Keylab 61 Discontinued?

[ClydeLyman]

I was just talking to Sweetwater about getting a Keylab 61 and they said that it was discontinued and their last shipment was in Feb. They said that you were "refreshing the Line"

Is this true and what is up?

[retroip]

I'm wondering too,
My suggestions to fix current firmware bugs, was "accepted" but thay are not planning to do any firmware update.
Link to my previous post



I'v received this e-mail:

[Eric Barker]

I was wondering what was going on when they introduced the "Keylab Essentials" line, which honestly looks to me like exactly the same product but cheaper and lacking an 88 key configuration. I see little reason for them continuing the existing Keylab line, as who's going to pay for a more expensive unit when there's no clear answer as to why the essential line is inferior? I suspect we'll see an Essential 88 soon, and that will be that.

[ClydeLyman]

The Keylab essentials, looking at the rear panel, is far inferior to the real thing. look at the specs. That is such a downgrade that it makes no sense as a "refresh" or replacement

I am also definitely NOT interested in a black edition. I've spent 40 years looking at black keyboards and, frankly, I'm OD'ed on it for 25 of those years

[Eric Barker]

OMG! I didn't notice the back panel. That's absolutely horrific. I need a minimum of 3 pedal inputs to do my job with my workflow (Sustain, Expression, and another switch for fast patch changes). Good god, about a month back I almost pulled the trigger on a 61 as a backup and for flying, glad I didn't! Hope they bring back or replace the original Keylab 61.

[ClydeLyman]

I went for the 88 for the same reason: rear panel real estate. And I saw a great deal on it. I think the Arturia website has a few full-on Keylab 61's left but not many. There are also MIDI in/out, meaning you can get a MIDI multiple footswitch and really go to town

I whould not sneer at the Keylab Essentials. If you want a good piece cheap for entry level, secondary purposes or the like, it's probably a good deal. It still gets you Analog Lab 2 and works with the V Collection. It's just not a go-for-the-gold system. I can see maintaining both Keylab series. Vox had the Junior, Jaguar, Continental and Super Continental. Farfisa had The Mini-Compact, Combo-Compact, Compact Deluxe and Compact Duo

[Equal]

I was just looking to get a Keylab 61 (not the Essential version).
Has it been discontinued, did anyone find out?

Does that mean it possibly won't work on High Sierra (or next years macOS update?)

Thanks!

[Daan72]

Only the Keylab 88 can still be ordered in Belgium, the other versions are 'discontinued' or 'out of stock'  I did purchase the Keylab Essentials, good value for money but definitely not the same built quality.

[Eric Barker]

Does that mean it possibly won't work on High Sierra (or next years macOS update?)

I would NOT recommend upgrading to High Sierra anyway, if you do any audio work. It breaks so many programs and plugins it's unreal.