 This video is sponsored by DistroKid. Follow the VIP link in the description down below to get 7% off an already amazing price to distribute your music to the world. Probably the worst thing about the Arturia KeyLab Essential 88 Mark III, apart from its really long name, is getting its long keyboard into the frame. Hi folks, I'm Mike, and I hope you're well. When it comes to absolutely essential items for your home studio, there's not that many on the list. However, a MIDI controller keyboard comes pretty close, and whilst not absolutely essential, it does provide massive workflow advantages, especially if you're using virtual instruments or MIDI. And if you have the full 88 keys, that's an even bigger advantage. However, that normally comes at a premium price, not so with the new 88 key version of the KeyLab Essential from Arturia. There are really three main advantages to having 88 keys. First of all, that's the same number of keys we normally find on a piano, and it represents the range of notes that we generally use in contemporary western music. Secondly, in modern music production, we often use virtual instruments, and many virtual instruments use something called key switches. These are special reserved keys on the keyboard, which change the sound of the instrument. So for example, it may change a violin from legato to cicato. Having those keys easily accessible to you without having to use the transpose button is very, very handy indeed. And thirdly, and I don't think this gets talked about very often, if you happen to have hardware synthesizers, which normally have much shorter keyboards, this enables you to control those synthesizers and use the full range again without having to use the transpose keys. The keys on the KeyLab Essential are synth action keys, so they don't have that heavy weighted feel that you find on some more expensive keyboards, but I think that is one of the reasons that they're able to keep the cost down so low. However, I did find them quite responsive to velocity, and they're quite comfortable to play, even though they've got a kind of a light springy feeling to them as you find on a synth. But it's not all about the keys. One of the advantages of using a MIDI controller keyboard is having control over your door. Now this keyboard uses a Mackey, MCU and Huey protocols, which makes it compatible with most major doors. The advantage is being here that you get transport controls. You can stop and start your recordings when you're inevitably, like me, make lots of mistakes. And also, if you switch over into door mode, you can use the sliders to control faders on your mix and also the knobs to control panning. I'm going to talk about software in a little bit more depth later on, but I quickly want to mention you do get the latest version of AnalogLab with this keyboard, which has over 2000 synth and keyboard sounds and they're really great quality. Now one of the nice things about this keyboard is you can directly control AnalogLab from the keyboard, browsing and selecting instruments. And then once you have selected an instrument, you can also control various aspects of that instrument using the sliders and knobs on the keyboard. Now one thing I was pleasantly surprised with was the quality of the drum pads on this keyboard, which I would normally find rather underwhelming in this price range. I'm not sure exactly what they've done to them in this revision. They certainly a little bit bigger, but they feel much more responsive. Now you only get eight of them in two banks, so I guess 16 you could say, but I think quality is more important than quantity on this particular point. Now after you've made that amazing music, which I know you're going to make using a tool like this, you may want to release it to platforms such as Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Google Play, etc. If you're going to do that, I highly recommend you follow the VIP link in the description down below for our sponsor, Distrokid. Follow that link, you're going to get 7% off an already amazing price to easily distribute your music to the world. Now even when you're not using AnalogLab, but you're using this keyboard as a MIDI controller for some other software or a hardware synth, you do get a healthy selection of controls to take control of those instruments. You get nine sliders, you get nine knobs, and the four buttons just below the main display also can send CC messages via MIDI. So if you use the included AnalogLab, apart from the many synth and electric keyboard sounds you get in there, there's also a healthy selection of acoustic piano sounds. And if you're not happy with those, they've also included the Gentleman from Native Instruments, which is a wonderful upright piano sound and also Model D from UVI. So you're spoiled for choice really if acoustic piano sounds are your thing. Apart from that, you also get Ableton Live Lite and a two month subscription to LoopCloud. Now it's worth checking out what software you get with keyboards when you buy them. Because if you compare this to some other keyboards in this price range, I think it's a real advantage, especially having AnalogLab and having that direct control over it. To find out the current price of this keyboard, follow the link in the description down below and come back here and let me know in the comments down below what you think. Now if you're looking for something a little bit more mobile, something you could throw into a backpack, then you may consider this, the Mini Lab 3. I made a video all about this which you can watch right here.