However, most users are likely to use the KeyLab with its bundled Analog Lab software, which can run as a standalone program for live use or as a plugin with any DAW. The array of controls on its surface-one modulation wheel, one pitch bend wheel, two banks of 10 encoders, nine faders, one volume knob, and 10 assignable switches-give users enough options to map an assortment of sound-editing functions, and setting up custom MIDI maps is expedited by Arturia’s MIDI Control Center, a handy piece of included software that allows users to quickly edit and save their parameters.
The KeyLab 49 can be used simply as a standalone controller for any DAW, and in this context, it excels. The 32-digit LCD screen is bright and easy to read from all angles, while the 16 pads on the side are perfectly suitable for MPC-style finger drumming, and can be easily programmed to play chords. The same can be said for the keys themselves, which boast velocity sensitivity, aftertouch, and the right combination of weight and quick response. The real wood sides add a warm touch that most plastic keyboards can’t compete with, while the buttons, sliders, and knobs all feel substantial and sturdy. Unboxing the KeyLab 49 (the model we used for this review) immediately hints at Arturia’s goals-the controller is fairly heavy, solidly built, and elegantly designed. It’s an expanded take on the smaller, more portable Minilab, and a new contender in a crowded field of MIDI controllers seeking to break down the barriers between software sound design and tactile control. Arturia’s feature-packed MIDI controllers come bundled with the Analog Lab software-which includes 5,000 sounds from its various instrument emulations-and offer 25-, 49-, and 61-key versions of the product. But the brand has not forsaken those who prefer the flexibility and ease of use that virtual instruments bring, having recently unveiled its KeyLab series. While French company Arturia is maybe best known for its Analog Classic VSTs (faithful recreations of vintage synthesizers that are often heralded as sounding like near clones of their original versions), it nonetheless turned heads when it jumped into the world of analog instruments with the small-but-substantial MiniBrute and the even more compact MicroBrute.
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