Arturia

Arturia just announced the KeyLab Essential 88 mk3, a larger sibling to the previously-released As the name implies, this is a full-size 88-key controller that allows you to play the entire note range of a piano at the same time. There’s no need for changing octaves here.Just like the other entries in the KeyLab Essential line, the 88 mk3 is intended to be a budget-friendly alternative to the flagship KeyLab controllers. The build is solid, with semi-weighted keys, though slightly less premium than the standard KeyLab…

It’s hard to believe that Artruria has anything left to add to at this point, but here we are. NAMM 2024 is just about ready to kick off, and Arturia is rolling out version five of its home-grown super synth. In the grand scheme of , this is a one. But that’s not to say there aren’t new features worth getting excited about.Perhaps the most important new feature is also the most invisible. Pigments finally supports multi-core processing, dramatically improving performance. It was never the biggest resource hog in the…

Arturia just called Refract and, even better, it's free until January 4. Refract is a unison-based effect that stacks voices to create unique soundscapes, which could be a boon for sound designers or just anyone looking to add a bit of textural pizazz to their tracks.This is a multi-fx plugin, so the unison effect can be leveraged to create a number of different Mode FX algorithms. It can duplicate a signal up to eight times, each getting its own stereo voice. This allows for movement between “unfiltered stems to a wide…

Arturia V Collection X is one of the biggest updates to the virtual synth library in quite some time. Six new instruments have been added (though, most have been available separately before) and two have been rebuilt from the ground up. That brings the grand total number of instruments in V Collection to 38, and over the last few years at least six of those have been completely revamped with dramatic improvements.MiniFreak V, Acid V, Augmented Brass and Augmented Grand Piano were all available previously as standalone…

Arturia just launched a for its MiniFreak hybrid hardware synthesizer. Firmware version 2.0 brings a host of improvements and new features for avid fans of The biggest news here is a brand-new wavetable sound engine, boasting 32 wavetables and 64 patches. However, the engine’s only available on one of the oscillators, which does slightly decrease sound design options. Still, more engines are never a bad thing.There’s also a new Super Unison effect, which is basically a souped-up chorus that increases stereo width by…

Arturia's KeyLab Essential series is kind of the sweet spot in its lineup. It has most of the same core features as the company's flagship KeyLab series, but with a less premium build and a few less hands-on controls. But it's they're also about half the price. The new KeyLab Essential mk3 delivers even better value with more controls, a bigger screen and a more eco-conscious build.  The mk3 will initially be available in 49- and 61-key varieties, in both black and white finishes. While there was no announcement of an…

When Arturia launched the MiniFreak, it also promised that a plugin version, MiniFreak V would also be available soon. Originally it was only available to those who purchased a hardware MiniFreak, but now it's being offered to anyone who wants access to the dual digital sound engines and 22 oscillator modes without eating up any more physical space in their studio. MiniFreak V brings all of the features of the hardware synth to your computer, save for the analog filters. Instead the V version gets modeled analog filters.…

Look, there’s no shortage of affordable MIDI controllers out there. And if you stick to the big brands, it’s kinda hard to go wrong. Arturia itself even has multiple budget offerings that are all pretty solid in their own right. One of its most popular, the MiniLab is getting a pretty major update that includes changes to the controls, an arpeggiator, and the addition of a MIDI port – and full-sized one at that. The MiniLab 3 doesn’t look terribly different from its MKII predecessor. Its corners are slightly more rounded…