# KB-1 Keyboard Suite — user reviews

> 72 indexed App Store user reviews of KB by Kai Aras, rated 4.80/5 from 270 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kb-1-keyboard-suite/id1437919435/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kb-1-keyboard-suite/id1437919435.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 241 · 4★ 16 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 9

## Newest reviews (11 of 72)

### 3/5 — It’s alright

*2026-03-05*

The interface is cramped. I wish you could hide everything but the keys and drum pads to make more space. There’s an odd visual glitch where the drop shadow of each key permanently disappears as you play them. Also, I wish you could set it to default to an output so you don’t have to select it for each controller every time.

### 3/5 — Freezes on launch iPadOS 26

*2025-10-05, version 1.3.5*

Was a great app, hopefully gets fixed soon

### 2/5 — Minor root chord from a major scale?

*2024-04-21*

I’m not a music-theory expert but why does KB-1 give you a minor 1 chord when you specify a major key? The scales are totally whack-a -doo. So frustrating! Otherwise this would be a 5-star app! Please fix this!

### 2/5 — Looks way to fuzzy on my iPad

*2024-04-10*

The classic keyboard looks fuzzy. I cannot use it like this.

### 5/5 — Deep and versatile

*2023-11-20, version 1.3.3*

The more time I spend using KB-1, the more impressed I am with it.

It works great as both a stand-alone MIDI keyboard app or as an AUv3 MIDI plugin (for example, as a keyboard in AUM). The MPE support is solid and just what I was looking for. It is worth exploring and getting to know this app. I keep finding little extra goodies, such as being able to tweak the size and traditional placement of the Pitch and Mod wheels, or replacing them entirely with an XY pad or even with a strum pad.

Power tip: create and save a default session for use on an iPad, with an XY Pad on the the top and a Classic or other keyboard on the bottom. It makes for a very playable iPad keyboard!

### 5/5 — Bestens

*2023-11-07*

Viel Positives und Absolut keine Negativpunkte

### 4/5 — Great!?!   But….

*2023-09-21*

This app is perfect but I wish you could customize your layouts a bit more. Mainly like colors. Especially on the drum pads. If I could do like green kicks and purple snares and yellow hats etc. this app would be 5 stars. 

Cmon Kai, please?!?  I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d appreciate that feature. Hahah.

### 4/5 — Wuhuu another great music app

*2023-08-10*

Love that thing. Just does what I want it to do: using it as a midi controller for my iPhone with loopy pro. Damn good. Bluetooth or Network MIDI both are fine.

Some features I would love to have implemented though:

Free octave and free keys setting. More than 2 octaves and to move the keyboard around freely would be nice.

### 4/5 — Good not great

*2023-08-06*

While I think this is a really good app to have on hand, as you can play all your things without using external midi controller with multiple instances in a AU host, it’s not perfect. The Chord theory is maddening. Pretty sure Gminor isnt in the C MAJOR scale. Pretty rookie. Dev clearly put a lot of work into this wish they’d learn some basic theory and apply it here. Cem Olcay pumps out a app a month that uses proper basic and extended theory so how hard could it be?

### 4/5 — Next update request

*2023-06-20, version 1.3.2*

I still think this is a seriously good app. Whether you’re a Pro or an Amateur you can get great result with KB-1. My only gripe, Kai can you PLEASE add a button that lets you sync to the hosts timeline and not just to the tempo? It would take KB-1 up another level and make it an even better performance tool. 👍

### 4/5 — Love this app.. pls make it work with logic iPad

*2023-05-27, version 1.3.1*

Seems to crash in the new logic for iPad… hoping this will be updated

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Janky keyboard.

*2026-03-12*

The interface is cramped. I wish you could hide everything but the keys and drum pads to make more space. There’s an odd visual glitch where the drop shadow of each key permanently disappears as you play them. Also, I wish you could set it to default to an output so you don’t have to select it for each controller every time. It’s lacking a lot of polish for such an expensive app. I don’t know how this got so highly rated in its current condition.

### 1/5 — Not a download and go app

*2025-11-10, version 1.3.7*

Can’t use this to have my 6 year old practice piano on my iPad while traveling. No audio output.

### 1/5 — Seems to be broken in iPad OS 26

*2025-10-08*

It just doesn’t seem to work. Using it in AUM it won’t do anything and then it crashes. In stand alone it won’t connect to any other apps. I was excited for this keyboard and it’s a bummer it’s broken.

### 1/5 — Crash everytime

*2024-12-20, version 1.3.5*

The app crashes everytime i try to use a keybaord.

### 1/5 — can’t connect to other apps

*2024-12-16*

doesn’t work, i can choose the midi out app on the ipad in the settings but no connection or sound (in standalone mode) 
i will get my money back…

and the chord mode doesn’t work too, not in au and not in standalone

### 1/5 — Not user friendly

*2024-07-27*

Apparently there’s a class I missed teaching how to connect and use the app. I currently have 3 other keyboard apps I use with my iPad via lightning connector and Apple camera usb interface but this app has zero function with this setup. There’s a large black screen. The product description in App Store sounded very promising but there’s nothing here. I guess I’ll have to stick with the cheesy sample tank app. At lease it has me playing instruments on my midi USB piano controller immediately upon power up. Don’t bother with this app. if you’re expanding you keyboard stage setup.

### 1/5 — I would like a refund. Will not work as an AUv3 in GarageBand.

*2019-02-22, version 1.1*

I purchased this to be used as an AUv3 plugin for GarageBand and found out after the fact it cannot be used for this specific purpose for MIDI apps by the developer.

### 2/5 — 鍵盤数が最大25鍵まで。足りない。

*2025-11-23*

デザインは、一見良さそうに見えるが、
最大の難点は、一列に表示できる鍵盤数が、25鍵までであること。
iPad で使う今時のDAWアプリの内蔵鍵盤は、37から40鍵程度の表示ができることを考えると、25鍵は、あきらかに少なく足りない。
この手のMIDIキーボードアプリで、鍵盤数を多く確保したい場合は、Xequence AU Keys や LK に、軍配が上がる。

要望
37鍵程度の表示ができるよう希望します。

### 2/5 — Would be great if it worked reliably

*2025-03-03, version 1.3.5*

I had so many problems with this I gave up. On my three iPad Air gen one iPads it seemed to install but all you get is a glimpse of the start up page then nothing. I can’t be certain but it seems a coincidence that now those iPads refuse to do an air drop in Audiobus and now they no longer list or find my Bluetooth devices. 
On my fifth gen iPad it works sometimes but it fails to connect to synths on the same iPad randomly and you get a pop up warning you that the audio has failed. Why a MIDI app should trash your audio I have no idea. After several attempts to get more than one synth connected it is good to have three keyboards but unfortunately the velocity function doesn’t work either. Then there is the MPE keyboard. No luck so far with Animoog or Any of my other MPE synths. Same experience on my Air gen 2 iPads. Imagine trying to use this at a gig.

### 2/5 — Still broken in Logic

*2024-07-25, version 1.3.4*

Any chance you could get this to send recordable midi in Logic Pro. Thanks

Edit: Does not work in Cubasis either unless the play head is running. 

You really should test your software more.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Great MIDI control

*2026-04-29, version 1.3.7*

Amazing app from Kai. So many features for a keyboard app, arpeggiators, chords, scales. Absolute bargain.

### 5/5 — Bluetooth-MIDI mit Windows

*2025-06-27*

Ich wollte mein iPad als MIDI-Keyboard nutzen, um unterwegs mit meinem MS Surface (Windows!) zu arrangieren. Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass das per Kabel ginge, scheint aber nicht möglich zu sein. Nach langem Probieren und Recherchieren gibt es über diese App hier aber doch eine Möglichkeit: Per Bluetooth-MIDI. Nach Verbindung mit dem Rechner kann man als Output diesen auswählen.
Damit das funktioniert, braucht man unter Windows noch zwei kleine Programme: LoopMIDI (für virtuelle MIDI-Ports) sowie MIDIberry, um das per Bluetooth verbundene iPad dann an LoopMIDI zu senden. LoopMIDI wiederum lässt sich dann in jedem entsprechenden Musikprogramm auswählen. Etwas umständlich, aber über den (angesichts des Umfangs mehr als fairen!) Preis von KB-1 hinaus kostenlos!

### 5/5 — Das Ding ist der Hammer!

*2025-05-07*

Ich krieg mich gar nicht wieder ein, so begeistert bin ich von dieser App.
Sie ist unglaublich flexibel in die Möglichkeiten und vor allem auch im Layout. Dazu die ganzen MPE Funktionalitäten, was will man mehr? Allerhöchstens echter Hardware aber so flexibel könnte die nie sein.

Die Kritikpunkte einiger Nutzer bezüglich einer komisch aussehenden Klaviatur kann ich nicht nachvollziehen. Wer so etwas sagt, hat das Ding keine 30 Sekunden ausprobiert.
Es hatte mich jetzt 2 Minuten gekostet, die Applikation so zu konfigurieren, dass sie einfach perfekt aussah, die Tasten gut zu „greifen“ waren und alles erstklassig funktionierte.

Auf der Webseite machen die beiden Entwickler außerdem einen netten und coolen Eindruck. Durch diese App habe ich jetzt tatsächlich erst mal vom Kauf eines Mini-Keyboards für Reisen abgesehen.
Selbst ein preiswertes MPE Keyboard würde ich mir jetzt nicht mehr kaufen. Und preiswerte MPE Keyboards als Hardware gibt es eigentlich gar nicht.

Absolute Kaufempfehlung!

Der Arpeggiator ist übrigens ein absoluter Traum! Das einzige, was ich mir da wünschen würde, wäre noch ein weiterer Button zur zusätzlichen Konfiguration von Rhythmusmustern.
Ich bin so begeistert, ich komme aus dem Schwärmen gar nicht mehr heraus. So positiv habe ich glaube ich noch niemals eine App aus dem Store bewertet. 🤩

### 5/5 — Respekt!

*2025-01-05*

Ich steuere mit KB-1 Hardware Synthesizer über Bluetooth Midi, was sehr gut funktioniert.
Funktion, Design und Bedienung sind schon richtig cool.
Neben der Midi Channel Auswahl wäre noch Bank Select und Program Change super ;)

### 5/5 — Ich dachte erst… aber jetzt hab ich 400 Euro gespart

*2024-08-09*

Also wer schonmal von einem Seabord gehört hat oder von einem Osmose der weiß wie wichtig Glide und Slide ist. MPE ist das Zauberwort. Die App müsste 50 Euro kosten bietet fast alles was ein Seabord M kann und das kostet 400 Euro. Also klar zu empfehlen.

Wünschenswert wäre eine Lock Funktion und Schiebefunktion des Keybed statt des Up und Down buttons, bei der man das Keybed frei verschieben kann. Ein Lock würde das ganze dann fest machen.

### 5/5 — KB-1

*2024-04-26*

This device is very much appreciated for I’m a Digital Performer user and this does many things that simplify my workflow. The fact that it is MPE enabled unlocks a whole bunch of shortcuts. The “Roli” slide action is also cool.

### 5/5 — Nice

*2024-01-30, version 1.3.3*

basically the title, great app I love it

### 5/5 — This. Thing. Rocks.

*2024-01-07*

I was looking for an mpe controller that I could use with my Mac on the road. This thing is perfect.

### 5/5 — Auv3 host

*2023-12-31, version 1.3.3*

Do not see this   As Auv3 host anymore on any Music apps please bring back ( :

### 5/5 — Scales Incorrectly Labeled

*2023-12-20*

Please, please fix the app so the scale matches the label. This would seem to be a crucial function for a keyboard app. When choosing a scale now the scale presented is not the chosen scale- the label doesn’t match the scale. Other than that, the app works well.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*