I got the Arturia Keylab Essential 88 and the keys are semi weighted, so it’s perfect for music composition and I definitely recommend it to anyone that wants to do orchestral composition
I've been using the Keylab 88 Essential for about 3 months now, but haven't really done too much with it yet(busted motivator). It took a while to get used to the lighter touch, compared to my Yamaha P155 electric piano. I used a Korg Nano Control with it for the controller. I haven't really dug in to all the functionality, but it now has become the centerpiece of my little home studio. It came with Analog Lab V sound library, which seems pretty decent(for the price) and the Keylab 88 works well with all of my NI & other software instruments & DAW. Thanks for motivating me to dive back in!
Really nice review. I'm trying to make a decision now myself so finding this review was very helpful. Thanks! You've given me a few more things to consider.
It surely is a joyous decision haha. I really loved it. Unfortunate that the faders were on the right and the keys were too heavy for me cause it really was a banger keyboard
thanks for your videos .... I figured out how to map the Arturia faders and knobs without your videos I would have never figured this out ... you are the best
Hahaha precisely. I wanted to like the feel so much, but for me it was too heavy and the new Hammer came out while I was testing this. Otherwise I would have kept it. It’s awesome so if you’re cool with the touch, I’d say it’s a no brainer
@@DIDCHOI hah My Kurz k200x is the absolute best but sadly has broken .So i'm looking for something similar ..maybe physis ?Dunno man those fake ''real piano'' touch controllers are a trap really.Any thoughts on this ?As for the CC part Arturia is great .
@@JohnSk82 yeah, the quest for the perfect feel is still a whiles off for midi controllers. The Yamaha Clavinovas, and high end rolands, Kawai stuff are great but too big for midi controlling only. The hammer 88 pro is the best I could find. Slightly lighter than some grand pianos (like Yamaha grands) but similar to some Steinways I’ve played. But still room for improvement.
@@DIDCHOI I just saw it on a RU-vid feed and would check it out soon! Your review help a lot, cause I’m a film score composer too and been looking for this keyboard a while. I agree with you about the key too heavy. I use to try my hands on it once and still consider.
If I'm not mistaken, Arturia's MKII 88's touch keys can be adjusted from "heavy" to "light and all point in between to suit your needs. This is done in the Arturia software "Control Ctr".
That's more to do with the velocity response curves. My problem was the literal physical weight of the keys. Took too much inertia to play a note unlike a grand piano
Awesome, thanks for the review. I'm considering getting one of the Keylabs with orchestra stuff in mind as well - did you like the faders when you had them or did you feel like it still might be helpful to have something separate (with a longer throw)? Thanks!
I used the onboard faders. Personally, a longer throw doesn't feel too necessary. Might be nice to have the option of both though if money isn't an issue.
I'm 100% confident; all things considered, the mk2 from Arturia is quite above the others it's not taste that drives this comment but experience I love that I can go down rabbit hole with komplete kontrol but Arturia has done a great job. You picked the #2 in my opinion but you specifically need an orchestral and scoring suite/controller. I see your idea is novel with the tracking on the keyboard (mouse or joystick) it's a potential spruce goose with added console items. But yes, there is definitely another way. Let's unpack it amd see what we can come up with . Maybe we design the final word. Anything is possible.
Yeah, I'm looking specific for orchestral writing. The Arturia is very solid indeed and I did love it. Just wish faders were on the left both for writing and for any live performing where I play a line with my right and reach with my left to adjust things whether its between notes held down with pedal or just me playing my right
Could you share all of your drum pad, fader, and knob controls please? (For example, what's in your next 8 pads for keyswitches) Also bank B isn't working for my key switches... what is going on with it?
My complaint on many of these 'pro' boards is the lack of LCD's/OLED/ to label the knobs. With the exception of Novation SL MK3, and NI S series MK2, not much out there that seems current tech! For the money being paid, it is hard to beat NI S88 MK2. Novation is the only close second. Studiologic really is getting the right idea, but... Still not really the user friendly interface one would expect this day and age. The idea is to have the controls usable and easy to reference. Who exactly is going to remember what 16+ different knobs or sliders do? I'm always blown away by the fact, more aren't demanding the LCD screens! Even older controllers that had LCD screens under or above the controls were superior to this board and many others. Looking at new releases with just one small screen located in some random position, well, WTH? I'm looking into a retrofit long narrow mini monitor so I can just make my own labeling system. Mount that bad boy behind the knobs, good to go. Anyway.... rant rant. Nice review, but personally, I think this board is over priced! Metal case or not. S88 MK2 is the best game in town if you care about ease of use in composition. Everything is right in front of your face. No guessing what the knobs do! No making cheezie tape labels or paper templates. It's all right there on a LCD screen! NI for the WIN!
Very interesting complaint! I hadn't thought of that because it is so uncommon in keyboards, but that sounds like something that would be awesome. Scribble strips that actually show the function! S88 doesn't have faders so its a bit of deal breaker for me, especially since without faders, I'd prefer a more minimal design like Studio Logic + external fader controllers.
exactly the heavy touch is what makes it a professional keyboard! to you want to play a sample of steinway or low brasses how then? For fast leggiero passages you can increase the sensitivity, this is how to make it less heavy i suppose? And the faders are best in the middle, but not impossible to handle if on the side. A keyboard player has good right and left hands, doesn’t matter so much. Worse is the fader in left side, since mostly we need it for soprano or alto instruments. All in All, is a great keyboard among these models
As I mention, it is too heavy. It’s heavier than some of the heaviest upright pianos I’ve played, nowhere near the action of a Steinway grand. Weight and responsiveness is different so making things more sensitive won’t make things lighter, and for me brings the worst combo of touch. Do you not use your right hand to program in your stuff and left hand for automation? Or are you speaking from a gigging point of view? As far as I know, everyone programming orchestral music uses their right hand to play in notes and left for automation, anywhere from Hans Zimmer to JXL to Christian Henson or anyone else. Doesn’t matter if it’s a soprano or contrabass instrument
@@DIDCHOI i have my fader controler in the center of the piano, so i use both hands. In some extreme cases is not so hard to cross hands. I use roland LX 17. The Arturia I have to test, but cant believe that heavier is worse.
@@DIDCHOI if i play basses i automate with right hand. Anyway i use automate to give a final touch to the dynamic that was already readed by the keyboard, assigning expression to velocity for ex.
@@DIDCHOI the idea of heavy keyboards is to allow to play with a heavy touch, and when you play something that is heavy, it makes sense to play deeper in the keyboard. It is truly thought for a pianistic point of view. But if it is nonsensical heavy i cant say, i did not play this keyboard. I tried the heaviest setting for my keys and cant imagine how this affects leggiero playing. Maybe you should to get used to it. But is a matter of preference, of course a light keyboard can still do everything. But the heavy keyboard adds a new parameter of interpretation and experience (as on a grand piano). If you played the biggest model of Steinway (i guess it is the B), you will feel like another musical parameter is opened by the depth of the long strings played by a heavy key (that has light action however) So i guess the great keyboard take this into account. The Doepfer looks to have a heyv hammer/wood action as well . By the way used by these composers you said. I guess i would be very happy with a second controler like this, and heavy keys ;)
for pianists-composers the roland lx 17 is incomparable. Today i found out how to quickly access channels without skipping. You have to combi with a cc controler, but the piano gives you all the espace like a desk. You have 3 pedals to setup still. Just have to be crazy enough to spend all the money...
I have the Keylab 88 mk1. It’s much much better built. 14kg of solid metal. Also the controls are way more configurable like aftertouch and velocity sensitivity. Sad to say they cheaped out on the mk2 and made it less configurable in exchange for dedicated daw modes (useful I guess) and Vegas lights.
@@DIDCHOIwell, I use them a lot, mostly when I'm mixing and from time to time to control 2 midi CCs simultaneously. Let's say, I press a chord with my left hand, and then move 1 or 2 knobs with my right hand, just like I'd hold the real bow). Also, having them to the right insures I won't accidentally hit them, as to the left I got pads & mod wheel which's kinda my "action" area. Anyway, it's not a huge deal though, as it may vary from person to person, so I was so prised to hear that it was a demerit. Unfortunately, with all of those keyboards I believe you kinda have to pick and sacrifice something: functionality, keys, software, build, appearance & etc, focusing on what's important for you and what you want.
Thanks for this review. I have a KeyLab MKII 61 key and thinking about upgrading to 88 to get 88 weighted keys. I also practice piano on an old Yamaha P80, which I love almost as much as the Yamaha baby grand I used to have (is that crazy? ...maybe I am not remembering well what the grand was like, but I do like the P80). I do both soundtrack music and EDM and am having hard time deciding if I need/want the controls the KeyLab has, or if simpler is better. Since I love the Yamaha so much (all all Yamaha products, really) I was even thinking of a P45 or P125, or I could simply use my P80 for everything (which has midi out). I have a NanoKontrol2 so can use that for dynamics/expression. I use a few Spitfire Audio plugins. Can't decide. What you said about the "too heavy" key bed on the 88 make me worry, although I like heavy -- I think my P80 may be a bit heavy.
Yeah, I often think digital keyboards are too light, but in this case with the Fatar stuff, it is wayyy to heavy, if you're looking for a natural pianistic feel.
Stuck with my 61 for a midi keyboard and still use my Yamaha P80 for piano practice. These days I am mostly piano practicing as opposed to composing to get better at it -- mainly into jazz and neo soul chords in particular. Anyhow, the 61 is all I really need, and if for some reason I feel I need 88 midi, the P80 has midi out, which I have used in my DAW in the past.
I returned it too because of the keybed what I disliked. The keys of the Arturia Keylab Essential 88 I disliked too. I am thinking about the M-Audio Hammer and the Roland A-88 MKII
I owned a Kurzweil K2500X which has an 88 key Fatar keyboard, and I've owned a Studio Logic 76 weighted controller. Both are way too heavy. Not sure why manufacturers keep using them.
You're my man! I am also coming from a Yamaha S90ES, which I LOVED (and which had the perfect action for me). Just couldn't take it when I moved across the pond :(( In general, Yamaha's keyboard action is my favorite. There's a cheap digital piano they make called the P45 which has no features, but great action. I was almost ready to get that and buy a separate pads/knobs/faders box, but none of those units have a proper pitchbend/modwheel, so I continued my search. Are you liking the Hammer88? The action felt a little springy for me when I tested it
I really like the Hammer 88 Pro so far. Personally really liked the slight springy-ness as it felt more pianistic for me while the S90ES feels a little closer to semi-weighted touch without that spring. Think they are similar in weight, with the Hammer being a little heavier, but I thought it was really nice. Still love my S90 too though!
@@DIDCHOI I ended up getting the Hammer. Are you finding that it triggers 127 velocities too easily? I have the same gripe with almost all M-audio keyboards. Very hard to get reliable hits in the 115-126 range.
Having a Keylab 49MkII I have to say, it would be a very good controller, if not... The DAW controll keys would not make such a loud noise when you press them. I much refere the DAW button click noise of the NI Komplete Kontrol. And I hate the notch in the Pitch wheel. It's much to deep and the surface of the notch is very slippy. So with a much softer click noise and without the notches of the wheels it is nearly a very good controller keyboard. I saw that the Keylab Essential has new bottons. Maybe they are better. Hopefully the Keylab MkIII will be released soon.
Great video. Just discovered your channel and trying to get into film scoring. Did you try the native instruments 88? Using a arturia mini at the moment and just sold my Korg triton ProX 88, wish either of these guys would have made a 73 synth key as an option rather than stopping at 61
I did not get to try it out unfortunately. I’d love to but the stores never seem to have it. I’ve tried the small M32 so I am familiar with the interface though. I guess missing only one octave starts getting not really worth it in brands’ eyes
It will work with GarageBand! There may not be a custom profile set up for it to work immediately as a DAW controller. It depends what you want to do with it. Personally, I don't use any of the built in DAW modes anyways and set up custom presets which will work with any DAW
What's the deal with separate keyboard zones? It appears to only do a single split. The StudioLogic SL88 will give you 4 programmable zones which seems necessary for film scoring and electronic ambient.
Hi! I was thinking to buy this Arturia now I don’t know but I heard most of the keyboards do that sound it doesn’t change so much.... any other people with comments about they keys?
@@DIDCHOI ahahah sorry I mistyped. I mean I heard you said in the video the keys are too heavy, but hearing from other people in other videos they all said most of the time the keyboards Keybed they all have their own problems.
Yeah, I think people with real piano experience will never be satisfied by a midi key’s action. Fatar’s feel is great, just way too heavy. More than a stiff upright I think. I really liked the M-Audio Hammer 88 Pro’s action, you can see my most recent video
Came to the right place, I happened to review both and gave a verdict! Ended up choosing the Hammer 88. Reasons are explained in detail in the video, let me know if you have further questions!
Hmm? You mentioned Vancouver... Would that be Vancouver in B.C., Canada? (Btw, it was a pure coincidence coming across your video while I was checking out material on the Arturius Mk II)
Hi! Did you notice that M-Audio's pitch bend wheel reacts weird? I mean it's kinda delayed, has some latency, like it's too slow or something. I tested Hammer 88 Pro in a music center recently and I liked it a lot, but when I started playing with pitch bend I had that impression. Compared to my CME UF 70 keyboard I have at home the pitch wheel seems sluggish. What do you think? And what was it like in Arturia?
@@DIDCHOI Hello. I have to say that Hammer 88 PRO version has indeed a problem with the pitch bend! I had an opportunity to test another piece of this model in another shop and compare it to the NON pro version. The pitch bend wheels of these two behaves really different. While NON pro version was reacting to its movements instantly, the PRO had some delay/latency so it was impossible to play short fast notes with very fast pitch bends in time (which didn't happen when doing it on the NON pro). There is something wrong with this hardware... It's such a pity, because I was almost sure that I would buy it... It seems strange that you didn't notice it. Maybe you just don't need to use it the way I do.
i have speakers which are bluetooth....so can i just connect the speakers to the laptop via bluetooth instead of getting an audio interface?..... and the laptop connects to the Arturia wth the bundled usb cable?..... and there wil be sound as good as via an audio interface?
Hi D.I.D. CHOI Great Reviews. I'm returning my Komplete Kontrol S88 for the same problems like the heavy keys and the fact they work only for Komplete Kontrol land. For Film Scoring and Orchestral writing plus live Music like wedding Band is there any keyboard you recommend? Best I would need something with a good and sensitive Velocity. All my best
Check out my M-Audio Hammer 88 Pro review, that’s what I ended up going with. Otherwise a Roland or Yamaha stage piano might work well too, it not sure how much control you need live
The midi controller is more for Using with Logic not to perform. To perform i was thinking between Korg Kronos v2 61 or Yamaha ModX7. Have you tried these?
but the casing is actually metal ? i don't get your point at 10:36 ? watch any video about that keyboard and any guy who tested says it's metal and sturdy
Slightly my mistake. So yes; the main body is metal and sturdy. I was referring to the bits on the side, which are plastic and crack pretty easily. The unit I had had a crack on it, and im sure it’d be common since it’s the part that would take whatever force from drops, moving around in a car, etc
The MIDI controller doesn't really get "assigned" to a certain instrument. That being said, yes any controller including this and the Roland will work with Spitfire stuff
David most of your shots are high depth of field where you (or your hand) is in focus but the keyboard is not, making it difficult to see the keyboard. Ease up on the cinematic effect and just shoot practically so we can see what’s going on. You can add some short interlude clip montages with high depth of field but keep it to a minimum in a product review. Also I[m watching this video because I want to hear your personal experience as a film composer using this keyboard. I can watch any video on youtube to get a basic overview of what buttons are on it etc.. what I really want to know is how good does this thing fit your workflow with specific examples of where it shines and or falls short. And the background music is kind of annoying and cheesy and distracts from what you are saying rather than enhancing the experience or adding something valuable to the video. And yes please do a video on the M AUDIO Hammer 88 Pro, and when you do please keep in mind the things I said above. Thanks!
Hey, thanks for the feedback. I guess I did more of a tell than show approach, but that's cause I didn't feel the need to show much. Like you say, there are tons of videos out there on how to use the keyboard and what it looks like, so didn't feel like I had to do that. Did do a Hammer 88 Pro video a few weeks after, but keep in mind these videos are a couple years old already haha
@@DIDCHOI Yes and thanks. I did watch your hammer 88 video and honestly I am on the fence between it and the Complete Kontrol Sk3 88 and the Aurturia 88. Like you I am a composer who doesn’t need a keyboard for performances but for basic note entry and it needs to work with Kontakt player, Opus, Logic, and Vienna Ensemble Pro etc… I do have all the Auturia synths and I like the idea of a keyboard designed to work specifically with that or Kontakt but I also like/want a good feeling keyboard. So I’m really kind of stuck between those three options and don’t know which is best.
Yeah, definitely a good choice. I haven’t been the biggest Roland touch fan, but they are still very excellent. The A88 I’ve only tried in store so can’t give any really grounded advice, but it felt really nice when I tried it. Love the wooden keys
@@DIDCHOI The A-88 mk2 has Roland’s PHA4 which is not wood keys it just looks like it. The escarpment feel is great. I’m looking at the Arturia model. Do you feel your S90 has a better piano feel than Arturia. How are you enjoying the feel of the M-Audio? . I’ve never been a fan of the M- Audio 88 key actions. The Roland Wood key actions are on their FP90x, RD2000, DP which feels excrellent like the Yamaha P515.
@@MrFn65 I stand corrected then. The S90 and Arturia feels are polar opposites. The S90 being a classic stage piano feel from Yamaha with I think it was Balanced Hammer Action? Not graded, no escapism. The arturia's fatar board is stiffer and heavier as I mention in my other video. I am loving the M-Audio still! I always considered M-Audio just a cheap brand, but their hammer series feels really really good. Very similar to a grand piano's weight, though escapism and stuff can't get close
Yes as a pianist escapement is important for piano work, Roland has it so I haven’t had a chance to play on the Arturia. Yamaha has escapement on P515 and up but are not proper controllers with faders, knobs etc for orchestral work.
Hi man! I own the 'mark 1' as it were, the hammer-action 88 key. I'm wondering if these are better in the MkII. Some bad things I noticed; -- the hammer-action keys are LOUD. Louder than a full-fledged hammer-action digital piano. You roommate WILL kill you. -- The printed on-metal ink is GONE if you try to clean the surface of your keyboard. -- I have a dial that is alternating between values several times a second and is making my MIDI Learn life VERY difficult... Any news on these fronts?
I've read reports that its the same Fatar keybed? Might be wrong. You could kind of hear the volume in the video compared to my speaking. It was louder than my Yamaha S90ES and the Hammer Pro I have now. Partially because the sound was more bassy, so it carries more. Can't say anything about the ink, but that sounds terrible! Didn't notice any redundant midi information when I mapped stuff, but that also sounds like it could be unique to your keyboard?
Ooh, this is a question I can answer very well haha. The S90ES is amazing. However it is no longer compatible with computers in terms of DAW control or assigning MIDI CCs. (At least, macs). So you have to connect via 5pin MIDI. Mod wheel, pitch bend, sustain all work perfectly, so if that's all you need, then it's perfect. I wanted more faders, buttons, knobs, which is why I went for a modern MIDI controller. And the ability to have multiple mappings to easily access via presets, so the same fader could be CC1 for scoring, CC17 for MainStage gigging, volume for mixing, etc.
@@DIDCHOI Wow thanks for getting back. So the S90es can't act as a midi controller anymore? Is it a driver issue or change to the midi standard or something? If it is just the midi connection, I think there is converters between pin and USB I think?
YES! Some people love it, but it's not natural at all compared to a real piano. Impossible to play agile stuff cause it doesn't trigger the note OR it triggers way too loud!
@@DIDCHOI For those like me who like to layer multi-synths, each with separate velocity ranges, and who create ambient style music, the heavy key action helps you to 'feel' the range of pressure in the keystroke so you can get used to locating velocity ranges.
@@DIDCHOI I don’t know which other midi controller comes with this much metal. I just mentioned it because Native instruments is made of cheap crappy plastic and so is Novation. Arturia has the best build quality or any midi controller ever. You will never find anything better
