launch clips and even alter more melodic duties like warping arpeggios, in addition to handling your beats. They, too, use Aftertouch technology and are sensitive to the player’s style of play. They have colored LEDs on the rear and work in real time. There are nine fader-style sliders and six dials, all of which may be MIDI-assigned to channels or plugin settings and can handle incremental filtering of virtually anything you’ve patched.
The best fl studio midi keyboard contains the normal transpose, as well as pitch bend and modulation wheels, and transport buttons. The I/O ports can also be used to connect external MIDI instruments. This is the Best MIDI Controller for FL Studio in 2023.
Arturia Mini-Lab MKII 25 Slim-Key Controller
- THE BEST MUSIC-MAKING FLOW: MiniLab MkII is an easy keyboard controller...
- PORTABLE, YET FULLY FEATURED: Lightweight but rugged, MiniLab MkII is a...
- PREMIUM SOFTWARE INCLUDED: Get thousands of world-class presets spanning...
The Arturia MiniLab MkII has a lot of cool features, such 16 rotary controllers and 8 drum pads that have a terrific feel and can do more than just trigger drums in different colors.
The midi controller has smart macros for tailoring your patches, and it also sounds excellent. It also comes with a useful set of pre-installed software that works nicely with the numerous control options. This midi controller contains 16 rotary controls and 8 multi-colored drum pads, making it ideal for beatmakers.
Novation Launchkey 25
- MK2 version of Novation's 25-note USB keyboard controller for Ableton Live
- 16 velocity-sensitive RGB pads, 8 knobs, and dedicated navigation and...
- Software for Mac and PC
This is the smallest of Novation’s keyboard controllers, and while it lacks the space for all of the sliders and buttons found on the others, it performs similarly. You can play drums, launch loops, modify virtual instruments, and handle fundamental DAW tasks with its top-notch features, such as the 16 multi-colored pads. Its plastic design isn’t the most durable, therefore it won’t last long if you use it frequently on the road.
They work in conjunction with 16 backlit velocity-sensitive beat pads, as well as track and scene selection buttons. The pads handle clip launching and allow users to work in real time with a looped portion to produce a beat beat by beat. The usage of 16 keys instead of 4 (on a smaller 25 key variant) allows the user to have considerably more control over their bars.
There are also eight MIDI-assignable rotating dials that provide a fair degree of manual manipulation for your DAW. They were designed with Ableton in mind but can be mapped to fit FL studio use with relative simplicity.
If you don’t have the time or know-how to search for appropriate software, this should be your first choice because it supports not only FL Studio 12, but also all other DAWS. This is the best 49 key midi controller with fl studio for beginners.
M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 MK3
- Pro Music Production Wherever You Go – USB MIDI keyboard controller with...
- Customisable Response – Mini keys with selectable velocity curves match...
- Immediate Creativity - Simple plug-and-play connection to your Mac or...
A basic MIDI controller option is M-Keystation audio’s Mini. Keeping things simple is sometimes the best option. It’s a low-profile compact piano featuring a 32-key piano core having synth action keys and MIDI-assignable keys. They are small in size, yet they are speed-sensitive. Because of the lower size, the company can fit just over two and a half octaves in an area that would normally only hold two. It is quite easy to configure with the majority of popular DAWS, though some more obscure options may require a driver download.
It has octave range buttons for more than 32 notes, pitch bend and modulation buttons instead of larger wheels, a dedicated volume control, and a real piano sustain function for your home studio. The transport controls have been reduced, but you may record, play, and stop directly from the device, removing the need for a mouse. The Keystation Mini comes with XPand!2 and a premium ProTools edition designed specifically for M-Audio products.