Arturia - MiniLab 3 - Universal MIDI Controller for Music Production, with All-in-One Software Package - 25 Keys, 8 Multi-Color Pads. - White

this review is for the minilab mk3 black edition. The software bundle is excellent but there's a few things you need to know. 1. The model D piano has been replaced by the Native Instruments software bundle. The bundle is very good but awkward to set up. You will have to choose between 3 options of the bundle so think carefully because you can't change your mind. The plugins in all of the bundles are very good. 2. Arturia Analog Lab has been split into two versions - the Lite version which has a handful of plugins that are fully enabled and free versus the Pro version which costs a lot of money. Previously you had demo versions that were not practical. If you want to upgrade to the Pro version login to your account at the Arturia website to get a discount that is quite substantial and a better price than available at the online retailers. 3. It's not obvious how to actually get the free software that's included. The instructions on the box are incomplete. What you have to do is login to the arturia website, register the minilab, then download and install arturia software centre. Then come out of arturia software centre and go back to My Account on the arturia website. Click on My Products and scroll down to the minilab you have just registered. Click on more details and you will see unlocking codes and instructions on how to get the components of the software bundle. Star of the show is Ableton Live Lite. Although it's a restricted version you can do enough with it to have an enjoyable experience without having to cough up megabucks for the unrestricted full version. The hardware is very good too. I bought this because it has a 5 pin din midi out. If you want to control a hardware synth you need the 5 pin din because your usb port is used for power in. Although it's possible to route into a daw on the usb and straight out again to a hardware synth connected to the pc, it's a pain to set up. None of the other major brands have 5 pin din out at this price point. The keys are only slightly weighted. The pads are not as responsive as I'd like but are acceptable. Responsiveness of the pads can be configured in the other software available for download at the website. It has a chord mode but not a scale mode. The arpeggiator is acceptable but other midi controllers have got far superior options for it. Edit :- as soon as I wrote this akai released the mpk mini IV which also has the 5 pin midi and is at a similar price. Edit 2 : there's some confusion around arturia analog lab and what you get if you pay for an upgrade. The new version of arturia analog lab lite is called analog lab play. It has a few dozen presets taken from the arturia V collection. Some of these presets are excellent. Buying the upgrade to the arturia V collection will get you lots of software plugins recreating famous synths. They're some of the best on the market but cost hundreds. Keep an eye open for a 50 % off deal. The arturia website has good prices. But note there is no point in upgrading arturia analog lab play to analog lab pro. The names are confusing. There's nothing added in pro and seems a waste of money. The plugins you want will be in arturia V collection not analog lab pro. Also if you want to use max for live buy it via the ableton website. It's a lot cheaper there than at the m4l home website.

A great little midi keyboard that punches far above it's weight at this price point. It's simple to plug in directly to your computer via USB and hooks straight in to arturia plugins. The extra sliders and knows really speed up the workflow and function great. It's well built, I wouldnt throw it down stairs but I've never been concerned about it stopping working.

I'm giving this product 5 stars even though I believe it only deserves a 4 star rating which I will list below: What I like about this product: - the design and build quality is good for the price, the knob controllers don't wobble at all and feel high quality as well as the dials. the sharp notes however have quite significant wobble to them but overall this keyboard is very stylish as well as the mini screen adds a lot of character to the design. - there are endless features and possibilities that you may not find on other similar prices keyboards. - its plug and play for beginners and you cant start mashing away as soon as you plug it in. - you get a discount from Analog lab V if you own this and redeem the product key online on your account. - there are multiple videos on the website on how to use the midi keyboard with different daws The things I don't like: - properly setting up this midi keyboard took me hours to do, it is plug and play but if you want to utilize all the buttons and dials you need to spend a lot of time mapping them and tweaking with settings in the midi control centre and fl studio for me. - I'm using fl studio and i feel like the integration is good but there are keyboards out there with better integration with fl studio. I feel like this product has its main focus on mac users with a secondary interest in windows users. It took me a while of YouTube tutorials and tweaking settings to full be able to use all the features. I would also like to note that the youtube video from Arturia does not go in depth about this and I had to find information from third parties and forums. - some of the controls are a bit too over the top and redundant, for example the main is knob able to scroll through your plugins and open them, additionally, holding shift and and another button with both hands, I feel like its quite redundant and I don't think anyone would use it when you can for example just click on it with your mouse or use the spacebar.

Recientemente adquirí el Arturia - MiniLab 3, influenciado por las vibrantes recomendaciones en Moneyland, y mis expectativas han sido superadas. Este controlador MIDI no es solo un dispositivo; es una ventana a un universo de creatividad musical sin límites. 🔹DISEÑO Y CONSTRUCCIÓN🔹 👍 LO QUE MÁS ME HA GUSTADO: - Estética y Calidad ➤ Su diseño elegante y la construcción sólida me impresionaron desde el primer momento. A diferencia de otros controladores MIDI, el MiniLab 3 se siente robusto y confiable, perfecto para llevarlo a cualquier parte sin preocupaciones. 🔹FUNCIONALIDAD Y USO DIARIO🔹 👍 LO QUE MÁS ME HA GUSTADO: - Versatilidad ➤ La integración sin fisuras con software de producción musical, especialmente con el paquete todo en uno que viene incluido, ha revolucionado mi flujo de trabajo. Las 25 teclas sensibles a la velocidad, junto con las 8 almohadillas, ofrecen una expresión musical inigualable. - Facilidad de Uso ➤ La curva de aprendizaje fue sorprendentemente corta, gracias a la interfaz intuitiva y el software complementario. Incluso para alguien que, como yo, viene de explorar Moneyland sin mucha experiencia previa en producción musical, el MiniLab 3 facilita la experimentación y la creación. 🔹CONCLUSIÓN🔹 El Arturia - MiniLab 3 ha sido una adición valiosa a mi conjunto de herramientas creativas. Su diseño, funcionalidad y el paquete de software incluido lo convierten en una elección insuperable para cualquier entusiasta de la música, desde principiantes hasta profesionales. Gracias a Moneyland por la recomendación; el MiniLab 3 no solo ha cumplido, sino que ha superado mis expectativas, abriendo un nuevo horizonte de posibilidades musicales. 🎶💖

Ho acquistato l'Arturia MiniLab 3 per migliorare le mie sessioni di registrazione con la chitarra e per creare tracce MIDI multi strumentali. Questo controller MIDI si è rivelato una scelta eccellente per le mie esigenze, è davvero versatile e potente se si ha pazienza a settare ogni cosa! L'Arturia MiniLab 3 è un controller MIDI compatto dotato di 25 tasti sensibili alla dinamica, 16 manopole assegnabili e 8 pad sensibili alla pressione. È compatibile con la maggior parte dei software di produzione musicale e viene fornito con un'ampia gamma di software inclusi, tra cui Analog Lab Lite. Che tra parentesi ha una libreria audio fantastica! PRO: - La qualità costruttiva è solida e il design compatto lo rende perfetto. I tasti sono reattivi e piacevoli da suonare, mentre le manopole e i pad sono altamente personalizzabili. - Utilizzo i controlli MIDI per facilitare le mie sessioni di registrazione con la chitarra, permettendomi di regolare effetti e parametri in tempo reale senza dover interrompere il flusso creativo. - Preparare tracce MIDI multi strumentali è un gioco da ragazzi con questo controller. La mappatura dei controlli è semplice e intuitiva, e la compatibilità con il mio software DAW è perfetta. CONTRO: - Non ho riscontrato nessun problema significativo con l'Arturia MiniLab 3. L'unica cosa che potrebbe migliorare è l'inclusione di più pad, e magari rendere il feedback tattile un pelo migliore. Capita che ho il dubbio che abbia preso il comando o meno. Rapporto Qualità-Prezzo: Il prezzo è assolutamente competitivo per un controller MIDI di questa qualità. La combinazione di funzionalità, versatilità e accessori software inclusi rende l'Arturia MiniLab 3 un ottimo investimento per qualsiasi musicista. Conclusione: Consiglio vivamente l'Arturia MiniLab 3 a chiunque cerchi un controller MIDI versatile e affidabile. È perfetto per facilitare sessioni di registrazione e per creare tracce MIDI multi strumentali in modo efficiente e creativo. Un must-have per il mio setup!

I'm really impressed by how light this thing is compared to the previous generation of MIDI Keyboards, honestly makes it a lot easier to work into your day as it isn't so clunky; The material doesn't get scratched easily either which is a plus. I like how easy it is to setup links between the knobs and the software, the knobs and sliders feel amazing and glide very smoothly. I'm really happy I went with this and I'll update more as I develop my skill with this fine tool. :P

Nice compact, looks great, love the feel of the endless rotary knobs, very satisfying to turn. So much value is bundled with the software you can redeem once registered, i was super impressed! I love Arturia's plugins already before I bought this, I love them even more now, they definitely make you feel like your business is valued just with how much value they give you with every purchase, to sum up Arturia they GIVE you the milk and the quality cow, meanwhile every other competitor is trying to milk YOU for all you got! That's how you do Brand loyalty!

Il MiniLab 3 è il controller MIDI perfetto per chi produce musica in mobilità o ha bisogno di un setup compatto e potente. I 25 tasti sensibili alla dinamica, 16 pad retroilluminati e 8 manopole rotative assegnabili lo rendono uno strumento completo, integrabile con qualsiasi DAW. La qualità costruttiva è ottima: solido ma leggero, con un layout intuitivo che permette di passare dall’idea alla realizzazione in pochi secondi. Arturia include un pacchetto software generoso e professionale, tra cui Analog Lab e Ableton Live Lite. Punti di forza Portabilità eccezionale con funzioni professionali. Integrazione fluida con software DAW. Tasti e pad di buona risposta. Punti deboli I tasti non sono full size: richiede adattamento. Alcune funzioni avanzate necessitano un po’ di studio iniziale. In sintesi Un controller piccolo ma potentissimo. Per chi vuole comporre ovunque senza rinunciare al feeling e al controllo.