Am debating between the Arturia Keylab Mk3 (which has just landed) and the Native Instruments Kontrol S88 MK3
Which one do you think is a better fit with Gig Performer?
I like the added drum pads and sliders on the Arturia + the handy attachments like laptop plate and music stand.
I like the bigger inbuilt screen on the Native Instruments…and I think it has also the benefit of Polyphonic aftertouch and fancy coloured lights…which could help with keyswitches.
Does anyone have any experience with these two (well in the Arturia case probably the mk2)
Which is a better fit with Gig Peformer…or does it more come down to the physical buttons etc?
I am using S33 MK3 because the keybed is very good and all MIDI settings can be setup on the S88 MK3 without the need of Software running on your host machine.
BUT: The display cannot be controlled by custom MIDI messages.
It is optimized in use with a supported DAW like Ableton (I use that) or Logic or Cubase etc.
I was quite disappointed when I saw the 49 and 61 versions of the Keylab mk3. I own a Keylab 61 mk2 and was considering to get the 88 version.
The mk3 looks for me perosnally like a downgrade, as some functionality has been removed (Pads, 9 push buttons etc.)
Also the previous mk2 series is lacking of some functinality and documentation to make it a good companion for GP (e.g. LED feedback, where I did some scriptlets after reverse engineering SysEx…).
I think both keybeds of the KeyLab mk3 and the S88 mk3 are quite the same Fatar one?
Currently I stay with my Kurzweil Fortse SE which offers me the similar Fatar TP100LR and the sliders on the left side.
Otherwise, I would consider getting one of the last KeyLab 88 mk2 - there I know what I get and can reuse all the stuff I created for the KeyLab 61 Mk2 No reverse engineering again…
Peronally I don’t like the UI and sliderless panel of the S88.
What also looks interesting to me is the M-Audio Hammer 88 Pro! From what I read in the documentation this could be a better option for me, personally. However quite heavy and no real testing possibility around here. Also, it’s wider than the Arturia or my current Forte SE, as the wheels are on the left and not integrated intzo the top plate.
Both Arturia and NI design their controllers around their ecosystems, extended flexibility/support of other platforms even MIDI s very limited, maybe not wanted at all
PS: also have a look at the Studiologic SL88 mk2 which was currently released if you are OK with a limited amount of control elements!
I’m not much of a keyboard player, and have used these things only to record stuff like synth parts for backing tracks, some sound design/experimenting, so take my advice with a grain of salt please.
But I think that NKS stuff is really useful, and mk3 makes it much more usable. So if you use a lot of NI plugins, it definitely makes sense to use Kontrol hardware. There are some third party plugins that also have NKS support, and some others where NKS support was added by users, you can check NI forums.
I don’t think integration goes the other way, although I may be wrong.
That said, I never needed pads on the keyboard, I used separate (and better) hardware for that, and never needed to integrate the keyboard with anything including GP, so @tripleB’s opinion may be more relevant here depending on how you use the controllers.
I agree with @tripleB .
I too was very disappointed to see the mk3 actually has less features than the mk2 (pads/push buttons).
My current setup includes the SL88 for piano keys and the Keylab 61mkII for synth keys and the controls. I wanted to have them combined in a single keyboard, so I bought the Keylab 88mkII, but the keybed of the KL88mkII just was not right for me (I was hitting velocity 128 all the time, just unplayable), so I returned it.
My hope was that the mk3 would be the perfect candidate, but paying more money for a device with less controls just doesn’t make sense to me, especially since I am not hooked into the Arturia-verse alone.
For now I will stay with my current combo, but I do want to check out the SL88mk2 for the improved keybed. Just a pity Studiologic did not add the other controls like pads, faders, etc… (with bidirectional control!) It would be the perfect universal controller for me.
Thanks for this! Very helpful. I already have a Maschine Mikro… But did like the idea of getting drum pads built in… Not that realistically need them as a priority… The sliders on the Arturia models are also appealing…I have an X touch which has dials… But sliders look more useful in many cases. The whole thing is challenging because all of these units seem to have compromises. Maybe I’m better off sticking with my good old Roland Xp80 and custom modding it with touch screen, sliders and drum pads!
Thanks again for all the feedback…Thinking more about it… The MK2 actually seems a better deal than the Mk3… they’re now on sale. While the screen is better… us Gp users are going to be using a proper monitor anyway. What are the drum pads like on the MK2 though? Apparently they have improved a lot on the Mk3.
I think the Pads are OK - I use them more as 16 big colour lights than as real drum pads
For me and the 4-5 trigger sitiuations I use them they are OK.
I have the MK2 61 (and Essential MK3 61).
I dont find the screens any use at all. I also dont use the pads. I was surprised that Arturia took away the buttons, I find those useful.
I do everything either rin Logc/Cubase or GP, so all the deep integration with the Arturia stuff is something I dont need. It’s a bit too fiddly as well.
In terms of cost they are more attractive, but certainly not nearly as useful in terms of NKS use - very small text, most of the screen is taken by plugin splash screens.
If you’re not going to rely on NKS, there are probably cheaper options than Kontrol keyboards.
By sliders you mean faders? They aren’t motorized though, never found such things very useful, you don’t know where your setting is when you switch presets. Really prefer X-Touch kontrol knobs (or Maschine Jam sliders) for realtime controls.
^^^ This for me. Non-motorized sliders are a no-go for me. If you change a patch and the sliders don’t automatically update, you don’t know where you are. It’s MUCH worse if your software doesn’t support soft pickup (doesn’t accept a change until the slider matches the current setting in the new patch). As soon as you touch the slider, the value jumps to the position of the slider.
This is why I’ve stuck with the NI Kontrol controllers. My S61 Mk2 was working fine, but the Mk3 added polyphonic aftertouch, so I switched. More and more VIs are adding NKS support. The ability to use Kontakt directly, without having to go through Komplete Kontrol is also a plus.
If I had the space to add the S88 Mk3 in my studio, I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
When I think about it I already have
Roland xp80
Behringer x Touch controller
NI Maschine Mikro
Gig Performer for amazing everything
I did like the idea of this ‘all in one’ integration of a new midi controller…but then I may be able to “Jerry rig” them onto the xp80…aside from needing to plug in extra usb leads…and look a bit more agricultural…it could work quite well.
oh my God Arturia all day. Am currently using a Keylab mkii with my Gig Performer rig. It’s amazing. Of course, being in an 80s band and needed to manipulate all the oldschool synths and samples may not be your use case. But for me it’s a no brainer.
Plus, in terms of tactile, the semi weighted keybed is amazing. The wheels (as much as i prefer joystick over wheels, but no decent keyboard has them) are the smoothest i’ve used.
I love the pads, and I feel like everything is positioned exactly where they need to be. But, that’s just my sh1tty opinion of course!
Announced at NAMM 2025 is the Studiologic SL88 MK2 88-key MIDI Keyboard Controller. It is a MIDI 2.0 MPE controller which weighs in at 30 pounds. There is a wooden key version around 50 pounds. Its expected shipping availability is June 2025. I already have an Arturia Keylab 49 Mk2 and Crumar D9X drawbar controllers, so I have plenty of control surface options. I have a Big Bend MIDI joystick controler from Seven Mile Mountain on Etsy so I can have Korg-like X/Y joystick controller for any keyboard.
So … the Studiologic 88 Mk2 at $499 may be the perfect weighted 88 key for me since I want to reduce my Korg Nautilus 88’s weight of 62 pounds in its gig bag, to the Studiologic 88’s 30 pounds plus 7 pound gig bag.
I expect the new Fatar keybed in the Studiologic 88 Mk2 to be very nice considering its weight compared to the Korg Nautilus 88 RH3 real hammer keybed. And MIDI 2.0 communications are a bonus that Arturia is missing still yet in their Mk3.
Anyhow, planning its availability in June 2025 may help someone with timing their reviews & purchases.
No reverse engineering again…