he differences to the much more expensive Keylab MkII are mainly due to the quality of the hardware. The Keylab Essential does without the robust metal case featuring wooden sides and the semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch, but thanks to sturdy plastic, KeyLab Essential is lighter and more compact. The keyboard is smoother and the 9 faders are also a bit cheaper. The controls make a better impression, in particular, the new large control below the display. The pleasantly large pads also have a good feel and can be played in a nuanced way. In contrast to the keyboard, the pads react to corresponding afterpressure, individually per pad (=polyphonic aftertouch). This is interesting for Arturia instruments like the CS-80V, as well as for the numerous new MPE instruments in Ableton Live.
