Arturia Keylab Essential 49 Midi Controller Video Review

See why we think the Keylab Essential 49 is one of the best MIDI controllers available on the market today.

The versatility, software bundle, and low price point of the Arturia Keylab Essential 49 MIDI controller makes it an excellent choice for anyone looking to expand what their home studio is capable of doing.

A good MIDI controller has many features that allow you to get the exact sound that you are looking for. The features of the Arturia Keylab Essential 49 include:

  • Performance controls: Bend, modulate, and transpose your sounds by semitones or full octaves.
  • Intelligent chord feature: Quickly create full arrangements
  • Dedicated MIDI channel control
  • Eight dual-purpose, backlit pads for making beats and for mapping options
  • MCU/HUI protocol for controlling your DAW
  • Screen and analog lab remote
  • Pre-mapped knobs and faders
  • 49 note velocity-sensitive keyboard
  • MIDI out
  • Sustain pedal input
  • USB connectivity
  • Optional DC power
  • Compatible with Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, FL Studio, Bitwig, Cubase, Ableton Live, Digital Performer, and Studio One
Video Review of Arturias Keylab Essential 49 Midi Controller
Video Review of Arturia's Keylab Essential 49 Midi Controller 4

All of these features make the Keylab Essential 49 incredibly versatile.

Where the Arturia keylab 49 Essential really shines is how Arturia designed it to integrate into the V Collection Series of instruments. An assortment of those sounds come preloaded with theArturia 49 when you purchase it.

The V Collection Series is a fantastic sounding pack to pair with the Arturia controller. They are all emulations of classic gear. What’s really amazing is that they have automatically mapped out the control parameters for each sound onto the sliders and knobs on the Arturia Keylab Essential 49 keyboard controller.

It is truly “plug and play” and that gets you to creating music sooner. You are also able to subscribe to the full library of over 6000 sounds over on Splice. The MIDI controller has basic control center software.

This lets you fine tune the Arturia Lab to exactly what you want.You can change the mapping of any and every button, key, knob, or slider easily. The sound library and integration is a key feature of the Essential 49.

The problem with many MIDI controllers that have this many features is that they are often quite expensive. This is not the case with Arturia controllers. The Arturia 49 Keylab starts at a very reasonable USD$199.

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