I can see how the MiniLab MkII is going to be a welcome addition to my mobile rig. I also would have personally liked to have seen the USB and Sustain pedal connect in the side of the instrument as my OCD really wanted the controller to line up flush to my MacBook. So many composers like myself rely heavily on using both modulation and expression to sculpt our performances that the lack of pedal expression input will have me taking another pass at my midi data or grabbing my mouse. I was pleased to see there was a sustain port in the rear of the keyboard, although I would have loved to have seen an expression port as well. I was also pleased to see that it was just as easy to control other sample libraries dynamics, vibrato, expression etc by using the MIDI Learn functionality. The MiniLab MKII is supports software control for PC, Mac, Laptop and iOS systems
Luckily, my nicely padded laptop carrying case has just enough room to fit the both my Macbook Pro and the MiniLab MkII. It is constructed of a hard plastic that feels very sturdy and the additional controls ( 16 knobs, and 8 drum pads) feel like they are designed to stand up to the demands of traveling in a briefcase. The footprint of the Minilab MkII is just a bit smaller than my current MacBook Pro. That is why I was very excited to hear about MiniLab MkII from Arturia. That said, I’m always on the lookout for something to improve my mobile rig, especially looking at what additional changes might give me more midi controls so I could sculpt my music at input stage and spend less time clicking around the mouse. My mobile production setup isn’t fancy but it’s gotten the job done and I’ve completed some scores for national ad campaigns and tracks for films with this little setup. I choose my current mini keyboard based on it’s very small footprint.
I have tried to keep my mobile rig very simple using just a MacBook Pro, a couple external USB drives, a mini keyboard and headphones. This affordable controller is very sturdy, comes with lots of control features and made for portability.įor several years now I haven’t left my zip code without a mobile production rig. The controller combines two octaves of a ‘slim’ key keyboard, RGB backlit performance pads, 16 rotary knobs, and included a bit of software with the kit. With Arturia MiniLab MkII controller, Arturia set out to create a high-quality portable keyboard controller and has succeeded.
Arturia’s MiniLab MkII is an affordable, sturdy controller with a lot of great features and a focus on portability.
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