The Build Quality
The Arturia KeyLab 88 MKII is a flagship device from Arturia. It features a Fatar TP100LR 88 note hammer action key-bed with velocity and aftertouch. Almost every button is fully customizable (Can’t seem to customize the Play, Pause buttons to be different CC programs). It also has CV/Gate connectivity for analog synths.
There are multiple assignable expression pedals, rotary knobs, faders and buttons. There are 16 backlit RGB pads with pressure and velocity sensitivity.
It has a very high quality aluminium and wood chassis.
In the box it also includes a music stand as well as a laptop stand.
Connections
Looking at the back of the unit, there are several ports. For CV, the options are Pitch Out, Gate Out, Mod 1, Mod 2. There is also Midi In, Midi Out, and inputs for Sustain, Expression, Auxiliary 1, Auxiliary 2, Auxiliary 3 and CV in.
The unit connects via USB for power or a 9-12V DC adapter. Although keep in mind, the adapter is not included when you purchase the unit.
KeyLab88 MKII vs a Digital Piano
The KeyLab88 MKII is different than a normal digital piano. It is meant to be used with software instruments and/or a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) like Cubase, Logic Pro/Mainstage and etc. You can also use an iPad Pro/Air with USB C to use some of the iPad Apps to generate sounds such as the Korg Module Pro.
In case you didn’t realize, there are no sounds natively on this device and you will not get any sound output without some kind of a device connected to it.
Software Instruments
The KeyLab88 MKII comes with its own amazing software instruments including Analog Lab, Piano V, Wurli V, and Vox Continental V. It also includes Ableton Live Lite version. The Analog Lab software includes well over 6,000 presets!
It also comes with magnetic strips to place on top so that you can see the default controls for different software (i.e. Logic Pro, Cubase, Analog V)
Size & Weight
In terms of size it is 50.9 x 12.7 x 4.4 inches and weighs about 32 pounds.
Impression
Overall, it’s a pretty great unit and very enjoyable to play. Before getting the KeyLab88 MKII, I had a Roland FP-80. While I really loved the weighted keys and feel of the Roland, it was a very heavy unit weighing in at about 52 pounds! Needless to say, the FP-80 was not ideal to carry from gig to gig. I did find that the feel was different on the KeyLab88 MKII in comparison to the FP-80. I really liked the Ivory-like feel on the Roland however the 52 pounds weight was really a pain point. The Fatar action on the Arturia is pretty good but may take some time to get used to.
The pads on the KeyLab88 MKII are decent however I find the pads on some of the Akai products to be slightly better in terms of feel. With that said I really like the RGB colours and that you can change pretty much everything via the Software. The integration with Analog V is excellent allowing you to change patches on the fly with the scroll wheel and selection buttons. You can also program Custom User settings to work with other DAWs that may not be included by default. For example, I was able to create a User setting template for MainStage and also a virtual arranger program that I frequently use called: vArranger2.
In terms of wishful thoughts for improvements – motorized faders that integrate with the software would be a real game changer especially at this price point.
