Arturia AstroLab 61 Silver synthesiser

General

The Arturia AstroLab is yet another product where it’s not quite so easy to pin down exactly what it is. Arturia itself tends to describe it as a sort of stage keyboard with semi-weighted piano keys – complete with aftertouch! But then again, what is a stage keyboard? Isn’t that just a stage piano or a drawbar organ? Or is it actually a synth after all? Let’s first take a look at what it actually is, and not worry too much about the category. One thing’s for sure: it’s a really cool piece of kit!

Features of the Arturia AstroLab

The idea behind the AstroLab is that it’s a massive repository of sounds. These sounds come from Arturia’s own plug-ins, which are therefore embedded in the AstroLab! In other words, the AstroLab is a CS80, a DX7, a JP-8, a Prophet 5, an MS-20, a 2600, a Synclavier, a Wurli, and much more; over thirty models. So we’ve listed a respectable range of synths, but is the AstroLab actually a synthesiser? Strange as it may seem: not really. You play presets, and apart from a few macros, you can’t change them. With such a huge number of synths, the number of presets naturally goes through the roof, so it’s debatable whether you’d have wanted to create many of your own anyway. However! If you also have a valid software licence for one of these synth models, you can, in fact, create your own sounds using your computer – just as you would with the software.

But what is it, exactly?

So it has the potential of a synthesiser, without actually being one. Using the same logic, we could say it contains a B-3 without calling the AstroLab a drawbar organ. The Arturia Augmented Grand Piano is also included, without us necessarily seeing it as a stage piano. All things considered, we still see it most as a synthesiser, but it’s not a 100 per cent match in any respect. Is that a problem? We don’t think so. All in all – the presets, the many models, the clean interface – it’s highly suitable for live use. You can take this along to your band’s gig, and you’ll have decades of incredibly expensive synth history with you. No dust, no creaking encoders, no tuning faff, and with effects. And more importantly: without needing a laptop running the Arturia software. The fact that you can fully edit the sounds with the right licences is a bonus, but we wouldn’t be surprised if live keyboardists are more than happy with the huge list of presets and the handful of macros.

Practical aspects

Visually, it’s clearly different from how most synths are built. A fresh look with a soothing control panel. There are side panels that look like wood; it’s not real wood, of course, but that doesn’t make the AstroLab any less attractive. It must also be said that the round display is quite remarkable. Another very nice touch is that you can connect a microphone, as it naturally includes a vocoder model. The live aspect is further emphasised by the option to add a music stand and wooden legs. The overall conclusion has to be that the AstroLab is perhaps the most interesting product currently available for stage keyboardists. A hardware instrument, seamlessly integrated with the endless world of software – that’s exactly how we like it!