With the Essential range, Arturia have chosen to use a semi-weighted keybed which they describe as a ‘hybrid synth-piano feel’. Specifications aside, the most important thing about any keyboard is the way it plays. While you don’t quite get as much functionality as the top-of-the-range models, you get a very similar feature set in terms of the hardware specs: above the 88 keys, you’ll find a range of hands-on controls for the software, including rotary encoders, faders, eight touch-sensitive pads, pitch and modulation wheels, plus transport controls (play, stop, record, etc). The KeyLab Essential sits in the middle of the Arturia range, below the more fully-featured (and more expensive KeyLab MkII models but above the more basic models such as the MiniLab and KeyStep. The KeyLab Essential 88 is the latest in Arturia’s range, building on the previous 49- and 61-key versions to offer a full-piano-size option. Even if you already have a DAW, it’s a very cost-effective way of getting sounds from Arturia’s excellent range of software instruments and a dedicated controller for them. Just add a suitable computer and monitors of headphones and you have everything you need. For complete beginners, you get music production software (in this case a copy of Ableton Live Lite), plus virtual instruments and a keyboard to play them all with. For a number of years, the brand has offered keyboard bundles, packaging a MIDI controller with a range of software as a ready-made entry point into production. Arturia’s latest MIDI keyboard is a full-size take on the Essential format, bundled with a huge collection of the brand’s excellent virtual instruments.įrench brand Arturia first made their name with virtual instruments before more recently expanding out into a range of hardware from analogue synths to drum machines and audio interfaces.
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