Arturia KeyLab MK3: Unlocking Creative Workflows with Arp, Scale, and Chord Modes

The Arpeggiator is front and center, with its activation as simple as pressing the dedicated Arp button. Once engaged, every note or chord played is instantly transformed into an arpeggiated sequence, making it a powerful tool for spontaneous pattern generation.

Digging deeper, users can long-press the Arp button to access a menu of playback options. The video demonstrates direction modes such as up, down, and random, each altering the musical output in distinctive ways. This flexibility is further enhanced by adjustable time divisions—ranging from quarter notes to 32nd notes, including triplets and dotted values—all synced to either the internal or an external clock.

Arturia’s implementation goes beyond the basics with a dedicated Random page. Here, users can randomize not just note order but also divisions, octaves, skips, gates, ratchets, and velocity. The inclusion of a Dice button for instant, full-parameter randomization is a nod to those seeking creative accidents and happy surprises. The video makes clear that these randomization features are designed to keep results musical, even under heavy tweaking.

Scale Mode is presented as a safeguard against unwanted dissonance, allowing users to lock the keyboard to a specific scale. With a simple button press, the entire keybed is constrained so that every note played fits the chosen tonality.

The workflow is straightforward: select a root note and scale type using the encoder, or create a custom scale by recording your own set of notes. The video emphasizes that even if you play a wrong note, the KeyLab MK3 will transpose it to fit the scale, ensuring melodic consistency.

Chord Mode takes center stage as a tool for instant harmonic complexity. By pressing the Chord button, users can trigger full chords with a single key, streamlining the process of building rich progressions. The creation of custom chords is equally direct: hold the Chord button, play up to 16 notes, and the MK3 stores the voicing for immediate recall.

Beyond static chords, the video highlights creative tools like Strum, Voicing, and Spread. Strumming breaks up the chord for guitar-like articulation, while Voicing extends the chord across the keybed, even reaching three octaves below the played note. Spread allows for up to 16 notes in a chord, with velocity and aftertouch modulating how many notes are triggered—opening up expressive possibilities.

These features are clearly designed for both studio layering and live performance, giving users a palette of harmonic textures without requiring deep theoretical knowledge. The interface visualizes chord creation and selection, reinforcing the hands-on, feedback-rich workflow.