Arturia’s collection of classic synths and keyboards has almost become a classic in itself. Andy Jones looks back (and forward) at its latest additions…

The Analog Lab software makes use of Arturia’s fantastic software instruments, including their acclaimed recreations of classic vintage analog synths. 37-, and 61-key variety, but now Arturia jumps into the big leagues with the “kitchen sink edition,” the 88-key, fully weighted KeyLab 88. The company also sweetens the pot with its. A hybrid synthesizer with a 49-key MIDI controller 3500 synth sounds, 200 scenes, editing software, and more. Analog Experience - The Laboratory features a top-notch 49-key MIDI keyboard controller and the Laboratory version of Arturia's Analog software making it the most professional-grade version of their Analog Experience Series.

Price €499 [€149 to €199 per plug-in]
ContactArturia | Source Distribution | 0208 962 5080

Digital audio software company. Makers of Prophet V, Analog Factory, Origin, Jupiter-8V, CS-80v, ARP2600 V, Modular V, Mini V, Brass, Storm, imini, spark, drum machine, beatstep, keylab. Check out this video interview with some of the key members of the Arturia team who brought this amazing instrument to life. Tutorial 02: the. I'm thinking that Odesi simply won't recognize Analog Lab. At least on the Windows platform. I would love to hear from someone else in this forum or at MIK that could do a similar test. There is a demo version of Analog Lab on Arturia's site that could probably be used to test this.

V Collection 6 key features:

When the music-production world went software bonkers – that is, everyone and his dog (including me) thought that we should all be making music with laptops and nothing else – one of the first targets for emulation in the software environment was the vintage synth.

Of course it was. We were – and still are – talking tens of thousands of pounds for some examples of the real thing. The Yamaha CS-80 is arguably the most coveted, but Minimoogs, ARPs, Prophets, Rolands and Korgs all still have grown men drooling and wobbling at the knees for their lush – or tearing – analogue sounds.

Of course, hardware has since ‘resumed play’, coming back with something of a vengeance as some of those classic companies get rebooted for the 21st century – think Moog, Oberheim, Sequential/DSI and ARP by Korg – and some are reborn in the fantastic yet complex world of the Eurorack/modular synth.

Yet for many of us, software was – and still is – the only way to get those vintage sounds and luckily, there are many, many soft ways to do just that. There are stacks of freebie vintage synths – DX, OB, Minis and more – and iOS devices are spoilt rotten with some incredible titles from Korg, IK and Arturia. And it was Arturia which led the way back in the soft day with its V-Collection, the sixth incarnation of which is on test here.

V for victory

We haven’t reviewed V Collection as a complete package before – but have covered several of the instruments or their iOS versions separately – so I’ll take this opportunity to detail some of the rest of the collection as well as the new additions for version 6. These are four new instruments: the Buchla Easel, V, Clavinet V, CMI (Fairlight) V and DX7 V.

On top of that, Analog Lab has been updated to V3. As we’ll see, this is the software that allows you to manage the sounds from the entire collection behind one interface – it takes the preset strain, basically. Finally, the Piano instrument has been updated and there are new GUIs for the Vox Continental, Wurli and Solina.

Do I really need this?

That is a very good question. Whether you ‘need’ the whole V Collection is dependent on your present plug-in collection, your level of obsession with vintage sounds and your bank balance. If your collection is sparse, we’d say go for the whole thing. While you can cherry pick individual instruments, at between €149 and €199 that would be an expensive option. Get three and you might as well buy the whole lot.

If you’re obsessed with vintage, then V collection is for you. Even though many analogue purists will laugh in the face of these digital equivalents and not go near them, we think they’re missing out, as a lot of effort has gone into recreating the instruments’ original sounds. Sure, they might not be as dirty, crunchy and out of tune as the originals and there’s a bit too much sheen in places, but you’ll not find more ‘vintage’ unless you stumble across one of those trendy markets in Hoxton or Brighton.

Setting up and the older titles

Once purchased, you get a list of titles within V Collection to download within your account at the Arturia website. But you’ll be wise to just download Arturia Software Centre, which acts as a shell to download all the titles. With this app, Arturia has thankfully sorted its software-registration process out. Escort agency business plan. Driver modem wavecom usb. It used to be a chore, but now this Software Centre (not unlike NI’s version) makes it very easy to choose, download and install instruments.

Nothing feels too weighty, either. Of the new instruments, Analog Lab V3 is probably the biggest at around 1GB. Even with my terrible web connection, I was up and running with all the new titles – and a good selection of the older ones – in no time. Logic picked them up as quickly, so I was soon ready to go.

Before I get on to those newer titles, I’ll briefly run through some of the highlights of the older collection. The Prophet V was one of Arturia’s first emulations, but the company has kept it reasonably fresh by including the VS Digital Vector synth… so you get a kind of ‘best of analogue and digital’ sound set with it. The Vector synthesis is not unlike my old Yamaha SY22, where you move a joystick between four sounds to get some lovely movement.

It’s a great synth for lush and harsher pad sounds and is packed full of both. Having had a DSI Prophet 6 for a while, this Prophet will be a welcome addition to my library and will certainly stay on my drive.

Next of the older titles I downloaded is that already mentioned CS-80, a clone of the original Yamaha and Vangelis favourite. For my ageing eyes, it’s a bit too much of a clone, with the sliders and knobs far too small (though the GUI can be resized). With some instruments (notably the DX, which I’ll come to), Arturia has simplified the front panel. But with the CS-80 V, you get everything laid out as with the original.

Thankfully, there are options to make certain parameters more visible at the top of the GUI and the size of the GUI itself can be adjusted, so my glasses are not needed. And whatever… CS-80 V has a sound to die for: rich, varied and a different sonic angle at every turn. It quickly makes you realise why the original is held in such high regard and, again, this won’t be leaving my computer any time soon.

Next up, another classic – the ARP 2600. This will please bleepy modular fans and those, like me, who were perhaps a little too obsessed with early synth music from Sheffield. Lots of grungy sequences, powerful leads and random bleeps. Lovely stuff, with lots of rhythmic swaying and drifting that could be at home in newer EDM tunes, too. It’s a synth that you could easily go mad with, but Arturia has supplied the white lab coat and instructions – just experiment to your heart’s content. I’d say this is one of my favourites – but then I do have those early Human League tastes…

Next, another classic and another one of Arturia’s earliest emulations, the Jup-8, a recreation of everyone’s favourite Roland. This suffers from the same ‘authenticity over ease of reading’ issues that the CS-80 does but again, there’s an expansion option to reveal more and bigger parameters including an excellent sequencer that brings a lot of movement to the presets. And, as with the CS, you wait until you hear the damn thing. This is as good and lush-a-sounding synth as you can get, which not only ticks the vintage-sounding boxes, but has the odd contemporary twist along the way, too.

All new for V Collection 6

DX7 V

The synth that featured on (virtually) every Top Of The Pops in the 80s and soundtracked that decade. It’s a thin-tied, trouser-pleated goodie…

CMI V

This models the Fairlight sampler, one of the first pieces of tech for mangling and playing digi

Arturia Analog Lab Key