Arturia crams almost all software emulation into this new keyboard

Arturia has just released a new standalone synthesizer called AstroLab. This 61-key stage keyboard is essentially a hardware form factor, which makes it perfect for live performances. The synthesizer has 10 dedicated sound engines and access to 35 virtual instruments, including… It also costs $2,000.

You can recreate it cheaply by just buying some soft instruments and a MIDI controller, but this is a stage keyboard. In other words, it was designed with live performance in mind. The casing is durable enough to withstand the rigors of touring, and there are plenty of nifty sound design tools that should come in handy when gigging.

There are 12 insert FX options with four control knobs and the ability to loop any sound for up to 32 bars. The instrument can even capture MIDI so one can easily change to another instrument and play the same part. The multitimbral feature allows players to set split points along the keyboard to easily pull two instruments simultaneously. This is a big deal when playing live because you never know how long it will take for the keyboard to load a preset.

If you want to have people dancing to the sounds of a robot and “traveling around the world” over and over until 5 a.m., the AstroLab keyboard comes with a vocoder and a port to plug in a microphone. Of course, synths have the usual accoutrements like modulation wheels, arpeggiators, and various chord scale options. Finally, there’s a companion mobile app, AstroLab Connect, which lets users organize their presets and download new sounds from the store. The keyboard is available now through Arturia and various retailers.