Arturia KeyLab Essential 49 MK3 Black

Arturia KeyLab Essential 49 MK3 – Black

The Arturia KeyLab Essential 49 MK3 is a 49-key USB MIDI controller keyboard built to sit at the centre of a software studio. It combines a velocity-sensitive keyboard with eight performance pads, nine encoders, nine faders and a full transport section, so melodies, drum parts, mixer moves and plug-in tweaks all happen from one surface instead of the mouse. Deep integration with major DAWs and with Arturia’s own instruments, a clear 2.5-inch display, and built-in creative tools, an arpeggiator, chord mode and scale mode, make it a working tool for writing and recording, not just a set of keys. This listing is the Black finish.

Key features

• 49 velocity-sensitive synth-action keys with pitch bend and modulation wheels
• Eight RGB-backlit pads, velocity and pressure sensitive, in two banks
• Nine rotary encoders and nine faders for plug-ins, tracks and mixer control
• 2.5-inch LCD display with context-sensitive buttons and a clickable encoder
• Arpeggiator, chord mode, scale mode and hold function built in
• Custom DAW scripts for Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase and Bitwig Studio
• USB-C connection, bus powered, with a 5-pin MIDI output for hardware
• Included software bundle with Analog Lab, Ableton Live Lite and piano instruments

Keyboard, pads and hands-on control

The 49 full-size keys respond to playing velocity for expressive performances across four octaves, with octave and transpose buttons extending the range when needed. The eight pads handle finger drumming, clip launching and sample triggering, with a second bank doubling the available pads to sixteen assignments. The nine encoders and nine faders follow a familiar mixer layout: in a supported DAW they map to track volume, pan and selected plug-in parameters automatically, and every control can be reassigned in the Arturia MIDI Control Center.

DAW and instrument integration

Dedicated integration scripts connect the controller to Ableton Live, Apple Logic Pro, Image-Line FL Studio, Steinberg Cubase and Bitwig Studio, covering transport, track selection, loop control and device parameters,. Integration with Arturia software goes further still: browsing and controlling Analog Lab from the hardware. NKS support extends the same mapped control to compatible Native Instruments and third-party instruments and effects.

Creative tools on the keyboard

The built-in arpeggiator turns held notes into patterns with adjustable rate, gate and swing, while chord mode plays full chords from single keys and scale mode keeps every note inside a chosen key, and they work over both USB and the hardware MIDI output. A single multi-function pedal input on a 6.3mm TRS jack accepts a sustain pedal, footswitch or expression pedal. The 5-pin MIDI Out also lets the keyboard drive external synths and modules without a computer in between.

Software, build and connections

The included bundle starts you playing immediately: a version of Analog Lab giving access to thousands of keyboard and synth sounds, Ableton Live Lite for recording and arranging, Native Instruments The Gentleman upright piano, UVI Model D grand piano, plus Loopcloud access and Melodics tuition trials. The controller is USB class compliant and bus powered over its USB-C port, needs no separate power supply, and measures 790 x 240 x 70mm at 2.76kg.

For producers who write in a DAW every day, the KeyLab Essential 49 MK3 in Black replaces constant mouse work with a complete, integrated control surface and keyboard in one unit.