The Arturia KeyLab Essential 3 88 Key is designed to elevate your performance and composition skills, incorporating essential tools and controls. With backlit pads, faders, and encoders, you can finger-drum, chop samples, dial-in automation, and control various software settings. It includes custom DAW scripts for seamless music software integration, maximizing your creative potential.
At its core, the KeyLab Essential 3 features a velocity-sensitive keybed, a crisp onboard display, and a navigation rotary control. Enhance your productions and performances using eight touch-sensitive pads for triggering samples. Dedicated buttons for transport controls, quantization, and MIDI bank switching, along with nine encoders and faders for volume and automation control, provide comprehensive hands-on management.
Complete with all the software you need to start immediately, Arturia provides a DAW, virtual instruments, and exclusive sound content. The included V-Lab offers over 2,000 synth and keyboard sounds, while Ableton Live Lite is a streamlined version of the award-winning DAW. Subscriptions to LoopCloud and Melodics grant access to thousands of unique loops and sound content, plus skill-building tools.
Enhance Your Composition and Performance Skills
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced musician, KeyLab Essential is the perfect choice to elevate your music-making experience. This expressive keyboard is designed for production and performance, distilling everything into a simple, intuitive layout. The 88-key version features a semi-weighted keybed for fluid playability and added expression.
KeyLab Essential simplifies your workflow with advanced features, including encoders, faders, pads, and more. It provides the tools needed to advance your music production and composition skills, balancing hands-on control with software flexibility.
Deep DAW Integration with Custom Scripts
One of KeyLab Essential’s standout features is its deep DAW integration. Custom DAW scripts offer pre-mapped controls for major DAWs, enabling creativity straight out of the box without setup hassles. KeyLab Essential also works seamlessly with Analog Lab V, the included sound anthology plugin, offering thousands of sounds.
Advanced Settings and Performance Tools
KeyLab Essential is a musical playground with features like an arpeggiator, chord play, and scale mode, inspiring experimentation and creativity. Create expressive melodies, weave rich chords, and stay in key with ease.
Comprehensive Music Software Bundle
Inspire creativity with the included comprehensive music software bundle, providing everything needed to make music instantly. Ableton Live Lite allows for spontaneous composition, recording, remixing, improvising, and editing in a fluid audio/MIDI environment. Arturia’s Analog Lab V offers over 2,000 sounds, while Native Instruments’ The Gentleman and UVI Model D provide meticulously recreated vintage piano sounds. Subscriptions to LoopCloud and Melodics further enhance your skills and access to loops and sounds.
Premium Keybed quality
- 88-note velocity-sensitive semi-weighted keyboard
Pads & controls
- 1 clickable encoder
- 9 rotary encoders
- 9 x 30mm faders
- 8 transport switches
- 4 command switches
- 1 modulation wheel & bend wheel
- 8 touch & pressure-sensitive pads
Display control
- 2.5” LCD display with contextual buttons
- Real-time feedback on tweaks and controls
Smart features
- Multi-mode arpeggiator
- Chord mode
- Scale mode
- Hold function
- Semitone transpose
Software integration
- Seamless integration with Analog Lab Pro and V Collection: select sounds, browse presets, smart-assigned controls
- Custom DAW scripts for FL Studio, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Bitwig Studio
- Also compatible with MCU/HUI control
- Up to 6 user presets for a totally customizable experience
Included Software titles & services
- Analog Lab Pro software with 2000+ sounds
- Ableton Live Lite
- Native Instruments’ The Gentleman
- UVI Model D
- 2-month Loopcloud subscription
- Melodics subscription for 40 lessons
Connectivity
- USB-C connects to computers and MIDI Control Center
- MIDI 5-pin DIN output for connection to external instruments, gear
- Control input for pedal: sustain, expression, or footswitch
- USB-C powered
Platform SpecificationsBox content
- KeyLab Essential Unit
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Registration card
Dimensions
- Size : 49.53 x 10.04 x 2.63 inches (1258 x 255 x 66.8mm)
- Weight : 18.08 lbs. (8.2 Kg)
Windows
- Win 10+ (64bit)
- 4 GB RAM
- 4 cores CPU, 3.4 GHz (4.0 GHz Turbo-boost)
- 3GB free hard disk space
- OpenGL 2.0 compatible GPU
- ARM processors not supported on Windows
Apple
- Mac OS 11+
- 4 GB RAM
- 4 cores CPU, 3.4 GHz (4.0 GHz Turbo-boost) or M1 CPU
- 3GB free hard disk space
- OpenGL 2.0 compatible GPU
Required configuration
- Works in Standalone, VST, AAX, Audio Unit, NKS (64-bit DAWs only).
Work with ASC
- An elegant and simple solution to help you install, activate, and update your Arturia software instruments.