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Arturia Minilab - Anyone using one?

benmurray85benmurray85 Frets: 1396
in Studio & Recording
I'm wanting to take the plunge into VSTs and midi keyboards. This seems like a great, reasonably priced starter "bundle" In fact at £85 it seems a bit too good to be true, any horror stories I should be aware of?

I'm looking to use it with Reaper and there doesn't seem to be any compatibility issues but has anyone noticed anything? I'm an absolute technophobe so this is pretty key for me really.

I know that you now only get a "lite" version of their synth software but its still a considerable amount to fiddle with and I may look at upgrading depending on the price. 
How very rock and roll
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Comments

  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14410
    edited February 2018
     at £85, it seems a bit too good to be true
    It probably is. IMO, the plug-in synthesizers would make a reasonable starting point for sound creation. Unfortunately, to get the most out of the virtual instruments, it would be better to have a keyboard with Aftertouch capabilities.
    You say, atom bomb. I say, tin of corned beef.
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  • benmurray85benmurray85 Frets: 1396
    @Funkfingers have you owned one?
    How very rock and roll
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14410
    No Arturia hardware here, sir. I studied the Minilab mk2 web site product description. The 25-key controller has velocity sensitivity but no aftertouch of any description.

    Many of my favourite real time synthesizer sound variations are achieved by leaning on the keys. i.e. Switching the Leslie rotor speed on Hammond organ sounds or increasing the filter frequency and/or resonance parameter values to alter brightness on string and brass pads. 

    One of the classic analogue synths modelled in the Arturia software is the Yamaha CS-80. Messing with the filter via aftertouch is one of the original CS family's outstanding features. (It is possible that the "Lite" software bundle omits some of these advanced capabilities.) Obviously, this could be achieved by turning one of the rotary controls but that involves taking one hand off the keys.



    How powerful is your computer? With the Arturia software bundle hosted in Reaper FM, it will be tempting to stack up a bunch of different virtual instruments. In extremis, this may exceed the capabilities of your CPU.


    You say, atom bomb. I say, tin of corned beef.
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  • benmurray85benmurray85 Frets: 1396
    @Funkfingers cheers mate. I shall dig further!!
    How very rock and roll
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  • kreggskreggs Frets: 64
    I have the arturia minilab mark 1 running on reaper. The software  is nice. They keyboard controller has tiny keys which feel slightly stiff. Its fine if you are using it for synth work but you wont get  the best out of the combo pianos and organ modes with the built in keyboard. It just wont feel slick.
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