Software included (for download):
The Arturia MiniLab 3 Champagne is a compact MIDI controller for laying down melodies and rhythms – in a uniquely opulent limited edition finish. It features 25 velocity-sensitive keys, two touch strips for pitch bend and modulation, eight pads, plus eight assignable encoders and faders for hands-on control of virtual instruments and plugin effects. The MiniLab also supports a sustain or expression pedal, so musicians can hook up a device of their choice. An onboard arpeggiator adds melodic variations, helping to keep the ideas flowing. With this setup, working with the MiniLab 3 always feels intuitive – there's nothing to get the way of the fun of making music.
Fitted with 25 velocity-sensitive slimline keys, the Arturia MiniLab 3 packs a whole host of control options into an ultracompact footprint. The eight pads aren't just velocity-sensitive – they're pressure-sensitive too, making them perfect for laying down natural-sounding drum grooves. With their RGB backlighting, they also give beatmakers clear visual feedback on which sounds they have where. The MiniLab's plugin parameters can be tweaked intuitively via the hardware encoders and faders, and users can even map multiple parameters to the first four encoders – almost effortlessly, with Arturia's integrated Analog Lab software. The main encoder next to the display makes browsing presets in Analog Lab quick and easy, and it can also take on DAW functions and simply act as a button. The built-in arpeggiator is activated by holding Shift and tapping the first pad, turning simple chords into evolving textures.
The Arturia MiniLab 3 is aimed at music producers who want to have complete but intuitive control over their DAW – just in the smallest possible space. With this limited edition finish, it also brings a sleek, stylish design to the table. But its the workflow that matters, and that's fresh and hands-on, making producing music not just easier, but faster too. The software package included here is pretty comprehensive, with Ableton Live Lite and one of the Native Instruments Komplete Select plugin bundles among the highlights. Each bundle is a carefully curated set of instruments, part of the much larger NKS enviroment: With this compatibility, MiniLab users have more than 2,000 virtual instruments and effects at their disposal, without the hassle of building presets from scratch. Weighing just 1.5kg and measuring 35.5cm at its longest, the controller is also immensely portable, so it's ideal for mobile productions and peformances, or simply for capturing ideas on the fly.
Arturia's success story began with software emulations of well-known analogue synthesizers such as the Moog Minimoog, Sequential Prophet-5, and Oberheim SEM. The popular software instruments included in the V Collection are still flagship products of the French developer today. Over time, Arturia has gradually expanded its range and now also offers a host of hardware devices, ranging from synthesizers and keyboard controllers to sequencers. Since then, the former software developer has thus also become a household name in the world of analogue synthesizers and other equipment.
In Arpeggio Edit mode, musicians can set up to eight parameters to add their own unqiue touch to the automatic arpeggios; there are six different ways to alter the order of the notes, the Div function adjusts their rhythmic division relative to the master tempo, and users can also set swing and gate length as percentages, internally sync the BPM, choose the arpeggiator's octave range, and select the clock source (internal or external). The main encoder next to the display can be used to fine-tune these features, but it's even faster to edit them with the eight assignable encoders. Alongside the arpeggiator, the Arturia MiniLab 3 Champagne offers other handy features, such as Hold for sustained notes, and Chord Mode for playing full chords with a single key.
Native Instruments Komplete Select
Native Instruments Komplete Select is a hnad-picked collection of software instruments and effect plugins designed for top-tier music production. The suite is packed with cutting-edge synths, sampled instruments, and studio-quality effects, which can all be freely combined to take any track to the next level. MiniLab users can choose one of three different bundles, each tailored with instruments and effects for a specific production style: The Beats Edition does exactly what you'd expect, for everything from Hip-Hop to R'n'B, while the Band Edition offers sampled instruments for songwriting sessions and jams. The Electronic Edition is built for dance music creators, packing powerful synths and tools for innovative sound design. Rounding off the package is the iZotope Ozone Elements mastering suite, included in all three versions.