Novation FLkey Mini and FLkey 37

SCREEN SAVER: The 37’s LCD
display is an important source of
info, watch it as you select/move the
different elements on the control
surface. Also useful for tracking notes
and CCs if using it in custom mode
PAD IT OUT: On both keyboards,
the two rows of pads serve multiple
functions, from triggering notes, to
sequencing, to selecting different
FL Studio interface parts, such as
volume, pan, and plugin parameters
MORE CONTROL: This row of eight
knobs directly relates to selections
made with the pads – for example,
press Shift/Mixer Volume to select
that function, then each knob will
handle track volume within the Mixer
BEND IT: Adding to the hands-on
interactivity, there are pitch and mod
controls on each keyboard. FLkey37
has the more old-school wheels for
each function, with the pitch wheel
bouncing back into place
through the pads with something like
the Slicex sampler, or through the
knobs and keys with the Fruity DX10
keyboard instrument. We found it
was easy to develop an organic
workfl ow, loading presets,
sequencing patterns, tweaking
effects, and playing the keys; long
stretches of time pass by without
feeling the need to touch a keyboard
or trackpad. For us, the sequencing
was the most enjoyable part of the
CC, or PC, on any channel, with or
without velocity; all very useful if you
use more than one DAW, or if you
use external hardware.
What we have here are two very
nice keyboard controllers, that we
think will become the no-brainer de
facto hardware controllers for FL
Studio. As with the best of these
controllers, it feels like the software
has broken out into hardware-world,
there’s a noticeable reduction in time
spent looking at the computer screen
or reaching for a mouse or trackpad.
The Mini is a fl exible little controller
that you can take anywhere, and fi ts
into the smallest nook in your studio
or live rig, but if we were going to
choose just one model, it’d be the
FLkey 37; that display and the extra
buttons, and the expanded playing
functions make it worth the extra
money and the extra space,
recommended for any FL Studio user
seeking keyboard integration and
hardware control.
FM VERDICT
8.7
Competition isn’t fi erce, but
these (37 in particular), are
superb controllers for FL
Studio – essential for live
and studio use alike
process; loading a sound,
sequencing a few patterns in a rack,
then playing the keyboard on top – a
fl uid, productive experience.
No limits
If you want to go beyond the default
factory assignments, you can use
Novation’s Components browser-
based editor to create custom
assignments. The pads can be
repurposed to send any MIDI note,
PADS VS KEYS
There have been times when it looked like pad-based
controllers were primed to take over the world, but that
hasn’t happened yet. Go to any gig or jam session, and
you’ll still see more keyboards than pads! These
offerings from Novation strike a perfect balance –
providing a choice of keyboard size and range, but also
with two rows of pads. And the design is such that the
pads are highly functional even if you don’t want to use
them to play beats or other sounds (though you can even
view a little virtual MIDI
keyboard on them, which
is kind of weird when
there’s a real keyboard
right there). They’re part
of the navigation
interface, and are used to
select functions on the
keyboard, to preview
sounds, and so on.
THE ALTERNATIVES
Akai Fire £149
There aren’t many
dedicated controllers
for FL Studio – the
fi rst was Akai’s Fire,
which takes a
different tack from
the FLkeys, based
around 4x16 pads.
This device focuses
on particular
elements, rather
than trying to fi t
everything in.
akaipro.com
Image-Line
Remote £free
This is a free
controller app that’ll
run on either iOS or
Android, and
connects to a Mac or
Windows computer
hosting FL via wifi . It
combines pre-
confi gured tabs that
correspond to
specifi c FL areas, as
well as user-
confi gurable
elements.
image-line.com
Reviews | Novation FLkey Mini and FLkey 37
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