[Feature/Product Request] KeyLab "Pro" range with polyphonic aftertouch and ribbon controller

Lab KeyLab
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#1

I think that there is space in the Arturia keyboard range for a more advanced KeyLab range (let’s call it “KeyLab Pro”) taking some cues from the PolyBrute keyboard, to have e.g.

  1. 49, 61 and 88 notes keyboards (maybe a wooden key piano-touch keybed for the 88)
  2. 9 sliders/knobs/buttons/DAW control and the 4x4 pressure and velocity sensitive pads
  3. building on the CV/modular control possible from the mk II
  4. release velocity as well as “normal” velocity on the keyboard
  5. full polyphonic aftertouch as well as channel aftertouch
  6. maybe also a ribbon controller and even consider the Morphee from the PolyBrute
  7. supporting MPE MIDI out and built for full MIDI 2.0 with the higher resolutions
  8. consider other aspects of MPE control, although understand price could be too high

Are there any others out there who would consider this as something they might want to include (or upgrade to) in their setup?

#2

Hi @TheAndyMac

Thanks for sharing your ideas to improve our products! we really appreciate our community’s feedback.

We will mark this topic as a feature request to let our team know about it.

#3

Thinking more about my “ideal” master keyboard controller, I’d also add the following (based on the KeyLab MkII series):

  1. at least 2 continuous foot controllers input and 3 momentary foot controllers which could be done as 1 universal + 1 continuous + 2 momentary or based on KeyLab MkII as expression, sustain (with support for continuous mode for soft-pedalling) plus 3 universal (aux1, aux2, aux3);
  2. a larger set of CV outputs to support all the new features and more separation of capabilities (i.e. pitch, velocity, pressure, gate, trigger, mod1, mod2, all foot controllers) plus clock input and output for anyt onboard Arpeggiator, etc.
#4

I’m going to add another couple looking at where something like this could fit:

  1. current position indicators for the soft knobs, something like:

    IMG_20240117_131129
    IMG_20240117_1311293122×687 409 KB

  2. customisable labels for the “soft” buttons, knobs and sliders

#5

Polyphonic aftertouch . Yes please

In case anyones interested, I did watch a YouTube vid from Cherry Audio where they sell software to create polyphonic aftertouch, don’t know how well it works, costs $30

YouTube vide here: https://youtu.be/_wjNxV48r2w?si=-RFstPyQMZJhhM1m

A big ribbon controller like on the CS80 could be nice to have

Midi 2 , true not a lot uses it at the moment, but it’s becoming used more and more, plus the new NI S series have it, and it makes me, the user think, I’m going to get years of use without needing to replace.

With the price of colour displays being as cheap as they are (electronics is my other hobby) a decent sized colour display would be nice. Not talking about going the NI route, I just find them easier to read than the current 2 line display on my mk2. Could also display a lot more useful info on it

Unless I’m missing something, the first 2 requests from the original post already exist on my Keylab mk2?

I’ve only had my mk2 for 2 weeks and am loving it so far. Still learning how everything works, so this next request might already be possible.

I want to set up a user template and use it in my daw, which means I want to be able to do both of the following (obviously not at the same time)
A) Daw mode so sliders control daw mixer
B) Daw mode so all the buttons left of the display work, at the same time the sliders and buttons on the right of the display working to control my software as per my user template.

And a one button press to flip between the two options

Thanks

#6

The “Polyphonic Aftertouch” that is in some of Cherry Audio’s software (including Voltage Modular) is note truly polyphonic, but does provide the most important use cases - and is quite easy to implement on any keyboard with channel aftertouch… It uses poly-aftertouch signals to route the channel aftertouch values to either the Last Note or Highest Note (could potentially do Lowest Note, etc.)… so you can play a chord with just the last or highest note activating the aftertouch. PolyBrute already has some of this in the Duophonic mode.

#7

Polyphonic aftertouch would probably finally tempt me away from my ageing mk1 KL88. (As a mk1 owner there were absolutely no killer features in the mkII to entice me to sidegrade.)

Some instruments in your VC range support poly aftertouch, notably the CS80. But so far the only keyboard in your rosta that supports it is a 25-key Stylophone on steroids. This is clearly a very very obvious omission.

2 Likes
#8

I would now add, at least for a 61-note variant, using the new PolyBrute 12 keybed with its advanced polyphonic aftertouch “Full Touch” would be an awesome pro controller!