Arturia KeyLab 61 Essential | 61 Key MIDI Controller Keyboard

Since I am a beginner, you should be wary of the following being reasonably new to this, I did not feel justified in buying something with weighted keys (although they are nice) or that I would necessarily need them. If you are looking for the highest quality keyboard, look elsewhere. I'm not sure about the price, but this is fantastic for around $200. A library of more than 6,000 presets is included. It is difficult to keep track of all the vintage synths, pianos, and organs on offer. From within the software, you can manipulate all of the individual settings of each instrument. In terms of setup, it took me just a few minutes. I was able to use it in my Maschine software, but the Analog Lab software that came with it is not compatible with Maschine. It also comes with Ableton lite. Which is the better program to use to master tracks anyways since Maschine seems to be more of a loop maker. A glance at the build quality Despite being made of plastic, this is a decent product. There are a few knobs and sliders that feel good, but not enough to finger drum on. The drum pads, while okay, are probably better suited to triggering sounds. It's a pleasure to type on the keys since they are springy and velocity sensitive. suspect this would be referred to as "Synth Action", but I'm not certain. In addition, the keys are large and feel substantial, so I don't feel like I'm playing with a toy. find those tiny keyboards hard to play)
Overall, the game is a joy to play, everything is pre-installed The application speaks to the Analog Lab software included so there is no hassle in getting it set up. Adding it to your computer is as easy as plugging it in. Works very well on Windows, no issues so far. (After you register, install the software and drivers etc. ) I recommend this keyboard to anyone starting out as a beginner for the price. It looks and performs great. I recommend purchasing the presets only if you want to spend a little more money. Being able to play around and experiment with vintage synth sounds without spending 20K is definitely I'm impressed by what Arturia has accomplished.

Ella Harrington

| Jan 02, 2021

This device has not stood up to my expectations. There are keys on the keyboard that operate Ableton Live, like record and stop, and I've found it I cannot understand why anyone thought it would be a good idea to lose another octave to DAW functions since going from 88 to 61 keys is already a sacrifice. There is some sort of undo function on the A3 key. In the case of an instrument track that I set up exactly how it should be, I would sometimes undo everything at the exact same time whenever I hit A3, or sometimes the entire track would disappear. Using B3 you can start and stop Depending on how I use the interface, I can work around keys on either side. But there are also 4 or 5 keys right in the middle that don't play notes, but my interface blinks when I hit them, so they must be doing My computer won't let me change it, and from what I read online, I'm not the only one. There were people who seemed to have success using a method that didn't The keymap in Ableton does not display anything. My computer crashed on launch after I tweaked some settings in the Arturia MIDI Control Center, but that just made Ableton crash when launched. I had to restart my PC to get it working again. A keyboard like this makes me angry.

Elena Wyatt

| Oct 01, 2020

The problem has been resolved now, and I'm happy about that. The setup of this KB could not be found in any tutorials, so it took me a long time to figure out what to do. I am very happy with it now because it works as advertised and comes with Analog Lab 2. In any case, I thought it would be nice to pass on the information that I think is quite good and would work with S1 with a bit of mapping work since there are no presets for Arturia in the midi kb list.

Emersyn McGuire

| Nov 13, 2020

A few updates Despite its short lifespan, it lasted only two and a half The keyboard I have been using for the past 2 months. To my surprise, today is December 19, 2019 and the middle C key is ramdomly stuck in sustain mode and not letting me re-enter it Two weeks ago, before I updated to the latest firmware, it worked just fine. Considering I am not a pro musician, I never use this keyboard for gigs or anything like that. I always take good care of my equipment and take it to the next level. When I saw my mother, I was surprised My evaluation of the Audio Axiom Mini Air 32 has exceeded the service life of my Arturia Keybed 32, so I shouldn't be hesitant about recommending this product! Update Having sent it back to Arturia for service repair, I got it back in March 2020, now 5 months later, it's even worse, now 5 keys aren't sending midi data to my Despite paying for a keyboard that should last me at least three years, the keylab essentials do not meet my expectations, and my monitor has no controls or switches It's still going strong with the audioaxiom mini 32!.

Priscilla HARTLEY

| Mar 30, 2021

It has a nice feel to it, and is easy to set up. Initial feelings are that it feels lighter than the Analog Keylab 49, so I'm not sure if the build quality is as good.

Gianni Silva

| Feb 01, 2021

A key part of the design that impressed me was the KeyLab Essential 61. While many MIDI controllers may seem cheaply made, Arturia certainly isn't skimping on this keyboard. Despite its light weight - despite its elegant design - it isn't hard on the hands. The weight of the controller is just over seven pounds, making it both portable and suitable for onstage.

Gia Bradshaw

| Jan 09, 2021

As a newcomer to the world of music, I have no idea what I'm doing. The model I selected was both for its learning potential as I gained proficiency, but also for the potential for growth as I grew in proficiency. I have unlimited music production opportunities because I use MIDI software as opposed to a keyboard with fewer than 600 tones on it. This model was bought as a used device, but it arrived in great shape and I saved 33% compared to retail prices.

Ian Brandt

| Sep 30, 2020