Last Updated: December 8, 2019 (Refresh Now)
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Korg 25 Key Midi Controller NANOKEY2BK

Last Updated: December 8, 2019 (Refresh Now)
7.7
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
994
Old Reviews
833
Unverified
54
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PASS
Yes
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Review Analysis - 107 recent, verified reviews

Detailed Mode
Size
 15
lightweight, backpack, small, portability, compact
+100%
comment
" ...  Portable and easy to use.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Very responsive and ultra compact.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Portable, and surprisingly expressive for it's size. ... I use it while at school as it's easy to fit in my backpack  ...  "
comment
" ...  If you need something affordable, lightweight and portable this is a good (not great) option for you. ... I still prefer other portable midi controllers over this one but they're typically double the price and a lot less portable and lightweight than the nano key.  ...  "
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" ...  Material quality is excellent and portability is unmistakable.  ...  "
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" ...  I bought this for portability. ... I wanted something to carry around and it works perfectly.  ...  "
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" ...  Fits in my backpack.  ...  "
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" ...  This little pocket piano is excellent for making music on the go.  ...  "
Controls
 12
sensitive, midi, velocity, sliders, setup
+50%
-50%
comment
" ...  The keys are loud  ...  "
comment
" ...  I’ve hit the keys pretty hard and haven’t had any keys stop working or malfunction because of it. ... The keys themselves are kinda squishy, but that’s because they’re velocity-sensitive — not only a huge surprise to have that feature but the keys are definitely responsive. ... I’m not a fan of the pitch and modulation adjustment buttons. ... When you press a pitch button it goes up or down (depending on which button you pressed) to a fixed amount, and the modulation has a sort of automation to it that doesn’t make it very usable.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I bought this in spite of some bad reviews because I wanted something MIDI and super small WITH velocity sensitive keys.  ...  "
Ease of Use
 11
easy, slider, simple, setup, program
+91%
-9%
comment
" ...  Easy to use and worth it.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I find the transport controls very useful at times.  ...  "
comment
" ...  it all depends on how aggressively or smoothly someone hits the keys. ... Learn to play (and type) with finesse and skill instead.  ...  "
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" ...  Easy to use.  ...  "
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" ...  Easy to carry to shows and set up.  ...  "
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" ...  It's very well built and feels very solid- It's extremely flexible in that it was a complete breeze to program any CC I wanted to any button or slider I desired.  ...  "
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" ...  Easy to use and affordable  ...  "
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" ...  Portable and easy to use.  ...  "
Keyboard
 11
keys, midi, velocity, mainstage, daw
+73%
-27%
comment
" ...  AWESOME REVOLUTIONARY KEYBOARD LAYOUT ... it all depends on how aggressively or smoothly someone hits the keys. ... If you've never used a midi keyboard before with your device, it might not just plug-in and work right away until you enable midi via USB. ... Instead, get and use a separate tabletop midi keyboard that has full size, velocity sensitive, weighted keys.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Works great, using with mainstage/Sunday keys  ...  "
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" ...  works better than using a keyboard, basic tho.  ...  "
comment
" ...  If you Play the keyboard you MUST have one of these.  ...  "
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" ...  The keyboard itself is really easy to set up. ... All in all, though, this is an awesome keyboard.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Great if you have a midi keyboard.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Works well with my keyboard and Apple MainStage.  ...  "
Build Quality
 10
feels, slider, plastic, knobs, keys
+60%
-40%
comment
" ...  The construction is worlds better and these thing have never let me down live or in the studio.  ...  "
comment
" ...  It's very well built and feels very solid- It's extremely flexible in that it was a complete breeze to program any CC I wanted to any button or slider I desired.  ...  "
comment
" ...  These are great, but the sliders will fall off in a split second and are not replaceable. ... I recommend the Co2crea case sold on amazon to help hold it together and protect the small pieces from being lost. ... I bought one after replacing my last nanokontrol and after a year all pieces are intact and it’s working great.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The build quality’s pretty good.  ...  "
Comfort
 9
pads, velocity, midi, sensitive, nanopad
+67%
-33%
comment
" ...  When I got it, I fell in love with it and when I saw I could change the way it interacted with my computer, I immediately started testing it out with Adobe apps amd found that it does the best job as a DAW.  ...  "
comment
" ...  it all depends on how aggressively or smoothly someone hits the keys. ... TIPS FOR SUCCESS  ...  "
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" ...  These are great, but the sliders will fall off in a split second and are not replaceable.  ...  "
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" ...  Very high quality and comfortable to the touch!  ...  "
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" ...  Please comment if you know of a similar 3-5 slider midi that has good illumination on the slider track and preferably also slider head?  ...  "
Software Platform
 8
windows, midi, korg, 2019, nanokey
+75%
-25%
comment
" ...  As all say, is compatible with iOS. ... Nothing I’ve tried with those words work with iOS.  ...  "
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" ...  Works perfect with my MacBook Pro and software.  ...  "
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" ...  The "instructions" aren't much help on how to program 2nd functions to the controls, but by exploring "profiles", I was able to set up a 2nd for the HSL panel.  ...  "
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" ...  Windows 10 detected it automatically.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Comes with a bundle code for some software, though I did download some I had my own that I use.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I've found this works perfect when configuring the midi to use the "Power Mixer" desktop app.  ...  "
Drivers
 6
korg, driver, download, daw
+33%
-67%
comment
" ...  Aside from the fact that it just wouldn't map on any DAW I have, after trying their Windows 10 driver on their website it wouldn't register what so ever.  ...  "
comment
" ...  It's just poor drivers by KORG.  ...  "
Device Compatibility
 6
windows, software, midi, catalina, nanokey2
+67%
-33%
comment
" ...  As all say, is compatible with iOS.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Works perfect with my MacBook Pro and software.  ...  "
comment
" ...  But once it's recognized Reason has great support.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Windows 10 detected it automatically.  ...  "
Volume
 5
volume, pressure, barely, small, next
+40%
-60%
comment
" ...  The keys are loud  ...  "
comment
" ...  This is MIDI and super small, but the velocity sensitivity is so poor I could barely detect any change in volume/intensity with the pressure I was putting on it.  ...  "
Product Reliability
 5
working, years, nanokey2, mine, defective
+60%
-40%
comment
" ...  * I didn't want the frustration and cost of trying to fix or replace every few months.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I bought one after replacing my last nanokontrol and after a year all pieces are intact and it’s working great.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I've had the nanoKey2 for a couple years now.  ...  "
Setup
 4
mapping, daw, cubase
+75%
-25%
comment
" ...  I needed this for Cubase, but more specifically to control my CC1 and CC11 controls (and a few others) It took a bit of setup, but once I got it set up it makes my workflow so kuch better and helps me get more realistic strings.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Painless set up, just plug in to your PC and it's a breeze mapping parameters as you would with any other controller  ...  "
comment
" ...  I just wish initial setup was easier.  ...  "
Sound Quality
 4
sunday, mainstage, next, music, hear
+100%
comment
" ...  I bought this as Sunday Sounds really advertises using this board for MainStage.  ...  "
comment
" ...  It is same noise level as my touch typing on a MacBook Air laptop computer- or quieter  ...  "
comment
" ...  Bought this to use with mainstage on a Mac with Sunday Sounds.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Great for mixing audio as long as you keep your tracks and sliders straight.  ...  "
For Travel
 3
take, space, sitting, road, much
+100%
comment
" ...  I have been looking for a portable keyboard that I could use to practice anywhere: sitting on the couch, on airplane flights, waiting around somewhere, outdoors, etc.  ...  "
comment
" ...  It is super portable and has held up well in my backpack, on my desk, on the road, etc.  ...  "
Apps
 3
nanokey, korg
+100%
comment
" ...  No specific software isn't needed to use the nanoKey, but many new-player potential customers may not realize that.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The "instructions" aren't much help on how to program 2nd functions to the controls, but by exploring "profiles", I was able to set up a 2nd for the HSL panel.  ...  "
Price
 3
worth, price point, definitely worth, cost, bucks
+67%
-33%
comment
" ...  Definitely worth it.  ...  "
Cables
 3
product, included, wish, usb, longer
+67%
-33%
comment
" ...  Great product BUT, why was there no cable included to plug it in?!  ...  "
comment
" ...  Cable found and all is good.  ...  "
Fit
 3
fall, bag, backpack, sliders, slider
+100%
comment
" ...  I use it while at school as it's easy to fit in my backpack  ...  "
comment
" ...  These are great, but the sliders will fall off in a split second and are not replaceable. ... I recommend the Co2crea case sold on amazon to help hold it together and protect the small pieces from being lost.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Fits in my backpack.  ...  "

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Specifications

Connectivity
USB:  Yes 
Yes
USB

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