Today, Arturia introduced AstroLab, a new stage keyboard that brings the company’s massive line of virtual instruments to standalone hardware.
The Arturia AstroLab features 10 sound engines, 34 instruments and over 1300 presets, letting you cover a huge range of sounds using a single instrument.
If you want to know more about the AstroLab, here’s a couple of in-depth reviews.
The first video, embedded above, is a Sonic Lab review from host Nick Batt. Batt likes the AstroLab, calling it ‘a lovely piece of hardware’ and praising the keyboard, but also noting that he’d like to see deeper patch editing be possible directly on the instrument.
Host Ziv Eliraz – in his latest loopop video – offers an overview and in-depth review of the Arturia AstroLab.
Eliraz says that the AstroLab offers the largest timbral range possible in a standalone keyboard instrument, adding that “nothing comes close” to its range. Like Batt, Eliraz highlights the lack of deep editing control on the keyboard itself as the instrument’s biggest downside.
Topics covered:
0:00 Intro
1:15 Overview
7:05 Keybed
8:00 Build
8:45 Encoder
10:00 Browsing
10:45 I/O
11:45 Phone app
13:05 Macros
14:40 Effects
15:40 Insert FX
16:40 Send FX
18:20 Master EQ
18:50 Arp
19:35 Chords
20:00 Scales
20:20 Looper
21:25 Split, layer
22:30 Analog lab
24:55 Get sneaky
25:55 User macro
26:40 V Collection X?
27:35 SFZ?
27:55 Pros, cons
30:55 Outro
What do you think of the new Arturia AstroLab keyboard? Watch the videos, and then share your thoughts in the comments!
Meet AstroLab, Arturia’s greatest hits in a stage keyboard with 34 instruments, 10 synth engines and 1300 presets.
After teasing a mysterious announcement across its social media channels over the weekend, Arturia has announced a new product at a livestream event this evening, the AstroLab.
AstroLab is a stage keyboard equipped with more than 1300 sounds from Arturia’s Analog Lab software, a sound library that features an extensive selection of presets from both the Pigments synth and the company’s V Collection, a comprehensive collection of vintage synth emulations.
This means that – in a single keyboard – it gives you access to acoustic sounds, like piano and strings; classic stage piano sounds, like Rhodes, Wurli and Clavinet; vintage synths sounds, like CS-80, DX7, Emulator II & Jupiter-8; organ sounds, like B-3 and Farfisa; string synth sounds, like Solina; West Coast and East Coast modular sounds; and more.
AstroLab’s concept combines Arturia’s ‘Lab keyboards, V Collection instruments & sound banks into a holistic system.
The Arturia AstroLab gives you instant access to presets from a 34 instruments, including:
ARP2600 V
Augmented GRAND PIANO
Augmented STRINGS
Augmented VOICES
B-3 V
Buchla Easel V
Clavinet V
CMI V
CS-80 V
CZ V
DX7 V
Emulator II V
Farfisa V
JUN-6 V
JUP-8 V
KORG MS-20 V
Matrix 12 V
Mini V
Modular V
OP-Xa V
Piano V
Pigments
Prophet-5 V
Prophet-VS V
Sampler
SEM V
Solina V
SQ80 V
Stage-73 V
Synclavier V
Synthi V
Vocoder V
Vox Continental V
Wurli
AstroLab’s 61-key, semi-weighted keyboard is equipped with channel aftertouch, and sits below a beautifully designed interface based around a circular display that also acts as a rotary encoder. Two additional banks of rotaries operate macro controls for the AstroLab’s sounds and its 12 onboard effects, which include delay, reverb, chorus, phaser, distortion and more.
The keyboard is kitted out with an arpeggiator, chord and scale modes (that work in conjunction with its 61 LEDs above the keys) and a 32-bar looper, in addition to a vocoder engine that can be used with an external microphone. AstroLab’s 1300+ sounds can be split across the keyboard or layered together in multitimbral patches.
In addition to AstroLab Connect, a mobile app for browsing presets and purchasing new sounds, AstroLab comes bundled with Arturia’s Analog Lab Pro software which can be used to access more sounds, customize the keyboard’s sound library and assign custom macros. Owners of Arturia’s software instruments can also go beyond Analog Lab’s four macro controls to design customized patches on the computer to be loaded on to the keyboard.
As for connectivity, AstroLab is equipped with both WiFi and Bluetooth for hooking up with its companion apps, USB-C and USB-A ports, MIDI In/Out, a stereo line output and a headphone output. You’ll also find a stereo combo input for running a microphone into the keyboard, along with jacks for sustain and expression pedals.
Official AstroLab overview:
Features:
61-note semi-weighted keyboard with piano-size keys and aftertouch
10 sound engines
Virtual Analog
Samples
Wavetable
FM
Granular
Physical modelling
Vector Synthesis
Harmonic
Phase distortion
Vocoder
Over 1300 in-built sounds
More than 10.000 sounds via Arturia software
Navigation wheel & screen for easy browsing
10 Preset Buttons for quick sound access
4 macro controls for quick editing
Brightness
Timbre
Time
Movement
12 insert FX
4 dedicated knobs to control FX including dedicated Delay/Reverb
Multis/Keyboard Split
MIDI IN i/o, balanced stereo input, sustain, expression, aux 1 & 2 pedals
USB-C connection and USB-A host
Bluetooth audio input and WiFi for wireless control
Arpeggiator, MIDI Looper, Chord & Scale modes
Arturia AstroLab Demo:
AstroLab is priced at $1999. Find out more on Arturia website.
Arturia teases mysterious extraterrestrial announcement to be revealed at livestream event: ‘25 years, and beyond’
French manufacturer Arturia has teased a mysterious announcement to be unveiled at an “exclusive livestream event” scheduled for Tuesday April 9th, in celebration of their 25th anniversary.
“25 years, and beyond,” the teaser reads, accompanied by a video of an astronaut floating in space. “A new era awaits, and you’re invited to witness its dawn”.
You can view the official debut via the embed above. Prior to the event, the video will display a countdown until it goes live.
Speculation in the comments is rife, with many hoping for an addition to the company’s well-loved Brute line of hardware synthesizers, or a Mk3 version of its popular KeyLab MIDI keyboard.
The livestream event will commence at 6PM CEST on April 9th. They haven’t officially announced anything yet. When we know more, so will you.
