Arturia / V Collection 8

[Piet De Ridder]

4 brand new instruments:
• Jun-6V: Legendary easy-to-use polysynth with an irresistible creamy sound that stirs the soul.
• Emulator II V: An ‘80s sampling icon retrofitted for dusty lo-fi charm and modern playability.
• Vocoder V: The original 16-channel vocoder, supercharged with its own sampler & synth engine.
• OB-Xa V: The renowned polysynth hitmaker known for cinematic pads and growling bass alike.

2 upgraded titles:
• Jup-8 V: The legendary polyphonic flagship reborn w/ a colossal new sound & modulation engine.
• Stage-73 V: EP classic w/ redesigned physical modeling for new levels of soulful authenticity & variety.

Analog Lab V
Every new instrument in V Collection 8 has had its workflow upgraded. Enjoy 4 new control macros, a smart new browser, step-by-step integrated tutorials, and a fresh selection of sounds for the ultimate streamlined creative process.

PatchWorks:
700 new & expertly-curated patches that elevate V Collection’s synthesizers beyond their hardware predecessors. From vintage disco basslines to breathtaking filmscore ambience, PatchWorks combines past, present, and future in spectacular sonic fashion.

Workflow:
• Ultimate control - Get hands-on with V Collection 8 thanks to smart MIDI controller integration, with intuitive mapping and 4 control macros for every instrument.
• DAW-compatible - Use V Collection’s instruments standalone or in your DAW of choice for an easy workflow that suits you style.
• Integrated tutorials - Get to grips quickly with easy-to-follow tutorials for each instrument, covering essential controls, sound design tips, and more.
• Smart browsing - Find your sound instantly. Browse intuitively by type, instrument, sound designer, and more - you can even save your favorite presets for later.

SPECIAL LAUNCH OFFER: To celebrate the launch of V Collection 8, we’re offering an exclusive intro deal – users can login to their account & access their personal offer price until January 10th 2021. Due to the inclusion of more instruments, sounds and workflow improvements, the collection will now be priced at €599 as standard.

More information on Arturia website: https://www.arturia.com/products/analog ... verview#en








_

[Guy Rowland]

Some nice stuff here - the Emulator II and Vocoder are the two that seem to be more unique. When they get down to their knockdown sale price I'll probably cave this time, I never quite found the urge to go from 6 to 7.

[wst3]

I'm with Guy, I must be doing something right, I am still happily motoring along with version 6. There just wasn't anything in version 7 that made me reach for my wallet - even when they had their best and final sale price.

This is different. All four of the new synths interest me. They are not worth $300 to me, but when the price gets knocked down a bit I'll probably get it. Sadly (for them) I will survive without them for a little while longer<G>.

[Ashermusic]

Some nice stuff here - the Emulator II and Vocoder are the two that seem to be more unique. When they get down to their knockdown sale price I'll probably cave this time, I never quite found the urge to go from 6 to 7.

The E II was a sampler, not a synth. Personally, I always preferred the Emu filters to the Akai and Roland, but does that make an emulation worth having instead of just putting the samples, which are I believe findable, into any software sampler?

[Guy Rowland]

Personally, I always preferred the Emu filters to the Akai and Roland, but does that make an emulation worth having instead of just putting the samples, which are I believe findable, into any software sampler?

I seem to remember looking for a good implementation of the Emulator some time ago when working on a project, but I drew a blank. I think some of the raw samples were out there, but it didn't find them in a very useable form. This seems to put them in an appealing package, and has some of that old lofi sampling grit that isn't as massively in-your-face as their Fairlight emu (whose terrible looping points frequently make it often pretty unusable for me).

As with previous releases, old V Collection owners get the latest Analog Lab which sits alongside your old ones. A lot of presets from the new instruments there, and some very nice combos too.

[wst3]

I have, believe it or not, an Oberheim DPX-1. This was an odd little box, its purpose in life was to play samples originally intended for the Ensoniq Mirage, Akai S900, SCI Prophet 2000, and Emu Emulator II.

Mirage playback is surprisingly accurate, warts and all. Akai playback is not quite up to my S1000. I have some Prophet samples on the hard disc that came with it (20 MB - WOW!!!!), and they are ok, but probably not the best that was available?

And the Emulator II - at the time that I purchased the DPX-1 I was maintaining a studio that included an Emulator II and a very extensive library. I made copies of several of the PD discs, sometimes I wish I had made copies of the factory discs too, but that would not be cool! While it would have been cool to have a real Emulator II I was quite happy with the DPX-1.

For a while I was using the Mirage as a quasi-synthesizer using a software package called Soundprocess. It was pretty cool. And since I could not use it for sample playback without rebooting I used the DPX-1 for Mirage sounds.

The Emulator II is one of the new models in the update that interests me, but I have to admit I am skeptical.

[Mikeybabes]

As with previous releases, old V Collection owners get the latest Analog Lab which sits alongside your old ones. A lot of presets from the new instruments there, and some very nice combos too.

Oooh ! I forgot that they did that. I'm going to set it updating now. Very interested to hear some of the presets on the Emulator II.....but I would only upgrade on sale.

I must admit, if I were going to get anything like this now, I'd probably do the Roland Cloud thing. They have a promotion on until the end of December :

If you buy a 'Pro' one year sbscription ($99) yout get a permanent lifetime licence for one instrument of your choice.

If you buy an 'Ultimate' one year sbscription ($199) yout get a permanent lifetime licence for two instruments of your choice.

I rather fancy the D50.......and possibly an 808 to scratch that Synthwave itch.....

[wst3]

hmmm... thanks for the reminder about Roland Cloud. There are really only three synths in their cloud that I'd like, the JX-3P, the Juno 106, and the Jupiter 8 (very nearly a replacement for my MKS-80). I am also fascinated with their Plug Out model.

Nothing right now, but I really do need to remember to check that out.

[Muziksculp]

I'm not a fan of Arturia's Synths.

I have version 6 (don't use it), I didn't upgrade to version 7, and won't be upgrading to version 8 either.

[Guy Rowland]

I'm not a fan of Arturia's Synths.

I have version 6 (don't use it), I didn't upgrade to version 7, and won't be upgrading to version 8 either.

Any particular reason? Some of their emulations have been oft-criticised for sonics, but the newer and updated ones are considered excellent. The Jupiter 8 v4 is getting a lot of love.

For me the main reason to hesitate is always that I have so many great synths. Do I need a Jupiter 8 v4 if I have Diva that can do much more besides? Some of the other new synths are more unique though, as discussed here.

[Muziksculp]

I'm not a fan of Arturia's Synths.

I have version 6 (don't use it), I didn't upgrade to version 7, and won't be upgrading to version 8 either.

Any particular reason? Some of their emulations have been oft-criticised for sonics, but the newer and updated ones are considered excellent. The Jupiter 8 v4 is getting a lot of love.

For me the main reason to hesitate is always that I have so many great synths. Do I need a Jupiter 8 v4 if I have Diva that can do much more besides? Some of the other new synths are more unique though, as discussed here.

Their Synths just don't impress me sonically.

They seem to offer nice GUI's to use, but the sound of their Synths never clicked with me. I have so many other awesome sounding synths I can use, both VST and HW. I don't buy a lot of the classic emulation marketing anymore, I'm really tired of that type of sales pitch. I want to hear new sounds in synthesis.

I don't know if version 8 has major improvements (sonically) compared to my version 6, referring to the same Synths, but I'm skeptical about that being the case.

[Guy Rowland]

Miziksculp - your views seem to be based on what they were doing 3 years ago, not what they've been doing since. You'll be able to download Analog Lab 5 now, and have a limited play with some presets to get an idea of some of their newer synths and re-dos.

[Muziksculp]

Miziksculp - your views seem to be based on what they were doing 3 years ago, not what they've been doing since. You'll be able to download Analog Lab 5 now, and have a limited play with some presets to get an idea of some of their newer synths and re-dos.

OK, Thanks.

I will re-evaluate things. Given my not so great experience using V Collection 6.

Not that I need more synths, I have too many. The only reason I will buy a single synth these days, is if it sounds amazing, not even great will do it for me.

[Muziksculp]

I checked my upgrade price from V6 to V8, and it's $299.

I will pass on Arturia's Collection V8. Plus, I doubt they will impress me with any of their new or old synths.