Arturia KeyLab 88 MK3 Review: A heavyweight MIDI Controller that nails the detailsArturia’s Lab range covers every size and configuration you’ll likely need in a MIDI controller. From the backpack-friendly MicroLab through the MiniLab and to the full-size keys of KeyLab 88, it’s an industry leader for good reason.
Now comes the most substantial offering in the range to date: the KeyLab 88 MK3, an all-in-one control solution with a quality keybed designed to live in front of your DAW. Arturia promises it will “enhance every aspect of your music-making process, from integrating effortlessly with your DAW to supporting musical ideation.” The controller shares much with the KeyLab Essential 88 MK3, but — as the €600 increase in price might imply — it pulls out all the stops when it comes to flagship functionality.
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The most conspicuous differences between the Essential 88 MK3 and the 88 MK3 lie in the physical. The former weighs around eight kilograms, while the latter weighs almost double, a whopping 15 kilograms. Yes, you may need a friend to help you unbox this one — it’s simply massive. Whatever its application, the KeyLab 88 MK3 can operate without the need for extra surfaces— an often overlooked aspect when it comes to using instruments and computers together.
Arturia KeyLab 88 MK3. Image: Arturia
The build quality is gorgeous: a sturdy enclosure with wooden sides and firmly mounted controls. Arturia also offers a set of wooden legs for the 88 MK3, sold separately, which together complete a rather gorgeous aesthetic.
Incredibly, the whole thing is bus-powered over USB-C, which feels completely improbable but is a welcome surprise. Another welcome aspect of the KeyLab 88 MK3’s connectivity is the presence of a DIN MIDI input and output, meaning DAW-less use with all manner of gear, old and ne,w is very much on the table, helped along by the inclusion of an alternate 12V DC power input. Beyond the expected sustain pedal input, there’s capacity for a variable expression pedal and not one but two Aux pedal inputs, which can be assigned to any MIDI CC number or tasks such as program changes and note commands. We’re unlikely to find anyone needing more foot-based control than that.
Much of the KeyLab 88 MK3’s weight is due to its fully-weighted Fatar TP/110 hammer-action keybed, whose quality I cannot fault. Weighty, responsive and impeccably expressive; whether for simple melodies and gestures or complex passages by virtuosic keys players, it does not disappoint. Keyboard quality was clearly a design priority here and has paid off magnificently, easily measuring up to that of any other electric keyboard on the market. It even has aftertouch, adding a whole other dimension of playability. The aftertouch, importantly, doesn’t conflict with the more ‘conventionally’ playable aspects of the keyboard yet is still incredibly responsive, which is crucial since of course the 88 MK3 is intended to serve legions of instruments— synths, organs, sampler instruments, you name it— not just hammer-action instruments like acoustic or electric piano.
Arturia KeyLab 88 MK3. Image: Arturia
Moving to the controls, not dissimilar to Arturia’s AstroLab, they centre around a colour screen and rotary encoder, though this time these are thankfully adjacent to one another and not combined. KeyLab 88 MK3 has 12 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads — these are not only impeccably built and solid to the touch, they are also exceptionally responsive to pressure and velocity, with the onboard screen providing live value readouts to boot.
A few other performance-friendly features are also available via dedicated buttons on the left of the panel, such as a multi-mode arpeggiator, chord mode, scale mode and hold, each of which also calls up handy colour graphics on screen for customisation.
It’s refreshingly simple to get things up and running…The fewer keyboard and mouse involved, the better, and in this respect, the KeyLab 88 MK3 really succeeds in streamlining these things.
The other side of the panel houses nine faders and nine 360º potentiometers. Once again, these demonstrate impressive build quality, being firm to the touch and with pleasant resistance during travel. Tremendously useful is the fact that all of these are capacitive, meaning that just resting a finger on any knob or fader will lead the screen to display its value and parameter. It’s a great function at best, but it is flawed. Alternately touching every control and checking the screen to find one function (which may or may not be mapped) becomes tedious after a while, and this only becomes more pronounced when it comes to DAW control. Given the premium status— and price— of the KeyLab 88 MK3, I cannot help but long for mini displays next to each one, as capably demonstrated by units like the MidiPlus UP DAW controller, which would do away with all of that tedium.
Arturia KeyLab 88 MK3. Image: Arturia
Beyond its physical attributes, the true test of a USB MIDI controller is in its software integration. Upon startup, the KeyLab 88 MK3 presents options for DAW mode, Arturia mode (specifically for integration with Analog Lab and Arturia software instruments) and User mode (for custom presets).
It ships with a generous raft of software, including Arturia’s Analog Lab Pro, a handful of Arturia’s V Collection instruments, Ableton Live Lite, Loopcloud and more, but more notable are the downloadable scripts for mapping the KeyLab 88 MK3 onto the workflow of your DAW. Current scripts offer deep integration with FL Studio, Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Logic Pro and Cubase, but Pro Tools’ absence from this list will likely come as a disappointment to many. Other DAWs can still be controlled thanks to the KeyLab 88 MK3’s compatibility with MCU/HUI control, and hopefully, more custom DAW scripts will come to be incorporated.
I test out the KeyLab 88 MK3 with Logic Pro, and once the appropriate script is downloaded, it’s refreshingly simple to get things up and running. With just a couple of boxes to check, in no time I’m getting into the rhythm of using things like transport buttons to interface with the DAW seamlessly and enjoyably, as well as Solo, Mute, Loop and Record. The fewer keyboard and mouse involved, the better, and in this respect, the KeyLab 88 MK3 really succeeds in streamlining these things.
Arturia KeyLab 88 MK3. Image: Arturia
The faders and potentiometers can adjust track levels and panning, and their build quality certainly adds to the tactile experience. The central encoder is used to swiftly scroll between tracks, while arrows above the transport buttons increment the playhead forwards and backwards through the session. I’m a puzzled as to why these controls are not configured the other way around, since it would seem that using the encoder as a jog wheel and pressing buttons to switch back and forth between tracks would be more natural.
Other curiosities also persist. For instance, Fader 9 always controls the level of the selected track, yet it is never clear which tracks the other eight would control, with no such label displayed on screen in the way it is for parameters on a virtual instrument. Disappointingly, at times it simply feels easier to reach for the mouse.
The KeyLab 88 MK3 is, of course, ready and waiting to interface with Arturia’s own software instruments, and it generally does this well. All you need to do is select a track in your DAW that has an Arturia plugin active, and the screen will come to life to display the instrument concerned, much like the AstroLab does. You can then scroll through instrument presets from the panel of the keyboard itself, almost as if playing a standalone instrument (another welcome AstroLab-style inclusion), as well as use the faders and potentiometers to adjust controls. I discovered, though, that not all Arturia software instruments, for instance, the MiniFreak V, seem to be recognised by the KeyLab 88 MK3 in this way. A firmware teething issue? Perhaps, but it is one of a handful of ways in which the KeyLab 88 MK3 leaves a little to be desired in the DAW department.
Despite one or two growing pains, the KeyLab 88 MK3 still manages to do what it sets out to do, which is bring a gorgeous keyboard-playing experience to any computer-based setup and tie together all manner of workflows in one elegant package. It not only facilitates generous amounts of control over your session, but it is such a pleasure to play that it will let you max out the potential of your plugins, even more than you think.

Arturia KeyLab 88 MK3. Image: Arturia
Key features
88-note, fully-weighted Fatar TP/110 keybed with aftertouch
USB-C MIDI and bus power (alternate 12v DC powering with optional power adapter)
Pitch bend and modulation wheels
Sustain, Expression and two Aux pedal ports
MIDI in/out sockets
9 faders
9 360º potentiometers
12 drum/sample pads
DAW transport controls
3.5-inch colour screen with multipurpose buttons
Advanced integration with FL Studio, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Bitwig Studio
Software bundle included
Comes with laptop plate, music holder, USB-C to USB-A cable
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