Arturia AstroLab Synthesizer

Arturia AstroLab Synthesizer
Product no: 9000-0126-0428 Bax Music Warranty: This product comes with a 3-year warranty.

General

The AstroLab is Arturia's latest... synthesizer? Drawbar organ? Stage piano? With over 30 embedded Arturia plug-ins, it's actually all of that at once, even if Arturia refers to it as a stage keyboard with semi-weighted piano keys.

The Arturia AstroLab: A Massive Box of Tricks

The Arturia AstroLab is home to a massive selection of sounds that come from Arturia's own sound engines. Besides a CS80, DX7, JP-8, Prophet 5 and, MS-20, it harnesses the sonic prowess of a 2600, a Synclavier, a Wurli, and many other legendary units — over 30 in total. That said, since you're getting presets that can only be tweaked in terms of four basic parameters, the Astrolab isn't a fully-fledged synth. Thankfully, the number of presets go through the roof and give you everything you could ever ask for. Also, if you happen to have a software license for one of the built-in synths, you can always hook up your laptop and still create custom sounds from scratch.

So, What Is It?

While it clearly has the potential to be one, the Astrolab isn't a real synthesizer. Based on the same logic, you could say that the Astrolab has the potential to be a drawbar organ thanks to the built-in B3, but isn't really a drawbar organ either. It also features Arturia's Augmented Grand Piano, but still isn't your standard stage piano. All things considered, it's more a synth than anything else, where the sum of all parts make it a bit of everything. The presets, the fat list of built-in sounds, the clean interface...it's all aimed at gigging musicians who don't want to fuss with a laptop while they're playing live.

Other Perks

The Astrolab also gets full marks for aesthetics and practical features. The clean control lay-out combines with faux-wooden side panels and, uniquely, a round display. On top of that, you're looking at a microphone input for the built-in Vocoder, and the option to add a music rest and a set of wooden legs for on-stage use, which completes one of the most interesting bits of kit for pro-level keyboardists on the market right now.

Specifications

Product features

Sustainable product	not specified
Synthesizer kind	standard
Synthesizer options	extensive
Difficulty level	not applicable
Vintage remake	no
Sound source	FM, physical modelling, sample player, software, virtual analogue, wavetable
Number of keys	61
Arpeggiator/sequencer	arpeggiator
19-inch rack size	not applicable
Synthesizer type	keyboard
Type of keys	semi-weighted
Synthesizer inputs	microphone input
Synthesizer outputs	line out jack
MIDI & other	MIDI in, MIDI out, MIDI over USB
Audio via USB	no
Control	sustain (input), switch pedal (input)
Polyphony	variable

Weight and dimensions including packaging

Weight (incl. packaging)	10,0 kg
Dimensions (incl. packaging)	120,5 x 45,0 x 18,5 cm

Product specifications

Arturia AstroLab
embedded Arturia engines:
- Emulator II V
- DX7 V
- Augmented VOICES
- Jun-6 V
- Jup-8 V
- CS-80 V
- Augmented STRINGS
- Pigments
- MS-20 V
- Prophet-5 V
- Synclavier V
- Synthi V
- Prophet-VS V
- ARP2600 V
- Wurli V
- Modular V
- OP-Xa V
- Stage-73 V
- CZ V
- Vox Continental V
- B-3 V
- Clavinet V
- CMI V
- Mini V
- Vocoder V
- Augmented Grand Piano
- Buchla Easel V
- Farfisa V
- Matrix-12 V
- Piano V
- SEM V
- Solina V
- SQ80 V
presets only (editing requires a software license per model)
more than 1300 presets
four macros for basic tweaks (brightness, timbre, time, movement)
four effects including delay and reverb
arpeggiator, MIDI-looper, chord/scale-modi
included: registration card, USB-C to USB-A cable, user manual, power supply
dimensions: 935 x 330 x 99mm
weight: 9.9 kg

Write a review

Peter k. December 28, 2024

Wrote the following about Arturia AstroLab Synthesizer

This synth has gone under the radar because people think it just a hardware controller. That it is but to some of the best sounding software available The keyboard is solid and sounds amazing. If you see the reviews online more snd more people are starting to appreciate this versatile synth.

Reviews from other countries

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Steve Lind August 1, 2025

Wrote the following about Arturia AstroLab Synthesizer

Dit is echt een "ondergeschoven kindje", zowel live als in mijn studio is de bruikbaarheid van dit instrument ver boven het gemiddelde. Stevige constructie, enorme hoeveelheid zeer bruikbare sounds, hands-on sound beïnvloeding. Dit laatste heb ik op bv mijn ASM ook maar de hoeveelheid filters e.d. is zo groot dat live daar niet goed mee te werken is als je niet eerst van tevoren hebt geanalyseerd wat elk "knopje" doet. Dat is bij de Astrolab heel anders, heel toegankelijk en snel je geluid beïnvloeden is no problem. Je kunt hem als het ware zo uit de doos op het podium zetten en spelen. En een heel goed kwalitatief toestenbord maakt het helemaal af. En bovendien prima geholpen door de verkoper.... top!