ArturiaMiniLab 3 - Universal MIDI Controller for Music Production, with All-in-One Software Package - 25 Keys, 8 Multi-Color Pads. - White

I'm giving this product 5 stars even though I believe it only deserves a 4 star rating which I will list below:What I like about this product:- the design and build quality is good for the price, the knob controllers don't wobble at all and feel high quality as well as the dials. the sharp notes however have quite significant wobble to them but overall this keyboard is very stylish as well as the mini screen adds a lot of character to the design.- there are endless features and possibilities that you may not find on other similar prices keyboards.- its plug and play for beginners and you cant start mashing away as soon as you plug it in.- you get a discount from Analog lab V if you own this and redeem the product key online on your account.- there are multiple videos on the website on how to use the midi keyboard with different dawsThe things I don't like:- properly setting up this midi keyboard took me hours to do, it is plug and play but if you want to utilize all the buttons and dials you need to spend a lot of time mapping them and tweaking with settings in the midi control centre and fl studio for me.- I'm using fl studio and i feel like the integration is good but there are keyboards out there with better integration with fl studio. I feel like this product has its main focus on mac users with a secondary interest in windows users. It took me a while of YouTube tutorials and tweaking settings to full be able to use all the features. I would also like to note that the youtube video from Arturia does not go in depth about this and I had to find information from third parties and forums.- some of the controls are a bit too over the top and redundant, for example the main is knob able to scroll through your plugins and open them, additionally, holding shift and and another button with both hands, I feel like its quite redundant and I don't think anyone would use it when you can for example just click on it with your mouse or use the spacebar.

The Arturia MiniLab 3 is a fantastic MIDI controller for music production! Its compact design is perfect for small studio setups or on-the-go creativity, yet it doesn’t compromise on functionality. The keys feel great, and the addition of assignable knobs and pads makes it super versatile for controlling DAWs and virtual instruments. Setup was straightforward, and it integrates seamlessly with popular software like my Logic Pro.The included software bundle is a huge bonus, offering an excellent variety of sounds to get started right away. For its price, the build quality is impressive, and the controls are responsive and intuitive. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned producer, this controller is a powerful tool that punches way above its weight. Highly recommend it!

Goodness me, where do I start? I've had a gap from composing computer music for a long time. I'm going back to Fasttracker 2 days, and before that, the Amiga. You guys really don't know how lucky you are having this level of tool for your work. That being said...I have a PC that runs FL Studio, it also has a Audigy RX sound card in it (improves processing time). I also have a Yamaha keyboard workstation. I've been getting into using a DAW, and it's taken me six months of frustration and joy and stealing time in equal measures.I play and record all sorts of genres, it depends what I have in my head and what needs to come out. Arturia have been appearing in my FB and Insta ads, and then I heard a really great track, where the Minilab 3 was listed, and some software called Analogue Lab V was used.I have a full sized keyboard workstation, and there is a lot of twisting and turning trying different instruments and riffs out, between my computer screen and the keyboard. I really needed something directly in front of me, and even better if it could provide a degree of control of Fruity Loops studio. So the choice was either Novation or Arturia.As the Arturia Minilab comes with Analogue Lab V packaged for free, which includes a massive amount of great instruments as both a stand alone application, and within FL Studio, it seemed a no brainer at £90!I unpackaged it and plugged it in and literally lost HOURS on it immediately, occassionally a cup of coffee and some food would appear so I didn't pass out. It takes a bit of setting up, but wow, it used to take 8 hours on an AOL connection to get a 500Kb video. Obviously, now, there's video tutorials everywhere online instantly, you can't really go wrong.So, you get it out, plug it into a USB port on your PC, and it fires up and powers up. There's midi control software to set up the software as stand alone, so you can just use all the instruments and play live, which is very addictive. Or alternatively, use the VST app from within Fruity Loops, and if you're me, transport yourself back to that GOLDEN era, and bang out an absolute old skool belter!It's worth mentioning, that apart from setting my Yamaha Workstation up in Fruity Loops as a midi controller, I have never done anything like this before. I had it absolutely singing by the time I finally had to go to bed. I got up from my desk, and I didn't even know where I was for a few minutes whilst I decompressed.I've got a good quality recording studio here at home now for next to nothing cost-wise, and it's a joy to use.Think about it this way, if you just wanted to use it stand alone, buy a bigger keyboard from Arturia, plug it into your PC, get some really lovely speakers, and use it as a home instrument. It's £90, and I still can't quite believe what I'm getting. I'm really pleased with Arturia, and they'll probably have me as a lifelong customer.UPDATE: 27/9/23 - Arturia offered me a full upgrade of the package included with the keyboard, there's millions of studio quality sounds and it was less than £40. She's definitely going to leave me.I end up using my Yamaha workstation to do all the midi recording when I perform, and the Arturia for working out hooks and cycling through the instruments that I want to use. If you don't have a Yamaha like me, cost up a bigger version of a midi keyboard from them (with a bit more touch sensitivity), a PC or laptop, FL Studio, a creative audio card (or similar), and some decent speakers, and you'll have a fully fledged recording studio in your bedroom. My keyboard has a vocal input and guitar input, so I just output from that to the audio card, with almost zero lag/latency on live performance utilising the Creative ASIO drivers.I tell thee, if me and my mate had all this 30 years ago, we'd be famous now.