What is the AstroLab?
I own the Arturia V Collection 9, and I think it’s killer for the money. It’s got tons of synths and keyboards from Moog, Yamaha, Roland, Arp, and others. It’s really cool. It’ll run on any good computer, so if you have an i7 from 2018, it’s fine. You don’t need an M1 chip to run it, unlike some other modern software synths which I won’t name, like Cherry Audio. Oops.
If you want to gig with the V Collection sounds, you bring a computer, an audio interface, and a keyboard controller, and you’re ready to go. But what if you don’t want the hassle of working with an actual computer on a sweaty, dirty stage? Wouldn’t it be nice if Arturia just made a keyboard with those sounds built in?
That’s what the AstroLab is. Got it? Good.
Well, OK, I think there are a few things from V Collection that aren’t in here, but 95% of V Collection is present.
How much does the 61 key Arturia AstroLab cost, you say? It’s two grand on the Arturia website. Ha! It’s $1,599 at Sweetwater. Now we’re talking.
Competition
At $1,699, this keyboard has competition from Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and some other companies I’m too lazy to name. When I say competition, I mean keyboards that contain a ton of sounds from pianos to organs to synth sounds and more. The Yamaha MO-DX6 is $1,350, The Roland JUNO-DS61 is a mere $799, and the Korg Nautilus 61 is $1,699.
Each of these keyboards will have their pros and cons. I’ll tell you right now that I think the AstroLab’s piano is the weakest of the bunch, but the AstroLab has a bigger collection of cool vintage synth and keyboard sounds, and with a computer there’s a level of tweakability that the other keyboards couldn’t hope to compete with. I think the AstroLab can compete with the others based on that – if you want to control every patch cable in your virtual ARP 2600, you can connect your AstroLab to your computer and you’ve got the entire thing there. Then you just save the patch into your keyboard and you’re ready to gig.
So if you need the sounds of the massive V Collection, you only have two choices – the new AstroLab by Arturia, or… a laptop running V Collection and a keyboard controller.
Pros
* Easy access to sounds due to simplified interface
* Just bring the keyboard, no need to bring laptop, cables, power supply, audio interface
* Ability to use with computer as a keyboard controller
* Standalone piece of gear
* Probably more robust than a laptop/keyboard controller setup
* For some, the best collection of sounds on any $1,599 keyboard.
Cons
* Costs the same or more than a modest laptop setup
* Laptop and controller can do far far more
* Controllers on keyboard not as versatile as on my $320 KeyLab Essential 61
Conclusion
This is designed for a gigging keyboard player who hates computers. Sorry, I mean who doesn’t want to gig with a laptop. And let’s be honest, there’s something appealing about just having the sounds in the darn keyboard. That’s why I bought an MX88.
Personally I don’t get the whole “I hate laptops” thing. But just search YouTube for DAWless jamming and you’ll find there’s a big community out there of people who don’t like computers because they have – too – many – options? I mean, it’s hard for an old guy like to understand. My first recording setup was a cassette deck. I made do with whatever I could get my hands on. I have no problem ignoring all the plugins and features I don’t use, the same way I can walk in a library and not have my head explode.
There is something else that you can get out of a computer based setup that you can’t get out of the AstroLab – all the other sounds of all the other plugins. So if you want a Quadra, or a Jupiter 6, or a great piano, or even a great sampler, the laptop setup wins. There’s a reason there’s so many MacBook Pros running MainStage on world tours.
But even for the big touring artists, there is still something to be said about a self-contained keyboard that just works. It just feels more stable, more trustworthy. Whether that’s an illusion, I couldn’t tell you. But a lot of keyboard players feel this way.
But anyway, if you hate computers, you can mostly avoid them with the Arturia AstroLab. Um, until you want to make your own patches, and then you’re gonna want to plug it into a computer. But then the patches live in the AstroLab. Best of both worlds?
So would I buy one? No, I already have the sounds. What if I didn’t have the sounds? I’d buy the V Collection instead, and get all the sounds for a lot less, and use my existing computer and keyboard. This keyboard is not for me. But it IS a great keyboard for other people who have different tastes and needs.