You can even search for presets directly from KeyLab, filtering them by instrument, sound bank, or style. Native Instruments offers a flashier and arguably more advanced version of these same tools in His Kontrol seriesbut I find Arturia’s UI more responsive.
Integration with Arturia’s individual instruments is a little more spotty at the moment. Only a few, like Mini V and Piano V, will let you browse presets and display graphics, though I’m sure updates will fix that fairly soon. Since instrument interfaces vary widely, the way controls are mapped can also be inconsistent. And for many of the standalone instruments there are more parameters to deal with than manual controls. You can easily remap them to your liking, but it adds an extra step.
The KeyLab mk3 also offers some control over your digital audio workstation (DAW), as long as your DAW is Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, FL Studio, Cubase, or Logic Pro. Your specific choice of recording software will determine how tight the integration is. I only tested Ableton Live, and things mostly worked as expected. Transport controls allowed me to play along and record, and knobs and faders were automatically mapped to controls for Ableton’s native instruments and effects. Pads can be used to trigger scenes and clips in Ableton’s clip view, and there are also some big improvements made that let you easily select and arm tracks using the main encoder.
Other benefits
The new KeyLab mk3 has other cool features, like a scale mode to keep you from playing out of tune and a great arpeggiator with randomization tools. As well as functioning as a controller for your DAW and plugins, it has 5-pin MIDI in and out ports to communicate directly with hardware synths. Plus, it comes with a solid software suite, including Analog Pro V, Mini V, Piano V, Augmented Strings, Ableton Live Lite, and more.
Ultimately, the reason to choose the KeyLab mk3 isn’t the arpeggiator (I think Native Instruments’ arpeggiator is better). It’s the high-quality hardware and seamless integration with Analog Lab. At $499 for the 49-key version and $599 for the 61-key version, they’re actually cheaper than comparable controllers from the likes of the KeyLab mk3. Innovation and native instruments.
If you’re already a dedicated user of Arturia’s software instruments and want something a little more premium than its KeyLab Essential series, the KeyLab mk3 is an obvious choice. But if you’re not yet committed to a specific plugin set, the KeyLab is a solid proposition. It offers high-quality hardware at a lower price than the competition, and comes with some of the best classic synth emulations on the market.
