Arturia - MiniLab MkII - Portable MIDI Controller for Music Production, with All-in-One Software Package - 25 Keys, 8 Multi-Color Pads

Product Information

The Minlab 3 also gives you the luxury of a screen to display a variety of useful info from your DAW – yet another workflow perk you don’t get with the MK2. Software bundles– Beginners will be pleased to know that the Minilab 3 has one of the best software bundles of any 25 key midi controller. This includes a subscription to LoopCloud, Ableton Live Lite& Ananlog Lab Intro– arguably one of the best sound suites out there today. There’s no doubt about it – the Arturia Minilab 3 is an ideal midi controller for any beginner. And here’s just 3 good reasons why… I have said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Arturia is amongst the best when it comes to assignable controls. Rotary knobs Combining superb controller keyboard integration, lightning-fast sound browsing, powerful combo sounds,

I would have liked to see more features, perhaps with some dedicated buttons. But, it seems limited features is the trade-off for so many assignable encoders. Velocity sensitive pads Everything about the transport controls is seamless. Navigation is fast, responsive and intuitive, be you navigating a DAW or the menus of a virtual instrument suite. With Analog Lab in particular, this controller just feels SO well integrated. A proper pleasure to use!! Alesis are masters of making budget instruments and controllers, and the V25 is a good example. Overall, it’s not as good as any others I mention in this review, but it has full-size keys, and that’s worth a lot. While there are smaller, lighter MIDI keyboards out there at the same price point, MiniLab MkII’s brawn, fit, finish, playability and general air of confidence put it in a physically superior class of its own without compromising too much on portability. On the topic of integration, the Minilab 3 gives you 4 assignable faders, which also play a huge part when integrating with Ableton Live, allowing you to change the volume, sends and pan of each clip via your controller. A feature/ level of integration you don’t get with the Launchkey Mini MK3.Given a choice, as much as I love so many encoders, I might choose to eliminate some in exchange for transport controls and a couple of function buttons. However, I’m sure that not everyone will agree with that, and it’s very much a matter of personal opinion. Connectivity 4.0 While the Akai MPK Mini gives you a set of 4 assignable buttons, the Minilab 3 gives you a set of assignable faders. No question about it though, we prefer the faders of the Minilab 3, especially when you consider just how well they integrate with Ableton Live session view. When it comes to keyfeel, the Minilab 3 is on-point. Just like the MK2, the keys are responsive, nicely weighted and enable you to inject some real expression into what you play! What’s more, they have a good spring to them too, which makes fast key changes or small runs up and down the keys super easy. Quite amazingly, this tiny little keyboard controller comes with a whopping 16 fully-assignable rotary knobs. Even more impressive is that the panel doesn’t seem overcrowded with controls. With this new Minilab having a giant number ‘3’ at the end of its name, you’re probably wondering how it compares to its predecessor. Has Arturia done a complete overhaul for the 3rd generation of the Minilab? Or have they fine-tuned the existing recipe to make the already impressive Minilab Mk2, even better?

For 95% of producers, be you a beginner or a pro after a portable controller for use ‘on the go’, the Arturia Minilab 3 is more than worth it.Despite being launched a whole year after the MPK Mini MK3, the Minilab 3 does NOT come with a ‘note repeat’ function. Yep – you’re just as confused as we are. Build quality is an area where you have to come and go a little with keyboard controllers this size. They are small and relatively cheap, so it makes no sense to manufacture them with heavy-duty materials. Plastic is pretty standard, but there’s still a significant improvement from the first generation MiniLab. At first we thought this may have just being our controller, but we’ve since heard a lot of other people saying the same thing… you do have to tap the drum pads with quite a bit of force to get sound out of them. That’s not to say you can’t achieve softer sounds with the pads – you can. It’d just have been nice to have a little more sensitivity. Both the Minilab 3 & the Launchkey Mini MK3 have 25 semi-weighted keys, which are velocity sensitive. But just like with the Akai (above), when it comes to key feel it’s no competition. The Minilab 3 steals the show. The keybed is that bit deeper & the keys themselves feel slightly larger, allowing more more expression and better control.