Midi Controller (NANOKEY-ST),Black

If you are looking for a MIDI keyboard, this is not what you want. The "keys" are more like force-sensitive buttons even though they are laid out like keys. The spacing is too close together for a keyboard, and the keys themselves are a bit wobbly. You will play maybe 1 or 2 keys with each hand. That said, as a controller it has everything you could want. With Korg's Kontrol Editor, you can map the keys to send MIDI notes or events. There is a "Scene" button which lets you switch between mappings that you set up in the editor. I also like the fact that the keys light up when you press them. I was thinking I was going to use this as a keyboard when I bought it, but now I am liking the idea of mapping a few keys to notes for pads and drones and using the rest to send events to my DAW to change parameters on the instruments. BLE MIDI worked just fine. I did download the Korg driver before connecting the controller to Windows just to be safe, so I don't know if Windows 11 has a driver. It does work on Windows 11. Since Korg bills this as a controller and not a keyboard, it gets 5 stars from me because of its flexibility and compact size. It is fully wireless and battery operated, so it can go in a backpack and be ready whenever inspiration strikes.

I'd seen some popular YouTubers promote the nanoKEY-ST as their go-to midi controller. Compared to the older wired nano series controllers, this is definitely a big step up in features, but less in terms of quality design. For anyone who wasn't a fan of the clicky rectangular keys, these are about the same, albeit a bit squishier for better or worse. But if the somewhat toy-ish feel doesn't bother you, it really is a great and highly portable option for mobile music making. Still being a bit fresh on the unusual connectivity methods of iOS, I nearly fell into the group of people who "Just couldn't get the dang thing to work", but after some research I found out that the midi-bluetooth connections are done on a individual app basis rather than a standard bluetooth device link. Once I had that figured out, I had no connection issues. Overall, the size is perfect for iPad pro users, and the wireless connection is very handy. It's won't be for everybody, but the number of features under the hood make it well worth it for me.

Controller needs a screen because its confusing if you are using this while not using Korg Gadget. It s hard to tell what scale or chord you are using in easy scale and chord mode. Then the chord pads play major 7ths but I can't figure out how to change it. Anyway outside of Korg Gadget you will find draw backs and connecting this to your Mac, PC or iPad. I cannot connect this thing via BT to my iPad without running it through the free version of Korg Gadget then closing that app. Without KG the iPad says its connected but it doesn't work. For the Mac or PC you need 3rd party software from Korg to get it to officially connect for BT. Also feels fragile so thank god for the price drop because with the connectivity issues and build quality its definitely not worth the old price of $219. With all that said if you can get it to work outside of Korg Gadget its a lot of fun, very portable and useful. When I need to travel for a portable gig or in bed, or just run out space I love using the controller.

It’s a very solid midi keyboard, I like that it has scale mode that allows you to choose the key type and root note (if that’s correct?) and then lights up the keys to play in that scale. This also allows one to play chords using the pads, in this chosen key. The arp function is one of the best, as to be expected with Korg. I find the arp to be useful on high hats, and sometimes synths. One thing is using it with an iPad, while cool, is a bit limiting in that iPads still haven’t caught up to pc in my experience as far as music software goes. Another drawback is it’s not really a keyboard, more of a representation of one. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but as someone who has played a piano, it can be a bit annoying. It’s overall an awesome product, but I’d prefer a full size keyboard with similar scale and pad functionality, which I’m unsure about existing. One should also note, it’s easy to play this in one particular scale, but it’s a bit difficult to know what that scale is, in my experience.

Compact enough to fit in a simple computer bag and works well with iPads and Laptops. Keys are a little clicky and loud and have a squishy membrane-like feel to them and the touchpad does feel a little cheap but to be so small and work on both bluetooth and usb, it’s definitely nice to have. Pads have a nice resistance as well. I do recommend buying a 90 degree usb micro cable as charging port is on the left side and bent micro ports are never fun and also a 2 pack of rechargeable AAs. Hopefully a decksaver can be made for this for transport.

I were hoping to use this to create song/beat loops for games with iPad/Mac instead of using my full size Roland. Issues I ran into: Connectivity I keep having bluetooth connectivity issues, especially on Mac where the Korg bluetooth MIDI connect detected the nanoKey studio but would not let me connect/reconnect. I have to keep powering on and off/ exit and reopen the Korg MIDI connect app hoping to pick up the connection. iOS seems to have less bluetooth issues; however, with the micro-USB instead of standard mini-USB most USB MIDI controllers use (even Korg nanoKEY or nanoPad use mini-USB!), most typical lightning/USB/MIDI interfaces would not work without a USB camera adaptor, a $38 overhead plus clumsy wiring. Trigger pad I use both trigger pads and keyboard so it seems to be a good idea to have both in one unit. Well, it is not a good trade-off. For those who are familiar with Korg synths, some of them require 16 instead of 8 pads and there is no alt-key for trigger pad rotation. Korg apps are not known for user-friendly. While you can use the keyboard for drums (odd but do-able), unlike other DAW, Korg apps won't grey-out keys that are not applicable for individual synths so you have to guess the key range. You are better off with the nanoPad if you don't need all 25 keys given you can still use the 16 pads as a 'keyboard'. Keyboard I don't expect a full size keyboard feel or construction. It seems Korg uses the same triggering mechanism as the finger drumming pads so keys may stick/skip when playing with all fingers as it expects certain/constant triggering force for individual keys. You may adjust the velocity, but keep in mind it adjusts both sensitivity and loudness so you now have a different issue which is too loud/sensitive for some fingers. 8 control knobs Won't work for most apps. You may program those but the 90's-design software and the barely 26 pages manual would make you cry. x-y pad One of the main reasons I bought the nanoKey Studio. It could be more useful if Korg came with a more helpful manual and updated software. Sustain button Forgot or too expensive to support velocity? It is there in that they can say 'we have sustain feature'. It is not programmable and there is no sustain paddle input jack. Missing basic functions Fader, volume control, record/play buttons ... etc. are all missing from the 'Studio' controller. It is hard to believe a portable size of 'all-in-one' controller is missing all these basic functions. I thought it may be tricky but programmable? No. Battery Life- 10 hours? 2-3 hours I would say. Also, the battery storage is semi-hidden and is difficult to remove the batteries without built-in puller. Software The software for programming the nanoKey Studio is quite 90's, both the design and usability. The software 'bundle' are not full version or severely outdated otherwise. Synth windows are so tiny on my Mac that I thought I did something wrong but no- just severely outdated software that meant for low resolution back in the 90s. Korg synths are iconic and I am a big fan of M1 and other Korg synths. The hardware versions were very expensive back then and I was so excited to own most of the software versions through iOS. So why ruin the experience and reputation with such poor nanoKey Studio controller?

Wow, I love this thing! Using it with an iPad and the Korg Gadget app was the first time I actually enjoyed making music on an iPad! It just works. (You do have to install a separate app on a Mac to connect - but once you do, you are good) I have many other synths and MIDI keyboards, but I still love this thing! I use it for travel and for working with Korg Gadget. The other keyboards control my DAW/Plug-ins when working in my home studio. The keys take a little getting used to. They feel different than a traditional small keyboard - but look at them - they are designed to be something different. I got use to it quickly. It is not going to replace proper keys, but it still works for making electronic music. With the Korg Gadget app (both on the iPad and Mac computer), this is amazing! I usually use Ableton and Logic - but neither are as much fun as Gadget. With this keyboard and Gadget you get right down to actually making music. It is so quick - there are not distractions. I am surprised how much I enjoy this keyboard when using the Gadget app.

This past month I traveled across the US by way of train with a backpack and a duffel bag. I wanted to keep making music in my software of choice - Ableton Live, but that wouldn't weigh me down. Creative expression is important to me, and I've chosen Korg in the past for my creative endeavors due to their affordability and quality. Unfortunately, this tool just barely misses the mark for me. This tool does not work with Ableton Live natively, the most you can get to work is the keys and pads, but no amount of driver configuration I did could get the knobs to work. Knobs are very important for expression, as I can tune different parameters without moving my hands from the keys, it's tedious and defeats a lot of the point to move my hands away to my mouse to interact with top industry music production software. That was disappointing. If this had better integration at a slightly lower price point, maybe a refresh of the model with USB C and less focus on wireless, I would be happy enough. The physical quality of the tool is just a little too sacrificing. While the lightness of it is directly tied to the types of plastics, circuitry, bottom plate, and reinforcements, I feel like it sacrifices just a little too much. I think that the keys should be a different material, just a little hardier and less of a 'matte' feel. It would be cool to see some additional level of expression, maybe some sort of modulation if moving the keys around since in the case they move a decent amount. I don't see that as a problem natively, but at the price point I feel like it isn't really living up to its value. That said, I appreciate a lot about this controller. I feel the physical dimensions of it are perfect. The keys are innovative and I adjusted to them very easily, I love the separation and size of them, they work really well and they turn heads constantly. The expression pad in the center is awesome, though it feels like a very cheap laptop touchpad (would be nice to get on the phone with HP, Dell, Apple for some tips), I find the addition very welcoming. Honestly I really like the arpeggiator, the small buttons for different tools and lights and ability to change what the pads and everything does. It's very intuitive and I think that there's a lot of potential here. In summary, I think there's a great idea here and it fits a noteworthy niche, but I'd really like to see improvements to the actual result or for Korg to list it at a cheaper pricepoint. I think it's vital that Korg also gets this to work with Ableton without the need for the consumer to go to GitHub and download a script from someone who's volunteered their time to make it happen. That needs to be in their budget. Ultimately, I'm returning it, and I'm hoping next time I go on vacation there will be another controller available somewhere that I'll keep.

Wanted it to work with iPad Pro so had to do the upgrade. Had fun trying to get the upgrade to work on a pc. Found I had another keyboard in an the upgrade program did not like it. It all worked fine when I plugged the Nanokeys into the same usb port that the other keyboard was in. Works a treat on the iPad talking to Gadget 3 is really good.

I'm really impressed with this. I wanted a portable controller with knobs, pads, and keys (and the XY pad was a very alluring bonus). I got so much more. Korg squeeze every bit of functionality out of their beautiful backlighting array. I didn't expect to find things like scales useful, but combined with a highly customisable arpeggiator (for which you can tap tempo on the fly) and note bending/XY parameter control, things really take off. The backlighting is also used to great effect as visual feedback for various settings and options, from selecting pattern banks to transposing. People mention the toy-like construction of the keyboard, so I wasn't expecting much but also didn't require much. Actually, I really like the feel of the keys. A full keyboard it ain't but they have a pleasing bounce to them and their velocity response is pretty nice. The pads (which I use mainly for launching clips) require a bit too heavy a touch to trigger for my tastes, but then most drum pads do. The whole thing is compact, thin, and extremely light, without feeling too flimsy. The bluetooth functionality is great - anything to take the strain off my limited USB ports. My main quibble is the responsiveness of the XY pad. It takes a bit of pressure to register touch, which also makes it prone to error about position some of the time. Now that we're all used to incredible capacitive touch screens, this feels like a bit of a step backwards. (Perhaps if it was super-sensitive we'd be moaning about accidental touches though.) I've also found that sometimes there is simply some noise in its transmission. Finally - it's in the wrong place! It should really be in the top left corner, where you can get at it with the left hand in an instant without craning over the knobs. But despite all that, it is really promising for what I can accomplish with it, especially given all the XY parameter controls Live offers. My secondary small quibble is that the bluetooth connect software Korg offers isn't available for Yosemite, and in lieu of that I have to manually reconnect it every time I turn it on. But hey, I guess they did their best... The customisation software is a whole other portal that I haven't had time to wade into yet. I can't wait.

Non avrà il feeling di una tastiera, ma per chi è abituato a lavorare con i synth è un controller comodissimo per suonare con l'iPad: la connessione Midi bluetooth è molto stabile e l'uscita usbC o lightning rimane libera per la scheda audio o per le cuffie... Per me è geniale.

Si te gusta producir música con el iPad, usando Korg Gadget, este controlador es perfecto. Puedes tocar melodías y acordes, especialmente útil lo de las melodías, que intentar improvisar una tocando una pantalla del iPad es bastante incómodo.

Perfect midi controller, easy to use.