Arturia Keylab Essential 88 MK3 (White)

88-Key Universal MIDI Controller and Software (White)

Putting a full piano-range keyboard at your fingertips, the white KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 from Arturia offers all the celebrated KeyLab features for DAW production and live performances. Sporting 88 semiweighted velocity-sensitive keys and a huge bundle of software, the KeyLab Essential 88 lets you hit the ground running.

The KeyLab Essential 88 features all the intuitive controls of the KeyLab Essential line, including eight velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads with RGB backlighting, nine faders and encoder knobs, transport controls, pitch and modulation wheels, and a bright 2.5″ LCD screen. You also get built-in controls for Scale and Chord modes, plus an arpeggiator for easy and fast production work. The KeyLab Essential keyboards integrate seamlessly with DAWs for instant control, no menu diving. Over 2000 presets are included with the free Analog Lab Pro software, and the keyboard also includes UVI Grand Piano and NI The Gentleman Piano virtual instruments, and Ableton Live Lite, plus subscriptions to Loopcloud and Melodics. This keyboard includes a USB-C cable.

New with mk3

Hybrid Synth-Piano Keybed

Like all KeyLab Essential keyboards, the KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 offers a comfortable waterfall keybed with full-size keys and velocity sensitivity. The semiweighted keys offer a great, realistic feeling for comfortable play and 88 keys for a premium stage-piano feel and the full expressive range of a piano.

New Creative Features

Scale Mode, Chord Mode, and a built-in arpeggiator make composition, songwriting, and beat-making more intuitive than ever. RGB-backlit pads with velocity and pressure sensitivity, contextual buttons, and a bright new 2.5″ LCD screen for real-time feedback make production even more streamlined.

Custom DAW Integration

Tweak your sound settings, create custom mappings, launch clips and scenes, and navigate around any project in real-time, all without ever leaving KeyLab Essential’s controls. You’re in full control thanks to custom DAW scripts for Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, and Bitwig Studio, with support for more major DAWs planned in the future. Better still, MCU/HUI protocol means it can support any other workstation in a familiar way—for that satisfying in-the-box workflow that you’ve always wanted.

Intuitive, Flexible Controls

Keybed

As comfortable for performance as it is for studio beat-making, KeyLab Essential’s durable hybrid synth-piano keybed is smooth and responsive, complemented by the familiar Pitch & Mod wheels and Pedal input for sustain, footswitch, or expression.

Display

Get the essential real-time info you need, from parameter values to your current preset, with a bright 2.5″ display, complete with contextual buttons that make navigation effortless.

Pads

Switch between MIDI notes, clip triggering, finger-drumming, or whatever you need them to do. KeyLab Essential’s velocity and pressure-sensitive pads are even RGB color-coded, so you can keep track at all times.

Encoders

Get that real hands-on feeling and interact with crucial controls right where you need them, from track panning to specific instrument parameters, with full rotation encoders.

Faders

Tweak your track levels, envelope settings, selected parameters on your Arturia instruments, and more with ultrasmooth faders at your fingertips.

DAW Controls

Instantly switch from sculpting your synth sounds to piloting your DAW project with KeyLab Essential’s dedicated DAW controls, so you’re in control at all times. Its custom integration scripts even ensure that the most crucial controls work perfectly, whatever DAW you’re using.

Full Controls List

• 1 x clickable encoder
• 9 x rotary encoders
• 9 x 30mm faders
• 8 x transport switches
• 4 x command switches
• 1 x modulation wheel
• 1 x pitch-bend wheel
• 8 x touch and pressure-sensitive pads

Creative Functions

Chord Play

Play rich, full, powerful chords with a single key by selecting from built-in chord presets, or inputting your own custom chord shapes—great for when you need quick inspiration for your next hit.

Scale Mode

Set your playing free and never go out of key with KeyLab Essential’s Scale mode, which quickly locks the keybed to one of several built-in scales. Never play a wrong note again.

Arpeggiator

Turn chords or selections of notes into vibrant melodies and rhythmic ideas with a built-in arpeggiator, complete with hold function, so you can play with no hands. You can even use all these features together; play and hold a chord with a single key, arpeggiate it, and lock it to a scale of your choice.

Bundled Software

Analog Lab Pro

The KeyLab Essential now includes Analog Lab Pro, a library of the finest basses, fattest synths, smoothest orchestral sounds, and more, from vintage to modern, powered by V Collection, Augmented Series, and Pigments. The KeyLab Essential seamlessly integrates with Analog Lab Pro, offering automapped controls and over 2000 presets.

KeyLab Essential easily adapts to your creative needs; recall your favorite liked presets from Analog Lab, navigate your custom-made playlists, activate custom User programs for your own control assignments, and more. Turn Analog Lab into a hardware synth and get hands-on with your sound. Adjust sound parameters, tweak FX, and browse presets without ever needing to touch your computer.

Ableton Live Lite

Record, perform, and produce anything with an introduction to one of the hottest DAWs in the business, including instrument presets, drums, FX, MIDI clips, and more. The same sounds, samples, and music-making software used by pro producers and your favorite artists are included with KeyLab Essential mk3 as standard. Whatever your style, ability, or experience, you’ll have everything you need to make your music a reality.

Two Quality Virtual Piano Instruments

KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 comes with two virtual piano instruments. UVI Model D is an epic, timeless stage-sized Steinway grand piano, arguably the most iconic piano of all time, sampled in detail to bring your production to life. Native Instruments The Gentleman is a cheery vintage-sounding upright piano recorded from a century-old instrument, for a injecting a charming and intimate character into your mix.

Loopcloud and Melodics Subscription

Included with the KeyLab Essential is a 2-month subscription to Loopcloud, featuring millions of hi-def royalty-free samples, from lo-fi drums to vocal one-shots, with 2GB of samples including a welcome pack and a specially crafted Arturia selection. Along with Loopcloud, you can improve your pad and keyboard skills with a subscription to Melodics, offering 40 lessons, tips, and musical hacks that are fun, easy, and tailored to your style.

FEATURES

• 88 Semiweighted Keys with Velocity
• 8 Transport Switches, 4 Command Switches
• 9 Faders and 9 Encoders
• 8 Velocity- and Pressure-Sensitive Pads
• Scale Mode, Chord Mode, and Arpeggiator
• Bright 2.5″ LCD Screen
• UVI Grand Piano & NI The Gentleman Piano
• Custom Scripts for Deep DAW Integration
• Mac and Windows Compatible
• Includes Analog Lab Pro Software & More