🎹 Arturia Keystep 37

So, this was a little unplanned. Was awaiting the arrival of a long awaited item but suddenly chanced upon this and instantly bought it too. And no, this wasn't the post I wanted to post before my intended post. But wait, might as well right?

Apologies for the confusion. Presenting the Arturia Keystep 37 MkII MIDI keyboard!!! A MIDI keyboard has been on the back of my mind for quite a few years. While my sister has a full-sized Roland keyboard, it is way too bulky for my taste.

I needed something that fits infront of my MacBook Pro so I can utilise plug-ins in Logic Pro. So when I was researching, it came to either the Akai MPK Mini MkIII or the Arturia MiniLab MkII. Both are the best in the mini MIDI keyboard industry, but I didn't prefer having drum pads on the machine.

So I looked elsewhere. Seeing that the keys for Arturia is much better than Akai's, I went with the next model from Arturia, the Keystep 37 MkII. Now this looks like a real beast. No random encoders, no random drum pads, just pure simple keys. Shiok!!!

The added inputs and outputs at the back of the Keystep is the thing that attracted me. The MPK and MiniLab doesn't have MIDI in/out, so the Keystep was the right direction for me. I had to travel to Bugis with a broken toe to buy it from a Carouseller for $200, which Swee Lee retails for $279.

Within the package comes Analog Lab Lite, a software plug-in specifically made for Arturia's products. This is the secondary main attraction. With Logic Pro, this essentially means I have a super powerful machine on hand. I can play drums, strings and synths with this keyboard alone.

There is definitely a crazy amount I have yet to learn about the world of MIDI keyboard. But I'm just getting started. I'll be awaiting my next item which will complete the MIDI setup I'm trying to build. Life sure is looking great for me at this point in time!!!

Edwin Ang

*As of 16th July 2024, this MIDI keyboard has been sold for the exact same price I bought it for.