Why do I like Arturia?

First, they make great products and I use ’em. I own and play both an Arturia Keylab Essential mk2 and an Arturia Keystep — not to mention the software!

Second, Arturia really care about customers. Recently, I posted about the new Arturia Keylab Essential mk3 and how it needed to send MIDI Program Change:

I was excited when I saw Arturia’s announcement of the Keylab Essential mk3 MIDI controller. The mk3 has some nice enhancements without increasing weight and size over the mk2. The price is only slightly higher ($219 USD for the 49 mk3). The mk3 adds a larger 2.5″ LCD display, USB-C communications and power, and expression pedal support.

I downloaded the mk3’s manual and was immediately crestfallen. Keylab Essential mk3 cannot send MIDI Program Change. This is a serious step back from the mk2.

The Keylab Essential mk2 is one of the few MIDI controllers that does it right, sending Bank Select MSB, Bank Select LSB and Program Change in one go. I’m still amazed that most other MIDI controllers send Program Change without Bank Select.

Well, guess what? Arturia saw my post and replied:

We really value our users’ input, and we are very sorry to hear that you were disappointed by the fact that the new KeyLab Essential cannot send MIDI Program Change. We know that it was a much appreciated feature on the mk2, and our R&D team is currently doing their best to implement it on the mk3 as soon as possible. For your information, a new firmware should be out in about three weeks, and we’re hoping you’d be willing to give a shot to the KeyLab essential mk3 then.

By the way, I’ll be looking at the new Part feature (split point!) as this is a super, needed advancement over mk2.

Thanks, Arturia, for reading the blog and being proactive! I think it’s always important to call out manufacturers and retailers who go the extra mile (or kilometer) for customers.