Keylab49 Essential's Midi Out not working?

[Dugrok]

Hi everyone,

Here is a simple question: Does the Keylab49 Essential's Midi Out work properly with hardware gear when also plugged in to a computer via USB?

Here is the reason for my question:

I am trying to control outbound synths with my Keylab. I can do it live by playing the keylab (it controls my Juno-106 without any problem). However, when I record a midi clip into my DAW (Reaper) in order to refine it/quantize it/modify it, the Midi data doesn't seem to be being sent out of the Keylab for some reason.

The weirder thing yet is that I have a keystep that DOES function this way (it just doesn't have enough keys for me to use it that way, nor does it have all of the transport controls and DAW command center I've come to love).

If I use the Keystep as the midi device in reaper, and use the keylab's midi out to feed the midi in on the keystep, I achieve my desired goal. But it takes up a lot of space on my desk and I doubt this was the way Arturia intended for it to work.

Previously to last week, I'd been working similarly: Using the Keylab49 to control my DAW and having my Focusrite 18i20 to output the midi data to my outboard gear. It gave me the impression that this was possible.

Unfortunately, the 18i20 has been giving me trouble (headphones started going) so I bought an Apollo x8. I thought not having midi wasn't an issue because I have midi out on the Keylab, but perhaps I'm mistaken to think it works that way?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LBH]

Afaik the Essential controllers does'nt have MIDI thru functionality.

You can control midi equiptment from the controller using the MIDI out. But you can't pass midi from another device or Reaper thru the Essential controller to other devices.

So you either need the soundcards MIDI, a controller with MIDI thru functionality or something else to pass the midi.

I suggest you ask Arturia support, if the Essential controllers have got MIDI thru with an update.

[Dugrok]

Ok, thanks.

I've opened a ticket.

Just strikes me as strange that a 300$ studio controller wouldn't have this feature but a 100$ live performance controller like the keystep would...

[MajorFubar]

That's because the 100$ live performance controller is designed to be a bidirectional central routing device which links your computer and hardware synths together, whereas the 300$ midi controller is primarily designed for playing Arturia VSTs, not relaying midi information from the computer to other external hardware.

[Dugrok]

That's because the 100$ live performance controller is designed to be a bidirectional central routing device which links your computer and hardware synths together, whereas the 300$ midi controller is primarily designed for playing Arturia VSTs, not relaying midi information from the computer to other external hardware.

Fair enough I suppose. I don't imagine Arturia sells a product with a larger keybed (ideally 49 notes) that does this? Maybe the Keylab Mk II? Doesn't seem logical to me to go back a generation to gain a feature...

[MajorFubar]

That's because the 100$ live performance controller is designed to be a bidirectional central routing device which links your computer and hardware synths together, whereas the 300$ midi controller is primarily designed for playing Arturia VSTs, not relaying midi information from the computer to other external hardware.

Fair enough I suppose. I don't imagine Arturia sells a product with a larger keybed (ideally 49 notes) that does this? Maybe the Keylab Mk II? Doesn't seem logical to me to go back a generation to gain a feature...

Only the Keystep Pro, but sadly not 49 keys

[Dugrok]

I thought as much. Ok, thanks for your help!

[LBH]

The Keylab MKII controllers afaik does have MIDI thru functionality. Both with midi only and with USB.
It also have CV controlling.