Arturia Keylab Essential 88 Review & Demo

todays midi controllers have only one midi out and only one usb out, well...

Don't your external synth settings in Logic go off when you switch to Essential mk3?
I mean when you're working with multiple external synths in Logic.

Excellent review Starsky...just my humble opinion but I would think the main reason for buying an 88-key midi controller is for the feel which you can only get with weighted keys. Therefore the better choice if you're looking for everything else the Arturia Essential or KeyLab line is capable of is the 61 or 49 key controller? Again, just an opinion and not written in stone.

If it's the latest, then why doesn't it have MIDI 2.0 ?
But then again, even their so called flagship model doesn't come with MIDI 2.0.
Arturia, if you want my hard earned cash you'll need to do better than this. And Ableton is for hippies. Give us decent software instead.
Having said this: thanks for reviewing this gear.

you can upgrade v to pro, at least if you have the pro version of the 88. when i bought mine 2 years ago, i got lab 4 and v. and i could up v to pro 3 weeks ago or so. i think its just the newer version of the old v versions. maybe thats possible for this controller too

Another great review Starsky. I don't suppose you know how many different MIDI zones you can split this into do you. My guess would be 4, but it would work even better for me if it was 8?

Don't knock the sunshine :)

Thoughts on iOS support?

No scales or strum?

No expression pedal input? C’mon!

Arturia is weird. They release new versions of these basic Ableton controllers almost every year with minimal changes, but the controllers for synth nerds have mini keys and never get updated. The Beatstep is so old it has a Mini-B power connector from 1995.

I use a Keylab Essential 61 or a non-mini Launchkey 25 for most things. Arturia's software is less awful than Roland Cloud, but still much more tedious than Novation Components to configure. There's certainly zero innovation in the space. Eventually Behringer will copy the Cirklon and the Dark Time and sell a million and everybody will try harder. 😂

I really do not think these new ones look good, the big ugly black slab in the middle looks extremely cheap to me. Looks like a Casio to me.

I don't like keybed of Arturia controllers like Keylab 61. Too soft. You cannot play a piano part with some dynamics. As an example I mention Native Instruments Kontrol 61 mkII or III where some dynamics is available. And it's perfectly fine for me.
This 88 essential is strange in keybed but for me hugely better than 61. You can play a piano part. I would buy it but...
Something fundamental for me is missing: the expression pedal input. You cannot play live without it. No way.
To have one sustain and one expression pedal is a missing feature on most controllers. They put chords thing that is cheap (software) but useless for people who can play a keyboard.

The price point and DAW control for LPX & AL is what sold me!!!! This will be my upgrade!!!

detail review, i like it

the midi usb drivers works on win 7 too or only on win 10?

If you had the option to only get either the Native Instruments Kontrol 61 mk3 or the Keylab Essential 88 Mk3, which one would you get, assuming I didn't care about the $200-300 price difference?

i got the keylab essential 88 2 versions ago - it's great but as a pianist I can't vouch for its keybed. The problem being the only reason to go for the flagship is the Fatar keybed which would be an additional £700 ish. I just plug in my big heavy old 88 note fatar keyboard if I'm doing something serious. I can also skip the gym that day too having done a challenging deadlift. Great review - made me realise I've got more midi control than I've used sitting there. I think you should keep the over-exposure in these videos for posterity - proof that we in the northwest have seen the sun!

I have to confess I am an Arturia fanboi but I just don't understand some of the design decisions on this.

Every review noted on the Keylab Mkii that a great aspect was that it had a laptop stand on its right.

I see no logical reason why, on a less complex unit, it would not carry that on, if not solely to create an artificially designed in negative compared to the Keylab mkii (and surely coming mkii).

I f that is the reality it is very sad that a designer would feel pressured to deliver a lesser solution than they could. Surely the keybed difference of the essential range is sufficient to justify the price difference of the keylab mkii and beyond?

That said I have also read reviews that felt the mkii was overly left centric for how they use a controller with sliders etc... So maybe this sacrifice of the laptop position is as a consequence of that.... But daaang that is one hell of a sacrifice and requires a two tier stand to enable the same configuration.

Im after a simple 88 midi keyboard that can layer and split into several zones to run several hardware synths. Any idea if this can create several zones for different midi channels?
Or is there something else on the market?

arturia keylab essential 88 mk3 vs arturia keylab essential 88 hay diferencia entre MK3?

Never got a Piano review from a ghost before thats a first!