For the last six months, the Arturia community has hosted a recurring support group of frustrated producers repeating the same mantra: we just want a 37-key MiniLab. Two octaves are too restrictive for playing actual chords. On the other end, 61 keys will immediately evict your computer keyboard from your desk. Yesterday, Arturia finally responded. The Arturia MiniLab 37 expands their ubiquitous portable format, adding exactly what producers asked for without abandoning the desktop footprint.
Stretching The Blueprint
If you are familiar with our coverage of the MiniLab 3, the architectural math here is simple. Arturia kept the exact same control layout—eight continuous rotary encoders, four assignable faders, and eight RGB pads—and stretched the chassis just enough to accommodate an extra octave of slim keys. You get 37 velocity-sensitive keys in total. That translates to three full octaves plus a C.
While the community is largely celebrating the 37-key format, I have to be brutally honest: personally, I would have found a 49-key version far more useful. Three octaves is certainly better than two for laying down basic triads, but once you start mapping complex instrument splits or need to jump between a low bass drone and a right-hand melody in a single take, 37 keys still falls short. You inevitably end up frantically slapping the octave transpose buttons mid-performance. A 49-key layout would have genuinely solved the two-handed playing problem while keeping the unit compact enough for an average studio desk.
There is another specific community gripe that carried over from the smaller iteration. Arturia opted to stick with capacitive touch strips for pitch bend and modulation rather than mechanical wheels. If you prefer the tactile physical resistance of a mod wheel for dialing in orchestral dynamics, the strips require some psychological adjustment. On the flip side, touch strips survive backpack transit much better than exposed plastic wheels snapping off against your laptop charger.
Sequencing Outside The Box
The rear panel tells you exactly how Arturia expects you to use this instrument. You get a universal USB-C port for bus power and data, a multi-purpose pedal input supporting sustain or expression, and a dedicated 5-pin DIN MIDI output.
That 5-pin port matters. Many manufacturers drop standard MIDI on their entry-level gear to save pennies. By including it, the Arturia MiniLab 37 can function as a standalone master clock and sequencer for your hardware. You can power the unit with a standard USB power bank, run a MIDI cable to a desktop module or drum machine, and write patterns on the couch. The hardware integrates native Hold and Chord modes, allowing you to trigger dense harmonic stacks with a single finger while manipulating your analog filter cutoff with the physical faders.
The onboard mini display and clickable browser knob return, providing tight visual feedback when navigating DAWs or the included software. Instead of staring at your monitor to verify your track levels, the tiny OLED confirms exactly what parameter you are tweaking.
Pricing and Availability
The Arturia MiniLab 37 is available now through major retailers for approx. $/€139.
You can check the official Arturia website for more info. It ships with a hefty software bundle including Ableton Live Lite, Native Instruments KOMPLETE Select, and Analog Lab Intro. Arturia also continues its push for sustainability, building the chassis with at least 50% recycled plastic and backing the unit with a five-year warranty.
