Arturia KeyLab Essential 88 mk3

Eighty-eight full-size keys without the hammer-action bulk. The Essential 88 gives you the whole piano range in synth action — a controller light enough to actually move, at a price weighted boards can't reach.

It suits writers who want both hands on real range — full-stretch voicings, bass in the left, melody in the right — but don't need weighted resistance to do it. The Analog Lab workflow, encoders, faders and pads carry over from the rest of the Essential line.

Be honest about the action before ordering: trained pianists usually want hammer keys under a piano patch, and that means the KeyLab 88 mk3 at more than twice the money and considerably more weight. Everyone else gets the range without the back strain.