Arturia KeyLab mk3: premium keyboard controller with aftertouch, display

Arturia’s entry for the keyboard controller season emphasizes “premium.” Think “pro-grade” keybed, aftertouch, and a color display to go with software integration features. Oh, and some wood paneling.

This could be more what a lot of you wanted from Arturia’s AstroLab – a high-end controller in place of AstroLab’s standalone stage piano. While AstroLab was cool, if you’re happy playing along with your laptop, KeyLab mk3 has the extra controls (faders and pads) that AstroLab lacked, at a fraction of the price. And it still boasts integration with Arturia’s excellent instruments plus a color display, even if it doesn’t have the signature AstroLab dial. (Well, not specifically – KeyLab mk3 does still have a clickable encoder.)

It actually makes sense to talk about the KeyLab mk3 alongside Novation’s new Launchkey range, too. Launchkey emphasizes Novation’s signature workflow and keeps costs low – but also sacrifices extra expression and I/O.

If you’re willing to upgrade to a higher price class, Arturia delivers a higher-grade enclosure and added expression. (Oh, though I do wish they’d included CV ins and outs as on some of their other gear.) Check the specs:

Release velocity sensitivity (so velocity sensing both when you press keys and when you release them)
Channel aftertouch
1 clickable encoder
9 touch-sensitive rotary encoders
9 touch-sensitive faders (yay, vertical throw faders!)
8 transport switches (those are on the Novation keys, too, but without as many dedicated controls)
4 command switches (same)
Modulation wheel, pitch wheel
12 touch and pressure-sensitive pads (addressable in banks, too)
3.5″ 320×480 px display with 8 contextual buttons

You get release velocity, which is per-key. There’s not per-key aftertouch, though – just channel aftertouch. Synth Anatomy notes that in their review, comparing poly-aftertouch on the Native Instruments Kontrol Mk3 and Korg Keystage. But of course this also comes down to playing technique – you might prefer the release velocity.

Novation boasts “polyphonic” expression, but these work independently, too, so effectively the same. I really like the way the pads feel on the new Novation keyboards, whereas these are a more conventional FSR design, but Arturia’s pads still work quite well.

Playing features are onboard here, and we’re moving toward some standard features industry-wide in that category, too. So you get Chord Play (with “smart voicing” to actually handle voice leading between those chords), Scale Mode, and Arpeggiator. The Arpeggiator is nice but doesn’t have the morphing bells and whistles Novation added.

I do like what they’ve done with materials. Finally, our controllers don’t feel disposable. And having used their ($99!) MicroLab for a while, I can say these take some abuse, because wow have I beat that thing up.

V Collection and Analog Lab V users get a ton of integration – custom-designer “smart” control assignments, preset browsing, and sound selection, all on a color screen. That gives me most of what I needed from AstroLab, personally, and I’m often happier lugging a laptop anyway for greater flexibility and the ability to run third-party stuff. Yeah, it’s a little extra space and setup complexity, but at this point Apple’s architecture is already a low-power, high-performance embedded platform, and a lot more than any music maker could give us.

Integration features run beyond just Arturia software, though. Arturia’s done a great job integrating with Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, Cubase, and Bitwig Studio. (Bitwig was missing from Novation’s latest outing.) There’s not explicit Reason support, but I find Reason’s own mappings usually work pretty well anyway. Propellerhead – now Reason Studios – were actually the first to introduce what we now know as “Automap” functionality, at least in something like its current form.

There’s also full MCU/HUI compatibility which will give you a lot of compatibility with DAWs not mentioned here. (Launchkey also has MCU/HUI – that’s a correct; I mistakenly claimed it didn’t as I hadn’t tested that area.)

And you can set up 6 user presets. (Launchkey has 4.)

I/O:

USB-C (with USB-C power)

MIDI 5-pin DIN in and out

Control input: sustain, expression, and footswitch

It’s all nicely designed, and takes on the materials and build of the other MiniLab 3 / KeyLab Essential mk3.

What about the MkII? Well, this part’s interesting. If you aren’t as interested in the new screen and keybed, picking up an MkII cheap might not be a bad idea. It had a 4×4 pad layout instead of 4×3. And the MkII had extra pedal inputs plus CV I/O. I can pretty easily justify dropping those two, though – you likely have other devices with CV I/O (like an audio interface, which this also lacks), and personally I find the 4×3 layout just as easy to play on as a 4×4. Advanced finger drummers may disagree but I’m not sure they’re using keyboard pads anyway. Still, MkII was also a strong controller, it’s got effectively the same software support, and bargain hunters may want to keep an eye out.

The direct competitor with Novation isn’t this range – that’ll be the KeyLab Essential line. If you generally like what you see here but don’t need the added aftertouch and release velocity or the big display, Essential gives you the same basic controller functions.

There’s also no high-end KeyLab mk3 88-key model, or an 88-key AstroLab, so it seems like we’ll see some 88-key hammer-action addition to Arturia’s offerings soon.

In white and black. (The all-alpine white must be popular because the edition of that on MicroLab is perpetually out of stock!)

Loopop did a great, detailed review with his own take on the competitive landscape:

Sanjay C also looks at integration, including in FL Studio. Now interestingly, you get some FL pattern navigation features here that I was missing on the Launchkey (even though Novation has its own dedicated FLkey):