New Tool (3.5.4): Arturia KeyLab Essential mk3 (October 2026)

Renoise Tools
1

Hi everyone!

So I got myself an Arturia Keylab Essential 61 mk3 a few years back, but never really used it.
I started learning how to use Renoise this year, and came across this post.
So basically, @Raul and @foma made their own versions of a plugin for the pro line of Arturia devices. So I thought, why not adapting it for my device ?

A few weeks later it’s done, I’ve forked foma’s version and vibe coded the logic for the Arturia’s Essential product line. It’s not tested on the 46 and 88 version so I don’t really know can happen on these, but I think it should work as well as it does with my 61.

You can download it on its renoise tool listing page, or directly on the Github repo.

Main features:

  • Transport control: play, stop, record (edit mode), loop, metronome, undo/redo, save, tap tempo and record quantize
  • Knobs and faders for pattern editing: note, instrument, volume, panning, delay, sample-FX type and amount, column navigation and step length
  • Main dial: navigates between Renoise’s panels, and << / >> select the previous/next track
  • Sample browser mode: toggle it with the Part button, pick a folder, then turn the dial to load samples into your current instrument and test them across the keys right away, with no mouse or computer keyboard needed
  • Hardware LED feedback: pads are colored to match your Renoise skin, and Save/Undo/Redo/Stop/Tap flash when pressed
  • Pitch and mod wheels are left untouched, so you can map them through instrument macros as usual
  • Minimizable on-screen GUI, collapsible down to just the sample browser

I tried to make it the most useful as it can be for Renoise use cases, but there might be some improvements needed.

Let me know if you got any feedback!

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That’s great! Given the nature of Renoise and its current API, you can create very useful tools to control the software via MIDI controllers without needing complex MIDI mappings and even make the controller itself react to the software. I’ve been working with this for years, and it’s fascinating to see what can be created and refined as you gain more programming knowledge and familiarity with the documentation.

I’m glad that older code snippets can still be useful for modern projects (new hardware). The only thing I’d point out is that the Renoise API has evolved significantly over time; nowadays, you can achieve GUI designs that were simply unthinkable in the past.

Let’s keep creating amazing things!

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