Arturia KeyLab Essential mk3 on Linux

#1

Has anyone used the Arturia KeyLab Essential mk3 on Linux? If so, do you like it?

#2

I use one with Mac OS and love it but there are no MIDI bindings for it in Ardour so I might have to get inventive with General MIDI or something ā€¦ In Logic Itā€™s great, especially as you can remap anything you like using ā€˜Controller Assignmentsā€™.

#3

MIDI keymaps are very easy to do. We have guides on that. If you donā€™t want to make one yourself, I can make one for you, I just need you to use the MIDI Monitor built into Ardour and tell me what CCs it sends from all controls in both DAW and Arturia modes.

#4

Many thanks for this and the YouTube video you sent me. Very useful and I didnā€™t realise it was that easy. Iā€™ll have a go at this tomorrow.

Thanks again

Best regards

Paul

1 Like
#5

One more thing(!) I mistakenly posted my original enquiry in the Linux section of the discourse. Any differences for a Mac user eg directory for storing MIDI Maps?

#6

I donā€™t have a Mac in my household, but Iā€™m guessing it should be placed inside $HOME/Library/Preferences/Ardour8/midi_maps/ or some such folder (the midi_maps part of the path is not created by default).

#7

Ah yes, thanks. I assumed it was like that. The Ardour directory doesnt contain a MIDI maps directory so Iā€™ll just create one.

#8

In your Midi Maps tutorial, what text editor did you use? I used Macā€™s Text app and Iā€™m wondering if Ardour can make sense of the format (RTF) of the file Text app creates. So that method didnā€™t work as Ardour doesnā€™t see the midi maps file. (I put the file in /Application Support/Ardour/(midi_maps) as well as /library/Preferences/Ardour/(midi_maps))

Also I tried MIDI learn (using your tutorial) but that didnā€™t work either as the tooltip to ā€˜operate controller nowā€™ didnā€™t appear - probably something to do with CTRL-middle-click on a Mac.

Also Midi Tracer canā€™t see the KL ā€¦ Midi port but can see the MCU/HUI port where it sees note ons & offs as well as CCs. If I use General MIDI port It sees just the CCs.

So Iā€™m stumped, and confused!

If I use Mackie Control with my KL Essential 49 mk3 I get transport and keys etc. but no faders or encoders. That would do I suppose but Iā€™d love to get full control if thatā€™s possible.

In Logic, although a bit clunky I can map any control to pretty much anything so I have all sorts of exotic settings like using encoders 1-4 for Bus [1ā€¦4] sends and encoder 9 as Pan, all for ā€˜Selected Trackā€™; Faders 1-8 (bankable) for channel faders 1-8/9-16 etc. And Fader 9 for Master.

Sorry to ramble on!

#9

In Macā€™s Text Editor, you need to go in the menu to Format>Make Plain Text. RTF (the default for TextEdit) will not work.

Seablade

#10

Ah, thanks. I thought as much. Will try again tomorrow.

#11

Hello
I have an Arturia mk3 essential with Ardour and Linux Debian 12 KDE.
I installed with Wine ā€œArturia Software Centerā€ and ā€œAnalog Labā€ but I couldnā€™t install ā€œMIDI Control Centerā€. I only managed to get this one to work with a virtual machine. So Iā€™ll have to try the native windows software mentioned above.
With ardour, I created a mid_map script that works quite well. I integrated all the keyboardā€™s transport functions as well as the knobs and fader of the keyboard. The only element I couldnā€™t configure was the rotary encoder of the keyboard.
I use the Kate software as a text editor which is very good. Here is the script for the exampleā€¦


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ArdourMIDIBindings version="1.0.0" name="Arturia Keylab essential 49 mk3">

<!-- Works with device's factory settings. Transport control is available through MMC. -->

  <DeviceInfo bank-size="7"/>

  <!-- arturia switch mode DAW -->

<!-- Gain controls. Faders are mapped to faders. -->
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="105" uri="/route/gain S1"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="106" uri="/route/gain B1"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="107" uri="/route/gain B2"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="108" uri="/route/gain B3"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="109" uri="/route/gain B4"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="110" uri="/route/gain B5"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="111" uri="/route/gain B6"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="112" uri="/route/gain B7"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="113" uri="/bus/gain master"/>

<!-- Pan controls. All encoders except the 2 on the right are mapped to pan direction. -->
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="96" uri="/route/pandirection S1"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="97" uri="/route/pandirection B1"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="98" uri="/route/pandirection B2"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="99" uri="/route/pandirection B3"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="100" uri="/route/pandirection B4"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="101" uri="/route/pandirection B5"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="102" uri="/route/pandirection B6"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="103" uri="/route/pandirection B7"/>

<!-- Pan width. Upper right encoder is mapped to the pan width of the selected track -->
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="104" uri="/route/pandirection S1"/>




  <Binding channel="1" ctl="46" action="Editor/select-prev-route"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="47" action="Editor/select-next-route"/>



  <!-- Transport controls -->
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="24" function="loop-toggle"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="25" action="Transport/Rewind"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="26" action="Transport/Forward"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="20" function="transport-stop"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="21" function="transport-roll"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="22" function="toggle-rec-enable"/>

  <Binding channel="1" ctl="40" action="Common/Save"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="42" action="Editor/undo"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="43" action="Editor/redo"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="41" action="Editor/quantize"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="27" action="Transport/ToggleClick"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="23" action="Editor/edit-current-tempo"/>



  <Binding channel="1" ctl="116" action="Editor/select-next-route"/>

  <Binding channel="1" ctl="45" action="Editor/track-solo-toggle"/>
  <Binding channel="1" ctl="44" action="Editor/track-mute-toggle"/>


</ArdourMIDIBindings>

So there remains this rather frustrating problem of the rotary encoderā€¦
Finally to talk about the keyboard, I find it very good (even if I have some criticisms about the touch of the keyboard) and I am satisfied that the Analog Lab software works perfectly with Wine. So it works with ardourā€¦

#12

I just installed SysEx Controls (which is the native version of Arturiaā€™s midi control) and it works. On the other hand, I installed the flatpack version because there was a failure for the build version.
So, itā€™s almost perfect with arturia mk3 and linux. (while regretting once again that these manufacturers donā€™t directly do native linux)

#13

Wow, thanks. Iā€™ll have a look at this later but I recognise some of the bindingsā€™ parameters from when I was fiddling yesterday. It looks like I was on the right track but the fact that I was saving it as an RTF file from Macā€™s TextEdit was screwing it up. I think Iā€™ll be able to get it to work now.

Thanks again

Best regards

Paul

#14

The script I put is just an example that I use. Iā€™m glad it can be used .You will have to adapt it.
the line about the rotary encoder (ctl=116) is bad (it was a testā€¦Iā€™ll have to delete it from my script)
Mapping this encoder remains a mystery so I donā€™t use it on Ardour.
itā€™s frustratingā€¦

#15

Thanks again. I will adjust as necessary. Iā€™ll also do battle with the encoders and see if I canā€™t make sense of them.

As you say itā€™s frustrating but fun in a masochistic sort of way!

Best regards

Paul

#16

For the encoders try setting the control type to enc-2 (or enc-l or enc-r depending on the type).

See Midi Binding Map for AKAI APC Key 25 Mk2 for how I set up it for another device but likely the same type knobs.

#17

For reference Iā€™m using a Mac Studio with OS 15.5.

Re: midi bindings: I tried every method trying to get a midi bindings file to work with no success so had to give up. Something to do with either the format of the MIDI maps filename, where I put it - /Library/Application Support/Ardour/midi_maps (or MIDI Maps) and /Library/Preferences/Ardour8/midi_maps (or MIDI Maps). I even restarted my Mac but still no joy.

Re: midi learn: However, having realised that my mouseā€™s middle button was set (via Steermouse) to CMND-W - dā€™oh! I added Ardour to Steermouse and remapped middle click to be CTRL-middle click and midi learn worked! Having set 8 faders and a master monitor fader I was about to set the encoders for pans but discovered they already worked. (This was with Ardour set with Mackie Control/Keylab Essential 49 mk3 to give me transport control.)

So unless I have a brainwave at some point I think Iā€™ll stick to that method and just build a session template. If not then setting them up per session is pretty quick anyway.

Now I need to make it aware of banks