How to make every control usable at the same time?

Lab KeyLab Essential
#1

Hi, Keylab Essential 61 (non mk3) owner here.

I find it maddening that I can’t use all controls of the device, no matter how I try.

DAW mode doesn’t emit anything on encoder 9 (wtf, why?). Analog Lab puts the pads on channel 1, just like the keybed, which is utterly braindead, but you can’t change it.
User modes only emit a sysex signal for the navigation buttons, and nothing for the jogwheel turn and press.

In short, no matter what mode you’re in, some of the controls are either dead or redundant. Has anyone managed to hack it or come up with a workaround?

After some reverse engineering I tried sysex-ing in the missing controls, but sadly Analog Lab and DAW mode really are read-only and couldn’t change them the way I could the User modes. Perhaps there is an elevated-permission command byte that could force write into those, but I haven’t dug that deep yet.

I also tried mapping the working memory (with 00 as memory slot byte) unsuccessfully.

What would also work is if I could inject mappings for the navigation buttons/wheel in User modes, but I haven’t managed that either. (I used the same button address bytes as their light signals are, with no luck.)

The nice solution would of course be if Arturia mapped DAW mode encoder 9 in firmware, but I don’t have high hopes given it’s an old product. Any ideas?

#2

In my sysex adventures I have accidentally made the pads, in DAW mode, transmit on the MIDI port instead of the DAW port. It has nothing to do with what I want to achieve, but it gives me hope that these read-only modes aren’t fully read-only after all.

If any Arturia dev is reading this, can you just give me the byte string that brings encoder 9 to life in DAW mode, even temporarily? Out of the kindness of your heart. Please.

#3

What are DAW are you using? Im on ableton and encoder 9 definitely send messages. in the original script for ableton it controls panning of the current track, but that is not set in stone.
I made a custom version that either does panning or prehear volume (amongst lots of other things.) Take a look at it here

#4

I’m talking about the original Keylab Essential, not the mk3 one. Sadly it has no encoder 9 in DAW mode, and it’s not my unit, that’s how the firmware is for everyone.

Your mk3 script is amazing btw. I had bumped into it on this board earlier and it inspired me to do something similar for the old model which I own. My head wanted to explode a few times along the way but I’m almost there. I still wish that bloody encoder 9 wasn’t silent but boy did I manage to turn this sad, old controller into a beast compared to what it was.

#5

Ah i see. Shame.

Im happy to hear that! Nice to know my work has inspiring impact! If you have any questions about the code or want to chat about it in general feel free to pm me!