Bitwig StudioĪrturia assured me that the installation should be automatic and seamless, and it wasn’t, but these things rarely are. I checked out the integration in Bitwig, Cubase and Ableton Live, and here’s how that went. Other DAWs are planned, but for now, the rest will have to lean into the good old MCU/HUI protocol. At the time of writing, the KE3 has a special relationship with Bitwig Studio, Cubase, Ableton Live, FL Studio and Logic Pro. DAW IntegrationĪrturia’s scripted connections aim to give you a seamless, joyful, mouse‑free DAW‑controlling experience. Unsurprisingly, the KeyLab Essential Mk3 is tightly integrated with Arturia’s Analog Lab. You can create custom MIDI maps for up to six devices in the highly configurable Arturia MIDI Control Centre. The KE3 has three primary programs or modes: Arturia mode for Analog Lab and other Arturia synths, DAW mode for DAW control, and User mode for regular MIDI. These are all focused in the display via a few long button presses and a bit too much messing around with the encoder. Other features are common to most MIDI controllers these days, like a Chord mode, Scale options and Arpeggiator. The knobs and faders hook into two rows of pertinent parameters, and you have a decent hardware synth experience. The encoder browses the library and selects sounds, while buttons let you jump between categories and styles. You can navigate the whole laboratory from the KeyLab front panel. And the integration with the KE3 is sublime. It’s the best of the V Collection pulled into one place with an easy and immediate interface. It doesn’t look particularly stimulating but inside it’s a fabulous feast of over 7000 sounds harvested from 24 vintage instruments. There are also some music lessons from Melodics and samples from Loopcloud. The ubiquitous Ableton Live Lite is bundled with the controller, along with a piano from UVI and one from Native Instruments. The 61‑note version, at 890 x 240 x 70mm and 3.08kg, adds only 100mm in width and an extra 320g in weight. The 49‑note KE3 measures 790 x 240 x 70mm and weighs in at a fairly portable 2.76kg. Sadly, though, Arturia have put the other ports to the centre, defeating the good idea of the angled cable. Computer connection is USB‑C, and I appreciate the angled cable, which means I can butt the back up against my monitor stand without the cables getting in the way. The KeyLab bucks the modular‑friendly trend with only a single MIDI output port and pedal input looking very lonely on the back. It’s compact enough to sit between my keyboard and monitor without knocking everything off my desk, and while there’s no wasted space, it isn’t overloaded with controls. The feel of the keys is good, and they have a decent synth‑style resistance. The controls’ flow and order is a nice refinement over the Mk2, and those lazily curved corners make it feel fresh and stylish. The off‑white (it’s also available in black) is nicely sedate, juxtaposed with the shiny‑as‑heck new mid‑panel display and posh‑looking data encoder. The chassis does flex a bit under chord stabs or when you are testing the aftertouch - before you realise it doesn’t have any. It’s pretty solid, although entirely plastic. The 49‑keyed KE3, which I’m reviewing here (there’s also a 61‑note version), has a good weight to it and is the perfect size for me. But first, let’s give its standalone facilities a once‑over. The most significant new feature is the deeper integration with a range of DAWs, which I’ll focus on for this review. The KeyLab Essential Mk3 is the latest in Arturia’s budget‑friendly range of controller keyboards. Arturia’s new KeyLab Essential focuses firmly on computer control, with ambitious DAW integration.
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