Get it Here: Zzounds: Zzounds: www.zzounds.com/a--3980668/item--ARAKEYLAB88ESS?siid=283123 Sweetwater: sweetwater.sjv.io/xkLoQ1 Amazon: amzn.to/2ZZY8NC
musikman337 if you are going for Yamaha weighted midi board you’ll need to look at the Yamaha MX88...if you just want a feel as close to a piano as possible...then the studiologic SL88 is the best weighted feel in my opinion
John this was probably one of the most helpful straight-up reviews. I'm in the market for a new controller and the Arturia is on my shortlist. Will be using it mostly for soundtrack work and need something as a good all round daily driver for different sounds. You gave me a very good idea of what to expect and what not to expect. Thanks.
I just bought the he Essential 49, Nasser. The thing that swung it for me over Novation’s similarly priced controller was getting Analog Lab 5 with it for “free”. I think you’d find it a go-to for soundtrack work!
This video confirmed that i would not buy the 88, as a piano player expression is important. Very informative video, straight up facts, solid opinions backed up... subscribed
statuesandstuff I have the 88 MKii and the key-action is perfect. I come from a piano background, but have also played stage pianos and tried also some expensive gear like the Novus. The 88-key MKii is what you want. I also got the wooden legs and recommend these. I use the MKii with an iPad and Korg Gadget 2. I also installed the Korg Module Pro with great piano sounds... they appear as Salzburg in Korg Gadget 2. If you like pianos and also want to record what you play the aforementioned setup is great!
I agree with you in regards the key velocity piano feel, it was quite unnatural. | However Arturia released a firmware update that completely changed the key velocity issue for the Arturia Essentials.
TTP I happen to prefer the 49 key Essential over the 88 Key Mkii lately. The keys of the 49 Key look organ-alike, but for fast riffs and solos the action for me is perfect.
You are the only person I could find reviewing an Arturia Board that could actually play the piano. Everyone else pretty much uses it to trigger computer music. Thank you.
John...Thank you so much for this! I was literally just about to purchase this controller when on a whim I decided to search for reviews about it. Yours is quite honest and forthright, and I love it! Thank you! I even went ahead and ordered the Hammer 88 instead for listening to you play on it, it sounds SWEET! And nothing is more important to me than the feel and the response of the keybed. Thank you, again.
Hi! I also have Arturia Keylab Essential. As for the annoying light show, you can turn it off in MIDI CONTROL CENTER then DEVICE SETTINGS and at the top find "VEGAS MODE" and set from ENABLE to DISABLE ;-) You're doing cool content! Best regards, Matt.
This was - finally - an honest and descriptive explanation of the gripes people have with this keyboard. As I am a synth person (yes, also do piano), I will learn to use this as such. I will (and always suspected I should) get a different keyboard for the expression of a piano. Perhaps the one you use.
Yeah, I feel you on this one Mike. I let go of my Yamaha mx88 and picked this up thinking I would make a nice profit and not miss anything. I was wrong. I miss the action of that Yamaha not to mention the velocity issues that you demonstrated so well here. Thanks for another great video!
The velocity curve abbreviations are most likely math functions: logarithmic, exponential, etc. It is relatively simple slope of the velocity curve, kind of like changing the turbo parameters on a car in order to flatten out the power curve, or make the curve steeper (like for better acceleration). I watched both your initial review and your 6 month review. It's interesting, I have zero interest in the majority of the functionality of that, but the fact that I can use it with something like Synthesia means I'll probably get it.
After playing this keyboard for a year, I concur with all you said. If you're a piano player (first), your hands would definitely search for the hammer action. It certainly is "usable" at the expense of a little more expression. Thanks for the review.
Awesome review mate, really appreciate you going into detail about the keybed. Piano is not my main instrument but I'm hoping the semi-weighted action will still be better than a synth.
Hey Mike, I agree with you in regards the key velocity piano feel, it was quite unnatural. | However Arturia released a firmware update that completely changed the key velocity issue for the Arturia Essentials.
Thanks for the helpful, honest review! On a side note: 1. I'd have love to see you playing synths/pads on Arturia and commenting on that, and 2. I was hoping to seeing you playing more, the drafts you were playing while explaining just sounded dope! :) All the best
Thanks for the review. Arturias are appealing because they offer so many things, but I'm looking for a keyboard with piano action, so the Hammer 88 is still at the top of my list.
I'm not really a piano player, but I have an MPK261 and I HATE it's velocity curve. I bring that up since you're the only other person I've seen that even touches this subject with a midi controller. When people talk about sensitivity they just go "Yup, nice and loud", as if I never want to play dynamically lol. Sometimes my pinky lands slightly too hard on a key and it's like BWAMP! Sometimes I want to be able to jam without having these sudden velocity spikes because of how the velocity curve is set up. I'm shopping around for another controller because I'm just done dealing with the MPK261, I've had better expressive results from using my Deepmind 12 as a controller. BTW, I just looked up that M-audio Hammer 88 key and I think the "pro" version of it with all the controls is exactly what I need so thanks!
I was considering this board since I already have some Arturia stuff, plus the extra controls and pads I thought could come in handy, but I was a bit worried about key feel. I'm not a super advanced piano player, but I already notice a difference between light touch and a semi-weighted M-Audio. So this is exactly the information I was looking for, thanks for that !
You want the mkII version, they have weighted keys and the keys are awesome. The 88 essential IMO is a toy, the 49 and the 61 keys are so much better value and these two are indeed awesome for what they are.
I'm going to record lofi hiphop music for my channel and the Arturia is my first keyboard. This was helpful. I might pick up the Hammer 88 after year 3 of recording. I used to play on grand pianos and will miss the piano feel. The Arturia will work for me in the meantime.
You can turn off that light show on it by using the software that comes with it. The Arturia Midi control Center. It called Vegas Mode. You simply turn it off
🎉 Thank you for the great video. Yup. You can always change the velocity scaling and all that, but I think no one (including me 😂) wants to have to fuss with that to play piano.
Exactly the vid i was looking for. Exactly the opposite conclusion i was hoping for! Guess ill have to find one to play first. The big brother is so much more expensive man! But im first and foremost a pianist so i may have to suck it up! Update. I saw the follow up vid on the update. Took delivery yesterday. Its actually fine for piano. 88 notes also great for electro mechanical keys. And couple with Analog Lab 5 it's an absolute steal.
I know how you feel about not being able to switch off the unit, that drives me nuts. You could get one of those replacement power supplies with an on/off switch attached to the cable.
it is trivial to install an on-off switch. i ordered the arturia just the other day,will arrive tomorrow,and i already ordered a white switch on ebay. just a 2 pin switch connected to the +12v wire on the inside of the controller. dirt cheap.too! thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the valuable information. I'm curious, have you used it with any external sound modules? I want to know if you can program and control CC numbers in the fly
Great video, JM! I enjoy these types of videos, where you see how a product is going to wear over time. BTW, I beleive that EXP is exponential in this context. I didn't check out the manual, and can't be 100% sure. Thanks again!
@@Johnmike Believe it or not, I use a Williams piano as my Auxiliary controller in church. It works surprisingly well. I remember seeing your video on that a while back.
Esse controlador é simplesmente fantástico !!! apesar das teclas serem BASTANTE LEVES ele tem um timbre de cair o queixo se você tiver a manha de configurar os timbres então fica fora do normal !!! eu fiz um review do ARTURIA KEYLAB ESSENTIALS 61 meu canal e bombou ta muito boaaaa
Hay brother . U didn’t notice the back keys is in balanced ! With white keys. I referred it to the dealer and got another 1 and the same problem ! It’s defect from factory. U can see. In sweetwater review for some propels have the same problem
Great job thanks. You might look at getting a power supply for the Arturia, and plugging it into a power strip. Then you can cut the power using the strip.
Great review, appreciate the honest word. I get that it's just a controller and that the Analog Lab sounds require a computer and the software to use them. But is this keyboard capable of storing the setups and functionality for all the controller inputs I assign them to within its MIDI Lab software so I can just plug it in using an optional 9vDC adaptor and have its various keyboard controllers all function the way I need them to on stage? Or do those settings all have to be reloaded from a laptop everytime I power up the unit first? Just like you have your rig setup in your video, I'm looking to pick up this 49-key version as a MIDI contoller for my iPad synths to use alongside my main 88-key weighted keyboard for live club and concert gigs.
I wouldn't call it "damning" by any means. The review mainly emphasizes a point that should be plainly obvious to people with experience playing both synths and digital pianos: synths have synth-action (spring loaded) keys and digital pianos have either semi- or fully-weighted keys. Anyone who expects a $400 midi controller to have weighted action like an acoustic piano apparently has fairly little knowledge of keyboard instruments
I love the Arturia and your playing. Honestly, the keybed is better than the m-audio 88 mk3? I'm in doubt, but I don't know if the difference worth the money!
Nice review. Trying to find a keyboard that I actually like for not too much money. I got the Native Instruments A61 thinking I could deal with semi-weighted but it's just a little too much work for my fingers. I'm not a piano player, I mostly do synth stuff, so I'm now looking more for "synth action" keys, but it seems hard to find one on the market right now that isn't poor quality. It's re-assuring that you seem to still like this for that kind of thing after 6 months. Would you say this is one of the better budget keybeds with a lighter feel, and is it noticeably less work to play than say, a semi-weighted keyboard? Thanks
John Mike is a fake name right? Mike-John? Bob-Fred? You are my goto guy for reviews if you cover what I'm looking for. Great honesty! Great holidays to you and your family.
@@Johnmike pretty funny. Protect your identity from? crazy midi attackers? I mean probably nothing to worry about ..I mean MKBHD has never been beaten up!
Although your comparison on a synth action to a hammered action is interesting, I would like to have the synth action on the Essential be compared to other synth like actions of other keyboards. You are left without the feedback of the synth action of the Essential to the MkII for instance.
Thank you for this video. Thinking about choosing 2 keyboards for my home studio setup/maybe some gig stuff. I'm thinking Roland fp-30x for hammer action and the arturia keylab essential 88 for synths and aux as you said. What do you think of this setup?
Thanks for this heads up video, John. I am wondering if you would have better "piano" luck with the Keylab Mk II? And, sending you and yours Merry Christmas wishes. Stay safe!
great video man. Do you happen to have compared the 61 key version vs this one? 'cause I own the 61 key version and the keybed kinda like sucks. The velocity response is inconsistent between black and white keys being the black key produce a higher midi value. Also you literally "feels" the spring inside which is a huge difference from hammer action keys. I'm keen to know if these problems have been addressed in the 88 key version and if so I think I would upgrade to the 88key version.
I'm guessing the big benefit to the unweighted keys is the keyboard overall is lighter, which would make it easier to bring to gigs. My Roland FP-30 is freaking heavy because of the keys. But for home use only, is there really any reason to not use weighted keys, aside from personal reference?
Nice honest review, thanks. You don't really make use of the controller features of this controller, and the problematic velocity settings limit the playability. I'll assume the value is in the software and the thousands of included patches. Are you able to play those patches with your other controllers, or are they somehow only playable from the Arturia?
Thank you very much this review. I don't like keybed action. Do you have any suggestions for a better semi-weighted midi keyboard than this one? (most important thing for me is keybed sensitivity and must be 88keys). The closest music shop where I can try the product is 300 km away from me.
Thanks for the great vid! By the way, do you have plans to review Studio One 5 with it’s new features like Show Page and Perform? How will you use it in your key rig in worship?
Bro I’ve been watching yo videos and I got a question... I got the chance to buy Arturia keylab essential 49 for like $207 after negotiation. However I also got a great price on the nektar Impact lx49+ for $160 do you think I should stick with arturia and why. Your response would be greatly appreciated I’m going to buy either one tmrw morning
What's up John Mike. I just purchased this controller. I love it and especially the sounds it came with. One thing though. I use Reason, and when I hit the transport buttons the controller plays a sound. Where do I disable that?
Hey john quick question. So synths like stuff in kontakt, wouldn’t benefit much from a more sensitive keypad? Would you say the synths just don’t have a responsive enough sound to make use of the m audio keys velocity? I would be using mostly kontakt, probably omnisphere. I would use some piano aswell but mostly synthetic sounds . I did notice what you were saying. It sounded a lot stiffer and not natural to me. Less alive. Thank you
I just ordered one specifically for non piano composing/arranging which I’ve been doing a lot of recently and found the weighted regular keylab was working against me (esp on strings and percussion) so I’m only using that one for specific keyboard parts
Thanks for vid, i want it for strings and pads too, why no volume pedal, thats the first thing surely. The rest is just fluf sliders etc. Volume for organ, thats even before a sustain on an organ. Swells are everything.
thanks for the review, do you know if this keybed even as it is can be better than the nektar impakt 88? because i have the nektar but is pretty bad in the velocity response
great video! but now i am not sure if i should buy it as my first keyboard ever - it has no line level right? it is this important if i just want to learn playin keyboard?
Hi John Mike, If I set Chord to "min. Triad" and Scale to "Cm" and press the Eb key, the keyboard plays Eb+F+Bb instead of Eb+G+C => the III° of Cm. VI and VII° are also incorrect. Am I doing something wrong in the settings or is it a keyboard bug? Thanks a lot
Get it Here:
Zzounds: Zzounds: www.zzounds.com/a--3980668/item--ARAKEYLAB88ESS?siid=283123
Sweetwater: sweetwater.sjv.io/xkLoQ1
Amazon: amzn.to/2ZZY8NC
Which midi board (any brand/model)would u say has the closest feel to lets say yamaha weighted or just a pianos weighted keys in general
musikman337 if you are going for Yamaha weighted midi board you’ll need to look at the Yamaha MX88...if you just want a feel as close to a piano as possible...then the studiologic SL88 is the best weighted feel in my opinion
You're the only person that said more about the keybed than "it feels alright" in any of the reviews I've seen. THANK YOU!!!!!!1
I greatly appreciate your no-nonsense approach to reviews. Your attention to the feel of the keypad is very helpful. Thanks!
You can disable "vegas" mode to get rid of blinking lights when in stand by.
John this was probably one of the most helpful straight-up reviews. I'm in the market for a new controller and the Arturia is on my shortlist. Will be using it mostly for soundtrack work and need something as a good all round daily driver for different sounds. You gave me a very good idea of what to expect and what not to expect. Thanks.
I just bought the he Essential 49, Nasser. The thing that swung it for me over Novation’s similarly priced controller was getting Analog Lab 5 with it for “free”. I think you’d find it a go-to for soundtrack work!
This video confirmed that i would not buy the 88, as a piano player expression is important. Very informative video, straight up facts, solid opinions backed up... subscribed
statuesandstuff I have the 88 MKii and the key-action is perfect. I come from a piano background, but have also played stage pianos and tried also some expensive gear like the Novus. The 88-key MKii is what you want. I also got the wooden legs and recommend these. I use the MKii with an iPad and Korg Gadget 2. I also installed the Korg Module Pro with great piano sounds... they appear as Salzburg in Korg Gadget 2. If you like pianos and also want to record what you play the aforementioned setup is great!
I agree with you in regards the key velocity piano feel, it was quite unnatural. |
However Arturia released a firmware update that completely changed the key velocity issue for the Arturia Essentials.
TTP I happen to prefer the 49 key Essential over the 88 Key Mkii lately. The keys of the 49 Key look organ-alike, but for fast riffs and solos the action for me is perfect.
@@nickvledder just wish i could find something like the mk2 for the price of the essential!
@@andrewcraigbrown2933 Maybe the M-Audio... try one of those.
You are the only person I could find reviewing an Arturia Board that could actually play the piano. Everyone else pretty much uses it to trigger computer music. Thank you.
This was really helpful. It is great to get a review from someone who has used the controller a lot for some time.
exp is probably exponential.
The opposite of log which is logarithmic.
Thanks for the honest review John! I was considering this keyboard because of it’s low price but I’m probably going to continue looking.
Thank you for this honest review. You’re right any keyboard is great new out of the box.
John...Thank you so much for this! I was literally just about to purchase this controller when on a whim I decided to search for reviews about it. Yours is quite honest and forthright, and I love it! Thank you! I even went ahead and ordered the Hammer 88 instead for listening to you play on it, it sounds SWEET! And nothing is more important to me than the feel and the response of the keybed. Thank you, again.
You’re welcome!
I think i'll do the same
Hi! I also have Arturia Keylab Essential. As for the annoying light show, you can turn it off in MIDI CONTROL CENTER then DEVICE SETTINGS and at the top find "VEGAS MODE" and set from ENABLE to DISABLE ;-)
You're doing cool content!
Best regards, Matt.
Thanks!...I did mention that in the vid at one point...I just didn’t show it...I’ll probably do a video on the midi center soon
Thanks for the follow-up. A review and first impressions are very different things indeed.
This was - finally - an honest and descriptive explanation of the gripes people have with this keyboard. As I am a synth person (yes, also do piano), I will learn to use this as such. I will (and always suspected I should) get a different keyboard for the expression of a piano. Perhaps the one you use.
Great honest video from a seasoned user!
Yeah, I feel you on this one Mike. I let go of my Yamaha mx88 and picked this up thinking I would make a nice profit and not miss anything. I was wrong. I miss the action of that Yamaha not to mention the velocity issues that you demonstrated so well here. Thanks for another great video!
The velocity curve abbreviations are most likely math functions: logarithmic, exponential, etc. It is relatively simple slope of the velocity curve, kind of like changing the turbo parameters on a car in order to flatten out the power curve, or make the curve steeper (like for better acceleration). I watched both your initial review and your 6 month review. It's interesting, I have zero interest in the majority of the functionality of that, but the fact that I can use it with something like Synthesia means I'll probably get it.
After playing this keyboard for a year, I concur with all you said. If you're a piano player (first), your hands would definitely search for the hammer action. It certainly is "usable" at the expense of a little more expression. Thanks for the review.
Awesome review mate, really appreciate you going into detail about the keybed. Piano is not my main instrument but I'm hoping the semi-weighted action will still be better than a synth.
Hey Mike, I agree with you in regards the key velocity piano feel, it was quite unnatural. |
However Arturia released a firmware update that completely changed the key velocity issue for the Arturia Essentials.
Yup...I covered that here ruclips.net/video/KPPCjzCT2Uk/видео.html
@@Johnmike Awesome!
Oh damn I didn't even notice the keylab keys are designated as "synth action" rather than semi-weighted or weighted. this comparison was helpful 3:48
I love the way way the arturia looks, but the 88 hammer sounds so much better
Thanks for the helpful, honest review! On a side note: 1. I'd have love to see you playing synths/pads on Arturia and commenting on that, and 2. I was hoping to seeing you playing more, the drafts you were playing while explaining just sounded dope! :) All the best
Absolutely I did more playing in my initial review of it
Love your reviews man. You go into good detail and very straight forward. I'm bummed there's no on/off switch 😞
It has a power on/off switch.
Thanks for the review. Arturias are appealing because they offer so many things, but I'm looking for a keyboard with piano action, so the Hammer 88 is still at the top of my list.
From the sound of it, Hammer 88 is the holy grail of budget keyboards with weighted action.
Thanks for making this comparison. I’ve been wondering how these two differed in velocity
bout to buy this rig and thanks to you I know it aint the one. peace boss thanks
I'm not really a piano player, but I have an MPK261 and I HATE it's velocity curve. I bring that up since you're the only other person I've seen that even touches this subject with a midi controller. When people talk about sensitivity they just go "Yup, nice and loud", as if I never want to play dynamically lol. Sometimes my pinky lands slightly too hard on a key and it's like BWAMP! Sometimes I want to be able to jam without having these sudden velocity spikes because of how the velocity curve is set up. I'm shopping around for another controller because I'm just done dealing with the MPK261, I've had better expressive results from using my Deepmind 12 as a controller. BTW, I just looked up that M-audio Hammer 88 key and I think the "pro" version of it with all the controls is exactly what I need so thanks!
Thank you man this was very helpful! Looks like the Arturia is not in the cards.
Absolutely fantastic review... Thank you !!
I was considering this board since I already have some Arturia stuff, plus the extra controls and pads I thought could come in handy, but I was a bit worried about key feel. I'm not a super advanced piano player, but I already notice a difference between light touch and a semi-weighted M-Audio. So this is exactly the information I was looking for, thanks for that !
You want the mkII version, they have weighted keys and the keys are awesome. The 88 essential IMO is a toy, the 49 and the 61 keys are so much better value and these two are indeed awesome for what they are.
@@Mathcartney so the mkII version has weighted keys? I’m a piano player
Really really an honest review! Thank you!
Wow. Amazing explanation of the feeling of using the keyboard.
Thx much J.M. Once again very good extended review. Last week I responded. I’m going with this one vs Nektar
@JoelCox Arturia Keylab Essential keyboards are great! They’re well worth it!
Dexter, the early part of the year, I bought a new MKII 49 which I love. Thx for your input
You gotta chill with the optics Rev.. Going tooooo crazy!!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks rev!! Trying to catch up over here! Lol
I'm going to record lofi hiphop music for my channel and the Arturia is my first keyboard. This was helpful. I might pick up the Hammer 88 after year 3 of recording. I used to play on grand pianos and will miss the piano feel. The Arturia will work for me in the meantime.
You can turn off that light show on it by using the software that comes with it. The Arturia Midi control Center.
It called Vegas Mode. You simply turn it off
This has been extremely helpful. Thank you!
🎉 Thank you for the great video. Yup. You can always change the velocity scaling and all that, but I think no one (including me 😂) wants to have to fuss with that to play piano.
The Video I needed to see. Thanks man!!!
Exactly the vid i was looking for. Exactly the opposite conclusion i was hoping for! Guess ill have to find one to play first. The big brother is so much more expensive man! But im first and foremost a pianist so i may have to suck it up!
Update. I saw the follow up vid on the update. Took delivery yesterday. Its actually fine for piano. 88 notes also great for electro mechanical keys. And couple with Analog Lab 5 it's an absolute steal.
I know how you feel about not being able to switch off the unit, that drives me nuts. You could get one of those replacement power supplies with an on/off switch attached to the cable.
Love the video. Always informative and great presentation.
it is trivial to install an on-off switch. i ordered the arturia just the other day,will arrive tomorrow,and i already ordered a white switch on ebay. just a 2 pin switch connected to the +12v wire on the inside of the controller. dirt cheap.too! thanks for sharing.
That’s a good idea…I actually just ended up getting a USB hub that had a power switch on it
Keylab Essentials 61 is where it's at. The Keylab MK2 is made for the 88 key version
Informative review John Mike.
Thank you for the valuable information. I'm curious, have you used it with any external sound modules? I want to know if you can program and control CC numbers in the fly
Thanks for your review John! ;)
Hey John! Great review!!!
Wow, for a synth keyboard that log velocity curve wasn't half bad.
Very informative review. Thanks for the sharing. Btw, what is the model of the keyboard under the Arturia? M-Audio…?
With CC Mapper X you can adjust the velocity the way you want in the DAW Reaper. I've been using it for a while and the result is fantastic.
Great video, JM! I enjoy these types of videos, where you see how a product is going to wear over time.
BTW, I beleive that EXP is exponential in this context. I didn't check out the manual, and can't be 100% sure.
Thanks again!
I’m sure you are right on that...either way...it’s not the best velocity setting
@@Johnmike Believe it or not, I use a Williams piano as my Auxiliary controller in church. It works surprisingly well. I remember seeing your video on that a while back.
David Migliori yup the Williams Allegro is the SAME keybed that is in the M-audio Hammer 88
I love follow up reviews
Esse controlador é simplesmente fantástico !!!
apesar das teclas serem BASTANTE LEVES ele tem um timbre de cair o queixo
se você tiver a manha de configurar os timbres então fica fora do normal !!!
eu fiz um review do ARTURIA KEYLAB ESSENTIALS 61 meu canal e bombou
ta muito boaaaa
Hay brother . U didn’t notice the back keys is in balanced ! With white keys. I referred it to the dealer and got another 1 and the same problem ! It’s defect from factory. U can see. In sweetwater review for some propels have the same problem
They just came out with a firmware update that fixes it. let me know if it works
Super helpful! Thank you so much.
Great job thanks. You might look at getting a power supply for the Arturia, and plugging it into a power strip. Then you can cut the power using the strip.
Great review, appreciate the honest word. I get that it's just a controller and that the Analog Lab sounds require a computer and the software to use them. But is this keyboard capable of storing the setups and functionality for all the controller inputs I assign them to within its MIDI Lab software so I can just plug it in using an optional 9vDC adaptor and have its various keyboard controllers all function the way I need them to on stage? Or do those settings all have to be reloaded from a laptop everytime I power up the unit first?
Just like you have your rig setup in your video, I'm looking to pick up this 49-key version as a MIDI contoller for my iPad synths to use alongside my main 88-key weighted keyboard for live club and concert gigs.
thanks a ton for information about velocity 🙏
Pretty damning review for the Arturia Keylab Essential 88
@@malcolmgerald nah I'm good
I wouldn't call it "damning" by any means. The review mainly emphasizes a point that should be plainly obvious to people with experience playing both synths and digital pianos: synths have synth-action (spring loaded) keys and digital pianos have either semi- or fully-weighted keys. Anyone who expects a $400 midi controller to have weighted action like an acoustic piano apparently has fairly little knowledge of keyboard instruments
Thanks, Thanks, Thanks, Thanks, Thanks sssssss!!! ................... Thanks for the helpful, honest HORNST REVIEW !
Thanks for the review, very nice! Which model of M Audio keyboard you have under Keylab?
M Audio Hammer 88
Well, those are IMPORTANT observations. Expressive depth trumps any technology.
I love the Arturia and your playing. Honestly, the keybed is better than the m-audio 88 mk3? I'm in doubt, but I don't know if the difference worth the money!
I’ll be doing a comparison soon
Nice review. Trying to find a keyboard that I actually like for not too much money. I got the Native Instruments A61 thinking I could deal with semi-weighted but it's just a little too much work for my fingers. I'm not a piano player, I mostly do synth stuff, so I'm now looking more for "synth action" keys, but it seems hard to find one on the market right now that isn't poor quality. It's re-assuring that you seem to still like this for that kind of thing after 6 months. Would you say this is one of the better budget keybeds with a lighter feel, and is it noticeably less work to play than say, a semi-weighted keyboard? Thanks
Very useful feedback . Thanks
John Mike is a fake name right? Mike-John? Bob-Fred? You are my goto guy for reviews if you cover what I'm looking for. Great honesty! Great holidays to you and your family.
Lol thanks…it’s my first and middle name to protect my identity online ha ha
@@Johnmike pretty funny. Protect your identity from? crazy midi attackers? I mean probably nothing to worry about ..I mean MKBHD has never been beaten up!
Been interested in this device, but the lack of ability for expression may be a deal breaker for an all around controller. They look so nice too.
Have you experienced any key clicking on both models? How is the action on the Arturia. Also how heavy is it?
Go to 2:22...I talk about the keybed in detail
Although your comparison on a synth action to a hammered action is interesting, I would like to have the synth action on the Essential be compared to other synth like actions of other keyboards. You are left without the feedback of the synth action of the Essential to the MkII for instance.
Thank you for this video. Thinking about choosing 2 keyboards for my home studio setup/maybe some gig stuff. I'm thinking Roland fp-30x for hammer action and the arturia keylab essential 88 for synths and aux as you said. What do you think of this setup?
Thanks for this heads up video, John. I am wondering if you would have better "piano" luck with the Keylab Mk II? And, sending you and yours Merry Christmas wishes. Stay safe!
Here’s a video I did on the keylab 88 mk2 ruclips.net/video/8PJUVgPwTzo/видео.html
The only channel where i Hit Like before watching
great video man. Do you happen to have compared the 61 key version vs this one? 'cause I own the 61 key version and the keybed kinda like sucks. The velocity response is inconsistent between black and white keys being the black key produce a higher midi value. Also you literally "feels" the spring inside which is a huge difference from hammer action keys. I'm keen to know if these problems have been addressed in the 88 key version and if so I think I would upgrade to the 88key version.
Man, those chords are dope.
I'm guessing the big benefit to the unweighted keys is the keyboard overall is lighter, which would make it easier to bring to gigs. My Roland FP-30 is freaking heavy because of the keys. But for home use only, is there really any reason to not use weighted keys, aside from personal reference?
Thanks! That was helpful!
Nice honest review, thanks. You don't really make use of the controller features of this controller, and the problematic velocity settings limit the playability. I'll assume the value is in the software and the thousands of included patches. Are you able to play those patches with your other controllers, or are they somehow only playable from the Arturia?
Yes you can play the patches with any board
Thank you very much this review. I don't like keybed action. Do you have any suggestions for a better semi-weighted midi keyboard than this one? (most important thing for me is keybed sensitivity and must be 88keys). The closest music shop where I can try the product is 300 km away from me.
Thank you, super helpful.
Thanks for the great vid! By the way, do you have plans to review Studio One 5 with it’s new features like Show Page and Perform? How will you use it in your key rig in worship?
Hopefully soon!
Can you make a video teaching Cubase and Arturia basics, kinda 101 course 😊
Another great review on the Arturia Keylab! Thanks For Sharing!👍
Bro I’ve been watching yo videos and I got a question...
I got the chance to buy Arturia keylab essential 49 for like $207 after negotiation. However I also got a great price on the nektar Impact lx49+ for $160 do you think I should stick with arturia and why. Your response would be greatly appreciated I’m going to buy either one tmrw morning
jimmyjoe ! I’d go with the Arturia...love the feel of it vs the Nektar...plus you get more sounds with the Arturia
Given that there is a log setting, exp might be exponential, which is the inverse.
What's up John Mike. I just purchased this controller. I love it and especially the sounds it came with. One thing though.
I use Reason, and when I hit the transport buttons the controller plays a sound. Where do I disable that?
Hey john quick question. So synths like stuff in kontakt, wouldn’t benefit much from a more sensitive keypad? Would you say the synths just don’t have a responsive enough sound to make use of the m audio keys velocity?
I would be using mostly kontakt, probably omnisphere. I would use some piano aswell but mostly synthetic sounds .
I did notice what you were saying. It sounded a lot stiffer and not natural to me. Less alive.
Thank you
I just ordered one specifically for non piano composing/arranging which I’ve been doing a lot of recently and found the weighted regular keylab was working against me (esp on strings and percussion) so I’m only using that one for specific keyboard parts
Thanks for vid, i want it for strings and pads too, why no volume pedal, thats the first thing surely. The rest is just fluf sliders etc. Volume for organ, thats even before a sustain on an organ. Swells are everything.
thanks for the review, do you know if this keybed even as it is can be better than the nektar impakt 88? because i have the nektar but is pretty bad in the velocity response
great video! but now i am not sure if i should buy it as my first keyboard ever - it has no line level right? it is this important if i just want to learn playin keyboard?
Hi John Mike,
If I set Chord to "min. Triad" and Scale to "Cm" and press the Eb key, the keyboard plays Eb+F+Bb instead of Eb+G+C => the III° of Cm. VI and VII° are also incorrect. Am I doing something wrong in the settings or is it a keyboard bug?
Thanks a lot
What keyboard do you suggest for piano playing while keeping the price low?
Williams Allegro ruclips.net/video/qBZgZbUnrwk/видео.html
@@malcolmgerald I have the 61keys version, but I meant with build in sounds. I ordered the Korg Kross 2 that'll arive in a few days
Cool demo.
What happened with the sl88? Im choosing between sl88 or the m-audio 88 hammer.....
SL88 is the best...I started a custom project with the SL88...messed it up...it I’ll be getting back to that and fixing it soon
The keybed on the 61 version is pure garbage so I thought the 88 version would not be much better. Thanks for your review.
So does he reccomend it? Sorry I missed that part . Or should I go for the weighted keys I'm not a piano guy just a beat maker for now
Hi. Which M-Audio keyboard are you talking about? M-Audio Oxygen 88 or M-Audio Oxygen Pro 88?