Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32 Controller Keyboard

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) I originally bought the NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Komplete Kontrol M32 Controller Keyboard to dip my toes into the Native Instruments ecosystem, and let me tell you, it’s been an incredible journey since then – my wallet can attest to that! First Impressions: The M32 is an impressive piece of hardware for its size and price. It’s compact, lightweight, and incredibly portable, making it perfect for music production on the go. Despite its small footprint, the build quality is solid, and the keys feel great to play. Ease of Use: Setting up the M32 was a breeze. It integrates seamlessly with Native Instruments’ software, and the included Komplete Start bundle offers a wealth of sounds and instruments to get you started. The Smart Play features are fantastic, providing easy access to scales, chords, and arpeggios, which is a massive boost for creativity. Hooked on Native Instruments: Since purchasing the M32, I’ve been thoroughly hooked on the Native Instruments ecosystem. The M32’s ability to control Komplete Kontrol and other NI software is incredibly intuitive, making the workflow smooth and efficient. This initial investment led me to purchase one of the flagship controllers, the Kontrol S49 MK3, and the Komplete 14 Collector’s Edition software. The M32 was the gateway that opened up a whole new world of possibilities for my music production. For On-the-Go Music Production: The M32’s portability cannot be overstated. It fits perfectly in my backpack, making it easy to produce music wherever I am. Whether I’m at home, in a studio, or traveling, the M32 ensures I have a reliable, high-quality controller at my fingertips. For Professional Musicians: If you’re a professional musician, be prepared to go down the rabbit hole. The M32 is just the beginning. The seamless integration, quality sounds, and expansive library will likely have you investing in more of Native Instruments’ offerings. The M32 was my entry point, and now I’m fully immersed in their ecosystem, using their top-tier controller and comprehensive software suite. Conclusion: The NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Komplete Kontrol M32 Controller Keyboard is an excellent entry point into the Native Instruments world. It’s perfect for beginners looking to get started or for seasoned musicians needing a portable solution. Be warned, though – once you start, you might find yourself, like me, fully immersed in the Native Instruments ecosystem, continually expanding your setup. If you’re serious about music production, the M32 is a fantastic investment that will undoubtedly lead you to explore more of what Native Instruments has to offer. Highly recommended!

Good little keyboard works a treat with NI products. Good quality & a nice compact size

The build quality is good, the unit functions perfectly well outside of the Native Instruments environment as a standard MIDI keyboard. The fact it is USB bus powered is a real plus, and the size means you can take it and a laptop together in a regular sized backpack anywhere. The Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol software that comes with it is slowly developing into a must-have product, although it is clearly designed for the larger models of the Komplete Kontrol keyboard range. The short keys could be an issue for serious keyboard players, but for hunt-and-peck players like me it is perfectly adequate. The 2.5 octave range is ok, a little odd in that is starts on F instead of C as I have seen on most other keyboards, but the octave up and down keys are easily accessible. The velocity sensitivity is pretty good and can be tuned in software to your liking. If you are looking for an authentic weighted key feel you won't find it at this price point. The pitch and modulation shift controllers are touch sensitive rather than physical controls - this gives you the ability to create some unique sounds you might have trouble emulating with a joystick or wheel. Odd, but fun/

I purchased this to do some recordings and complement my Roland, Korg and Yamaha products. The build quality is great compared to some other brands I tried. The keys are smaller and took some time for me to adapt, but perfectly playable. The software that comes with it is also better than some others. Arturia Software is also good and maps no problem. The Native Instruments Software is high end and fantastically sampled and great to control. For a recording purpose this keyboard is perfect. And could be used in conjuction with other keyboards for live performances. My only niggle is I'm a fan of pure acoustic sounds eg strings, brass, woodwind, guitars etc. I just wish the software had included more of this. But for the price of the keyboard I shouldn't complain. This software is available but expensive I've already purchased some. It's easy to setup and install the software and it works well with different DAWS. I totally recommend this product. If you are looking for pure live performance and are use to Piano Keys, I would consider a bigger A or S Series. Overall I'm very pleased with the playability and quality of the keyboard.

First i will say don't rush to plug it in, take your time and download all the free software and install it first, and follow the instructions on their site, it takes a bit of time but is worth it. NB the software does not necessarily pick up the right audio driver, in my case it picked up my Sony Turntable driver (input only) so don't forget to check in preferences and select your pc's native audio drivers (or what ever you normally use) from the drop down list . This isn't really a problem as the preference page opens when you first run the software. Secondly i read a review saying they had to return the item because their computer wasn't powerful enough to run it on, I've installed it on a Lenovo with Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N2840 @ 2.16GHz, 2159 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s), 4GB ram, and the Native Instruments software works fine although the Ableton software does struggle. As for the keyboard itself, i don't think you'll find better for the price. The buttons have a good solid click when you use them and the knobs are good and sturdy with a nice resistance when turning, as for the keys they feel very good to me, but the last keyboard i used was a Yamaha D65. The only niggles i have is a very slight rubbing sound on a few of the black keys, and there is a slight warp to the case so when on a flat surface the keyboard can wobble a bit when being use (an empty packet of Rizzla sorted that). But for the price very good value for money.

That title should also say “if you are a Native Instruments user” because if you’re not you won’t benefit from several of the features of this keyboard. If you are it’s a no brainier - the Keybed is actually playable and has a decent action, unlike any other micro keys controller I tried. The way it works with Kontakt is deep and very useful. It also configured itself with both Logic and Studio One and the DAV controlling features are very well implemented and useful. On the whole a great little keyboard for working when you’re travelling.

This is a great little budget keyboard... BUT If you are on AMD Ryzen, there is a strong chance that the keyboard won't be detected correctly (god knows why), and the fix for this is to connect it via a USB hub rather than directly into your motherboard. I was pretty skeptical of this, but tried it, and yes indeed it works.

A really useful little controller for anyone embedded in the NI ecosystem. Especially useful (in my case) if inspiration strikes in the middle of the night and you don't fancy waking up the entire street by thudding away on an 88 note fully weighted keyboard. However, the keys are very small in comparison (obviously) and are literally unplayable high-up in-between the black keys, so don't be expecting to knock-out any Liszt or Rachmaninoff tunes on it. Awesome for what it's intended as, but keep in mind that because of it's size it does have obvious limitations.