Nektar Impact LX88+

I want to start learning piano and after months of research, this was the best option I found for this price range.
Pros:
- I've never used an accoustic piano so I can't compare and get into technical details but I can say it is a quality material, the keys feel great.
- 88 keys
- A lot of features
- Great price

Cons:
In terms of functionality of the item I have no complaints. These are a few small problems that I had...
- The USB cable is very short, I had to buy a USB extension cable.
- I can't connect it to my iPad. I bought an "apple connection kit" only for this purpose but it won't work. The piano lights turn on but there is no sign of it in the iPad.
- Had some difficulties setting it up on PC and a delay problem with a few programs like Synthesia, but with Bitwig (the software that comes with the piano) it works very well.
- It's light but it takes a lot of space.
- Customer support snubbed me twice, and I only had simple questions. Although it must be said, in shipping and handling, everything was correct. But for advice or information they really don't seem to care much.
- Keep in mind that you only get the keyboard and a short USB cable. I had to separately buy a pedal, piano stand, dust cover, and USB extension cable. My advice would be to buy the accessories at the same time. In time they really become necessary.
That's about it, the product itself is very good. Overall I'm happy with my purchase. I hope this was helpful.
Good luck!

I bought it as a replacement for my M-audio Oxygen88 (which is probably the biggest MIDI keyboard ever), so I would be able to fit it in a retractable shelf under my studio desk. The keyboard has a small footprint and it's very convenient to store under the desk.

The action of the keys is much better than one would expect from this price range, I have no trouble playing dynamic piano parts, though weighted keys do make a difference. But if you are a media composer as I am, you'll find these keys perfectly good enough for 99% of your work (unless you are Shostakovich, in that case, good luck)

The DAW integration seemed complicated at first, but once you get a grip of it, it speeds up your workflow. I still use mouse and keyboard a lot, but find all these additional transport keys and controls very handy, especially when I'm auditioning the mix and want to do some quick level changes.

The biggest surprise was the pad area, and the way pads are assigned and programmed. It's very easy to lay out your drums over 8 coloured pads, and I find myself using pads all the time when creating drums.

In two words, "best buy"

I'm a sound designer, not a real keyboardist, so had no real need to weighted keys at all, but I needed a midi controller that seamlessly interact with all DAWs and softwares I use (many, due to my job) when I'm playing and programming, without any annoying issues: here it is.
The only thing you should take care is to switch it off and on, only once!, to make it recognize the polarity of your sustain pedal, then you're done.
It's very easy to switch from different velocity response profiles, that are suitable for all needs.
It works well, flawflessly, for the money spent it's a real good device

Excellent keyboard. I use it in the studio for all orchestrations and all my soft instruments as well as a control surface paired with Logic Pro X. The integration with the DAW was seamless and I couldn't be happier with it. I had a couple of friends who are keyboard players (I'm a guitarist so I just play it in a very limited way) and after testing it they were impressed with the keys action and setup and the only remark they made was regarding not being a full hammer action, but given the price/quality and features they were very impressed, as am I. If anything ever happens to it I would definitely buy it again.

Delivery of the keyboard was relatively quick and items received were all in good condition and well packaged.

The keyboard looks and feels sturdy. The keys although not weighted, are quite responsive. You can adjust the velocity settings until you find one that suits your needs. Pianists like myself will have to get used to the touch and the slight noise of the keys, but on the whole I am quite pleased with the Nektar Impact LX88+.

It integrates well with my Cubase A1 10 DAW. The faders work well and so do the dials. The pads look nice although I don't use them much. I had to take some time to figure out how the buttons, faders and dials all work, but once I did that it became quite an enjoyable experience creating music on this versatile keyboard. I would recommend this keyboard to music enthusiasts especially music producers and composers.

I was originally looking at stage pianos, for home use and becouse of budget, I went for this keyboard controller instead. So glad that I did!! So far I have been impressed. It is early days, and I'm on a learning curve, which I am enjoying.

Pros:
Keys so far have not been a problem.
The software Bitwig 8 track a bonus, not sure if I will use it though, as I have Mixcraft.

Construction , solid, all of the faders etc , not flimsy with a straightforward, layout.

Cons:

For now, while I?m getting to grips with the controller, I would have liked to have had the written keys information which is on the controller, to be more obvious and stand out.

Although minor, the on/off switch is on the back of the keyboard, would have been better to be on the keyboard instead.

As always thomann support and excellent service, has been fantastic. Packaging as expected. Delivery on time, Impressive.