I have read the YouTube reviews that are all very positive on Arturia KeyLab Mk3. I have read the opinions on here from people who own the Mk1 and Mk2 and would they upgrade to the Mk3.
I have bought the minilab3 and it’s a very reasonable mini controller. I do see potential for something worthwhile with the almost full sized keylab61. But the issue at hand is there are NONE here in Canada, and speaking with the distributor, it is still unknown if and when they might even start to arrive. it might be next month, it might be mid 2025. There is not confirmed schedules shipments, only an outstanding order for product that has no fixed delivery date.
So as I do not have a 61 key midi controller to make music on, is the Aturua KeyLAB61 MK3 worth the wait to get over spending a little bit more to get for example a Native Insturments S61? or spend less and buy a Novation Launchkey? If you were starting from having a 25key mini controller and wanting to by a new real keyboard, would you wait for the MK3 to come in?
To be honest I think you only know the answer to that. It depends on your needs or at least the feature sets offered by compeditors and what is going to be the closest match for you.
After spending a week now with KL3, and some initial setup (and as an X MK2 user, who had issues and returned it), I guess I’m officially a “Newbie” to Keylab.
I’m very happy with it. Its certainly a quailty product and even though there are legitimate gripes from some about it not blowing there minds) I think it will be a solid work horse for many years for me.
IMO, a huge amount depends how important you value integration with Arturia software, as well as physical controls that map with the same software (and your DAW / other software). If none of that is important to you and you just want a great 61 note keyboard, there’s no real reason to wait for the KL3 arriving in your territory.
integration with Arturia software is a bonus but no more a requirement than integration with UVI Falcon or AAS. I had been using a very old Novation LaunchKey MK1 that didn’t have any functioning integration with Logic other than you could assign levels and encoders using midi. it died so It sort of forced the issue of getting something better.
I am as much learning what functionality I do need as I have no experience of using something else and knowing its features and flaws. I do like the build quality I saw on the MK2 that I tried (49key) but I decided that I would prefer a 61 and get the newer interface not knowing it wasn’t going to arrive any time soon. the MK2 has since been returned and isn’t available any longer, but I still think the MK3 will more fill my needs.
I was more wondering along the lines of those that have used their Arturia KeyLab for some time, if it broke/disapeared would they go out and replace it with another one, or would they buy a different brand all together. It’s a pain to have to wait with the hope that Arturia will someday ship product to Canada. I see in one of the other threads a recent post where someone had the NI S61 MK3 and returned it to buy the Arturia options and really like it, so clearly they see a value in this product. I guess I will just want a bit longer with the hopes that Oct11 is the date that they do arrive and not pushed off for another weeks/months+
Been keeping out of this so far as i didn’t want to seem ‘partisan’.
For my own personal wants, and those of the keyboard players i hire that actually come here, ALL agree that the KL MK III looks and sounds like an excellent bit of kit for the money, i’ll be putting my hand in my own pocket for one at some point in the near future.
Regarding poly AT, ok i understand that there are SOME people out there who DO consider it to be essential, but there are far more out there who don’t, (there are PLENTY of people out there who don’t know what AT is and either don’t use it or don’t care, just look at the amount of controllers on the market that don’t even support basic channel AT) it’s the same with Midi 2.0 to some degree, most of us would LIKE it but there are those of us who remember the bad old days pre Midi and were stunned at the time that manufacturers had actually managed to agree on a common standard, to some extent.
Midi 2.0 isn’t going to affect MOST people, MOST people will never take advantage of what it has to offer anyway.
Those Midi 2.0 controllers that are available currently don’t seem to be flying out of the shops and there are still relatively few soft or hardware synths that support it either.
Again, from purely my own perspective and the pro players i come into contact that are actively gigging/recording etc, it’s more about having a great keybed than anything else, so after a few months of looking around, talking with people i know personally, i’ll be buying a KL MK III myself as it ticks all the right boxes for myself and those i come into contact with here.
I can look at the purchase from multiple perspectives at once. (the curse of ADHD).
From a practical side, I know it is a very good piece of kit as you’ve so gracefully stated. It does tick of the vast majority of the major boxes for features and functionality that I would want inside a midi controller. As you have equally pointed out, the few that it does miss out on are not of dire requirements and more to be a nice to have for some reason or another but may never be actually ever used on a regular or even occasional basis.
From a non practical emotional side, I look unrealistically as wanting a forever one time purchase that will fill my needs for now and into the future unknowing to what it might be or bring or need. Yes it is a silly desire.
I can say AT was something that I did want but never having it before I had zero understanding of what it really was or what its use was for. Then I tried the KL MK2 and with expectations of some remarkable thing that will blow my mind only to figure out that 99% of my current instrument sounds do not use aftertouch at all so really its doing what for me. As software AU (vst) instruments get support if it’s even needed then perhaps it will come into a need. But I can see things like controlling the emphasis on a Timpani where AT would be handy, but some use the mod wheel instead.
Then there is Midi 2.0 that is a solution looking for a problem that sort of resolved itself electronically with the advent of the DAW and the market sting towards virtual instruments over physical ones. But it does introduce some rather cool functionality that nobody really realized that they needed, but again do I need it because I want this KL MK3 to be my forever keyboard or in 5-7 years when perhaps MIDI2.0 that will likely be MIDI 3.0 will the requirements for the hardware to take full advantage of the tech be so different that you will be changing your controller regardless?
It falls back to my original pondering of is the KL a good enough bit of kit to wait for it to finally arrive or is there other options that are so much better. And I am seeing the answer is YES its worth just waiting for because NO the other kit out there isn’t remarkably better or really offer something mind blowing better to justify either the cost or other limitations they have. Nothing is the pinnacle perfect.
That’s an interesting bit of introspection there for sure and very nicely put.
As you’ve, sort of, implied in your post, these things are pretty subjective and there’s not really a ‘one size fits all’ controller on the market.
I did spend a bit of time looking at an Osmose while i’ve been looking at controllers, i very nearly bought one on impulse, but then remembered i don’t really do music for ‘relaxation clinics’ . AMAZING piece of kit, but i wasn’t blown away with the majority of what i heard and feel that it wouldn’t really fit into what we do here. I do know people that would take full advantage of one though.
Of course, the integration with Arturia’s product line is a BIG plus for my own needs/wants too.
I’ve been looking for something to replace my Nektar P6 for quite some time now as i just never got on with it, maybe i’m odd, but if i don’t ‘gel’ with a piece of kit it can just become an annoyance to me.
The KL MK III fits perfectly into my own wants and needs compared to other controllers i’m able to source in the UK.
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. AMAZING piece of kit, but i wasn’t blown away with the majority of what i heard and feel that it wouldn’t really fit into what we do here. I do know people that would take full advantage of one though.