Arturia have always been true to the originals in there V Collection and in general brings serious value for money. Although the latest iteration has a fairly hefty price tag at 399€ it is still worth checking out and with the Buchla now added in the line up, it’s become a no-brainer. If you’ve ever seen Suzanne Ciani in action performing with the Buchla you know you are in for a real audio treat. And in case you are not so keen on adding more classic vintage gear from Ebay, like paying some 300€ for an old DX7, you’ll get that as well. Finally, Arturia is adding the legendary Fairlight to its line up. The Fairlight CMI is probably to most the least interesting of the three new synths, unless you are really in to exploring the roots of computer based music, and perhaps even making bitpop style music.
Other updates include Piano V2, which has three new models, a built-in compressor and more; Analog Lab 3, which has been updated for improved usability; and improved interfaces for Solina V, Vox Continental V and Wurli V. Going back to the Buchla Music Easel it has truly changed the way people created sounds with performance-focused parameters, putting the focus on the artistry of being a recording artist. Arturia says that Buchla Easel V is ideal for ‘exploring alternative sound design, creating ambient, widescreen textures, and unfamiliar sequences’. Below is Suzanne Ciani in action on the Buchla:
ikjkl
V Collection 6 represents a huge step in the collection’s history, with the new instruments reborn in software and giving all of them new features designed to take them beyond their original specifications. This brings the total number of synth and keyboard recreations in the V Collection to 21.
VIDEO TUTORIALS:
Arturia has also released for getting started videos related to their four new synths, make sure to check them out
CMI V is a recreation of the Fairlight CMI, the original sampling synthesizer. It provides 10 multitimbral, polyphonic sound slots with real-time waveform shaping, effects, a sequencer and the new Spectral synth, which can be used to scan and mix audio to create new synth wavetables.
The Easel is new to software emulations after the softube 259e oscillator this a a full instrument simulated here. They say “Arturia have incorporated Gravity, a physics-based synth engine into their software recreation, letting you take your music where no one has gone before.”. The physics thing seems to be friction and stuff like on Lemur, so you can push a slider and it will slowly move and stop because of that “physics” engine which is something that works nice with this instrument – and would be great on a real one as well.
Clavinet V is a physically modelled recreation of the Hohner Clavinet. Created, like the rest of the V Collection, using Arturia’s TAE electronic and physical modelling technology, Clavinet V promises to let users tinker with the physical properties of the instrument as well as adding different modelled amps and effects.
DX7 V promises Yamaha DX7 sounds without the fiddly programming of the original, adding a mod matrix, customisable envelopes, extra waveforms, a second LFO, a built-in effects section, sequencer and arpeggiator and more.
THE FULL UPDATE:
- BUCHLA EASEL V is a recreation of Don Buchla’s left field analog synth from 1973, the Music Easel changed the way people created sounds with performance-focused parameters, putting the focus on the artistry of being a recording artist. Perfect for exploring alternative sound design, creating ambient, widescreen textures, and unfamiliar sequences. Taking Buchla’s experimental vision one step further, Arturia has incorporated Gravity, a physics-based synth engine into their software recreation.
- DX7 V: Notoriously tricky to program, Arturia’s recreation is designed to simplify the process and expand its synth capabilities with a mod matrix, customizable envelopes, extra waveforms, a 2nd LFO, effects, sequencer, arpeggiator, and more.
- CLAVINET V: The legacy of the Clavinet is everywhere. Released by Hohner in the mid-60s, its funky, energetic tone gave life to myriad genres over the decades. From disco to R&B, prog rock to pure, unadulterated pop, the percussive, soulful sound of this legendary performance keyboard is reborn in Clavinet V. Arturia’s physically modelled recreation is designed to let the user dig deeper into the instrument, changing the physical properties of the instrument, and adding classic amp and effects combos into the mix.
- CMI V: known by some as the mother of all samplers, and a groundbreaking additive synth, the Fairlight CMI redefined pop music production following its release in 1979. Arturia’s recreation builds on the features of the original by providing 10 multitimbral, polyphonic slots to design sound, real-time waveform shaping, effects, a sequencer, and even a “Spectral” synth that can scan and mix sections of audio, letting the user create your own wavetable synth sounds.
The 6th edition of V Collection also features 2 major updates to existing titles:
- ANALOG LAB 3: This incorporates the sounds of all V Collection instruments in one handy interface. Featuring a new browser, new modes, and ultimate controller keyboard integration, finding the perfect sound from over 6,000 Arturia presets has never been more easy or fun.
- PIANO V 2: The 2nd version of Piano V features three extra piano models including a Japanese Grand, a Plucked Grand, and a Tack Upright, enhanced mic positioning, an improved EQ, a new luscious stereo delay, and an in-built compressor designed to help piano parts sit in the mix.
Completing the line-up, and featuring more subtle tweaks, improvements, and enhancements, are the old favorites. V Collection 6 also includes Synclavier V, B-3 V, Stage-73 V, Farfisa V, Mini V, Matrix-12 V, Solina V, SEM V, Wurli V, Jup-8 V, ARP 2600 V, CS-80 V, Prophet V, VOX Continental V, and Modular V.
Price: $499 To celebrate its release, and only for a limited time, V Collection 6 will be available for $399 until January 10th, 2018. Whether you are new to Arturia products, want to upgrade from a previous version of V Collection, or own any other Arturia products, you will have access to an exclusive deal.