Novation Impulse 61

If you're looking for a midi controller that can do pretty much everything but you don't want to go bankrupt this is your choice. I'm a beginner and i haven't had any troubles using it and if you're more interested in electronic music or any music that requires wacky sounds, synths or just a simple piano then you'll love it.
There are however some pros and cons
PROS:
So many features - There are so many features in this keyboard that I've had it for almost year and i haven't scratched the surface when it comes to the things it can do.
Build - It has an amazing build. Keys are semi-weighted, 8 knobs that are very intuitive and easy to use, faders, modulation and pitch wheel, 8 drum pads for all your drum needs (also weight sensitive)
Arpeggiator and beat Roll - at first i was sceptical about these because i had never used them before and they seemed complicated but they turned out to be the exact opposite. Fun to use and can create some real cool sounds.
Sound design - This kinda goes hand to hand with the build section but the keyboard interface makes it really easy to control whatever plug-in you might be using and Automap makes that even easier.

CONS:
Learning curve - It can be quite hard to learn all about the keyboard and it can be quite overwhelming, but with time you can get there.
DAW - It comes with Ableton Lite. If you have never used a DAW before this can be really tough to get into. It does have nice tutorials and there are plenty of YouTube videos on the matter but in the beginning you wont be able to take the most out of it. Of course when you do, it will be your most powerful tool. This means that the sounds and the potential of this controller is super dependant on your DAW using skills which can be both a con and a pro (one that comes with most MIDI controllers if not all)
Sound - It is dependent on your set up. If you have nice speakers or nice headphones you're fine but if you don't you might have to sink a bit more money to make it work for you. This can be said about most MIDI controllers if not all but still a con.

Overall if you're looking for a good, creative, music filled time this is an amazing and powerful instrument. If you can dream it it can probably do it (in partnership with your DAW).

A few months ago, I was looking for a controller keyboard for my bedroom studio, mainly for recording MIDI parts for the plugins I use in my DAW (mostly NI Komplete 9).
Since I intended to use the controller for a variety of sounds including synths, drums, strings, woodwind, organs and pianos, the most challenging part was finding a keyboard that allows dynamic playing (for the classical stuff) as well as fast, undynamic solos (organs, synths).
After trying out the Novation Launchkey, I was slightly disappointed, so I switched to it's big brother, the Novation Impulse.
Setting it was pretty much plug and play, I was using it with Logic after only a few minutes. Controlling the mixer or effects is very intuitive, but the fact that the software for that, Automap duplicates ALL of your plugins is pretty annoying. My already long list of plugins is now twice as long…that's why I'm only giving it four stars for the features.
Apart from that, it's exactly the keyboard I was looking for. Although the keys are "only" semi-weighted, you can play some really nice and expressive pianos with it, just as much as you can play undynamic organ/synth sounds. I really love the versatility.
The drum pads are great for jamming with drum machine sounds (although playing them in a dynamic way is a bit challenging) and the build-in arpeggiator and roll feature allows for some nice experiments, especially in combination with rather conventional sounds.
Splits, program changes and MIDI commands are really easy to program, so it also works great with other keyboards, I'm using it with my Novation Ultranova and I'm really happy with it.

All in all, I can highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a versatile controller keyboard.

The Novation Impulse 61 wasn't quite in my plans when I went 2 years ago to the Thomann Warehouses. But having the opportunity to test different midi keyboards on the spot, it was definitely an easy choice.
The first thing that I liked was how the keys felt. Very nicely balanced semi-weighted keys.
All the knobs, faders and other buttons just make it so easy to control your plugins and software. For sound design, it sure makes the job easier and faster.
The visual design is also cool. The dark grey and red look nice, combined with the blue light of the display. Nice round design lines makes it really stand out.

I'd been looking to replace my ageing Korgs (01/W & X3) with controllers for some time as I've gone 100% virtual now but I hadn't found a good enough replacement. I needed something that felt hefty, gave me tons of controller buttons and sliders (to control all them lovely software synths) and also looked the part on stage. Lo and behold! I discovered the Novation Impulse 61 and immediately fell in love with them. I went and ordered two!

I have not been disappointed! The keyboard action is excellent...not too hard, not too soft. A Korg Kronos owner has tried it and says it compares very well to the former. The sliders and buttons have a nice, solid feel to them.

I'm not using the USB midi (only because I use a proper Midi interface with other stuff) but they can still be powered with a standard USB plug adapter and the supplied USB cables. Programming it is a breeze even though I don't use the Automap software because my VSTi host takes care of it all and learns what each slider does on a session to session basis (or globally if I so desire).

Probably one of the best buys I've done in recent years. Novation, you have a fan!