Your essential ingredients for creativity
Whether you’re a beginner producer or an experienced music maker looking for a refreshed setup, KeyLab Essential distills everything you want in a controller into a simple, fun, expressive keyboard for production and performance. Enjoy comfy keybeds, tactile DAW-integrated controls, and thoughtful layout that simply makes your creative life easier.
Advanced features, simple workflow
KeyLab Essential provides an array of useful and intuitive controls that’ll get the job done. Interact with encoders, faders, pads, and more in a way that makes sense for your setup, giving you a hands-on experience balanced with software flexibility.
The best DAW integration
Get creative right out the box with KeyLab Essential’s custom DAW scripts, bringing pre-mapped controls into your workflow with any major DAW. Not only that, but the KeyLab Essential controls work seamlessly with Analog Lab V, the included sound anthology plugin - letting you freely explore thousands of sounds old and new.
Your musical workhorse
For when you want to get experimental, find a new sound, or just need a bit of extra inspiration, KeyLab Essential has a few tricks up its sleeve. Create fun ever-changing melodies with the Arpeggiator, weave rich chord voicings with Chord play, and always stay in key thanks to Scale mode.
What’s new compared to the previous version?
- A bigger display with 4 contextual buttons
- 5 dedicated DAW scripts, plus MCU & HUI protocols, for controlling any DAW
- Enhanced integration with Arturia Software
- Creative features: Scale mode, Chord Play, Arpeggiator (with presets), Hold function
- 2 Pad Banks (for finger drumming, clip launching, or User configuration)
- Bigger software bundle (Analog Lab V, Ableton Live Lite, NI The Gentleman, UVI Model D, Loopcloud & Melodics)
- Multi-purpose pedal input (Sustain, Footswitch or Expression)
- USB-C
- Eco-designed
Features
- Velocity-sensitive keybed with hybrid synth-piano feel
- 1 clickable encoder, 9 encoders, 9 faders (30mm), 6 transport switches, 4 command switches, 1 modulation wheel, 1 pitch bend wheel, 8 touch & pressure-sensitive pads
- MIDI out, USB, Sustain pedal
- Premium music-making software bundle
- Seamless integration with Analog Lab V (included)
- Creative features like Arpeggiator, Chord play, and Scale mode
Included software
6 titles giving everything to make music your own way - here’s what’s included:
- Analog Lab V software with 2,000 synth & keyboard sounds
- Ableton Live Lite
- UVI Model D & Native Instruments The Gentleman pianos
- Loopcloud subscription
- Melodics subscription
- Size: 790 x 240 x 70mm
- Weight: 2.76kg
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:00 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
Your essential ingredients for creativity
Whether you’re a beginner producer or an experienced music maker looking for a refreshed setup, KeyLab Essential distills everything you want in a controller into a simple, fun, expressive keyboard for production and performance. Enjoy comfy keybeds, tactile DAW-integrated controls, and thoughtful layout that simply makes your creative life easier.
Advanced features, simple workflow
KeyLab Essential provides an array of useful and intuitive controls that’ll get the job done. Interact with encoders, faders, pads, and more in a way that makes sense for your setup, giving you a hands-on experience balanced with software flexibility.
The best DAW integration
Get creative right out the box with KeyLab Essential’s custom DAW scripts, bringing pre-mapped controls into your workflow with any major DAW. Not only that, but the KeyLab Essential controls work seamlessly with Analog Lab V, the included sound anthology plugin - letting you freely explore thousands of sounds old and new.
Your musical workhorse
For when you want to get experimental, find a new sound, or just need a bit of extra inspiration, KeyLab Essential has a few tricks up its sleeve. Create fun ever-changing melodies with the Arpeggiator, weave rich chord voicings with Chord play, and always stay in key thanks to Scale mode.
What’s new compared to the previous version?
- A bigger display with 4 contextual buttons
- 5 dedicated DAW scripts, plus MCU & HUI protocols, for controlling any DAW
- Enhanced integration with Arturia Software
- Creative features: Scale mode, Chord Play, Arpeggiator (with presets), Hold function
- 2 Pad Banks (for finger drumming, clip launching, or User configuration)
- Bigger software bundle (Analog Lab V, Ableton Live Lite, NI The Gentleman, UVI Model D, Loopcloud & Melodics)
- Multi-purpose pedal input (Sustain, Footswitch or Expression)
- USB-C
- Eco-designed
Features
- Velocity-sensitive keybed with hybrid synth-piano feel
- 1 clickable encoder, 9 encoders, 9 faders (30mm), 6 transport switches, 4 command switches, 1 modulation wheel, 1 pitch bend wheel, 8 touch & pressure-sensitive pads
- MIDI out, USB, Sustain pedal
- Premium music-making software bundle
- Seamless integration with Analog Lab V (included)
- Creative features like Arpeggiator, Chord play, and Scale mode
Included software
6 titles giving everything to make music your own way - here’s what’s included:
- Analog Lab V software with 2,000 synth & keyboard sounds
- Ableton Live Lite
- UVI Model D & Native Instruments The Gentleman pianos
- Loopcloud subscription
- Melodics subscription
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:00 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
