So, for example, the Player allows you to adjust the filter, the LFO and the amplitude envelope of a sound that has dozens of other parameters hidden away 'under the hood'. But while it's tempting to assume that the Laboratory version is much the same, with just a bit more of this and a smidgen more of that, it would be a mistake, because, in three important ways, the Laboratory is much more powerful than its siblings.Īlthough Analogue Experience sounds are based on Arturia's V-series soft synths you have (until now) only had access to a limited subset of their editing and performing parameters.
The software seems very similar to that supplied with the Factory and the Player, and it's worth reading my earlier review if you haven't already done so, because almost everything that I wrote about the smaller systems remains relevant.
The software side of the Laboratory the bottom panel mimics the settings made on the controller keyboard.
Getting it up and running on my MacBook Pro proved to be straightforward, although you need Internet access to register it, and a bit of prior experience with the eLicenser system used by Arturia goes a long way toward making the process as painless as possible. Once installed, the software appears as VST, AU and RTAS plug‑ins, as well as a stand‑alone application, and will run on OS X, Windows XP, Vista and 7. The Laboratory SoundsĬomplementing the hardware, the Laboratory contains the latest generation of Arturia's Analogue Experience software, with 3500 preset (but editable) sounds based on the company's Moog, ARP, Roland, SCI and Yamaha soft synths. This is very sophisticated for a low‑cost system and, if you compare this with the 32‑note keyboard that comes with the Factory (which has no MIDI In, no Aux, no breath control input, no pads and fewer of the other controls), let alone that of the Player, it's clear that it's a big step up from its smaller siblings.
Meanwhile, around at the back I was pleased to find five‑pin DIN sockets for MIDI In and Out, as well as the expected USB/MIDI socket, plus quarter‑inch sockets for no fewer than four forms of control: sustain, expression, 'Aux' and breath control. In addition to these, there are six buttons that send MMC messages (Start, Stop, Record, Backward, Forward and Loop) for transport control of hardware and software sequencers. This is not just wider than the keyboards supplied with the Player and the Factory it offers a greater range of facilities and more in the way of physical controls, with nine sliders (two ADSRs and Tempo), 13 knobs, 23 buttons (including 10 snapshot buttons that allow you to recall favourite patches from the keyboard) and four pads, as well as traditional pitch‑bend and modulation wheels.
Let's start with the 49‑note velocity‑ and aftertouch‑sensitive keyboard. Like its siblings, the Laboratory combines three elements: a keyboard controller, a large library of editable sounds based on the company's existing V-series soft synths, and a separate software package that allows users to configure the keyboard for use with other software.
My review of the curent two products in the series - the Player and the Factory (see Sound On Sound January 2011) - suggested that they provide an interesting set of facilities in a novel fashion at an attractive price, but what of the Laboratory? Could there be room above the Factory for a bigger and better 'Experience', or were Arturia attempting to slice the virtual analogue soft synth market just a little too thinly? (As we were going to press, Arturia announced a 61‑note version of the Laboratory, but this review will concentrate on the 49‑note model.) Physically Speaking When I first read about the flagship of Arturia's Analogue Experience ('AE') series, I wondered whether there would be any demand for another product based on the company's existing analogue modelling technology. The latest addition to Arturia's Analog Experience series takes their hybrid software/hardware synth concept even further.