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Arturia just released a new standalone synthesizer called the AstroLab. This 61-key stage keyboard is basically the in hardware form, which makes it perfect for live performances. The synth boasts ten dedicated sound engines and access to 35 virtual instruments, including the vast majority of the emulations found with . It also costs $2,000.
You could recreate this on the cheap by just buying some software instruments and a MIDI controller, but this is a stage keyboard. In other words, it has been designed with live performance in mind. The casing is durable and built to withstand the rigors of touring and there’s plenty of nifty sound design tools that should come in handy when gigging.
There are 12 insert FX options, with four control knobs, and the ability to loop any sound by up to 32 bars. The instrument even captures the MIDI, so people can easily swap out to another instrument and play the same part. The multitimbral feature allows players to set a split point along the keyboard, to make it easy to pull up two instruments at the same time. This is a big deal when playing live, as you never know how long a keyboard will take to load a preset.
If you want to get people dancing to the sound of a robot voice singing “around the world” over and over until 5 AM, AstroLab keyboards ship with a vocoder and a port to plug in a microphone. Of course, the synthesizer features the usual accouterments like mod wheels, an arpeggiator and various chord scale options. Finally, there’s an affiliated mobile app, AstroLab Connect, that lets users organize their presets and download new sounds from the store. The keyboard is available now through Arturia and various retailers.
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Lawrence Bonk
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