Review of Komplete Kontrol S88 MK2

[fpoir]

I dislike writing negative reviews, but I thought this one was important, so I submitted it to Sweetwater, where I bought the keyboard.

Sweetwater has apparently decided not to publish it.

I wonder whether there were other negative reviews before mine and Sweetwater chose not to post those either. If so, they might have saved me from a regrettable purchase.

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Not a keyboard for players

I won't address most of the Komplete Kontrol's features; my only subject here is playability.

The keys are heavy, and each key increases significantly in stiffness from front to back. Imagine playing G#m7, root position, right hand, 1-2-3-5. There's virtually no way to play these notes very softly (pianissimo) as a block chord. On the three black keys the fingers sit at or near the front, but on the white key the finger is near the back, so to push it down requires much more pressure. Unless one has amazing control of one's fingers, the four keys won't hit at the same time.

To play this keyboard well with speed and delicacy is difficult if not impossible.

Other reviewers liken the Komplete Kontrol's feel to that of an acoustic. Their comments helped persuade me to buy it. I've played acoustics for almost fifty years. Any acoustic that feels like this keyboard is in need of major repair. A better comparison is to a $400 Casio Privia I bought and returned several years ago. That Privia felt just the same.

The Komplete Kontrol S88 MK2 is a serious device and undoubtedly manufactured with care, but if you're primarily a player rather than a producer, and you're looking for a keyboard that plays like an acoustic, consider the Yamahas priced around $500.

I've decided to keep mine because I don't want to be someone who for the second time buys a keyboard and sends it back.