Does the new KeyLab MK3 Generation supports Midi 2.0?

Lab KeyLab
#1

Hello, this is a question for Arturia and I do not know if they read this. But asking via support ticket would be very inefficient as I might not be the only person who is interested.

I really would like to know if the just launched KeyLab 49/61 Mk3 supports Midi 2.0. And if not (yet) if there is the technical possibility to support Midi 2.0 via firmware update in the future. As Korg did with their Keystage Midi Controller.

Thanks in advance!

#2

Hi @KaiLabs

A quick scan through the manual and a good look at the product page would suggest not as there’s no mention of it.
In reality though, there are still relatively few controllers around currently, as well as actual synths etc, that do support The Midi 2.0 standard.

HTH!

#3

Thanks! I read the manual as well. Actually I think it is odd. As NI’s flagship controller and Korg’s Keystage series both offer midi 2.0. All the others you might have in mind are either mid to low-end or they are quite old. To not support this new standard is a weird choice.

1 Like
#4

Windows doesn’t even have a reliable 2.0 driver/support. The controllers that support it are very forward-thinking IMO. Kontrol MK3 lags in the support department and just recently managed to have the ability to setup your own custom MIDI templates more than a year after its release. It is safe to say Midi 2.0 is slow going, in my opinion.

#5

Just curious, which MIDI 2.0 new features do you think would be useful on a KeyLab?
Also, which MIDI 2.0 device would you control with it?

#6

The answer is there. Midi 2.0 is not implemented nor is a Midi 2.0 update planned.

#7

Midi 2.0 is quite new. But NI and Korg already support it. It is not about what I want to do now. It is more about sustainability. I want my new Midi controller to be relevant for a long time.

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#8

Personally, I am less interested in Arturia providing first class midi 2.0 support for its controllers (though would applaud this), and much more interested in having its software synthesizers support midi 2.0. I explore intonation and microtonality in music, and midi 2.0’s support for precise frequency is an extremely welcome development. I hope that Arturia will value this soon.

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#10

Higher CC resolution is the big one… 127 steps isn’t enough for modulating certain parameters with a MIDI controller, the steps are almost always audible. This is the primary reason why I still use analog synths in some productions.

I look forward to Arturia supporting MIDI 2.0 in the V-collection.

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#11

MIDI resolution has nothing to do with analog vs. digital. In both cases, incrementing the step increments the parameter by 1/128 of its range. Analog circuits do have some latency but that latency is small so you won’t hear it getting smoothed out. The virtual analog modeling of modern digital synths is also very good an likely have a similar response.

If there is a specific parameter where you have noticed a difference between analog and digital, please share. I suspect it is more a difference between two pieces of gear than a difference between analog and digital.