Novation FLkey Mini and FLkey 37

G
iven how long FL
Studio has been
around in its
various forms
(Fruity Loops came
out in 1998, can
you believe it?),
the question is really ‘why didn’t this
happen sooner?’. Akai’s Fire gave FL
users their fi rst dedicated controller,
and now Novation bring us the FLkey
37 and Mini keyboard controllers.
We had both the FLkey 37 and Mini
in for review – we’ll focus mainly on
the 37, and refer to the Mini only
panel features USB connection, full
size MIDI DIN out (excellent to see
this), and a 1/4” sustain pedal input.
The FLkey Mini lacks a display, and
has touch strips for pitch and mod,
with just 10 buttons. The rear panel
features are the same, other than the
fact that the MIDI DIN has been
replaced by a 1/8” jack which will
need an adaptor to connect to other
gear. Putting them side by side,
there’s no feeling that the Mini is a
cop-out, it feels perfectly credible in
its own right. The software bundle
features a six-month trial of FL
Studio Producer Edition, as well as
XLN Audio Addictive Keys,
Klevgrand Reverb, Klevgrand DAW
Cassette, Applied Audio Systems
Session Bundle, and Spitfi re Audio
Expressive Strings. For the review,
we required an updated version of FL
Studio, and this will be available to
all by the time the keyboards reach
the stores.
Key info
The FLkey 37’s keys are of the
full-size synth-type variety, and
they’re part of what makes this such
an enjoyable controller, contributing
to the out-of-the computer vibe. The
pads are velocity sensitive, and
change colour depending on the job
at hand for added visual feedback.
The knobs are large enough to get a
decent hold on, and all of the
buttons are backlit so they’re
identifi able in a shady environment.
The Mini has its compromises, but
the functionality’s still there; still
good for instruments, fi nger
drumming (and velocity sensitive), as
well as button functions. The Scale
modes apply to notes played on both
the keyboard and pads. Press Shift/
Scale to select a scale, referring to
the display on the 37, and the
labelled keys on the Mini. When the
Scale button is lit, the last selected
scale is playable on the pads or keys.
The 37 also has a chord mode,
where one will be played per
keyboard note, or they can be
generated based on a selected scale,
or custom chords can be triggered
from the pads. Alongside the pads
are preset buttons, which are used to
navigate through instrument presets
in FL Studio, while referring to the
display (accomplished via the Shift/
Octave buttons on the Mini); this is a
massive convenience if you’re in the
zone during a session. There are also
buttons for navigating Channel
Racks, transport control, the Score
Log (which captures your most
recently played MIDI part – on the
37 only), and undo/redo.
Pad lightly
The pads are part of the navigation
process, as we’ve already alluded to,
and we preferred this method in
comparison to some other hardware
devices we’ve used, where there was
just too much scrolling on little
displays. For example, press Shift/
Instrument, to interact with the
current instrument settings, either
when there are differences between
the two models. They’re both grey
and unashamedly boxy; stylistically
more in common with hardware
synths than generic MIDI keyboards.
Physically and functionally, these are
directly comparable to Novation’s
Launchkeys, which cater for Ableton
Live users.
The top panel of the FLkey 37
includes pitch and mod wheels, 16
RGB backlit pads, eight knobs, an
LCD display, and 24 buttons. Then
of course there’s the keyboard, a
rather nice 37-key affair. The rear
THE PROS & CONS
+
Quality controllers
with immediate
access to important
FL Studio functions
FLkey 37 users will
benefi t from the
larger size; FLkey
Mini users will like
the portability
The control layout is
as clear as could be,
and we like the
brutalist square case
The pads are great
– sequencing is a
real breeze
-
Not keyboards that
you’d use for
multiple DAWs
Would love to
shoehorn a display
onto the Mini!
Novation FLkey Mini and FLkey 37 | Reviews
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