Recommendation for a decent MIDI keyboard (Not Arturia Rubbish) please?

Cubase
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1

So I am at the limit of my patience as having a reliable and simple to setup MIDI keyboard is a must as I am sure you will all agree.

I have 2 from Arturia, a MiniLab mkII and a new Keylab Essential 49.

Ever since Cubase v13 My Keylab was not playing nice, it was setup correctly, it was seen by cubase except the midi data was not being passed by Cubase to any selected Soft Synths.

To save any comments or suggestions, I know how to put both of these keyboards in to DAW mode so that is not the problem.

I contacted Arturia and their tech support suggest a couple of things but nether worked.

I struggled on without a keyboard and Cubase 14 was released with built in midi remote scripts. Yay I thought about flaming time.

So base only on that fact, I took the dive and purchased Cubase 14.

And… even though there is a midi remote script, yes you have guessed it dear reader, the MiniLab still refuses to work with cubase.

Okay, I thought I’d buy a new Arturia Keylab Essential 49 as there was a decent deal on Amazon and I noticed that Cubase 14 also had a MIDI remote script for that so this should work… Right?

I have spent nearly 3 weeks, on and off when I had the time, trying to get the Keylab to work in Cubase but, no matter what I do, it refuses.

The transport controls on the keyboards transport controls do not work either.

Again, before anyone says anything, I have watched every youtube video on getting the darn thing to work, I have searched google and read every web page and nothing, i mean really nothing works.

Now, I know it is NOT my Laptop because I can open any soft synth in standalone mode and both keyboards work perfectly. I can actually have both keyboards plugged in to the same standalone soft synth and the both work meaning my partner can jam along albiet a octive above or below.

If I open Analog Lab as a stand alone then either keyboard will auto map its self to all the parameters.
As an aside, both keyboards are seen by, and work perfectly in Pro Tools 2024.

The issue appears to be Cubase 13 and 14. If I open up a ssession in V12 there is not an issue, both keyboards work as they should. I have again opened a support case with
Arturia given that the Keylab essential is only a few weeks old but they have not replied some 5 days after opening it and I am livid.

As an aside, both keyboards are seen by, and work perfectly in Pro Tools 2024.

Time is money and my patience is gone, I really sick and tired of this pile of dog dodo.

Any midi keyboard should be play and play and it absolutly sucks any semblence of creativity when you have a germ of an idea and need to open your DAW and get it played to midi before you for get it, only to find that the ********* keyboard will not work with ******* Cubase.

So I am looking for user recommendations for a decent 49 key midi keyboard that will actually work with Cubase 13, 14 every single time you boot the program.

I am not that bothered by transport controls or any of that fancy stuff as I have my trusty SSL UF8 for that.

I want to set it up once and thats it - it works every time afterwards.

Is that too much to ask for?

According to Cubase yes.

2

hi, have you read the manual of those keyboards? i have a novation launchkey 61 mk2 and i ve got a similar situation regarding midi cc mapping, acording to the novation’s manual, the midi cc asigned to faders are fixed in the hardware (cc41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48 for faders), so i cant make cubase change this with the midi remote (i can assign them to for example fader cc41 to send cc1 but it doesnt works), the only solution was to use the global project midi input transformer (and also the input transformer per track in each track) and make it to transform the incoming midi data from the novation to the desired midi cc (cc41 to cc1, cc42 to cc11 etc)

this works the best but you have to activate the input transformer on every track, another solution is to use the note expression and assign there the cc to the desired controllers, again, per track.

I also hoped that the midi remote could change this behaviour but it seems that it is not. older hardware like mine has it fixed, what mk version is your arturia keylab essential 49 ? mk1? mk2? mk3?

and also what is it exactly what is not working with your controller, it is a similar situation like mine with the midi cc assignations ? or other thing?

3

Arturia Keylab 49 mkIII (not essential) working fine and dandy here on Cubase 14 Pro (spec in my bio). I had some problems early on getting started but all ironed out now.
The recent update (last week?) across all the Arturia plug-ins seems to have improved how they are communicating to the Keylab when in Arturia mode too.
The Arturia forum has some good hints and tips and some active members who may be able to help you out?

4

I have been using a Nektar Impact LX88+ with Cubase Pro (now v14) for a few years with no glitches AND they provide Cubase software integration. Nektar has very good support as well. No problems, 88 keys, sliders, buttons, and knobs.

5

Hi thats a good suggestion.

I used to have one of their early keyboards and it worked fine but it developed sticky rubber on all of the controls (a documented issue) so to the tip it went.

Then I purchased my MiniLab.

6

Hi

My Keylab Essential is MK3 and MinLab is MK2.

Yes, I have read the manuals many, many times, also followed all of Arturas videos on Youtube which, in the case of the Keylab Essential, seem to suggest you simply plug it in and launch Cubase when upon it is ““magicly”” reconised and mapped thanks to the Midi Remote script.

The same goes for the MiniLab but the truth is that simply does not work.

As I said in my OP, both keyboards work fine in Cubase right up to version 12. After that, when the new Steinberg elves started messing with the code, is when the issues started.

Arturas tech support is frankly terrible, I made a support request 6 days ago and still no reply.

This is only beaten by Cubase tech support who do not even answer tech support requests, unless by some miracle that has been kicked up the arse and sorted out since the last time I dared to try.

The thing that REALLY annoys me is that both keyboards work perfectly in Pro Tools and Ableton but Cubase is my main composition “bread and butter” DAW as the midi editor in Pro Tools sucks. Ableton, although I own a copy, confuses me and I barely use it.

1 Like
7

Thats really stange, I just logged in (I’ve been a member there for years) but there is no option (for me at least) to post a question and no way to contact a forum Mod.

There is also no way to search a specific sub forum, eg, just the Keylab one, so you get hundreds of search results. What a mess.

8

Hi - not sure what you have tried - but you can literally search the sub forums - just go to forum.arturia.com then select Keylab under Lab - then hit the search Icon (the magnifying glass top right:

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