ARTURIA ASTROLAB Review
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Three month review of the ARTURIA ASTROLAB STAGE KEYBOARD running ANALOG LAB and V COLLECTION instruments.
ASTROLAB playlist for more thoughts, playing and demos:
► • ARTURIA ASTROLAB
MORE WOODY PIANO SHACK
► woodypianoshac...
“Remember, don't B sharp, don't B flat; B natural”.🙃
I've been using V Collection for years, and Pigments since it was released. I ordered my AstroLab the day it was announced; it's the center piece synth of my keyboard rig which also includes my Hammond SKx + 25-note pedals, Expressive E Osmose, and eventually my backordered Korg GrandStage X.
My goal was to have dedicated stage piano, stage organ, and stage synth that covers each well; the Osmose is my synth lead (alternatively, I have my Roland Axe-Edge for synth lead).
Perfect for home use;
my Roland Fantom EX + 61-key MIDI keyboard make for a great portable rig.
jeez, you're just flexing now! of all that lot, i'm super jealous of the hammond and fantom!
Ахаха, последних ежей под санкциями доедаем, а? 🤭
@@WoodyPianoShack apologies, getting my toys before early retirement. I'm also a CTO exec at a successful tech company, which also helps.
also, helps to have some great deals with 15% off, and every purchase earns points I have around $500 in points that I can apply on top of 15% off; also selling older gear that I may regret, to fund new things...
the AstroLab covers a lot of ground, and sounds good; and is a great stage synth; I wanted a dedicated stage organ, and dedicated stage piano, to complete a home keyboard rig.
Cheers!
I love flat top keyboards, but the Korg GrandStage X, at 55 POUNDS is just too much for a 64 year old Duded. And just wait, till you add additional 20 pound case around it !!!
@@moogy77 already dealing with the weight of the SKx, which is lighter than my old '62 Hammond A-102 with Leslie 142 which I finally sold earlier this year.
I don't think there's even a case for the GrandStage X available, not urgent as I don't plan to use it outside of the house.
The keyboard rig I described is for dedicated home use, and I wanted a stage synth, stage piano and stage organ that I can enjoy for years to come; the AstroLab covers the synths...but once I played the Osmose it became part of the rig, that I can swap out with one of my keytars.
for out of the house, the Fantom EX 61 and optionally the Osmose or AxeEdge and a folding 2-tier stand.
Cheers!
This is an idea that was attempted about 17 years ago with a box that could store VSTs, it did not remain on the market long. Analog lab (presets) and the V-Collection sound excellent, so I can see anyone who loves the V-Collection and plays in a band has now got a computerless synth playing their choice of some 39 vintage instruments. Seems like a great way to keep vintage and not take any with you. My old metal Arturia controller has 10x the physical control, but must take an undependable computer to make sounds. Anytime a PC or MAC is removed from the music, it is a good thing for dependability.
Owned Arturia controller and the analog lab sounds for over 10? years. Been tempted to buy the V-Collection for full sound design, but I am just not a software music guy. My studio is 100% hardware, even the 24 track recorder. No computer used for music at all. I sound design for each song I compose, software sound design with a mouse and the controller is not for me.
yes, I had the V-Machine upgraded version; unfortunately you had to map/wrap (I forget the terminology) many VST to get them to work on the V-Machine. It's basically a low-end computer, even for the time, in a more rugged and simplified format.
Before the AstroLab, I used a laptop and four 61-key midi keyboards, and a KMI K-Board-Pro, mapping to V-collection, Pigments and Omnisphere, with a KMI SoftStep2 to change the mappings of each of the MIDI controllers.
yeah, the hardware vst hosts have all traditionally and historically been failures, which is surprising since I am sure there is a market. with all the authentication and manager apps, it would be challenging to have a generic cross-brand vst hardware host, unless the manufacturers agreed on a standard way of installing and activating plugins. but arturia has a chance, I think, since they are only hosting their own stuff.
@@zoomzoom3950 I am waiting for a standard universal MIDI control surface for synths. It would be a box with maybe: 16 sliders, 32 buttons and 32 knobs. It would be automatically mapped and the screen shot of it would be identical. IF you need more controls just buy a second and then have both on the screen too, or both on the screen and scroll between the two. Any number of controllers could be possible.
Hoping Arturia take notes and will then be very interested in a future 73 or 88 version with improvements. Thanks for the detailed review
we already know there is an 88 and mini coming due to some leaked info on the internet... cheers.
A lot of space for more knobs/buttons. Too bad they skimped so much. And so underpowered. That tiny screen would have been fine on a couch version with 37 mini-keys/batteries (like the Jupiter XM).
personally I think there are enough knobs and buttons for getting stuff done at the gig or casual use in the studio. but a nice big screen would have been appreciated, doesn't have to be touch though imho.
@@WoodyPianoShack Maybe they'll do a flagship.
Thanks Woody. That answered alot of my questions about this board. So I think at least for now I will just stick with my laptop with Arturia and other vst's and my Studiologic numa controller. I was on the fence but some of the issues you mentioned are somewhat deal breakers for me and concidering I kinda have just a different version of the same think that works and dosent have some of those issues. Thanks again for a honest and helpful review. Blessings And Best Wishes💯🙏
appreciate the comment, cheers!
An interesting summary after some extended use. You mention some things that even I haven't thought about. I'm sure Arturia will consider the things you mention. A great video, Woody! 🎹🎵❤
For that price, and the live performance purpose, of course they should have offered a 76-key, road worthy instrument. Also with much betyer navigation, larger screen, more sliders and buttons. Even my old Novation X-station has audio via USB by the way.
Great idea Arturia, but could have been a prestine product. Now it's not in my book. As of today it more frels like a design statement, nut the balance between design and a user friendly layout is SO important.
Thanks for your review
thank you, funny thing is I only accidentally published it, I was not intending to as I thought it came out quite boring and probably not of interest to many. let's see how well it does... :)
@@WoodyPianoShack I own all the Arturia V collection X with a Keylab 88 MKII great 👍 not boring for people who want an indepth review and taking the time to use it 👍
@@WoodyPianoShack Don't worry, we all like your opinions. Keep publishing them.
Thank you for great review woody. If any hardware host vst controller that can’t install other vst plugins like hollywood eastwest or vienna libraray and only limited to arturiria collection and host arturia plugins stored will be go to fail. I hope one day one company install kontact on their keyboard and host all plugins from big names so it go standard for world and this mess in production will be stopped and we will have standard protocol for keyboard not gimmik😊
i am surprised that native instruments have not built a keyboard that runs kontakt and their other plugins, perhap other nks compatible plugs, after all they got pretty much there with maschine+
@@WoodyPianoShack I guess they are working on that many years but you just imagine that if native instrument release this kinda keyboard all other brand like nord yamha korg roland all will be obsolete so just consider mafia back of that and all these brands talk together behind doors 😉
Thanks for the info.
I will, however, wait until they release the rack unit😎
✌✌
Thanks for the follow up , Woody, great idea as so many reviewers never do that but critical for potential buyers to know this stuff! Still seems a good thing for someone who wants a straight forward “ plug & play” experience- rather than someone into sound design etc. Your observations on The load times & note stealing does seem a bit negative if using live, but doesn’t sound like deal breaker. If it’s got great Acoustic piano that’s a huge plus 😮...Personally I think It’s a bit pricey for what it is but the build & aesthetics are built into the price, which is perfectly fair.
Coupled with a Nord Stage 3, it makes a great stage rig, as editing the sounds at the studio and using a set list works great for me. I do miss a workstation sometimes, but I love the Astrolab for what it is designed for.
Your comments on polyphony dropout on the DX7V is concerning, not least because Yamaha managed to squeeze 16 notes out of the original DX7 in 1983! Thanks for your insights, appreciated.
that is an interesting comparison. like when roland release a juno 6 boutique with only 4 note poly. that's progress for you!! :)
Woody, I feel like your videos have become very technical lately. I would rather appreciate a more creative approach, taking into account the music and the mood. For example, inspired playing under the moon, jamming by the sea, in the backyard, by candlelight, or nostalgic exploration of famous tracks, or learning futuristic trance arpeggios... please play more, I love your inspiration. Your channel made me into synths and start learning to play the piano. But that's because of the real emotions and inspiring music you played... with outdated and very limited synths
yeah fair enough, thanks for the feedback, I think channel always been a mix of technical, playing and having fun, good to know that you perceive a shift though, will try to steer the ship!
anything using pigments sounds will sound beautiful and probably sap all the polyphony after 4 keys
Thank you Woody for a honest and straight review of this keyboard. Personally I cannot see the point of this over a control keyboard and Arturia V collection on a laptop. Sounds a bit too clunky for the premium over what it would cost to buy a controller and software. Nord has an amazing UX. Just wondering if anyone does love this keyboard. I can see it's Arturia's response to Native Instruments Kontrol keyboards, looks nice though..
I couldn’t get that stupid app to work with this keyboard on iOS or MacOS. They haven’t even updated in 3 months.
It sounds great, but very disappointed by the lack of support. Such a shame. Get it together Arturia.
yeah, i read people were having struggles with it, and for this old fart, it would be guaranteed not to work. i suppose i should ask my son for help... just to give it a fair shot and review.
Thanks for the honest review. I use their excellent V collection .. But it really has no useful electric piano sound. They need to replace the pro Keylab series of controllers ... and they are taking their time. Perhaps the 88-key version of the Astrolab might be also a pro MIDI controller? THAT (more buttons and sliders) would address many of the criticisms ...
I like playing the pianos on mine also, I just wished they would had four draw bars where you could store sounds like on my Numa ex..
My AstroLab keys are all the same height; this is after a few months of use. I'm primarily an organist, but many pianists I know hit any and every keyboard like they're playing an acoustic grand piano when it's not necessary, that's why I don't let them play my keys 😁 fine for weighted piano keybeds, but for anything else it's basically abusive lol
you're playing a synth action keyboard, adjust your technique accordingly IMO.
A weighted action is expected to take a beating, so I think i'll just have to disagree. Three months is not enough time to beat an action senseless.
@@NabPunk the AstroLab has synth action, not weighted action. You play a synth action keybed the way you play a weighted keybed expect problems.
I've had my AstroLab since it was released; while I don't play it everyday, I play i regularly, but I don't treat it like a weighted action keybed because it's not.
not my problem either way; my AstroLab's keys are all even, everything works as expected. Nothing is breaking or broken.
like I said, most pianists are heavy-handed on all keyboards, IME. It's why I don't allow them to play or even try my keyboards, even those with weighted keys.
Cheers!
astrolab has "semi-weighted" keys, a term I never really understand, the keys either have weights on them or they do not :) they feel pretty light action to me, but not in a bad way, work well for playing piano and synth sounds where a good compromise is needed, arturia got that right.
Точняк 💯
I don't know why, maybe it's the angle, but that keyboard looks absolutely massive. Cartoonishly so.
no not at all, it's extremely compact for a 61
It is really a beautiful and great sounding machine. Tried it myself a couple of times and it’s better than I thought. 😊
that looks like a great stand. cant stand the X ones anymore,
what is that stand called?
roland ks12 iirc
The Astrolab on Roland stand would give Arturia nausea. Nonetheless, I've been seeing the Astrolab everywhere lately, and it's a nice idea to have a software synthesizer powered unit; however, in no way I can warm up to the Pompidou-styled design, and the keyboard feel. The Polybrute 12 is a different story. Very nice keybed indeed on the Polybrute 12. If the Polybrute 12 had modulation wheel in place of the Morphee, it could as well be a perfect synthesizer. But, I guess, you can't have everything. So now it basically comes down to the tossup between the Moog Muse and Roland Jupiter-X. The times are better than ever. So many 5-octave synthesizer choices. Plus stage keyboards from the Nord, Yamaha, and Hammond. What a time to be alive.
appreciate your insights, thanks for sharing.
I'm wondering if Roland and Yamaha are emulating the synths and Arturia's sounds are closer the the recorded sounds after running through studio gear.
Does this unit have built in speakers?
not sure i understand the first sentence, but no speakers
@@WoodyPianoShack You said the Arturia sounds of some synths were better. I wondered if Roland and Yamaha used the direct out of the synth sounds to emulate and Arturia's emulations were of sounds from records. Sorry if it wasn't clear.
@@Scott__C in fairness, roland do a great job of emulating the circuitry of their old vintage synths, but only for their own stuff, arturia emulating the sounds and behaviour of iconic synths from several brands
@@WoodyPianoShack Ah, understood. Thanks!
Wel well... At lot of problems if I roughly summarize (editing, gui, polyphony, etc). Does it mean "Don't buy that, get the Analog Lab V free version and connect a keyboard to your laptop"?
well, the primary reason to do that is to save yourself a thousand bucks or so. i have a hunch arturia will iron out any issues in firmware down the line, i think they really believe in this product line.
No poly aftertoch and no midi 2
Why not use hi end Fatar keybeds?!
good question, it is unusual and must be costly to design and build your own keybed
I think Arturia made a brave try to make an instrument using VST technology without a computer. I think this is not a full success but only a step in the right direction.
I play live with a MacBookPro, an audio board, two midi controllers and wonderful software (GigPerformer as a VST host and automation tool).
I do a lot of things with my setup that are impossible with Astrolab. So I am not interested to buy it
thanks for the opinions, i tend to agree!
One thing I can’t find nowhere, some samples don’t cover the whole keyboard. The lowest 5 or so keys and highest have no sound with some samples. Anyone else has this, or is it my Astrolab?
I can check, but which instrument, most do not use samples, only the augmented stuff and the special sample player. i wouldn't be surprised if that didn't play the whole keyboard.
For example: “stereo strings” (string ensemble)
It’s only the sample player, but not all samples
BTW, did you notice (didn’t see it in any review) the macro buttons are capacitive. When you touch the top, the give the current value.
Well I received an answer from Arturia helpdesk: “ this is normal: many sample based AstroLab factory presets are taken from the Mellotron instrument.
The Mellotron has a limited range of action and notes. These samples are faithful recordings from the original Mellotron. “. So no problem with my Astrolab 😁
That heating knob is a single point of failure😂 despite having arturia v collection in hardware format for live gigs
well you could say that for any screen on any synth,SPOF
It’s quirky that the industrial design has taken form over function. There is a sea of unused space, a tiny screen and yet stupid apps are required to avoid menu diving. Could be improved a bit.
Too quirky for me and I have V collection so no need
?
it's V collection and pigments in portable stage keyboard, so you no longer need to bring a computer. That's worth it to me. The round porthole interface takes some time to get used to, it's innovative, but a bigger screen would be better especially for the price IMO
So the keyboard is sitting there. And now what?
don't quite get the point...?
You want to store a preset, Arturia says "use the app". Well, this exactly shows why this keyboard is a total miss! You are very very limited to what you can do with it. It is way better to buy their Keylab MK3 and use the rest of the money to buy a laptop and an audio interface (if you don't already have them). You are going to have a much more flexible setup, not to say that you can use other VSTs and a DAW too. The only positive thing about this keyboard is, that is the most beautiful keyboard on the market :)
that's a big plus i guess! you can save presets on board, but a bit tedious btw.
First!