Arturia Minilab MK2 vs. Novation Launchkey Mini MK3 | WHICH SHOULD YOU BUY? 

freshman here, may I know where did u learn from

@@donaldtang7822 I followed one of the taetro videos to underestand the basic features, I think.

Does it work well for FL Studio?

Pace Gaming I don't know because I don't have FL Studio. But it should work because I have use it with Ableton, Protools and also with Bandlab in the mobile.

@@ardanzaasier how does a midi controller work with a phone? I'm new in this

Thanks! I was almost there in choosing the Arturia Minilab and your comment sealed the deal

Novation is the best for me ! I am a piano player but I dont care about quality in 100 bucks ! I need a compact ,small and pre mapped controller and minilab is none of them °°°°°°

@@roshanm8409 I am planning to buy a MIDI controller, I would needs good pads majorly. mini launchkey mk3 or mk3 37 keys has better pads than arturia minilab mk2 ?

How's it been holdin up? What DAW do you use?

@@anthonyhuerta3432 Holds up great. Here's the short version of some of my thoughts: Keys feel incredible and play well. The slower response time is negligible unless you have an old/weak processor or drive in your computer. My PC has been having some disk usage issues lately, and when it's bad, the key response feels particularly slow. I've also had issues with notes "sticking". I don't know a better word for it, because the keys themselves never stick, but occasionally when you play a key, the note keeps playing even after the key is released. Pressing the key again or starting/stopping playback fixes the issue everytime. Certainly frustrating, but I haven't found any other reports of this issue online, so I think it's an issue specific to my unit. Encoders are nowhere near as good as I was hoping. Very finicky and oversensitive, to the point that turning the encoder too fast can sometimes cause an opposite reaction in the parameter. Say you're using an encoder to modify your cutoff filter; if you turn the encoder too quickly up, the parameter will occasionally not change at all, or even drop down. I find myself using the encoders sparingly. The bundled software is nothing too special, I expected more out of it. Analog lab is a good enough program, but it's worth noting that it's not a synthesizer of any kind, it's a library of synthesizer presents. There's realistically not a lot of sound design you can do within the plugin, and the parameters you can adjust on each instrument preset are seemingly random. It's also a hefty program, and it can eat up a lot of usage on your processor if you're using a lot of tracks or multiple instances of analog lab. It's also worth noting that a lot of the instruments available don't strike me as even remotely useful in a musical context, but perhaps I'm just not as creative with my sounds as some. It's got some good piano and organ presets, a few nice leads, and loads of nice pads. Overall I give analog lab a 5/10. Useful, but it could be so much more. Long-time Arturia users have criticized Arturia for scaling back Analog Lab to give customers more of an incentive to buy full versions of their programs. I'm focussing on the negatives here because that's what I really cared about when looking for a controller. Onto the more positive side: In my opinion the drum pads are much better than people give them credit for. They work perfectly fine, aside from the key response that I mentioned earlier, and you can really slam them with no fear of harming the system. They could stand to be slightly more sensitive. Zero complaints on the key-bed Zero complaints on durability or build quality. This feels like a professional piece of gear. It's got the heft and feel you'd expect out of something like this, it doesn't feel cheap at all. I give the Minilab and it's packaged content a 7/10. Build quality : 9/10 Durability : 9/10 Playability : 8/10 Pads : 7/10 Encoders : 5/10 Packaged software : 6.5/10 In retrospect, I think a small Native Instruments controller or Novation controller would have suited my needs a little bit better. That said, I don't regret my purchase at all. It's a great piece of hardware and I use it pretty much every day. If you're on a tight budget and can't afford to buy a controller just to have it break, this is the one for you--no question about it in my mind. Okay so I went on a little longer than I intended. To answer your other question, I bought this keyboard for use with Cakewalk and have since moved on to Ableton. The keyboard has performed great with both DAWs with no notable difference in functionality.

WHAT XD YO TAMBIEN,YA HICE UNOS 2 SAMPLES

Nekojitablog please dont make beats. we have enough shitty wannabe producers in this planet.

Rich Ariz He make whatever he wants.

omggh como no vi este comment ajjaj yo voy a empezar pronto tambien!

@@richariz7896 yeah we are sorry youre one of them

Thanks so much!!!!

Taetro :)

thats a fact!

I agree

yeah, but whats even more important is that they keys have a large range of velocity path and can move much up and down. cause if not, you have not good control to play soft, even if they keys have more weight. i'm also a piano player and want a small midi controller for my analog synths outdoors, but i hate it when there is no range of velocity and the keys are so "flat". because of that, i connect everything to my nord stagepiano, if i'm at home.

Wumbology what do you think abut the knobs? are they really slow? is there a way to adjust the speed? I've just bought one and I'm afraid of the knobs kkkkk

@@joaopedrofrech you can adjust the knob sensitivity in midi control center

Oooh where does it talk about arming tracks?

I agree. For example the keys when played soft on both controllers, the Arturia Minilab MKII preferably plays softer as it should, though both have velocity adjustment to compensate for that. He tends to side with the Novation. Still. I'm glad he mentioned the travel is a bit greater on the Minilab (another attribute actually). Also the endless encoders are better for mapping with most DAW's because there is no stop from the knob itself, so there's no need for the knobs have to re-engage to some other setting when changing tracks. There's a clear winner here. IMO. I would agree the Novation might have an edge for live use. Though having Analog Lab control/bundled software is huge. I'm looking for a portable alternative as I have the Keylab 49 MKII, along with other controllers. Thank you for posting the comparison. I'm going with the Minilab, but there's a place for both of these two units for different needs.

thnx

Thanks for watching Alexandru!

After the firmware upgrade, May i know how is the integration with DAWs and other VSTs apart from the Arturia itself? I use studio one and a lot of NI vsts.

Are they truly endless encoders? I just got an Akai mini mk3 with what look like endless encoders, but they act as absolute encoders, jumping the software values to whatever state the controller values were last left at

I hate this so much. I’ve bought so many small keyboard with “infinite encoders” only to find out they are literally useless cause the software / generic drivers are trash. I don’t want wanna work in ableton or use any stupid daw just for this, it’s kinda ridiculous that these “pseudo infinite encoder controllers” even exist but what is more Laughable even is that I’ve found more “ripoff” controllers actually doing this right than proper controllers such as the MK 3 by Akai - yet NO reviewer even mentions aspects like this. Why? What kind of “review” is that then? So lame. Let me save you some time in case you’re in the same situation as I was (though I know it’s been a year since the last reply on this comment, but it might help someone else so…): For the Akai owner, are you sure you CANNOT change the encoders (in the software editor) so that they become “relative encoders”? This is generally what you want for infinite encoders but many controllers come configured with ABSOLUTE even when they have RELATIVE (infinite) encoders. Hopefully this is an option in their editor because it’ll fix your issues. Once again, I have to re-state this: why are all these “reviewers” not even covering this? It’s kinda ridiculous - makes me really wonder how much they actually use these things because honestly it is THE MOST PARAMOUNT ASPECT to compare any controller with infinite encoders. I’m glad the MK2 has great keys, for sure… but i came here for the “infinite encoders” and no one even speaks about these things. Kinda ridiculous tbh.

You sir win the review@@enriquepageperez1305

Thanks bro, now I'm broke. 😞

Why both? What would make sense is getting the arturia because of the endless knobs and the better keys and instead of the launchkey you go for a launchpad x and it 8x8 pad interface.

What are your thoughts on Akai Minib3

Choons

Let us know what you got and how it went

I just got it! It's so dope and easy to setup once I figured it out. Thank you for this!

@@PrestonBaez How are they keys?

@@JBRitchie8 I can't give any comparisons as this is my first, but they feel great and velocity is affected by how fast you press down

My dad got me one too but on the 30th of december when he came back from Australia, he also got me a focusrite scarlet 4i4 gen 3, I'm so happy

I got one too!

fadi nino you want a cookie ? smh

@@richariz7896 why you shaking ur head at someone sharing there happiness?

HideBoi and youre a little ass 13 year old defending people over the internet you dont know lol im not complaining

So shud i go for minilab.. Because i M buying.. How it feels with launchkey

Hey i have analog lab already actually. If you have it already how hard is for you to control it with launchkey? Detailed answer would be appreciated...

@@rainfeedermusic Well the Launchkey doesn't have the endless knobs, but you can still map controls for Analog Lab. Of course it's never going to be as concise as a Arturia product using Arturia software. But, Launchkey, however, has control over Ableton Live that Minilab will never have. In my opinion, that's where the workflow really is.

@@delscoville Thank you. I think i will go for launchkey since i should still be able to use basic analog lab.

How do you do that, and can you with Ableton lite? Sorry I am a very new to this. Is there maybe a guide you can direct me to?

Interested

Hey @stormchild, please share the guide on how you did it. It will be of great help. Thank you

Install the Native Komplete Kontrol software on N. Instruments website, it's free and it's a kind of plugin hub for other plug-ins

Sorry everyone, I didn't get any notifications about the replies. Here's a rough overview: 1. Download Native Access from NI (I think you have to create an account first, but it's free). 2. Open Native Access and use it to install Komplete Kontrol. 3. Launch Komplete Kontrol (as a standalone app). In the preferences, enable your LaunchKey Mini mk3 as a MIDI input. 4. On the LaunchKey, hold shift and press the top-right pad to switch to the "Custom" mode for the knobs. 5. Click the "MIDI" button in the toolbar of Komplete Kontrol. Click on each knob and turn a knob on your LaunchKey to assign it. 6. Load up any instrument plugin in Komplete Kontrol - either by browsing on the left, or by clicking the plug button in the toolbar, then clicking [+] to load any VST. 7. Click the knob button in the toolbar. You should see a bunch of controls for the VST you loaded. Test the knobs on your LaunchKey. You should see the knobs moving at the top of the window, and also the related controls moving in the VST interface. You can go through the pages of controls by clicking the labels above the knobs. (It's possible to assign buttons on your controller to go to the next/previous page, but LaunchKey Mini doesn't have any assignable buttons.) If it's all working, you can now close Komplete Kontrol, launch your DAW, load Komplete Kontrol as a plugin, and use that to load any VST. Mention me in a reply if you need any more pointers!

Amazing. Welcome!

Dont go with the novation if you have a 10.5 pro.

lol Wow i just got a similar setup. Launchpad mini mk3 + MiniLab mk2. LOVING IT!!!

@@ITech2005 how about akai mpk?

Why would you need an 'awesome keyboard' with such a small amount of keys to even play it well?

@@Dadaadad268 Everyone has a different use for it. I need one to play well, because I use it for music school homework (entering voiceleading chords in software, which sometimes I do late at night in bed, so it helps that's it's small), also to teach singing lessons while traveling, entering virtual instruments in DAW, etc. Also, if something feels good, I guess you want to use it more. It's all subjective, of course. But a great feeling keyboard, also speaks to the quality of the device. Due to the pandemic, I had to fly back home from the States and brought my MicroLab with me. I need it every day, but I obviously couldn't fly with something big. It's truly sturdy, feels great, and I've been able to use it for all the things I mentioned. Highy recommend.

@@mercedesescobarmusic nice reply!

Which one did you finally choose?

Check if changing the the Takeover mode setting in Ableton helps with Minilab?

djpagzrockz already tried. It Helps a bit but far from ideal.

happy to help 😀

Nice :)

Yeah I prefer using the larger notation for live shows, and mini lab for travel production.

hey same

if you look better at 5:11 when Taetro changes tracks with knob #8 , it automatically arms the selected one. @Taetro: can you confirm this please? Sorry if I misunderstood!

@@nicolassergeretavaressousa6190 brilliant. I love RU-vid comments. I confirmed that is exactly what happened. It also could be used to play an entire scene.

@@stephenstrang590 Thanks! At the time I was spending so much time comparing both controllers on various videos that I had become expert in not missing any details! :) Nevertheless, as I eventually got the Arturia Minilab MK2, I can confirm that the integration with Ableton is not very user-oriented: for example, I cannot scroll easily from a track to another one, or from a scene to another one, because a mere light twist on this very knob/encoder #8 scrolls 2 to 3 items at a time. Or maybe I've got it wrong when setting up the knob/encoder behaviour though. Also, to change the mode from instrument-Analog Lab to Ableton for example, you need to use both hands as the pads are too distant! So you cannot be playing WHILE changing modes. Overall, the Minilab MK2 won't allow you to control everything in Ableton without having to touch your computer keyboard/trackpad/mouse BUT it has an amazing feel when it comes to playing the keys (medium-sized, it really feels great) and the pads, and applying effects-FX with the dedicated knobs/encoders. I was looking for an Ableton-oriented portable and nomad production controller, and I guess I ended up with a "all-DAW-averagely-oriented portable* and steady and super responsive production controller". :) Portability would always depend on the user's preference, and to me, I can bring my Minilab MK2 everywhere I go (studio, rehearsal, travel, holidays) without having to think twice. I just know I'll need at least a medium-sized backpack and/or a protective case. But keep in mind that this piece of gear is super solid and durable! That also oriented my final choice.

@@kinonico If you want it to auto arm tracks like in the novation, you can make a options.txt file and type in enableArmOnSelection

@@mangoesDB Yes and that's what Taetro had pre-defined for this video session.

Can you adjust the sensitivity of the endless knobs? Thanks

@@jelly8594 There is an option for that yes, but not for every individual encoder, just for all of them.

@@DarkDao thank you 👍

Does changing the midi channel on the Minilab also change the midi channel on the CC? If by chance you know about this on the Launchkey or Akai as well would be great :)) This is super random but still advanced thanks if you reply haha. I found that the midi channel and knobs/pads or just keys isn't that clear across different controllers.

This was my experience as well. Seeing how you posted this a month ago have you had any buyers remorse with the novation?

i have the same question, what do you think now?

@@markburek6321 just get the arturia, its better

@@avramovixc why?

Deon Cutinha PhilGerb93 midi controllers are all the same. They dont make sounds, your computer does so its all down to build quality and amount/placement of knobs, drumpads etc. With arturia you also get about 500 presets to play with. Novation and akai’s cheap keyboards literally feel like toys.

it's totally something that I wish was on more controllers for sure!

What's the arm feature? Can't it be set up in the minilab too?

Amazing. Congrats!

exactly. I'd rather take the time to learn and practice performing live with the Minilab, than sacrifice its durability, quality, feel and adaptability for 1 more row of drum pads lol. I don't like that the Launchkey is strictly Ableton; leaves no room for growth. It's the kind of equipment that lands on Offer Up after a year.

GamingMadMan yes sure. Just midi map it to other parameters

Good choice Mate 👌

Hey ! As per what I think , You should keep it simple and get both your midi keyboard from the same brand ! Arturia is better in the bigger version as per I think