Bad Gear - Most Expensive Home Keyboard

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Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. Almost every day critics of this channel spread fake news that I will one day run out of Gear to review - if I haven’t already.
Today we are going to talk about Arturia Astrolab. This arguably most expensive home keyboard of all time and proprietary plugin host is the living proof that this day will most likely never come: a name suspiciously similar to your favorite personal lubricant, the UI of a smart home thermostat and the most obnoxious paywall of all time - merci beaucoup!!!
Bad Gear - Most Expensive Home Keyboard of All Time
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:55 Overview Arturia Astrolab
01:26 Patches ( Piano , Minimoog , Yamaha DX7 , Fairlight CMI ,...)
02:27 Overall Concept
02:37 Macro Controller
02:54 Loading Times
03:13 (not so) smooth Transitions
03:26 Multitimbrality (Layers, Splits)
03:46 FX Section
04:03 Arpeggiator, Chords, Midi Recorder
04:27 Main Display/UI
04:42 Software Integration, Editing Patches
05:09 F***ing RAW!!!
05:21 Workarounds,...
05:33 Playlists
05:41 What Else??? (Thanks, Build Quality, Vocoder ,...)
06:00 Hate
06:26 Jam 1 ( Downtempo )
07:25 Jam 2 ( Solid Bass Techno )
08:25 Finale ( Epic & Evil Soundtrack )
08:55 Verdict

[@AudioPilz]

Audiopilz: *slaps roof of YT channel* Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/audio.pilz/

[@chriswareham]

Me: "I'm thinking of going to Vienna for a weekend break and seeing the sights". My colleague: "Oh wow. What would be your first port of call - the Schönbrunn Palace, the Kunsthistorisches Museum"? Me: "Klangfarbe".

[@AudioPilz]

I think I need to send a screenshot;)

[@patrickfitzgerald2861]

On a more serious note, I visited Vienna in 2018 to see the amazing Bruegel exhibit at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. I intended to stay for three days, mainly because I don't much like big cities. Long story short, I ended up adding on another week to my visit because I enjoyed the place so much! Seriously, a big city with a wine growing district located within the city limits?!?! And if you don't know what a flak tower is, be prepared to see one of the most frightening buildings anywhere in the world. They absolutely REEK of evil!

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Only visited Vienna once, but i loved it so much. The people were so cool and friendly (and educated). It was a huge pleasure.

[@djkanyon]

Klangfarbe is a Bad Gear Museum so each and every one of us just got to be there at least once in our lifetime.

[@mrhs5220]

Well this didn't take long, and it absolutely deserves a spot here. Hardware manufacturers are going to keep trying to make hardware tied to a single-user license in order to make money off of the used market. The fact that Arturia is trying this again even after the failure of the Origin shows how convinced the industry is that there is gold in those hills. I hope consumers won't go for it.

[@AudioPilz]

None too soon;)

[@wrmusic8736]

Finally the perfect bad gear. A rompler from '90s in 2024. Even Roland won't be able to touch this for years to come.

[@AudioPilz]

Word!!!

[@HiGlowie]

What about that one all $800 digital one voice beige synth that a bunch of sunthfluencers shilled for a few months back? That was definitely worthy of bad gear

[@mrz80]

And you thought the UI on the D-110 was bad!

[@richardharris9708]

A rompler like the FA-08/Fantom-8 has 128 note polyphony and changes sounds instantly. This is not really as good

[@simonlockett9152]

Bang on the money! Disturbingly many of the sounds are also more interesting

[@hellcoreproductions]

Arturia laughing at Uli as they stuff clones of everything into one box.

[@AudioPilz]

Shots fired;)

[@kacpersapija8111]

"Haha" but but if Behringer did it, the price would be 5 times lower

[@keomg4718]

do you know that arturia at least pays licences right?

[@kokakolagodcomp-vi2yv]

😂

[@MJanovicable]

@@keomg4718 Prove it.

[@alexgrunde6682]

Saw the thumbnail and knew this episode was going to be an instant classic

[@AudioPilz]

❤️❤️❤️

[@MrTomaat23]

Every episode is an instant classic, except for when you own the specific gear, you just ignore those video(s) just like you do with the flaws of said gear.

[@mrz80]

@@MrTomaat23 I pay closer attention when it's gear I own (or plan to own - I've bought stuff because he covered it); I figure I'll learn stuff about how to get the most out of it.

[@spahndirge]

Has all of the aesthetics of a hospital waiting room.

[@AudioPilz]

Lol😂😂😂

[@VestedUTuber]

So... basically a typical Arturia product.

[@miketschudi2687]

The Adobefication of Synths!

[@AudioPilz]

Nice analogy!!!

[@UncleMilty]

If it’s real Adobefication they would make you pay monthly 😉

[@miketschudi2687]

@@UncleMilty just wait.... it'll come!

[@hydorah]

What a bungle by Arturia. A playable, tweakable hardware VST host would be a dream. Instead they've made something Apple might have come up with

[@ADHDville]

The Arturia vision for this keyboard was for a musician to make an album on it, and then go live and play it… but it fails in both applications.

[@AudioPilz]

Sad but true!!!

[@electrosonicnebula]

I'm guessing their vision was more like hey let's do like Teenage Engineering and make something totally useless that some rich dudes are gonna fall for instantly. Arturia does make very cool stuff otherwise though, maybe they needed a quick cash influx.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

@@electrosonicnebulaTBH i think it’s for "worship." The church market is huge. At least in the U.S.

[@arnehurnik]

Yeah, the idea is to have a compromise between a stage keyboard and a workstation. The issue being that both of those will have a massive amount of extra functionality depending on what you'll want to do on the fly at that moment and this is the common denominator of both.

[@youtubevideos415]

@@sub-jec-tiv Probably only in the US. In Europe i never experienced any sort of music in churches, other than people just singing. But there where never any sorts of instruments involved, other than maybe the church organ.

[@mycosys]

BTW its not a home keyboard - its REALLY obviously a church keyboard

[@AudioPilz]

The Lord will strike you down for messing up the prayer section bc of the loading times

[@keithsquawk]

No self-respecting self-praising Pastor should be without one -as long as there is real gold trim.

[@HiGlowie]

I’ll take the worship players over the ambient lofi dawless succulent crowd anyday

[@RaquelFoster]

Everybody knows that devout Worship Leaders only use the Montage! And some Strymon pedals!

[@emmafitzmaurice499]

The patch will load when Jesus returns

[@HiGlowie]

“Reddy? Grab yer gitar, got Yousician and let’s play” If I get that goddamn ad one more time lol

[@AudioPilz]

Don't blame me;)

[@birdie17uk]

Adblocker for KZbin is your friend.

[@eddievanheinous666]

Everyone: Wow, a knob per function midi controller for Pigments would be amazing! Arturia: Here it is!! A..... 4 knob controller. That will be one kidney please.

[@AudioPilz]

The tragedy!!!

[@AndyChannelle]

I've had a Nest. That's definitely the same screen and ring.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for the heads up!!!

[@DoctorNemmo]

When you follow a channel like this one, after a while, you can learn to tell when a musical instrument is able to stir the flames of creativity in the performer's heart. You can hear and feel how the instrument magically becomes an extension of the body and the mind of the player, granting them the ability to will their ideas into song and emotion. And for the person listening to that performance, time stands still, as they witness the sublime fusion of instrument and player, of man and machine, of spirit and matter. This, my friends, this is not one of those times.

[@AudioPilz]

Sad but true....

[@DoctorNemmo]

@@AudioPilz In this case, blame the instrument not the playa !

[@wetwater90]

Only a true knob twiddler would connect a Beatstep to an Astrolab.

[@AudioPilz]

You mean "people who can't play";)

[@mrz80]

@@AudioPilz *gasp* My people! 😀 * * - I am after all a guitarist who generally knows which note is on which key, but expecting me to make them come out of a synth in a musically useful manner? You gotta be kidding me.

[@unclemick-synths]

​@@AudioPilz I wish I couldn't play as well as you can't play!🥺

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@mrz80 have you looked into the Linnstrument? (I've been vaguely considering one even though I _can_ play keys, just because it's so much more like playing my bass.)

[@Demotricus]

🤭 You said knob..

[@TheKonector]

I wish there was a vst version...

[@AudioPilz]

😂😂😂lol😂😂😂

[@saulcross9690]

LMAO 😂

[@aguycalledbunny5186]

righteous

[@mycosys]

Arthuria & the Knights of the Round Screen-Knob

[@AudioPilz]

[@keithsquawk]

@@AudioPilz it farts in your general direction (accuracy is promised later for a small-ish (well, not really that small) fee)

[@mrz80]

We are the Knights who say, "VCollection!"

[@Positive_Tea]

@@AudioPilzbrooooo 💀💀💀💀

[@stickyfox]

And I thought touch screens were as bad as it could possibly get. I guess voice control is next.

[@donaldpriola1807]

A THX 1138 reference is one of many reasons I watch this channel. :)

[@AudioPilz]

Underrated movie!!!

[@vjreimedia]

As many people said: more than 10 years later they still can not do something better than the Virus Ti2. This keyboard is just a variant but it is not an evolution, it does not solve a problem. If you have a controller you can just bring your tiny laptop any way and run the same sounds with unlimited polyphony.

[@AudioPilz]

Sad but true...

[@vjreimedia]

@@AudioPilz It is pretty, is a conversation topic... but I already have a Virus Ti2 Whiteout keyboard and a Roland JD-800 for that.

[@mrz80]

@@AudioPilz Hmmm... can you find enough negative commentary on the Virus to justify putting it on the channel?

[@StopTryingSoHard]

I don't think this is in anyway intended to be anything at all like a Virus. That would have been an Origin (which was a literal contemporary of the Ti2.) This is clearly much more like modern interpretation of a stage piano.

[@vjreimedia]

@@StopTryingSoHard It could have more polyphony and a better interface. It si a and product even by 15 years ago standards.

[@elliotl8830]

I fell victim to all the hype and bought one. It's a good keyboard to always have set up for a drive-by-playing. There is a good variety of presets, but if you wanted to use it in a live setting you would need to do a lot of planning ahead on your computer. It's fun to split and layer different sounds, and is simple to navigate the menus, but the lack of UI edibility is definitely frustrating. The CPU limitation is very present. Some presets crackle if you play them too hard, which is why I would probably never use it live. I hope Arturia improves it with updates so I don't end up feeling like it was a waste of money.

[@AudioPilz]

That sums it up nicely

[@sub-jec-tiv]

I love synths that can’t handle it when you play them normally! 😂

[@elarielo]

5:08 oh no, now you got me singing PRESET POLICE, ARREST THIS MAAAN 🎶

[@AudioPilz]

That one had me rofling

[@apolloc.vermouth5672]

Probably handy if you've landed a gig on a hipster cruise ship...

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, they can't really fire you there...

[@mrz80]

@@AudioPilz Sure they can, but at least you'll only have the Astrolab and a keyboard stand to carry on your endless journey home from whatever random port they shove you ashore at.

[@synthshed]

Must confess when I first saw these coming out I put one on pre-order - a few weeks later I came to my senses and cancelled. After seeing your video I’m glad I managed to overcome that particular attack of GAS.

[@AudioPilz]

You dodged that bullet!!!

[@mrz80]

Sometimes the Bad Gear™ really *IS* bad gear.

[@auxlen]

The biggest statement in this video was the fact that there is empty space enough for a Elektron machine to sit on it and not block any knobs.

[@tomlavelle8340]

Oh come on Florian! I love the Thermostat!🤣

[@AudioPilz]

A nice thermostat it is...

[@sophiepooks2174]

For the money would be nice if it doubles as a wall mounted panel heater too. The studio gets very cold in winter waiting for the presets to load.

[@htechdance]

Turn up the bass!!!

[@lib747]

If Florian's face was on the thermostat, I'd consider buying this insult of a keyboard. Strong brand Florian is!!

[@mycosys]

@@sophiepooks2174 Just get an intel CPU

[@TheSciHi]

As a humanity, we've come a long way with the design of multicookers

[@AudioPilz]

lol

[@MalachiTheBowlingGod]

0:55 A THX1138 reference? You've outdone yourself!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@AndyTanguay]

Dear lord, that is DEFINITELY a gray market Nest.

[@AudioPilz]

😂😂😂lol

[@raul0ca]

The Astrolab is the nicest hardware dongle ever

[@AudioPilz]

Heavy too;)

[@JoeJohnston-taskboy]

Thanks, Florian. I just learned about "Dungeon Synth." Solid STEM content right here.

[@AudioPilz]

Always a pleasure;)

[@G.GordonMidi]

“Spouse-friendly design” LMAO

[@AudioPilz]

😀

[@saulcross9690]

On a serious note, you could buy a laptop with better performance, an Arturia Keylab 61, Arturia Minifuze 2, and Arturia V-collection X for around £200 more, and then gave significantly more power, plus all the benefits of Astrolab. WTF were Arturia thinking?

[@AudioPilz]

True!!!

[@sidsuperstar]

Dear Florian. I would like to thank you for all the hard work and time you put on your videos. I suffer from severe depression, and I found that my mood changes ever time I hear “Welcomme to Bad Gear!”. Sincerely I appreciate it. Thanks again and keep the good work. Sincerely Sid PS Let’s do an episode if possible on the Alesis ‘nano’ synth line. I would love to watch an episode from you on the nanobass or nano synth!

[@AudioPilz]

I feel you and thank you so much! Great suggestion, thanks!!!!

[@sidsuperstar]

@@AudioPilz thanks for taking the time replying Florian!

[@KingzofSwing]

They pulled a Teenage Engineering move

[@AudioPilz]

True!!!

[@mrz80]

TE hee hee

[@SuperChaoticus]

Knobs are too big. Unless you're reaching for tweezers, it isn't T.E.

[@enochroot9438]

For all your VST in a box needs we present the disASterLAb!...complete with a ring doorbell display so you can watch your front door whilst playing at home! ....Disclaimer: the lack of knobs may lead to Knob twiddling withdrawal symptoms

[@AudioPilz]

I'd buy that for a $!!!

[@sub-jec-tiv]

This synth would just lead to me twiddling my own knob in frustration.. and i don’t need any more reason to do that, certainly.

[@SeverityOne]

As a concept, I think the AstroLab is actually very good. It is meant for performers. Not even 'Alleinunterhalter', because it lacks the auto-accompaniment and multitimbrality. Arturia are also very good at making desirable products, and I think they know what they're doing. However, it is not an instrument for the typical synth-head, who freaks out more about features for maximum expressiveness. If you got a bunch of people jumping up and down, nobody is going to care about your polyphonic aftertouch. The impression I get is what most people dislike about the AstroLab is that it isn't the instrument they want it to be.

[@AudioPilz]

You have a point here!!!

[@3D6Space]

It's like the smart fridge of keyboards. Buy the upgrades, or your frozen food thaws out.

[@AudioPilz]

Lol, true!

[@Studio_4to1]

Every time there’s a Bad Gear video, the whole world stop spinning for a split second, markets drop down a point, people take a bow. Oh. And what a lovely french accent. This is the only YT channel worth our collective time. Period.

[@AudioPilz]

❤️❤️❤️

[@dalewheat]

Come for the memes, stay for the jams. Oh, and the visuals. They’re great. Oh, and the production values are top notch. Oh, and the humor. Gotta love the humor. Oh, and the delightfully cynical perspective. Some much to love! Keep up the good work!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@cyshtoph]

There is Arturia Microfreak, Arturia Minifreak and then there is this Arturia freak. I see a pattern here.

[@mrz80]

Arturia FreakLab!

[@AudioPilz]

You had me at Freak;)

[@snakeindigo7085]

I can't believe the plastic film was still on the circular display! :⁠-⁠O

[@AudioPilz]

#plasticfilmp*rn

[@vjreimedia]

@@AudioPilz Florian, you took its virginity away.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Klangfarbe: "well i guess this is a ‘used’ unit now… 😂

[@chriswalton720]

So basically this is a Roland Juno DS-61 with more bougie design, aftertouch, and some nicer sounds, but less polyphony and twice the price tag. And the Juno actually has some onboard programmability if you’re willing to menu dive.

[@AudioPilz]

Lol

[@lewisd56]

Midi controller + Lenovo legion go (screen only) + analog lab license = perfect cheaper alternative. It really is mad that the astro lab is so expensive when you can literally get a better experience for significantly less money.

[@synthshed]

So funny. Clever keeping the visual gags so short that we have to watch again in slow motion 😂

[@AudioPilz]

I have no idea what you're talking about;)

[@synthshed]

@@AudioPilz haha!

[@electrosonicnebula]

They missed the opportunity to make a board with loads more controls, two versions of the keyboard, fast loading times, an onboard multitracker and make it so people just download the virtual instruments they need at some sort of reasonable price.

[@AudioPilz]

Agreed!!!

[@ar_xiv]

your videos really work out my j,k,l, comma, period, left and right arrow keys

[@AudioPilz]

Nice technique!!!

[@MorwenWhyte]

Put glasses on the mid panel guy at 9:03 and it's Nick Batt.

[@mudi2000a]

When I read Most expensive home keyboard of all time I thought you had the Yamaha Genos 2 in the show.😊

[@AudioPilz]

I think you could actually survive in a real band scenario with a Genos2;)

[@mrz80]

@@AudioPilz I think the Astrolab would work live, but only if you were in a slavishly devoted cover band who had to be note- and timbre- perfect every song, every performance. Any expectation of on-stage musical inventiveness goes right out the airlock without a spacesuit.

[@nativeMusic92]

Nice you mentioned Boards of Canada on that thing, true Kings.

[@AudioPilz]

Legends!!!

[@static-san]

Yep. It's a performer's keyboard. For someone who doesn't want any other gear on stage. And loading times can be worked around if you're in a band. Loading times have always a bit of an Achilles heel with Arturia, TBH. All their VSTs have that problem, so I'm not surprised this has it.

[@DLM_DLM_DLM]

Loading times can be worked around in a band? I don't care about loading times in my daw, on stage in another story. I guess have the guitarist play chords while we wait indefinitely for the next patch to load 😂 Better to get a used XP-50 or a Triton ftw

[@AudioPilz]

👍👍👍

[@nolyspe]

Love to see the DR-5 make a cameo at 6:30 . I bought it after seeing your Bad Gear video ;)

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!! Classic unit!!!

[@desktorp]

0:23 "When you get to the end of a bad gear video and none of your memes were used." and 2 memes later is mine

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for that one!!!

[@aloraliquid]

When I first saw this keyboard.. I knew you were going to cover it on the channel… But this soon?!?! Impressive!!!!!! *checks thermostat while playing*

[@AudioPilz]

Direct to Bad Gear;)

[@mrz80]

It was pretty quick, but not quite as quick as the Gaia 2 😛

[@aloraliquid]

@@mrz80lol no kidding 😂

[@robbiewabisabi]

It is a gorgeous form factor, and being able to use software like Pigments without a computer is very exciting. I have been an Origin user for 14 years now, and once the loading time is finished there is no hiccup when loading different patches. Cheers!

[@danielleohallisey4218]

It scares me that I instantly got the “four, yes four” reference from Star Trek, TNG. Does this mean I’m irretrievably geeky?!

[@treetopjones737]

Preferable to being one of those Star Wars guys who camped out on a sidewalk "to be the first to see it."

[@avace917]

This really could've been cool but saying they dropped the ball would be a serious understatement. They should've been $1000 at the most. I'm sure it'll drop sometime soon like what happened to the Akai Force

[@AudioPilz]

Waiting for the blowout sales;)

[@cloudseer]

Should be free with an eye watering subscription

[@avace917]

@@cloudseer had they made it multitimbral and added more controls, I think this would've been better received

[@FunkyHP]

Mr. Florian, what about Maschine Plus? We DEFINITELY need it on the show😄

[@AudioPilz]

Great suggestion, thank you!!!

[@mwmfl8960]

I was initially fond of this instrument because of the concept and then I got deeper into the the specs and found out about the drawbacks, so my findings match those here in this video. It's like one of those GM/GS sample-based instruments from the 90ies. For playback useful, but not for anything else.

[@TobyBorrow]

VST in a box, this has been going on now for decades. The difference here is a highly priced VSTs in a box

[@AudioPilz]

True that!

[@mrz80]

At least if the "in a box" part of "VST in a box" is a laptop, I can also use it to track expenses and watch Bad Gear videos between gigs.

[@TobyBorrow]

@@mrz80 watching bad gear through that clicky watch face screen would be unique

[@bsbazzman]

This one isn’t even vsts in a box though unless you cough up the extra money to get the V collection. It’s demo versions of vsts otherwise 🤡

[@annother3350]

you guys!! - you could say any digital synth from the dx7 onwards is a vst in a box!! - although this actually is

[@Gerald_Daniel]

Somehow I suspected Astrolab to be on your table. "The keyboard doesn't react to MIDI properly.- What does Arturia expect me to do? Actually play it? Award worthy lines! No lubricant reminiscent to astro lab's name appears to me yet but this time's suggestion: Soma '"The Rumble Of Ancient Times", an 8 bit desktop synth indeed named that way (& located at Klangfarbe).

[@AudioPilz]

Great suggestion, thank you!!!

[@johantorneheim1384]

Astrogl*de

[@johantorneheim1384]

Rather play with myself, than using Retardia Astrogl1d3. Give me a Keylab mk3 with PolyAT and alot is forgiven!😅

[@Gerald_Daniel]

@@johantorneheim1384 🤣That's true!

[@phelper4554]

Can’t wait to so these thing going on sale 😂 must be approximately half a year 😂

[@AudioPilz]

I'd say Spring 2025 the latest...

[@brumd]

Arturia does a lot right imho, generally speaking love their products (I own the Minibrute 2, Drumbrute Impact, KeyLab Essential 61, Beatstep Pro, Audiofuse 2, Spark LE, V Collection & the FX collection, and use them a lot), but yeah.. I can see why the AstroLab isn't very well received by many (and no, it isn't on my wishlist). I guess that if they would have included the V Collection, then people would start complaining that they already have a license and don't want to pay for it again.

[@horizontalblanking]

Came for the review… stayed for the Astroglide reference. Well played Sir, well played.

[@Eisenwald64]

A hardware synth with a mobile app is a slight red flag; what happens when the app and/or plugins get discontinued?

[@AudioPilz]

They're certainly gonna open source it...NOT!!!

[@cloudseer]

Yeah see the Bluetooth Nikes

[@SuperChaoticus]

Version 2 for $2400 will come out just in time.

[@dreibel]

That’s something that Yamaha does with their edrum kits - the iOS apps wind up being discontinued, and if you have one of those kits, it’s either do a lot of button pressing combinations going in blind to change parameters, or finding a used Android device to use as an interface because it’s still possible to find the Android equivalent online. It’s too bad as the apps make editing those a breeze.

[@djshire1984]

What an absolutely unacceptable UI. All that wasted space that could've had knobs or sliders or something!

[@AudioPilz]

Agreed!!!

[@mrz80]

(*looks at Astrolab*) (*looks at Keylab*) (*looks at Astrolab*) (*looks at Keylab*) (*shakes head and walks away*)

[@64north20west]

I love the mass number of sounds you can get out of this thing. Especially, if you have all of their plugins in the collection. I will stick with my hydrasynth to avoid the cost and the bugs, tho. Thanks again for another epic episode of bad gear.

[@DLM_DLM_DLM]

I wouldn't want to be stuck on a gig and be limited to the sounds in analog lab... This whale is gonna flop, and they're gonna be forced to include the licenses for v-collection to sweeten the deal. That is, unless all the yuppies take the bait and keep the price high.

[@AudioPilz]

Hydra is awesome!!!

[@pizzagogo6151]

I really think it’s a a lot of people making a “ category error” given Arturia hardware track record etc...everyone keeps judging this as some sort of “crippled synthesizer” I don’t think it is😮. It’s a modern interpretation of a “ romper”- albeit an expensive & over designed one. As soon as you think it as primarily a preset playback keyboard ( with some minor editing thrown in) it makes a lot more sense?

[@artisan002]

Ha! I can only imagine Timbaland is looking at this thing and yelling about how he did it first. Lovely jams as always, and top tier jokes throughout.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@joonglegamer9898]

It's like a minimalist clone of Akai MPC Key 61 but with a better keyboard and worse everything else, and no sampling, editing and pretty much everything else. I want to love it, and I'm sure it has it's niche use, but the ARM and Loading times seem eerily familiar to me (An Akai MPC Key 61 owner who is already painfully aware of the non-streaming-sample-loading times) so My electronics background is kind of suspicious of them probably using a similar architecture with the similar limitations. Ok I'll show myself out now...

[@AudioPilz]

😂😂😂

[@muzikman2008]

Exactly my thoughts 😎👍

[@6581punk]

The MPC Live, Key 61 etc are all using an ARM design which is quite old now. It's noble of them to keep updating the firmware and developing the ecosystem but they would be able to do a lot more if they moved to something newer.

[@odiroot]

Would really love to see Deepmind 12 here. But I understand why that's challenging.

[@Individual_two]

That Turd Polisher effects pedal looks amazing! I need to check that bad boy out!

[@AudioPilz]

I want it soooooo bad

[@treetopjones737]

Perfect to use with a $40. electric guitar.

[@vadimmartynyuk]

It's an excellent keyboard in the right hands

[@AudioPilz]

👍👍👍

[@tarvitz]

It not being able to sustain notes after changing patch is oddly pathetic for something at this price point, my mid-2000s yamaha clavinova can do that, not to mention, load its sounds instantly

[@AudioPilz]

It is but as soon as you hit the first note your sustain is gone;)

[@tarvitz]

I know, that's what I meant

[@DeKoepi]

That was a GAS killer! :) I'll stick with the Minifreak. Way better price point, real great sounds, and I'm not even over the "let's use the preset sounds" phase yet. :D

[@AudioPilz]

Way to go!!!

[@frenchy1138]

I love Arturia gear. The Polybrute, Minifreak and Keystep Pro are foundational to my studio. I'm not much for VSTs these days, but Arturia stuff is an industry standard for a reason. I do not know why they would make this thing. What is it for. Who is it for. Why does it cost so much.

[@robinr22]

It's a £1.5k keyboard.... with 8 notes of polyphony?? Wtf Arturia...

[@AudioPilz]

In a worst case scenario that's true...

[@mrz80]

It's essentially an ARM SBC running something like Analog Lab under linux (something you can't do with REAL Analog Lab V on a REAL computer, but I digress...) so processor resources are on the skinny side. Tho that's not MUCH of an excuse, 'cause Roland and Waldorf had been cranking out boxes for decades now that can do dozens of voices across multiple parts, with better UIs.

[@inversion66]

@@mrz80 And the Korg Kronos series run on Intel Atom processors. The Modwave and other units of that generation run on a Raspberry Pi. Which are absolutely fine for those instruments because they use custom designed software, not a rework of something originally designed to run under Windows that needs to be able to deal with random combinations of CPUs, audio interfaces etc.

[@montazownianr1]

Casio Privia Pro PX-5S anyone? Marvelous piano keyboard/synth with 256 notes of polyphony. And 4 layers of sounds...

[@Shaderdiceblock]

Why does this remind me of a MPC one oh wait because it’s basically a DAW in a box

[@AudioPilz]

If it only was a DAW...

[@Shaderdiceblock]

@@AudioPilz yes if only

[@xisotopex]

that chord pad @01:22 wow that really took me back to a better time in the late 90's and early 00's

[@treffkiraly]

that was my favorite too

[@AudioPilz]

Classic!!!

[@unclemick-synths]

1:19 that's great idea including a thermostat to switch on the air conditioning when things get hot in the studio! ❤

[@AudioPilz]

Lol

[@SlyHikari03]

Ive played one, its very nice. I can see why people could hate on it tbh.

[@AudioPilz]

👍👍👍

[@Shampoid]

Why of course, I'd love to have to pay a kidneys worth of cash to use a dust collector!

[@AudioPilz]

It's the way!!!

[@treetopjones737]

"We'll sell you a keyboard 1/16 the size for the same price." - T. Engineering

[@dreikelvin]

You will never run out of Bad Gear as much there are german "Keyboards" mag issues from the last 30 years

[@passivehouseaustralia4406]

BOOM! Bad gear just actually found some real bad gear and gave it what it deserved... Well done... I have a second hand Access Ti2 Keyboard with what? 15 year old chips that does 120+ voices, 16 multi-timbral, 192 FX... and this thing armed with a chip built for a phones peaks at 8 voices in pigments!!... WAAAH and I have to buy the whole pack as a VST if I want full functionality... FFS.. World has gone crazy.

[@duckchukowski]

Florian getting so mad he starts defocusing

[@AudioPilz]

Yes, ran out of batteries (literally) and forgot to refocus;)

[@raphaelmeyer717]

I now finally understand how to correctly use the Astrolab. Connect it to either a BeatStep or a Digitakt, because we don't want these keys getting dirty, right mate?

[@AudioPilz]

Hey, I actually played them a bit;)

[@Vim-Wolf]

I thought I was the last person who remembered THX-1138.

[@AudioPilz]

Underrated!!!

[@stopmikeandjim3196]

You started working on this as soon as it was released, didn't you?

[@AudioPilz]

I actually had all the hate I needed within 2h after its release

[@EHiggins]

They need to upgrade that display to a peephole

[@AudioPilz]

😂😂😂

[@sophiepooks2174]

Or a detachable smart watch, really had high hopes 😂

[@bistrobmusic]

Churches can no longer afford the TB-3 on the second hand market so they gotta buy that Astrolab.

[@AudioPilz]

😂😂😂

[@xisotopex]

dude that use of picard being tortured is next level sublime.... I dont remember the episode exactly but they tortured picard to the point where almost saw what wasnt there....

[@AudioPilz]

Yesss , FOUR lights;)

[@user-wb5cf4tu3d]

Wow! Actual bad gear!

[@AudioPilz]

;)

[@roland4507]

das ging ja schnell.🤣

[@AudioPilz]

Mussja, ne;)

[@MegaCraptacular]

Google Nest wants its IU back 😂😂😂. It's getting hot in here, turn down the thermostat!

[@AudioPilz]

😂😂😂

[@c.augustin]

"Since the DAWn of software instruments …" I can see what you did there! 😁

[@AudioPilz]

😀😀😀

[@daccrowell4776]

Try loading the Sound Easel VST. The "component level modeling" on that is SO realistic that it tossed my 32-core Xeon machine into some ugly conniption fit. ...and, weirdly enough, Arturia tried to push that fact on me by saying that the fact that the Easel VST is flipping out on a relatively powerful machine is a testament to just how precise that modeling IS. Mmmmmno.

[@AudioPilz]

Great plugins indeed

[@armignac]

Great Meme Usage as always. Weekend has officially started

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks Have a nice weekend too!!!

[@andimcc6131]

If I'm just gonna be running VSTs on ARM64, then what I really want is just a straight up Android tablet with physical jack plugs built in providing AC and DC-coupled sound interface channels (so I can run VCV Rack on the tablet and integrate it directly with a real modular synth rack). This is probably just me though (any reasonable person would just buy an iPad).

[@zurlocker1]

Great video! I was very excited about Arturia's Astrolab when it was announced. So I bought an Arturia Keylb Essentials Mk III 61 key MIDI controller which comes with the Analog Lab 5 software which works great with Logic Pro. Now I've sold my microKorg-S, WaveState (buying the plugins instead) and I've got a nice consistent workflow. Maybe if the full V collection upgrade goes on sale for $199 I would consider buying that, but for now it's fine.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@Fourge]

wuddup early crew

[@AudioPilz]

Assemble!!!