Saturday, May 7, 2022

Controller Keyboards. Part Four. Arturia Keylab Essential Series.

 



Arturia Keylab Essentials Review


So next up in my closer look at usb and midi controller keyboards comes Arturia's Keylab Essentials Series of products. 

Here we'll look at the mid-range 49 and 61 key versions. We'll take a look at the 88 note and 'Mini' versions in some forthcoming posts looking at these sectors as a whole. 

I must admit, of the products in this market sector, I think these are the most aesthetically pleasing with their white fascias and wooden style end cheeks. 

The keyboards are velocity sensitive but with no aftertouch sensitivity which maybe a drawback for some compared to the Alesis and Akai products we've taken a look at.

The usual performance pitch bend and mod controls are joined by nearby keyboard transpose buttons so you can instantly adjust the range of the keyboard and a chord play/memory feature is included. I love chord memory features on synths and keyboards, so this feature is a winner with me. 

8 'Pad' controllers are provided which can 'triple up' as preset selectors or controller switches, with preset channel and note assignment. The pads are velocity sensitive. 

Eight each of 'knob' and 'fader' style controllers are provided. These output controller information to control your DAW's level and pan or as controllers for the bundled Analog Lab software, but if you want to re-assign these channels and control change assignments, again,  you'll need to use the bundled editor.

It should be said at this point that deeper programming of Keylab Essential Series' controllers is only achieved using the bundled Arturia MIDI Control Centre Software. So the Pad, Knobs, and Faders note and/or controller mappings can not be edited or changed directly from the front panel. However, any settings that you make using the MIDI Control Center software can be stored as presets within the keyboard for instant recall for live use or for studio controller maps. 

So whilst it offers instant integration with the supplied Analog Lab software (more later....) as a number of preset 'maps' are provided, universal integration with DAWs and other software instruments will require the use of bundled software editor. Whilst it's true to say, almost everyone choosing this type of product will be using a computer, how quickly and easily realtime controller channels and numbers can be assigned is compromised by the use of software rather than the front panel. 

The Keylab Essential Controllers also offer a DAW control section/command centre which offers stop play and record functions as well as forward, rewind and loop commands, all on single buttons, so you don't have to keep reaching for your mouse of computer keyboard. These function buttons follow the MCU/HUI protocol. 


Keylab Essentials Rear Panel. 




Around the back, these Keylab Essential keyboards offer USB connectivity, MIDI Out, sustain pedal (with switchable polarity) and an input for the optional DC power supply if you're using the keyboard purely as a MIDI controller with no USB bus power provided. 

 
 

Keylab Essentals Software Bundle. 





.....and that brings us to the software bundle which includes the aforementioned Analog Lab which includes thousands of sounds and presets from Arturia's V Collection of vintage software emulations. Also included is Ableton Live Lite which is an ideal introduction to what is probably now the most popular software DAW around, and UVIGrand Piano Model D virtual Steinway Grand Piano instrument. 

So with the possible exception of the grand piano plugin, I think it's fair to say that the Keylab Essentials bundle is tilted more towards electronica/EDM producers than, say, singer songwriters.


Arturia Keylab Essentials 49 / 61 Review Conclusion. 

Great looking, portable USB controller keyboards with lots of features and a great set of bundled software products, if they're the sort of thing you're after. 

Drawbacks include the lack of keyboard aftertouch, either channel or polyphonic, and channel, note, and controller assignments for the pads, knobs and faders is only available via the bundled software editor. 


Arturia Keylab Essentials Links.




STM Keyboard Controllers Links:

 
 


Disclaimer:

The information contained within this blog post is offered on an informal basis and is correct to the best of my knowledge. I accept no responsibility for outcomes arising from the mis/interpretation or use of this information and/or associated download files. Always download files via security/scanning software.

Friday, May 6, 2022

FREE SOUNDFONTS: Wavestate Breathing Pad. .SF2 Soundfont.



 
The latest free Soundfont is taken from a patch written for the Korg Wavestate. 
'Breathing' is a free vocal Soundfont in the form of a synth style 'pad'

This month, I'm working on a library of Soundfonts, Zampler patches, and Reason Combinator Patches from the Wavestate. 

They'll include a collection of Vocal 'Motion Pads, String 'Motion Pads', and Arpeggiator samples, and they'll be available under the title of Best of Wavestate One. It won't be like owning a Wavestate, but for £6 it'll include some pretty useful stuff, and, as usual, there'll be a demo track or two so you can get a flavour of some of the sounds you'll be getting.

If you don't have a Soundfont compatible device or Reason, then why not download Zampler? It's a really powerful VST sample player/synth and is available free from Beat.de. No magazine subscription is necessary. Check it out via the link below. 


Free Wavestate Soundfont Link:

You can get your free vocal synth pad soundfont via the link below. 
Just download the .SF2 file then either drag it to a soundfont compatible instrument or load via a file browser. 


Loads more free sounds are available from my Dedicated Soundfont Page, and why not follow me a my Facebook Page for all the latest free and commercial soundware products including sample libraries, synth patches, soundfonts, loops, and beats, as well as computer music news, technical articles, and reviews.  


Disclaimer:

The information contained within this blog post is offered on an informal basis and is correct to the best of my knowledge. I accept no responsibility for outcomes arising from the mis/interpretation or use of this information and/or associated download files. Always download files via security/scanning software.

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

FREE ZAMPLER SOUNDS: Wavestate Breathing Pad.

 


Loads of free digital synthesizer sounds this month, alongside a collection of free vintage analog synth samples. 

First up is a library of sounds from Korg's amazing Wavestate synthesizer. 

Over the next three month's I'll have a comprehensive library of free Wavestate sounds, samples, and patches. 

Wavestate is great for all kinds of motion pads alongside innovative and creative wave sequencing and arpeggio patches. It's not quite the same as owning a Wavestate, but still some very powerful and useful sounds.  

This month, I'm focused on 'Motion Vocal Pads'. 

To give you a taster, Breathing Pad is a free patch collection for Zampler, a .SF2 Soundfont, and a collection of Reason NN-XT/Combinator Patches

Zampler is a free VST sample player/synthesizer developed by Synapse Audio. With powerful synthesizer parameters and a great effects section, it's one of the best freeware instruments out there and I develop lots of my sounds for it. Therefore, I would urge you to download a copy. 

https://www.zampler.de/


Free Pad Sounds For Zampler. Download Link:

You can download your free Wavestate sounds using the following link. Just download the entire folder and use Zampler's 'Load Patch' function to load the .fxb patches. The samples and associated .sfz file are included within the folder so the patches shoulkd load instantly. No further sample mapping or synth editing is required. 


 

Part of 'Wavestate Motion Pads' sample/patch collection, coming soon......so why not follow me at my Facebook Page for all the latest updates. Free and commercial soundware, new product news, equipment reviews, and technical articles. If you're into computer music, you'll find heaps of interesting stuff. 


Disclaimer:

The information contained within this blog post is offered on an informal basis and is correct to the best of my knowledge. I accept no responsibility for outcomes arising from the mis/interpretation or use of this information and/or associated download files. Always download files via security/scanning software.

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

SOUNDWARE: Korg Kross 2 Analog Pack One Now Available Via Payhip.

 


Korg Kross 2 Analog Pack One is now available via fully automated processing and downloading from my Payhip store. 

64 great sounding synth patches, vintage drum sounds, and 64 'European' synth arpeggiator samples. 

You can check it all out via the 36+ minute video demo below. 



  

You can order and download your copy via the Payhip store from the link below. 

https://payhip.com/b/Hsdcv

Follow me at my Facebook Page for all the latest sounds and samples for Korg Kross 2. 


Disclaimer:

The information contained within this blog post is offered on an informal basis and is correct to the best of my knowledge. I accept no responsibility for outcomes arising from the mis/interpretation or use of this information and/or associated download files. Always download files via security/scanning software.

Used Computers For Music Applications. PC and Desktops Bursting With Great Software, Sounds, and Creativity.


My refurbished computer store is now open on my Payhip channel. 
Used laptops custom loaded with lots of music software, instruments, and sounds!
Get creative from day one!
Great computers for songwriters, students, EDM artists, electronica producers, and anyone looking for a great start in computer music. All without breaking the bank. 

If you need a dedicated computer for music and don't want to break the budget, then take a look. 

There's a lot to say here, so check out my dedicated refurbished computer pages to see what these machines have to offer, and, of course, they're great for the environmentally minded as well. 

The computers themselves are competitively priced, but when you add in the free software and soundware, then it's really a no brainer. 

Powerful, fast computers with the latest operating systems, speedy processors, lots of RAM, and high speed SSD hard drives. 

I'm based in East London / Essex, so for used computers London, refurbished laptops Essex, or used laptops Kent, give me a call or send me a message.   

So check out the dedicated pages via the link below. 



Or go straight to the store for loads more info:



....and why not follow me at my Facebook Page for all the latest developments and news on the computer hardware front, including new offers, sample/soundware packs, synth patches, and free instruments.