Arturia

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the young company from Grenoble, France, has been synonymous with analog synthesizers, although everything was initially about software synthesizers. Today, Arturia is one of the leading manufacturers of analog synthesizers, MIDI controllers, software synthesizers, and more. Arturia has become famous for its detailed reproductions of famous vintage synthesizers. Not only the look of the plug-ins, but especially in their sound behavior, the software synthesizers from Arturia are very close to the popular originals from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Soon after the success of the synthesizer plug-ins, Arturia expanded its product portfolio with hardware instruments, controller keyboards, USB controllers, step sequencers, and last but not least, real analog synthesizers, which today form another extremely successful market sector.

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About Arturia

From the Modular V to the Synclavier V - Software Synthesizers from Arturia

Around the turn of the millennium, more and more VST synthesizers were released, a veritable flood of replicas of synthesizers and vintage keyboards from the 60s, 70s and 80s filled the VST folders of the DAW with ever better modelling simulations of analogue circuits. The Modular V, Arturia's first software synthesizer, is a milestone of this development. To this day, this software synthesiser inspires with its brutally rich and lively sound produced by Arturia's TAE engine. At that time, in any case, professional musicians and the trade press agreed that no synthesiser up to that time was realistic and rich in sound. It was a brilliant move for Arturia to release this monstrous synthesiser as the first VST instrument, but the Moog Modular is one of the most famous synthesisers of all time. This stately instrument is an icon of electronic music: Keith Emerson played the famous synth solo of LuckyMan on a Moog Modular synthesizer, Wendy Carlos realised the opulent synth work Switched On Bach on this Modular synthesizer. A Moog Modular can be heard on numerous albums by electronic pioneers such as Klaus Schulze or, for example, Tangerine Dream.

Vintage Keyboards and V-Collection

The Modular V was followed by other milestones in analogue synthesizers, first and foremost the Mini V, ARP2600 V, Yamaha CS-80 V, Roland Jupiter-8 V, Prophet V, SEM V, Matrix-12 V and the legendary Synclavier V, one of the first digital synthesizers. Arturia also expanded its activities into the field of vintage keyboards, all realised via physical modelling, including the Wurlitzer V, Solina V, B-3 V and Farfisa V. From all software instruments, Arturia forms the V-Collection, which is now the most comprehensive and best collection of virtual vintage instruments.

Software & Hardware from Arturia

Arturia used its experience with the simulation of vintage instruments in the development of the first hardware synthesizer Origin. A special feature of this keyboard (later available as a desktop version) is the possibility to combine all synthesizer structures. A fascinating and at the same time completely new possibility - for the first time the sound characteristics of different synthesizers crossed: How do the oscillators of a Moog Modular sound over the filter section of an ARP2600? How does a Moog sound with the envelope generators of a Roland Jupiter-8? All this patches quickly and easily in the Arturia Origin. In addition, the Origin is equipped with clever arpeggiator and step sequencer sections and offers all possibilities to perform complete electronic music.

Controller Keyboards: Arturia KeyLab

With software synthesizers, operating the keyboard with a mouse is a far cry from the feeling of using real knobs to tweak the sounds. Arturia therefore offers the appropriate controller keyboards in various keyboard sizes, from the mini keyboard for on the go to the 88 master keyboard with hammer action keyboard for the professional keyboardist. The KeyLab USB controllers from Arturia are extensively equipped with high-quality knobs, faders and buttons.

MiniBrute, MicroBrute, MarixBrute - Analogue Synthesizers from Arturia

An absolute surprise from Grenoble was the appearance of the MiniBrute, with which Arturia joined the ranks of manufacturers of real analogue synthesizers and hit the bull's eye. The MiniBrute as well as its little brother MicroBrute, which appeared a little later, do not copy any vintage concept, but instead present the analogue synthesizer of today with modern functions. The Brute family offers USB, MIDI, CV gate inputs and a characteristic sound. MiniBrute and MicroBrute are classics and always surprise synthesiser lovers and connoisseurs with high-quality sound characteristics that are not common in this price range. The top of the Brute series is the MatrixBrute, a much more extensive analogue synthesiser that, to put it bluntly, combines two MiniBrutes and is also extremely extensively equipped with CV/Gate inputs and outputs and a matrix step sequencer. The Arturia DrumBrute shows that analogue circuits can give a drum machine a good punch. It follows the concept of classic drum machines from the 80s and has a few modern specialities at the same time.