Best quality small keyboard controller?

[sonics]

I may be on a hiding to nothing, but I'm trying to find a small MIDI keyboard controller with a professional action.

Does anything exist with a two- or three-octave keyboard, wheels, knobs and sliders? Okay, I know the answer to that is yes, but I need an excellent quality action, preferably with aftertouch. No small keys. I'd like three and a half octaves of light hammer-action with AT, if you please!

I know that NI have a four-octave keyboard. I played the five-octave one briefly some time ago. ISTR that it was good, and the minimum quality I'd accept. If I were to go with 49 keys, has anyone played the Novation, Arturia or Nektar models? Anything not made any more that I might find used?

If I have to go up to 61 keys, any thoughts?

I have very limited access to any tech, so walking into a store any trying these things out is not an option, unfortunately.

TIA!

P.S. I have an older StudioLogic (Fatar) 'board that is fairly nice. I no longer use that, so may cut it down (or is that cut it up?) as a project, and link it to a control surface.

[adamburgess]

I really like my Arturia KeyLab II.

Got a 61 and an 88. The 88, is ok at best, but the 61 is great, IMO.

The one problem I've found is when doing organ glisses and slides, the sides of the keys can be quite sharp.

Apart from that; it's well made, keys feel generally nice, the setup software is good…

[MarkOne]

I’d be happy with the keylab too. Having got the 88 as my man gigging board and experienced the qiality, I’d be happy with their 49 or 61 offerings.

I have the Novation impulse, and wish I’d got the SL, it feels so much nicer.

I did like the NI Kontrol S49 when I tried it. Not tried their A series boards

[MaestroMikeT]

I had the Novation Impulse 49 for a few months, to use live controlling the Blofeld desktop, and never quite bonded with it - clunky keybed, strangely implemented after touch (well, it was very nice to have it, but it appeared as you had to press “a button” for it to activate, like a switch beneath the keys… I still have a 20-something-year old kurz pc88, and it mops the floor with this Novation), hard-angled keys making it almost unfit for organ slides, although it was easily programmable, can’t speak of daw control as it wasn’t my main goal with it. In all, it was a pass but, as always, YMMV.