If this thing was a desktop with a sequencer like a Yamaha groovebox it would be amazing.
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So glad ROMPLERs are making a come back in 2024.
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Maybe it’s not for me, but as a big Arturia fan, I can’t help to feel “so close yet so far” with this one… no poly after touch, really?
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I can see why. But I also can see why some would prefer the laptop. If people can’t understand why some would like one, even a laptop here on Elektronauts, then I don’t know what to say either.
BTW - just a message to all Elektronaut forum members…
Get a laptop already!
Ive got the Arturia Collection. Some of the emulations are better than others. The Solina is amazing. But the Prophet 5 and Model D compared to the Softube version arent as good. The old CMI and Moog Modular stuff is great as well. I think people are being abit hard on Arturia though. You are getting an incredible library with a very useable keyboard interface. A few years ago this would be no1 on anyones list. Now the competition is so hot its hard to please everyone.
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Richard Nicol ( of Pittsburgh Modular ) has an interesting take on the Astrolab for performing musicians.
This is him from the latest SonicTalk :
Some of what he said :
The fact that you can have a Buchla Music Easel and a Moog Modular System pre-patched, in a box, for your show, is fantastic.
-AND-
… get the laptop off the stage, and play an instrument !
-AND ALSO-
… I feel this is the beginning of a platform for them ( Arturia ) – they’re going to take feedback from a very vocal group of users that tour with this thing, and they’re going to make changes, and they’re going to adjust it.
He also makes the comparison to the Nord Modular G2 used on stage but with higher quality sound like from a Buchla or a Moog.
ADDED :
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TAE exists since the beginning at arturia, so there is no “before”…
A mini version would be really cool
Don’t know the big deal about a laptop on a stage. The best piano virtuoso I have seen live, Hania Rani, had a laptop on stage. It was hidden on the floor and didn’t get in the way of her grand piano, upright piano, stage piano and keyboard synth.
Still, the AstroLab is an interesting entrant into the stage piano category!
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For me, a workstation instead of a stage keyboard would have made AstroLab a more interesting product. At minimum, an increase to 8-parts of multi-timbral would be welcomed.
Curious.
A response from a question asked in another forum regardimg external controllers:
“Yes, external MIDI control (via MIDI or USB) works. There are limitations to what you can control, but basically, the 4 Macros and up to 9 additional virtual “faders” (like a KeyLab) can be programmed in Analog Lab, on a per-preset level.”
This is consistent with what is briefly covered in the Loopop review. This is not great for creating a patch, but that is not the intention here, still I think 4 macros + 9 additional controls per preset is more than OK for tweaking and manipulating an existing patch already made on the laptop.
I’m pretty sold here. Think I’ll pull the trigger mid year.
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Should fit perfectly into the empty space on the lid. Get something nice and thin and the right size and attach it “permenantly”.
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I did my best to measure length of the space based on the key sizes from the image. Looks like its around 29cm (edit 23cm) in length and half that again in width. A MFT (white) would fit there pretty nicely with room to spare and look good, but probably overkill. Enough room to fit a H9 pedal if the GAS gods demand it. A regular beatstep would be nice but it’s about 10 cm too long. I use a MFT with my Akai Force, so it’s probably the best candidate for me and I just map the other the spare knobs to functions on that.
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What’s the depth?
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Arturia Collection (actually a bigger library than the astrolab) and a Hydrasynth keys or
This??
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Korg Keystage.
…and I realize that a reply to a days-old comment shows up down here, so for those reading now, this is a reference to keyboards with an audio interface in’em. Though this does make me wonder if a tablet PC or something Raspberry Pi-powered might be a good alternative. More potential hassles though.
If I was still working in live sound, I would expect to see a lot of these in the coming years. Eating into Nord’s relatively unchallenged dominance of that space.
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14 cm
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