I need something to look for, or ideas other than the Komplete Kontrol MK3 88S - haven't bought a key yet. And some advice.

[Punk Rocker]

I'm looking for:
EVERYTHING. (I joke.. but ah... I really am dreaming if somebody could chime in if I can set up the extras I would like to have with this keyboard.)

• Really nice keys so I can actually learn piano. Fully weighted hammer keys, right?
• The MK3 is so cool for playing around with finding awesome sound and I dig all those features of it that I could have allot of fun there to develop sounds with.
• Pluggability of synthesizers is missing however, and so is there anything ya'll can tell me about CV gates and I guess more specifically a gen x2 Stylophone and keyboards?
• Just being able to turn it on and roll with something. However I don't mind using a laptop every time I use it. That being said is there a way around that?

I'm after 24bit high res quality usb sound here. This is a must. And... I mean for all I've seen this keyboard still seems like it'd carry me the furthest.
Anyways, can't wait to make a total U-Turn.
So let me know chat.

 

[TulipAcid]

I have my eye on the Kawaii VPC1 which is a wooden key controller. I currently own and very much enjoy the Roland A-88 controller which has fully weighted keys. They have a MKII version now. I would have to try the VPC1 to see if it’s worth the extra space (enough room above the keyboard for a laptop or other synths.) I also fear the VPC1 at 65 lbs isn’t all that portable, but my Roland never leaves the house, so why worry about that?

You’ll have to get your keyboard sounds from other equipment. Does the MK3 accept Midi-Input? If so, your new keyboard could drive whatever sound you selected in that thing.

While the A-88 is nice, I sometimes wonder if my chops would translate over to a conventional piano keyboard, which is why the VPC1 with its wooden keys interests me.

My keyboard sound solution is Logic Pro’s various instrument packs. I recently discovered Synthology and Vienna Symphonic Library. Haven’t gone too far in figuring out how they would go into my Logic Pro workflow, but I’m sure there’s a way. In the meantime, just enjoying the sounds.

I always wanted a Steinway Grand or Bösendorfer in my house. Now I have both! Ha!

 

[TAE]

You're a beginner keyboardist the MK3 has a nice Fatar keybed...Italian company that has been making great keybeds for decades. I have an MK1 and really enjoy it and have been playing keys for ...a long time.

The kawai's make their own and they are really good
Yamaha makes their own and their OK
Roland makes their own and they are really good

I have a Yamaha MODX that I use for gigging and it has a gazillion sounds and there are a gazillion more you can upload add / remove. Great piano sounds stock and a ton you can upload into it

99% of the time these days when I am at home, the MK is plugged into the MODX 7+ and the sounds from the MODX are going to the mixer.

I'm in heaven... FWIW you mention synths...weighted keys are not ideal for synth playing if you are riffing fast...That's where having the MODX7 sitting above the MK is handy.

I have used a ton of VST's over the years ( Collosous / Kontakt / Arturia etc) and have a few synths that are just gathering dust..A ton a killer sounds but the MODX is loaded and I just rarely use anything other than the MODX controlled by the MK1 for piano.

Am switching to Logic Pro from Reaper soon and I am hearing their collection of VST's is top drawer and integrated within Logic and mainstage...we'll see.

In 2026 a Mac mini M4 loaded with Logic Pro controlled by the MK3 and you're golden for having great keyboards sounds, a great weighted keybed and a really powerful state of the art DAW. The MODX is a great versatile synth / workstation but there are a lot of other brands Korg, Kawai, Roland and a dozen smaller brands. If I was to pick anything other than the MODX it'd be a Roland of some iteration but that's just me. OH yeah forgot to mention Studiologic which is Fatar's own brand of keyboards and you would not be disappointed with their offering of weighted 88 keyboards with or without sounds within.

Good Luck! Rock on!

It's all subjective as to what is the BEST but you won't hate the MK3

 

[TulipAcid]

You're a beginner keyboardist the MK3 has a nice Fatar keybed...Italian company that has been making great keybeds for decades. I have an MK1 and really enjoy it and have been playing keys for ...a long time.

The kawai's make their own and they are really good
Yamaha makes their own and their OK
Roland makes their own and they are really good

I have a Yamaha MODX that I use for gigging and it has a gazillion sounds and there are a gazillion more you can upload add / remove. Great piano sounds stock and a ton you can upload into it

99% of the time these days when I am at home, the MK is plugged into the MODX 7+ and the sounds from the MODX are going to the mixer.

I'm in heaven... FWIW you mention synths...weighted keys are not ideal for synth playing if you are riffing fast...That's where having the MODX7 sitting above the MK is handy.

I have used a ton of VST's over the years ( Collosous / Kontakt / Arturia etc) and have a few synths that are just gathering dust..A ton a killer sounds but the MODX is loaded and I just rarely use anything other than the MODX controlled by the MK1 for piano.

Am switching to Logic Pro from Reaper soon and I am hearing their collection of VST's is top drawer and integrated within Logic and mainstage...we'll see.

In 2026 a Mac mini M4 loaded with Logic Pro controlled by the MK3 and you're golden for having great keyboards sounds, a great weighted keybed and a really powerful state of the art DAW. The MODX is a great versatile synth / workstation but there are a lot of other brands Korg, Kawai, Roland and a dozen smaller brands. If I was to pick anything other than the MODX it'd be a Roland of some iteration but that's just me. OH yeah forgot to mention Studiologic which is Fatar's own brand of keyboards and you would not be disappointed with their offering of weighted 88 keyboards with or without sounds within.

Good Luck! Rock on!

It's all subjective as to what is the BEST but you won't hate the MK3

I agree about the Mac Mini. Listened to a presentation by a VSL guy who ‘rated’ the various piano sounds offered. One of the criteria was RAM usage (not SSD.) This suggests one might want to get better than the stock mini, especially when layering a number of sounds.

You won’t be able to get a M4 right now. The M4 Pro you can stack up with 48 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD for $2399 and get in 10-12 weeks.

Seems there’s speculation about M5 Mini’s and Studio’s coming out later this year???

Instead, you could get a Studio M4 Max base processor, 36 GB and 2 TB SSD for $2599 and get between late June/mid July. I recently got that one. Wish I had gotten the 16 core with base 48 GB RAM instead. Just $600 more.

In any world the Studio is overkill for me, however it is interesting that price-wise to get an upgraded Mac Mini you quickly get into Studio territory.

And it is in no way Mini. Its footprint is that of the old M1’s but as tall as about 3 of them stacked together. There was a time I was traveling somewhat infrequently and, rather than having a Macbook Pro languishing, I’d take my Mini with Apple keyboard and track pad and one of those portable LCD monitors. No way could I do that with a Studio.