New here. Some buying advice please.

[Itsjustmeee]

Hello all. I’m looking at getting the Essential 88 and I’d like to know if it would be a good fit for me. I use Pro Tools 12 Ultimate (With an iMac) and mostly Native Intruments plug-ins as well as the East-West Play libraries and the virtual instruments that come with Pro Tools. I’m assuming that I will be able to control the Pro Tools transport functions and a few other PT settings AND will I be able to select presets in these virtual instruments like Kontakt, Absynth, Massive etc as well from the keyboard?

Thanks in advance for any comments. 

[LBH]

Hi and welcome to Arturia forums.

About Pro Tools: https://www.arturia.com/faq/keylabessential/keylab-essential-tips-tricks

What excactly do you mean by selecting presets? And how excactly do you exspect a controller to work?
In short you will have the functionality the different applications have and offer for any generic controller, in the way Keylab Essential can do it. It's not a question that's simple to answer.

I don't have pro tools and can't say anything specific about that.

[Itsjustmeee]

Thanks for responding. On a number of midi controllers, you have the ability to scroll through the presets on the virtual instrument you’ve selected, and even pick out a type of sound. Say like I’m looking for a synth analog bass sound. There’s many controllers that will categorize them so you can click through the sounds and select them. Or say if you have A Native Instruments virtual instrument like Absynth selected, you can turn a knob and audition the presets until you find one you like. And then once it’s selected, you can adjust parameters like filter, attack, sustain etc by turning knobs on the keyboard itself with going back to the computer to do it.

[gphantom]

I know that the knobs on the essential do control the presets on Analog Lab but I don't know if it will translate to other software.

[LBH]

Arturias controllers does'nt have the kind of preset managing you mention for other manufactors applications.

I only know about Akai Advance and Komplete Kontrol. Do you know you have to load the plugins inside another application like the VIP plugin for Akai and the Komplete Kontrol Software for NI? ANd they need certain maps or templates to work.
In generel it might not be as easy, simple and effective, that you might think, so i suggest you study much about it.

[Itsjustmeee]

Yeah, I’m really looking for a controller that will work with Komplete Kontrol. I’d like to be able to click through the patches on the keyboard (like the up and down keys on my Mac) to audition the sounds and then select it. I realize I’ll be able to adjust only some basic settings within each virtual instrument. As long as I can simulate the up and down keys on the Essential 88 and control Pro Tools 12, I think this is the right keyboard for me.

And just in case I can’t click through the patches and select it on the Essential 88, I guess there’s always Midi Translator Pro from Bome Software to make it work.

[LBH]

I have the Komplete Kontrol software.
When set to Midi Learn mode, then it's possible to assign controls to Presets -, Plug-ins- and Plug-in pages buttons in Komplete Kontrol.
Beside that it's also possible to assign controls to Komplete Kontrols knobs to modify presets.
This is possible without a Komplete Kontrol controller.

Beside that then you can create Playlists in Absynth, Massive and FM8. Playlists react to incomming Programchange messages. Don't know if it will work with Arturias controllers, but it's a possibility, and i guess it will work.

It's not quite the same as if you use a integrated NI controller, but perhaps enough anyway.

[Itsjustmeee]

LBH, thanks for the info. The Essential 88 is looking more and more like the way to go with me. I just want to make sure that it can control the Pro Tools transport without having to load a VST plug-in instance like you would with a Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol keyboard. According to everything I've seen here on the Arturia website, it should be fine but if there's anyone else here who uses a KeyLab with Pro Tools, I'd love to hear from them.

[LBH]

I think you shall exspect that the most vital things will work. What's not working is shown in the link i posted. Look like only the metronome is'nt supported. But i suggest you ask Arturia sales, unless you are lucky a Pro Tool user answer you.

[Itsjustmeee]

Yeah, it looks like this keyboard will be able to handle pro tools just fine. The KeyLab MKII looks really nice as well. I just can’t figure out why there’s such a huge jump in price between the 61 and the 88. The jump between the 49 and 61 is like 50 bucks but to go to an 88 (which I’m guessing isn’t much different other than the extra keys) seems pretty exorbitant. It’s almost double the price.

[LBH]

I just can’t figure out why there’s such a huge jump in price between the 61 and the 88.

I think it's the keybed.
https://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid-synths/keylab-88-mkii/overview

[Itsjustmeee]

I bought the Essential 88 today. I’m looking forward to using it..... and Analog Lab.

[LBH]

Congratulation. I hope you'll be happy with your choice.

Play well.