Alesis VI61

Good product, knobs might be overkill

I've been using this for 2 years now with no problems. Nice keybed. The software it comes with is a little clunky but is usable. There's 48 buttons and 16 knobs on it only labeled with a number, and for me, this is overkill and not particularly useful. Also I could never set up the pads to light up when their equivalent midi note was triggered (they light up on pressing, but not on playback.) Overall great product.

Awesome MIDI controller

This controller is my very first keys instrument in general, and honestly, I couldn't be happier about it. I use it for my home recordings/playing, and it was easy to set up with FL Studio.

I was looking specifically for a semi-weighted 61 key controller with aftertouch, pads and most importantly, without common problems. After reading a lot of reviews on similar products with various horrible issues, I was uncertain if I should pull the trigger at all. That being said, this model seemed to have the least problems, and they were not as bad as others. I can gladly report that my VI61 has no flaws whatsoever. Given that it's not the most expencive option that I considered, it's a huge plus.

The keybed feels good, the action of the keys is just right for me. Knobs and other controls work smooth and responsive. Everything feels sturdy and durable, and I'm not afraid to store it in a gigbag that is slightly big for the unit (it's hard to find perfectly fitting softcase). All the materials are pleasant to touch and don't feel cheap. Digital display shows things like octave transpose state, current preset, midi values, etc. That's not much, but it's everything I really need. After comparing drum mapping with pads vs keys, I've decided that I prefer keys, so I'm not sure if I like pads that much. They do feel good, and represent hit velocity with led lights, though.

Software works great, you can choose several key velocity curves, and save different profiles to the controller to switch between them on the fly. I didn't like default velocity curve, and changed it to more linear/synth style.

All in all it's a solid controller that feels and plays great, especially for it's price. I think that all the neat features and low risk of running into any issues make this controller an excellent choice.

A value for the money keyboard

I bought this because i read a lot of good reviews for it's price. I haven't played a lot, but in the 2 weeks i've played everything seems to be fine. Keys feel great, especially the pads.

The only problem i found was that one key started doing a

squeak noise but i am ok with that.

Fantastic home studio keyboard

I bought this keyboard as I needed a midi controller with semi weighted keys for my home studio. This keyboard has plenty of features such as semi weighted keys, pads and plenty of knobs that could be assigned in your daw.

I upgraded to this keyboard from a very old model of a alesis keyboard with no weighted keys, I can confidently say this is a big step up considering the small price difference. Although considering the relatively small price it is not perfect. some keys and pads feel a little bit on the stiff side but considering other keyboards at this cost tend to have very flimsy "toyish' keys I would prefer this keyboard for its slight faults any day as its a good cross between a keyboard and a weighted piano feel.

If your looking for a semi weighted keyboard at this price range for your home studio with plenty of bells and whistles then I highly recommend !

Great Feel and lots of functions !

I got this as needed many knobs (not encoders) and it does the job very well. The software that comes with it is really great and allows you to change the parameters very quickly!

I had a very annoying issue when i got mine though. Some keys were extremely high pitched noisy and the only solution was to open it up and put some WD40 oily solution on all the keys inside . Might be only my model but might be on all of them...

This is a real shame as otherwise the keyboard is really great .

The pads are sturdy but don't need you to hammer them at the same time .

If the noisy keys are fixed or it was only my model then i would recommend it as its a good controller.

Best controller keyboard I have had

I have had tens of controllers but this one seem to be the best. I have have only used it for couple of times, but the keybed is quite good and maybe not as good as I expected and drum pads are really convenient. I have used this with Mixcraft where you can easily map anything without using any editor software and I prefer working that way. Of course I would prefer sliders over knobs and the sustain pedal should have somekind of polarity switch possibility on controller - haven't found it. Time will tell about the durability, but it seems to be quite nicely structured.