Novation 25SL Mk II 25-Key USB Keyboard Controller

Combining a high-quality semi-weighted keybed with unbelievably powerful MIDI control, Novation's 25-key SL Mk II will take your DAW to the next level.

Overall User Ratings (based on 6 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(6) (see rating details)
Submitted November 23, 2011 by a customer from accenture.com

"Fantastic keyboard, highly portable, produce music anywhere!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This is my one and only midi keyboard, I wouldn't replace it ever unless they make a MK3 in the future, or if I wanted a less portable keyboard I would get the SL MK2 49 or 61 in a heartbeat.
Sound
It's a midi controller, so there is no sound. It's all relative to the software synth's your using. I like Sylenth1 (Trance/House leads and arrpegiators) and NI's Razor (Wobble bass/distortions for Dubstep and DnB) as vst's in Ableton, they both sound fantastic.
Features
The best feature is all the knobs and faders, as well as the feel of the keys themselves. I broke my hand/wrist so I can get arthritis pains, but the keys are fantastic and I can jam for hours without discomfort. The least useful feature is the drum pads, they don't feel too great and are small, but I use them to launch clips/samples instead.
Ease of Use
Incredibly easy to use right off the bat. I don't use the Automap feature as of yet, but Midi-learn in Ableton works perfectly and you can have your entire keyboard mapped out in minutes.
Quality
Product quality is awesome, I've owned a M-Audio Axiom 25 before and hated it. The semi-weighted key's felt terrible, the thing was bulky and the knobs/pads sucked (The whole thing felt cheaply made, and the knobs clicked loudly). The Novation SL MK2 25 feels great, the knobs are slick and touch sensitive, fader's feel good and the keys are perfect. I also love the joystick type modulator for pitch bend and modulations. Build quality is good, I can see this thing lasting me for years to come. The digital LCD readouts are nice too, keeps your eyes off your computer screen and onto the keyboard, very helpfull.
Value
My only gripe, this product is on the pricey side. 400$ approximately for a 2 octave midi keyboard is steep, however compared to other similar products, this has the best build quality, feel, features and intuitiveness hands down. Is it worth the asking price? Not sure, but if you can afford it go for it.
Manufacturer Support
I have not had to deal with any support.
The Wow Factor
For me this has the "it" factor. It's small enough to fit in my backpack with my macbook air, I can literally take this thing anywhere and work on my music production. And for live performances I route it with Ableton to my Kontrol S4 with Traktor and I have a DJ combo that allows me limitless possibility's for my mixes. You will spend hours on this thing and lose track of time.

Musical Background:

Piano for 6 years, DJing for 3-4 years. Hobbiest, jam at home. Occasional Party here n there.

Musical Style:

UK Dubstep, DnB, Electro, Deep House, Breakbeat
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Submitted October 30, 2012 by Kevin D in Rocklin, CA

"Outstanding in most ways"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
When I saw the demos of this controller I simply had to have it. Now that I do, there are some really fantastic things about it, and a couple of not-so-great. The biggest problem with the keyboard which is sadly the main reason I bought it, is the x/y pad. It's awful. As many reviews that describe it will tell you, you have to press super hard to get any movement from it to show up in your software, and it's not accurate at all. I bought a fantastic software synth for my Reaper DAW, called Alchemy. It has a really neat feature where you can save 8 predefined sets of values for all sorts of settings. Those 8 map to a "performance pad" where you can in real-time (as well as record it) move to any position within the 8 settings and it morphs the sound as you move around seamlessly. It's very slick. Well I thought I could use the x/y pad with this feature and in real-time could record moving around while playing with the other hand. You can map the x/y pad on the keyboard to Alchemy (not super easy incidentally) but sadly, due to the horrible implementation of the pad on the keyboard, it almost never works. I am really bummed about that. The only other issue that is not a big deal, it's a matter of opinion.. I have the Edirol PCR-300 controller and to me the keyboard is perfect feeling on that. The keyboard on this novation is very nice..but it has a little more stickiness that I can't quite figure out if it's deffective, or supposed to be that way and I am just not used to it. I think what it is, is that the novation keys don't feel smooth all the way down and back up to me..but that also may be due to aftertouch ability..this is the first time I've owned a keyboard with aftertouch, so I am not entirely sure if that adds to the feel or not. Ah.. one last issue.. not a big one for me, but many have complained about the row of buttons between the two rows of knobs on the left side. It does seem rather silly to put buttons there, especially with the top row of knobs being touch sensitive.. it's easy to touch one while reaching to press a button and activate the knob. The buttons feel great, the little drum pads seem to work ok..I don't really use those as I own the NI Maschine controller with much nicer pads for drum/bass work. The sliders..some say are too stiff..I think that is perfect. I don't like the super slippery sliders..too hard to get in the right position and too easy to bump the keyboard and have it move a little bit. The knobs are also fantastic, and the touch sensitivity definitely helps increase your workflow. I also love the pitch bed/mod wheel. It's default setting is for the stick to be down centered..but you can change a latch on the bottom to have it position the stick right in the middle as well. Overall..this is my new workhorse. I got the 25-key as I am sadly not a true piano player.. can't position my hands, don't know chords. But it's also because it's small enough to take with you while on the road and use with where ever you need to be.

Musical Background:

Played sax as a kid, been doing drums (on machines only) and computer music for 20+ years.

Musical Style:

dance, techno, progressive, pop/rock, hip-hop
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Submitted May 23, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com

"gotta try this novation 25sl mk2 keyboard."

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
i think this will do what i want for a long time.
Sound
so far i love this product. i am just learning how to use it but i am amazed at the sounds i can play with.
Features
i like the fact that i don't need my band to play all instruments. i can do all recording alone.
Ease of Use
just experimenting now,but so far not that difficult.
Quality
seems very well constructed.
Value
great value for what you get.
Manufacturer Support
no problems yet. i hope to never have.
The Wow Factor
looks really cool.

Musical Background:

musician. audio engineering student.

Musical Style:

rock and r+b
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