Exploring Arturia Keylab Mk3 MIDI Controller (Hard/Software) - 1-Month Review & Versus KeyLab Mk2

[@synthanatomy]

A feature I missed to showase: you can create MIDI splits (2 layers), each with customizable note range and custom MIDI knobs and faders

[@Joe-Doom]

You're the only early reviewer on KZbin that got a black one and I think I dig it more than the white this time around! About to order one now :)

[@monogee]

I'm torn btwn da Black & White. Leaning towards da Black one though. :)

[@YOSTINATOR]

​@monogee can't go wrong either way. They're both equally good lookin'. I went with white as it will look best in my studio setup. Looking forward to getting it tomorrow.

[@teildermaschine]

have been waiting for this one for months but will have a look at some competitors now... - thanks for the review -

[@newignis]

Good review, Tom. An improvement is definitely the touch on faders and knobs. The removal of the knobs with their customising LED colours and the 3 layers is a loss.

[@user-np4hw4vn1j]

Thanks. Quite helpful in making a decision. I finally found a way to make space for a larger controller, so a big part of the appeal of this unit for me is the small footprint relative to the number of keys, especially in the 61. It's also slimmer than most in height, which makes it less awkward on the desktop. (I also do love what I have of Arturia's software, so that's a plus)

[@certifiedbeatz]

Great review the comparison tells us who owns the mk2 to not upgrade 😅😅

[@whatmusiciwant]

I love my MK3 compared to my MK2 lol.

[@certifiedbeatz]

Really, what is the main difference from the mk2 beside the screen? Good to know..

[@whatmusiciwant]

@@certifiedbeatz MIDI Effects, it's smaller form factor (cause I don't need 16 pads), pad banks, integration with Cubase is seamless, creating my own MIDI layouts is way easier and switching to them is easier and more intuitive, the keys feel way better, aftertouch, the bigger screen, splitting two different instruments and either playing them as a blend of one or two, panning them left or right, or splitting the keybed and playing one on one side and the other on the other side of the keys, faders and knobs feel better, pads have aftertouch, pads are more sensitive, the amount of control you have in settings, more aesthetically pleasing, touch sensitive knobs/faders (allowing you to easily see on screen what it controls). That's a couple things anyway.

[@gbkny1]

This is from the manual on the Arturia site: Main features of the KeyLab mk3: • Use with any MIDI software, plug-in, or device • Arpeggiator includes random mode • Chord mode with preset and user chords plus strumming • Full integration with Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Cubase, FL Studio, and Logic Pro • Track and Transport control of the most popular DAWs • Fast sorting of Analog Lab presets helps you find the perfect sound quickly • 49 or 61 semi-weighted keys with velocity- and pressure-sensitivity (polyphonic aftertouch) in custom made keyboard.

[@orphanfrequencyyeah1742]

There's NO poly-aftertouch. Velocity sensitivity is NOT the same as poly-after touch. And it is one of the main turn-offs of this MK3 as far as I'm concerned.

[@martinmole5741]

I still have an old Keylab MK I. I think I'm going to buy that one. I'm looking forward to the prices. I hope they are in the same range as the MK II. Polyphonic aftertouch would of course be really good, but would make the keyboard more expensive. A Pro version with polyphonic aftertouch would of course be useful, but I wouldn't need it. I hardly ever use aftertouch. Edit: The prices are already on the Arturia page: The 49 keys version 449,00€ The 61 keys version 549,00€ That's really cheap.

[@synthanatomy]

I don't think that poly aftertouch would have raised the price that much. Look at the Korg Keystage, which is priced similarly with a similar feature set and a poly AT keybed from Ashun Sound Machines (Hydrasynth).

[@whatmusiciwant]

I really don't get the hate toward the MK3, compared to my MK3 and for the price, it's a no brainer. It's easier to make custom layouts with, easier to navigate, has fun MIDI effects built in, the keys feel 10x's better, the aftertouch is great, the screen is awesome, and it integrates seamlessly with Cubase. By far better than the MK2 in my opinion.

[@peabodyscientific2082]

31:23 The lack of parameter banks means you cant control as manay parameters. Given that this is a controller, it's not picky to say that makes it worse at its job lol. (Especially when the cheaper Essential version does have parameter banks). This was a great review, very detailed. Thank you!

[@JackNance22]

Excellent review, Tom, watched the whole thing. Will definitely be picking up one of these in black:)

[@synthanatomy]

thanks 😀

[@JackNance22]

@@synthanatomy Oh, and I'll mention one of the big selling points to me about this keyboard is its low profile at under 3 inches. For people who want to mount a keyboard that pulls out from under their desktop, the height of the controller is a significant factor. Cheers!:)

[@mudi2000a]

I think it’s good that they didn’t include Poly AT because I don’t really need it and at least with NI it came with a huge price increase, in which care this would have been out for me. The Korg also costs more and has less functions.

[@innovationsinm]

I purchased the MK3 over buying a used MK2 and am not sure if I made the best of choices. I found there are lots of things they did wrong. The main control encoder wheel is now too close to the first fader so you hit it with your hand when making a selection and thus adjust something unintentionally. There is no usable transport control. The main controller select the track but you can’t shuffle back and forth on the track selected. This requires you to either click a fwd rev button to move exacts one bar in either direction per click that is not productive. There is no way to set the start or end of the loop with the loop button. The keybed is nice. The pads are great. Just falls really short on using it for music editing. I own an Arturia minilab3 that works better for those tasks

[@moosemuseum1853]

An upgraded keybed as keylab pro would be great along with a morphé controller and midi 2.0 support on windows

[@HayDigital]

I’m waiting for the Keylab 88 Mk3 I think that will have what everyone is looking for 😊

[@halcyondaystunes]

No it won't, it'll just have 88 keys 😂

[@HayDigital]

@@halcyondaystunes😂😂😂🤦‍♂️

[@GatofieroYT23]

I have the MK2 and I love it. I don't really see that there is a value in upgrading from the MK2 to MK3, in fact, I don't even see it as an upgrade but rather shifting to a new product. I say this because of all the ports that they dropped from the backend... The extra pedal ports, and all the CV port... Such a shame. I really don't have an issue with the key bed on the MK2, since you compared them and said that the MK3 is better, unless I play with it, I am not sure of what I am missing. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

[@chuy3582]

Hi friend, a question. At minute 5:20 you mention something about the MK3 missing the ability to go through different layers or banks of faders. I have a MK2 and when I activate the Live button (which is one of the 12 buttons next to the faders that they removed in this new version) it has the function of making changes between faders in banks of 8 faders each. I think that if the MK3 does not incorporate this function there would be a problem controlling all the faders of my multitracks in my DAW. Assuming that I had 8 tracks in my DAW, in this case there would be no problem because the 8 physical faders in the Arturia controller would control those 8 faders in my DAW, the problem would be if I had more than 8 tracks in my DAW, for example 16. The question would be: How can I control the volume of the next 8 tracks (tracks 9-16)? On the MK2 this is not a problem, because I can scroll through as many faders as I want, it's as simple as just pressing a button and it switches between fader banks. The first bank controls faders for tracks 1-8 in the DAW, the next bank controls faders for tracks 9-16 and so on. You can have a very large multitrack session and it's not a problem, because you can switch between banks of 8 faders each. For example, fader 1 on the Arturia controller controls the first fader in each bank. In the hypothetical case that I had a multitrack session with 16 tracks in my DAW, fader 1 on my controller would control the volume of track 1 in my DAW and when I switched to the next bank with my controller, fader 1 on my controller would now control fader 9 in the DAW and so on with each fader on my controller. My question is if this is possible with the MK3. Can I move through banks throughout my entire DAW multitrack session using the controller? This is such an essential feature that without it, it's hard to understand why the MK3 is limited to only being able to control the first 8 faders within the DAW with the controller faders.

[@HappyFarmerMG]

I would like to know the answer to this too. I'm thinking about buying one of these but the Mark 2 version cuz it has CV control and kind of looks like all around better except for the little monitor screen which doesn't matter to me.

[@dannyschindler]

You can launch scenes in Ableton now! I bought Mk2 couple months ago. I should have waited. I still cannot believe that this is not possible in the Mk2 😢

[@MusicOfDreamweaver]

Interesting review. The MkIII has been a real disappointment. The removal of four pads, the buttons, CV and gate, expression... add to that that I still have no problems with the knobs or rotary wheel... It will not be a MkIII for me. I hope they rectify this on a MkIV version.

[@larrypoulton6401]

Nice review. Can the Random Arp results be saved? If not - that seems a major omission to me.

[@LukJarzyna]

So, other that the screen, it's mostly a downgrade from Keylab MK2 functionality wise. MK3 is basically a Keylab Essential Plus, that's a weird one from Arturia.

[@synthanatomy]

why it's a downgrade for you? The Essential doesn't have the full integration of all Arturia plugins in this extend, no aftertouch, not the same depth of MIDI adjustments, etc.

[@LukJarzyna]

@@synthanatomy Well, compared to the previous gen KeyLab MK2, it's mostly missing controls and connectivity, 4 pads are missing from the left side, 12 buttons are missing from right side, 7 in and outs from the rear, CV functionality seems to be gone. MK3 looks nice by itself, just doesn't feel like a true flagship device, I hope they have a Pro version in the works.

[@synthanatomy]

@@LukJarzyna the lower 12 buttons, you no longer need. The Mk2 used these buttons to navigate through the preset categories as just has a cryptical representation in the LC display. In the Mk3, you have the plugin browser right in the MIDI controller with the same categories, etc as in the plugin. It's one 1-to-1. Yes indeed there are just 12 pads but you have four banks and they full size and feel better than on the Mk2. I think they ditched out the CV connectivity as it was not that big feature for this user category (in-the-box workflow). It's more a important feature for hardware-focused (DAWless) setups which uses Keysteps or Beatsteps.

[@LukJarzyna]

@@synthanatomy So this is not a downgrade at all, but a rare species of upgrade ;-)

[@fleetadmiralsidiqi1941]

​@@LukJarzynaReading all the comments from past users today and everyone agrees with you. A miss by Arturia in capturing the pulse of their clients.

[@nickosparkol]

Thanks for the review. In your opinion, where are the keys better, specifically the keys themselves? On the Arturia mk3 88 Essentiall or on the new Arturia mk3 61? I'm only interested in the keybed.

[@synthanatomy]

Sorry I can't judge this as I didn't test the Arturia mk3 88 Essential

[@jamietopolski4019]

How is the quality and performance of the aftertouch? I owned the MK2 and thought the aftertouch was very difficult to use (and it could not be turned off).

[@klstay]

If Native Instruments can get Komplete Kontrol running locally on it (promised, but we will see) then it will be a MUCH better choice IMHO.

[@synthanatomy]

if ;) we will see if they will make this possible.

[@MB-kx5qs]

What you mean with locally? In the Keyboard itself?! Das wäre doch GRANDIOS!

[@klstay]

@@MB-kx5qs that is what has been "promised" and we will see. With the local arp, scales, and chords on this new Arturia NI needs to get that released.

[@chintimin]

I really want someone to compare the keybed more definitively between mk2 and mk3

[@TheBassman0327]

Is It Made With Aluminum Housing Just Like The Arturia MKII 49, 61 & 88 Or Is It Made With A Plastic Housing?

[@Blues.Fusion]

Should have the sliders on the left for organ players.

[@synthanatomy]

to play Deep Purple Child in time on it ;)

[@MreenalMams]

Yesss

[@PromoMIAR]

I had issues with MK2 in ABE. It would not reliably zero or max out the track Vol in DAW mode. I would have to give xtra flicks to faders to get them there (it was a script problem I believe). Is that working flawlessly now?

[@judddredd8617]

I hope this integrates better with Logic pro as the Mark II was rubbish. The buttons sound very clicky and not rubberised, not sure it's worth the extra £250-300 over the essential.

[@mdmusiz]

I own mk2 and would not upgrade because I use it mainly for external hardware and live performance. Does this still have 2 midi channels for split? does it have layer like StudioLogic?

[@synthanatomy]

Yes, you can split two channels on the keyboard with dedicated knobs and faders. I forgot to cover it :)

[@PromoMIAR]

Not sure on the process of DAW Mixer Mode. Switching to next 8 faders. Is that easy to do?

[@halcyondaystunes]

Of course it is. And most controllers that have faders have 8 of them

[@gabrielreinert8458]

Releasing Polybrute 12 with a smash keyboard , then releasing this with … channel aftertouch 😮? Why, Arturia, why??

[@JDSoundsets]

Poly aftertouch would of been a great addition it's a pity it doesn't have it. Seems like Astrolab for those who don't do gig's which is nice. Nice review as always Tom

[@synthanatomy]

thanks James :)

[@braveheartbraveheart78]

Does it work without using macbook or laptop sir?

[@synthanatomy]

it doesn't make sound itself. You need to connect it to a computer, iOS (iPad, iPhone..) or in standalone operation to a hardware synth or so

[@braveheartbraveheart78]

@@synthanatomy what app do you recommend to connect with sir?

[@synthanatomy]

@@braveheartbraveheart78 yes but you need to buy one if you use it with classic MIDI instead of USB

[@synthanatomy]

@@braveheartbraveheart78 sorry, that's a extreme wide question. I could talk about it the all day but doesn't help as there are too much. I want to keep on topic and I think your question is answered. Cheers

[@braveheartbraveheart78]

@@synthanatomy thanks for your patience sir. Thanks a lot🫡

[@certifiedbeatz]

It's just tough to part ways with my mk2 😆 🤣

[@PromoMIAR]

1 last Q if I may: How many USER banks are there now (still 10)?

[@synthanatomy]

3 factory programs (Arturia, DAW, User) and 5 uer slots

[@PromoMIAR]

@@synthanatomy Deary me what are these Arturia Guys playing at?. I just installed MidiControCenter to check and they only give 6 USER Slots in total. (4 Banks for PADs and none for Faders or Pots?) MKII had 10. Thats very poor. Jeez...

[@MreenalMams]

​@synthanatomy only 5..? So another huge downgrade there.. compared to 10 (x3 banks)

[@fahimdawer]

Arturia eaten the 10 buttons under the sliders what a shame ....

[@MeerkatMuzic]

Loopop sayes they do have aftertouch confused ?

[@synthanatomy]

monophonic aftertouch yes but not polyphonic aftertouch 🥲

[@MB-kx5qs]

Das neue Keylab hat kein Polyphonen Aftertouch?

[@synthanatomy]

@@MB-kx5qs nein, das wurde schon mehrmals in den Kommentaren auch gesagt und sagte es auch im Review Fazit ;)

[@MB-kx5qs]

@@synthanatomy ich finde es einfach schade. Aber dennoch danke für Euer gutes Video

[@phild5322]

It would be great if you could do detailed demo’s of other DAW’s, in particular Bitwig. Specifically it would be amazing to know how easily it is to navigate the global and track macros

[@synthanatomy]

I'm not a user of Bitwig sorry :(

[@786itube]

MK3 should be rebranded as MK2 Lite

[@lib747]

Arturia has stopped listening long time ago. For instance, the Keystep Pro has five encoders, and years ago Loopop rightfully suggested that by using shift, we could and should have another 5 - that's because most DAWs map 8 controller encoders per device page. What has Arturia done? Nothing. Well, they keep selling updates to V collection as the most accurate ever digital recreation of the original synths every year, ...year after year, and people keep paying hundreds of dollars for these updates. Oh well...

[@djkanyon]

Weird mix of upgrades and downgrades. Still more functionality than Astrolab so that's a win... i guess?

[@DaraM73]

I don’t know why they bothered?

[@synthanatomy]

I know why and and thanks that you made the effort to post a comment even if it doesn't help anyone except the algorithm ;)

[@JohnnyMacaw]

denken sie Komplete mk3 ist viel besser?

[@MB-kx5qs]

Das ist eine echt gute Frage. Ich denke es ist tatsächlich bessere Alternativen als das Keylab. Ich kann es nur nicht fassen das Arturia hier nicht an der Speerspitze ist.

[@matthewgaines10]

Everyone wants MPE and polyphonic aftertouch until it’s time to pay for it. The keybed hardware isn’t free.

[@iamjamessmith]

Lol who are you even talking to? Plenty of people are ready and waiting to pay, and very aware that it isn't free.

[@dumdumreviews7436]

My Keylab 49 essential, got unresponsive // dead keys after one and half year, I'm very disappointed on their Rubber contact strip quality, I will not buy any Arturia keyboard again.

[@Helios824]

Well Don't blame the company making a Design of their midi keyboard this is not their fault

[@Helios824]

If you don't like their Midi keyboard Don't Waste your money buying it you don't know How to use it or Buy Someone else 🙄

[@RealSeanCory]

Mk 2 is better🤷🏿‍♂️