Arturia KeyLab 61 MkII 61-key Keyboard Controller - Black Reviews

If you have the Arturia V collection and use it a lot, then this MIDI controller is your best choice. The faders and pots are automatically mapped to the most important parameters in V collection synths so you feel like you have a hardware synth when programming sounds, way easier than programming with a mouse.

It's very sturdy and solidly built. Totally happy with my purchase.

Solid controller. It has everything you need within reach for assignable knobs/faders and a transports control. It also syncs up to Ableton live perfectly. Arturia's design is always on point, the wood panels are a great look. Thanks to my Sales Engineer, CJ for always suggesting the best gear and for providing any support I may need along the way!

Really love this thing.. it's solid and heavy, nice keybed, feels more like a synth than a controller.. love how it integrates into the Arturia software and my DAW. The software it comes with is superb. This is a great deal, highly recommend.

My son was very pleased with his birthday gift

I was looking for a replacement of my M-audio and been a customer of Arturia since 2002 and just be chance I looked at the video's and said to myself that's it, it works with all of my DAWS Sonar Platinum, Cubase Pro 12, Bandlab Cakewalk and all of the Arturia V 5,6,7,8 software, The controller are so much better now.

My first true interface, been using a MIDI Yamaha PSR prior, not everything mates. Switch to a high-end DAW and upgrades to the station warranted this purchase. Works well, a little involved getting everything talking (not just the keyboard's fault), but otherwise a very nice addition to the set. James M. was as always, awesome and the main reason I buy from y'all.

took me way too long to write this review - this controller has great build quality, great feel, simple integrations to DAWs etc and I truly love how it helps me simplify workflows.

I've had the essential keylab 88 in my songwriting suite for about two years now. Not being a keyboard player I am still learning my way around but it gets me to the sounds I need quick and it synchs to the laptop well. My laptop is not that powerful but it handles the Artutia instruments without a problem. I purchased the new version (but a demo) for my mix studio as I want to synchronize my work flow between the two. Arturia puts thousands of sounds within seconds reach to keep the creative process flowing. GP - Eccentric Musician Company of New England

Excellent quality keyboard/controller that fully integrates with the Cakewalk by Bandlab DAW (using the AZ controller plug-in).

Has exceeded my expectations

Arturia KeyLab 61 mk2... My best controller to date..

I was looking for a 61 key USB midi controller to handle my DAW and VST use..

Originally, I purchased the Arturia KeyLab 61 essentials, sight unseen... It was a great deal
with the Analog Lab software included(Over 7,000 sounds from the V-collection).
I did not like the key feel when I got delivery.. and the overall quality was like other brands
, not what I wanted..
To move up was double the cost, but the Keylab mk2 had so many benefits, I had to make the move
(again, sight unseen). When it was delivered, I was impressed with the quality, the keys felt good,
the aluminum case, the sliders, buttons, all quality.
On/off switch, midi din connections, 5 pedal inputs and cv inputs. After touch, extra pads, category buttons,
It is loaded.

Most importantly, it works flawlessly. I set it up with the Standard MCU Daw choice( MixCraft Pro 9).
It mapped perfectly.

The auto map and control with Analog Lab V works perfect. The selected parameters of control are right on..

AnalogLab's presets are good, some very good, but for me the Roland Zenology Pro (Zencore) is better.

Still the benefit from the Analog Lap/ KeyLab mk2 is a great value..

As with all of my transactions with Sweetwater... they are top rated.. Thanks to Mike Arango.

Great Key Response and included presets. I don't think for the money you could get a better controller!

I researched heavily and bought another controller, only to find out it didn't work well with my DAW. So I sent it back, disappointed. After a quite a bit more research, I decided to pull a bit more money out of my pocket this time. I LOVE this controller. It is SHARP to look at, too. The connection to Cubase was quick and easy. Not only that, the pads are solid and responsive. Love the keys, too. They are a bit more synth-style than semi-weighted, just an FYI. But they have a great feel. Analog Lab IV and V both come with it. I wasn't aware at the time because the description didn't say. Piano V2 is excellent. However, if you aren't satisfied with it, there are plenty of VSTs out there to choose from. I bought this mainly to work to lay down parts in my DAW and to compose with in scoring applications, and it does a great job. But if you are a performer this one can also be used on stage as well, since it can have another power supply. All in all, this is a great MIDI controller. You can purchase confidently.

First, thank you once again Anthony Giraldi for providing me premier service! You are the best!

This keyboard controller is everything that I could every ask for and more. I use Studio One Professional 5 and the integration between the DAW and the controller is superb.

The unit itself is built like a tank and layout of the buttons, faders and knobs is intuitive. The 61 key bed offers a very comfortable feel and accurate response. I like it better than my current workstations.

The included software is great for someone new to soft-synths that may not have a library yet. Great buy for whats included and excellent build quality.

I absolutely LOVE this controller. Very well built and easy to navigate, Definitely a must have!!

Previous to the Keylab MkII I'd had a 49 key Novation Launchkey Mk2 followed by a 49 key Novation Impulse. When I first lifted the Keylab I was seriously impressed with the build quality. It has a serious metal chassis with none of the creaking or flexing of the plastic keyboards I've used. It's also HEAVY - over 15 lbs so it's not going anywhere once you set it down. They keybed itself feels GREAT, with a far smoother aftertouch than I was used to. The faders and encoders feel solid, with smooth action, and the placement of the transport and mode controls are fairly intuitive. My band's keyboardist was impressed with the quality and heft, and he uses a Nord Electro. I also own Arturia's Beatstep Pro sequencer and Audiofuse Studio interface, and all share the same excellent build quality.

I was already invested in Arturia's V Collection, so the integration with both Analog Lab and the individual V Collection instruments was appreciated. The ability to roll through presets is handy when I don't feel like grabbing the mouse or trackpad.

Arturia's MIDI Control Center software takes a little getting used to, and may not be immediately user friendly, but it's light years above the highly frustrating "auto mapping" software that came with my previous controller. The Keylab is also far easier to program straight from the keyboard itself without software, though the sheer amount of options can make this daunting to some.

I/O is impressive, with USB and DIN MIDI (I can't stand USB-only controllers!) as as four CV outs and inputs for up to five(!) control pedals.

To the reviewer who mentioned the lack of backlighting on the pads, this was corrected in the most recent firmware update, and now there is an option to toggle pad backlighting on, though this likely comes at the cost of additional power draw when powering the unit over USB from a battery operated device. The optional power input is great, and most pedal power supplies with sufficient output will work. This is great when my band occasionally uses it as a secondary keyboard to our keyboardist's existing Nord Electro via DIN MIDI.

The placement of the pitch and mod wheels seems to be a rather polarizing thing, with some loving it and others hating it. I get along with the location well enough, and I appreciate the placement as it allows the 61 key Keylab to fit splendidly in a far less expensive Gator hard case designed for 49 key controllers. ef

I also have to give a plug to Arturia's customer support staff. The previous owner of my Keylab never un-registered it with Arturia, leaving me unable to register it on my own Arturia account. A support request and a photo of my serial number plate had that issue corrected within 24 hours of hitting "submit" on the original request. They also followed up with me to ensure my issue was corrected, as well as a survey regarding my experience with the support staff.

In summation, this is a well made, incredibly easy to play controller that I have no regrets about purchasing. In fact, I'll probably supplement it with a Keylab Essential for dual manual organ fun with Arturia's B3 and Farfisa software.

I'm loving this controller as a key piece of my studio.
I got it to better control my other Arturia soft synths. Only a few weeks in, but so far I'm impressed!

10/10 for certain. Keys are s but less weighted than i imagined but are super quality with a great feel. Connecting to Studio One with full integration took 30 seconds. Unreal easy. Integration with the entire arturia suite is perfectly mapped, plug and play. Can't believe the quality for the bucks.

This is the midi controller I've been looking for. I can't wait to unlock all of the custom features that compliment my DAW. It has a quality build, musical feel and cutting edge technology.

Keyboard and controls feel great...smooth and responsive. I love the size and weight. It feels solid while still being easily portable. Integration with Logic is easy and works great, better than any other controller I've used. Customizing user settings is simple and works great to set up more expression controllers and use the drum pads for key switching sample libraries.

I have no problem with the wheels being above the keyboard and appreciate that it makes the overall unit shorter. It fits perfectly in the 49 note keyboard bag from Gator. Some -expel have mentioned that the feel the wheels are too small, but I've been using mod wheels since 1977 and these feel good to me.

I haven't had time to actually use the Keylab, so the above 5-star rating is mostly about the Sweetwater Rep (Mark Bruhn), who's service was exemplary. If he was any more accommodating, I'd have to send more money than I paid which was of course the "right" amount, just to feel OK.

With this being my first foray into "in the box" recording after decades of doing it analog, I am also waiting for a computer to arrive. The computer was supposed to be here along with the KeyLab, but it didn't show. That's not all that surprising given what's going on...but the KeyLab DID show right on schedule.

Overall impressions upon unboxing the KeyLab is that it seems like an awfully well-built and sturdy piece. All the knobs, wheels, sliders etc have a satisfying smooth resistance that at least seems to indicate a high level of quality if you can jumnp to that kind of conclusion. ***The keybed in particular has a wonderful feel, and the key *size* is standard. I can't of course speak to the actual keyboard response to input, but I figured I would put that out there because of some reviews of this and other controllers mentioning smaller-than-usual size keys.

Anyway, so far, so very good!

Delivery from Sweetwater was a day early = awesome! Setup is easy. After setup, you can plug in and dive very deep very quick. With somewhere around 6,500 different synth, organ, piano and fx to fiddle with you'll have enough to keep you busy for a long time. I use this midi with FL Studio and it has proven to function well with this DAW.

Construction of the keyboard is solid and looks pro. The semi-weighted keys feel fantastic. The touch-sensitive pads are incredible and work flawlessly. This is the first midi keyboard that I have purchased and am floored by how powerful of a machine it is. I can control so much through FL Studio simply with the keyboard. I love it. You won't regret this purchase and especially how affordable it is.

Logic Pro X users are going to love the Arturia KeyLab mkll Keyboard Controller. I've had plenty of MIDI controllers from AKAI Pro, M-Audio, PreSonus, Korg, etc. For me, if the software isn't supported or intuitive for my DAW (Logic Pro X), I won't use it (time is money friends). This keyboard is built like a tank. The transports, Faders, Pads and the overall feel of it is very satisfying. Nothing says go like a tool that gets out of your way and helps to set your focus on performances, not on over complicated setups or lengthy technical support calls. I have the black 61 key version and I play it daily. It replaced an AKAI Pro MPK 88. It's the logical choice for Logic Pro X users (I had to go there folks). Can you tell that I love it? Jack.

For years I've put off setting up a Midi Studio because of the complications us 'old school' folks run into. Today, with the integration of Arturia's 'V' software, MKII keyboard and Reaper DAW, I'm fully integrated into the Midi world. Without the MKII, and Arturia's modeled vintage keys, I wouldn't be here. The MKII is full of features that are easily accessible and the keyboard is everything I ever wanted. I tried using the 'V' collection with a different controller- it worked fine, but the MKII is seamless in every way. All the spectacular features are at my fingertips, it's a quality unit, touch is exactly what I expected. My only issue is that the keys have somewhat sharp edges when the keyboard is elevated (2nd level) only workstation and it is noticeable when moving quickly during solos. Other than that, this is the REAL DEAL. Totally awesome engineering. LOVE IT.

After much research and discussion with David Mikautadze of the Sweetwater team I decided to pick up this fine controller to be used with Studio One. Integration with the DAW is basic but beneficial and trouble free. It works very well with the included software package, Analog Lab 4, which I was previously using and Piano V is stunning...really nice.
What I really like is the overall quality of the Arturia. Build quality is outstanding. Knobs, faders and keys feel really nice and make it a joy to play...and just to look at!
I have been in touch with Arturia support to confirm operation and can say that they were fast to respond, personable, professional and answered my questions completely.
Thanks to David and Sweetwater.

I was looking for a new keyboard controller and my Sales Engineer, the excellent Mike Soper, recommended the KeyLab mkII 61. He told me that the build quality is excellent (which is true) and that it was the controller that he used (a great endorsement). So I bought one and I love it! It's a solid, easy to install and use, well supported product by an excellent company (Arturia).

What he didn't tell me about was the thousands of amazing sounds it comes with. The many piano and organ sounds are most excellent, and the synth sounds are just off-the-charts cool and useful.

Thanks, Mike - I appreciate you, man!

After lots of research, I decided to to with the Arturia Key Lab 61 mk2 to put the finishing touches (for now!) on my Music Technology Lab in my Elementary\Middle School Music class , along with Ableton Live 10 Suite and the Push 2. What won me over was the seamless integration between the Key Lab 61 mk2 and Ableton Live 10. What I didn't expect was how amazing the Analog Lab V bundle that came with the Key Lab would be. This collection of iconic synths, organs and pianos is INCREDIBLE! My students spend every chance they get exploring and enjoying the Analog Lab's amazing sounds. When you add the great manufacturing quaility (the housing is aluminium and wood, no cheap plastic here!), playability, ease of use and affordable cost, you can't go wrong with this great product. I expect I'll be buying the Key Lab 81 mk2 for the next music lab station!

Build quality and feel are great. Integration with Analog Lab and Ableton Live are really intuitive. You can get a workflow going that is similar to working on a synth. The computer does what it does best - computing and sleek GUIs - and the controller has all the tactile controls mapped. The pads work well. I wish they were oversized, but they work fine for drums and chords. All the buttons are laid out properly and there are no useless bells and whistles. Pitch and Mod wheels are also legitimate. The keyboard has aftertouch and built in chord mapping, which is easy to use. The MIDI Control Center works well and there is no unnecessary software.

I currently own the Collection V. It's a really powerful ecosystem when you pair this controller with the Collection. It's honestly what I had been looking for. It's immensely powerful to have access and control over so many vintage synths and keyboards. There are some areas of improvement on the software side, but Arturia's support has been pretty helpful and receptive to feedback. I'm hoping the next few updates will resolve some bugs and ease the CPU burden a bit. The controller must be paired up with the software for the magic to happen. If you are on the market for a midi and software solution that will speed up workflow and get your feet wet with some analog emulation, this is the most complete solution available.

I'm not a pro but I have had a number of keyboards. This is probably the best of them with respect to touch (and aftertouch) - nice sensitivity. The various modes (Analog Lab, DAW, User) work well. I've used Reaper and Cubase as DAW's and they work as expected. If you watch YouTube videos you'll see this keyboard a lot, and it deserves it. Very happy with the purchase and of course Sweetwater as well.

I read many reviews on this controller before I made the purchase. I agree with most everything. The board is built very well and I really like the keybed. The controller works fantastic with the Arturia software. I'm very impressed! I have used other controllers in the past and there are always glitches with assigning knobs or using the macros. Easy plug and play and the software sounds excellent. I use mostly the Mini Moog plug-in for live gigs. I set up my song list and use the "Go On Stage" function and I never need to look at my computer after that. It's well thought out for live performance. My only suggestion to Arturia would be the control knobs. I would gladly pay a little more for a better quality knob. They feel a little cheap and I'm not sure how they are going to hold up over time. One other suggestion and this is just personal preference, it would be nice to have the controller knobs and faders on the left side of the controller. It's kind of a bummer to cross your left hand over your right hand when soloing to ride the volume knob or adjust faders. Sweetwater...this company is the best!! Tech support, personal service....hands down the best!!!

I really like this controller. I wanted a synth action controller, and the feel is really nice, sturdy, and responsive. Velocity is great and can be tailored to your playing. Aftertouch is great too and doesn't need an elephant's weight to trigger it. The MIDI controller features are great, mapping controls to VST functions is a snap (I'm using Cubase Pro 10.5 on a PC) and it is a joy to use. The pads are fantastic for drumming, feel great. Overall, I really like this controller and would recommend it. As always, Sweetwater customer service is phenomenal.

Looks great, feels great and works wonderfully within my DAW. Took a little bit of independent research to figure out how to properly get it set up in Studio One, but has been smooth ever since! There's actually a lot of really good software included too. Piano V2 and Mini V3 are amazing!

I'm comparing this keyboard to NI Komplete Kontrol S61 MKII.

The pros:
1. Works totally as a standalone midi controller.
2. Has lots of pedal inputs.
3. The inclusion of faders & pads is superb.
4. Key action: Although I believe both NI & Arturia bring their keybeds from Italian brand "Fatar". The keybed in Arturia's KeyLab MKII is much more softer, lighter but surely nice to play with. The keys are flowing smoothly.
5. The Controller editor software offers lots of options and configurations.
6. Supports Mackie Universal Control, which works perfectly with FL Studio 20.
7. It has a real sexy look, the low profile design is so classy, the wooden side panels look authentic, the chassis itself looks solid and reliable.
8. Its price, for what it offers, it's really affordable.

The cons:
1. The pitch / Mod wheel location!! Personally I really hate the idea of putting the mod / pitch wheel above the keys.
2. If there's an option to have the pads RGB lights turned on, that would be great. It's too dark!

For the cons,Arturia surely can do something toward those points.
But all in all, this product is amazing. Highly recommended.

This controller lives up to the hype, and works exceptionally well with the included software (which, btw, turned out to be the latest/current versions of the ones listed (as of May 2019); so it's Analog Lab 4 (not 3), Ableton Live Lite 10 (not 9), and Piano V2). Given their size, the Arturia software "takes a minute" to download, but everything took, and both the DAW and the Analog Lab 4 (AL4) software recognized the KeyLab mkII immediately. The key bed feels excellent, the overall look is handsome, and the entire keyboard is solid and well-constructed; while it has a nice heft to it and feels "substantial," it isn't overweight by any means. You could gig with this with no issues.

For a short time, I had an issue where the center jog wheel & arrow buttons selected every other preset in AL4, regardless of type; turns out, after a quick e-mail to Arturia support, to have been a software issue in AL4, not the controller (or its settings) itself--and all I had to do was delete the .tmp files for the KeyLab to select any and every preset I wanted. As with anything software-based, there's a learning curve, but that's minimal with AL4 in particular; pretty intuitive if you watched any of the videos out there. Thanks to my software engineer, Chris Ishak, as well; give him a shout at ext. 1717 if you need good advice.

This just arrived today. Carefully opened the box, and was surprised that 15 pounds of keyboard felt like a substantially heavier / bigger build keyboard.

- Twice the price of a demo Essential 61 keyboard (also twice as heavy)
- Immediate recognition of Arturia software / hardware connectivity (as I already owned the V Collection, the Solina V immediately loaded the Welcome Strings patch)
- Great feel to the keyboard, not too heavy on the touch / not too light
- Faders / Knobs have good control feel to them, no cheapness here

I'll put the keyboard through its paces when I get home, but I am already impressed. 4.5 Stars simply because there's more that I need to try out before giving it 100% rating.

Wish I had bought this before I bought two Reface keyboards, but I'm not sending those back.

My Korg Triton was my keyboard until it started shorting out and a couple of keys stopped working ... I search for the best solution for my sons situation ... I found this Arturia ... they were a lil slick with the advertisement ... We use FL Studio for production ... Protools for recording ... reasons ... and ableton live sometimes ... the website says it was compatible with FL Studio but thru mackie control ... thats not bad ... but I expected magnetic overlays for FL ... the 16 drum pads are nice ... I come from owning the MPC 3000 so I know good drum pads ... the keys are ok ... kinda on par with the Triton keys ... jus a lil under ... a very lil ... but the ability to map colors ... faders ... knobs to whatever u want ... i love ... The weight is crazy ... it may be heavier than the Triton ... feels well built ... knobs feel a lil cheesy ... jus started really messing around with it ... but so far I really like this board

The Keylab 1 MKII is a good solid midi controller. It actually weighs something, where many of the more plastic controllers are very light. When you're banging on keys, the weight is a good thing.

The included SW is nice. The Pianos and organs sound really good. The integration of the keyboard with the SW makes it very easy to treat it like a synth with a big control window.

Some of the review comments mentions smaller keys. They are actually the same basic size as most synth keys, which are slightly smaller than full size piano keys. But the biggest difference that I can see between my old SY85 keys and the Arturia keys is the width of the white keys in the area between the black keys. The regular part of the white keys are the same width as the SY85 keys, and the gaps between the white keys are sufficiently tight. But the narrow part of the white keys between the black keys are 1/16" narrower than the SY85 keys. You can see down through the gap between the white keys and the black keys there, where on a piano or the SY85, they're almost line to line. It makes no usable difference at all, it's just a visual thing that's looks like sloppy design. I can live with it just fine, but I can see how that would annoy people.

They refer to the keys as "semi-weighted" instead of "synth action". I would have to argue that there is no semi-weighting at all, the keys have very little mass, they're just a little bit stiffer sprung. The keys feel a bit spongy, I much prefer my old synths key feel, but I can adapt.

I bought this to hit the basics with premium construction and it does that pretty well.

The GOOD: Housing? Solid. Keys? Tight, snappy, responsive, light touch, good for general VI and synth work. Pitch and mod wheels? ...metal and precise enough for vibrato at mid-point. Knobs? Endless rotary, smooth / no detents. Pads? Very responsive and makes for a good lightshow. Buttons? Clicky, uniform actuation. All the rest? Don't know, haven't used. Assignments for MIDI are fully configurable from the software, not sure about Mackie control or whatever else for DAW commands.

The BAD:Half-Dampener CC64? Nope, binary on/off only. Aftertouch? Worse than a Roland, you gotta mash it hard.

Pros: maps easily to Arturia V Collection and Ableton transport controls. Aftertouch, velocity, CV. Metal chassis.

Cons: keys are slimmer than the Fatar keys I'm used to on my Matriarch/Sub37. Knobs and sliders feel cheap. Pitch and mod wheels are small and above the keyboard.

Overall, it's pretty decent. The slim keys trip me up a little, but I think this is better than most other MIDI keyboards I've played.

If one of the reasons you are thinking of buying the Arturia Keylab MKII is that it's Keybed is listed as Semi Weighted.

Guess what.

It's not.

My Kurzweil PC3K6 is Semi Weighted so I know what a Semi Weighted Keybed feels like.

The User Manual states that it has a Synth Action Keybed
and that's exactly what it feels like. Pretty good synth action but not Semi Weighted.

Excellent DAW Controller integration.

Definitely a "me" thing, but I just don't get the thinking behind this keyboard bed at all. The tech and aesthetic of this controller is truly awesome. Like, phenomenal. The integration with Logic and Ableton is outstanding. They'v clearly thought through simplifying work flow. The controller layout is great, and the overall look is sexy AF.

And then it's like they put four donut tires on a Maserati with this keybed.

I gotta have a playable feel. In a perfect world, I'd be using this as a second key for live stuff and that's where this sucker falls short. The diving board keys turned out to be the deal-breaker. Had no feel. Seemed cheap and fragile. Was catching corners on the simplest riffs. Even had a stuck key out the box. This did not feel like a keybed built to last. And that shorter 5.5" bed (vs 6") was a problem. Again, for me.

So bummed, as this controller literally checked EVERY other box -- except playability. They ever make one with a waterfall bed, I'll dive back in (pun intended).

The good is that the metal chassis and mod/pitch wheels are great and overall build quality, but unlike its big 88 key brother, it does not have weighted keys, or like the description says even semi-weighted keys, they are as synth like as you can get, my Akai mini 25 key has keys that are closer to semi-weighted than this, and they are advertised as synth keys, and this nowhere near my m-audio code 61 that it was meant to replace in terms of a semi weighted keybed. I'm not sure if I'm keeping it at this point or not, bit of a let-down to be honest.

On my keyboard C1 key has bad sensitivity, need to push a way harder than other keys or it will be silent. Some pads also have different sensitivity. Knobs and faders are plastic feeling. Otherwise it is a good solid gear. Works in Reaper

^^^disappointing.. would be five star but..

also no arppegiator. No sequencing. All in all a good controller. The lack of these should be underlined for those of us who didn't catch it in the item description. Maybe better wait for mkiii these fixed with possible mpe support? Thx arturia.

Keybed started to click or "ting" on a couple of the keys after very little use, so I called support. They had me send the keyboard back (at my cost, which is of course the process). So now I have to spend more money on sending practically a brand new keyboard back to be checked by Arturia. They check it and send it back. It comes back to me and it still gave the same sound on the keybed. Now more keys are starting that "click" or whatever it is. I'm now wishing I'd saved my money and continued to save for an 88-key controller like I originally planned.