Arturia has unveiled AstroLab 88, an 88-key stage keyboard that aims to bridge the gap between studio and live performance. This new instrument combines a responsive Fatar TP-40L hammer-action keybed with a robust sound engine, allowing musicians to take their studio sounds to the stage without a computer.
The AstroLab 88 comes loaded with 40 onboard instruments and over 1,600 presets drawn from Arturia’s V Collection and Pigments. Its updated CPU promises improved polyphony and quicker loading times, ensuring a seamless experience during live performances.
What’s New with AstroLab 88?
- A Universe of Iconic Sound: With more than 1600 built-in presets powered by 40 instruments from Arturia’s V Collection and Pigments, musicians can access a wide range of sounds, from classic analog emulations to modern digital textures:
- Intuitive Navigation: A central navigation wheel and OLED screen simplify Browse and tweaking presets.
- Performance Controls: Four macro controls allow for quick sound shaping, and 10 dedicated preset buttons offer one-touch access to favorite sounds and setlists.
- Integrated Effects: The AstroLab 88 includes two dedicated effects (Delay & Reverb) and two assignable FX slots, with a selection of 12 insert effects to customize your sound.
Key Features:
- Chord, Scale, Arp Modes: These modes make it easy to embellish performances, stay in key, and trigger sequences.
- Multi-instruments: Users can assign different sounds across the keyboard with programmable split points, perfect for layering various instrumental textures.
- Loop & Record: The keyboard features a MIDI looping function, allowing for capturing melodies and progressions live and reassigning them to different instruments.
- Vocoder Engine: Powered by Arturia’s Vocoder V, the AstroLab 88 includes a built-in vocoder engine for exploring vocal textures directly.
The AstroLab 88 is designed for reliability on the road, featuring a lightweight yet sturdy aluminum and Bakelite chassis. It offers a “studio-to-stage” workflow, allowing seamless integration with Analog Lab Pro in your DAW. The included AstroLab Connect app serves as a command center for Browse, organizing, and tweaking sounds, managing playlists, and syncing content.
Future Enhancements (Update 1.5, due by July 17th):
Arturia has committed to ongoing firmware upgrades, with the upcoming 1.5 update set to include:
- Seamless playlist transfer between Analog Lab and AstroLab.
- Program-change commands for controlling external devices.
- Direct FX & MIDI editing from Analog Lab.
- New and updated instruments from V Collection 11, such as MiniBrute V, Augmented YANGTZE, Augmented MALLETS, Synthx V, a new SEM V, Jup-8000 V, Pure LoFi, and Augmented instruments V2.
Pricing and Availability:
The Arturia AstroLab 88 is available now for $1,999 USD. It includes both AstroLab Connect and Analog Lab Pro software.
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