MusicRadar

Analog Factory Experience combines software and hardware to great effect.

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• Review

The Analog Factory Experience comprises a software installation CD and a universal MIDI controller. The CD contains Analog Factory 2.0, an updated version of Arturia’s vintage synth compendium, but the hardware interface is the headline-grabbing feature.

For the first time, Arturia is selling a USB keyboard front-end that enables you to not only play the soft synth, but also tweak the parameters of each preset. This goes some way towards giving the user the experience of using a real analogue keyboard, but more on this later.

In detail

The most attractive feature of the Analog Factory is the ability to use all seven of Arturia’s analogue synth emulations in one package. Analog Factory 2.0 includes models of an ARP 2600, a Yamaha CS-80, a Minimoog and Moog Modular, a Prophet 5, Prophet VS and, for the first time, the Roland Jupiter 8.

That’s an awesome collection of classic synths – the thought of having all seven original machines in one room makes us feel a little light-headed!

The only snag with the Analog Factory Experience is that you only have access to a handful of the parameters that these synths offer. You can adjust the cutoff and resonance level in every patch, plus adjust the LFO rate and amount. You can also change the envelope settings via ADSR sliders, and also tweak four other ‘key parameters’.

Clearly, this is not the same as having the original Arturia soft synths loaded in your plug-in folder, but given that you have over 3,500 presets to choose from as starting points, it’s not as much of a handicap as it might seem.

You have the facility to save tweaks to the preset sounds using the ‘user presets’ facility, while the ‘snapshot’ feature – eight buttons on the MIDI keyboard that you can use to recall your favourite sounds.

Of course, you’re only going to be interested in the Analog Factory Experience if it sounds good, and we’re pleased to report that it does. Each classic synth emulation sounds very similar to the hardware that it’s modelled on.

Our favourite is the Prophet V, which has almost all the depth of character of the original Prophet 5. The Moog emulations are great too - the Minimoog V has that low-end growl which is fundamental to the Minimoog sound, and the Modular V is fresh and full of detail. Load in almost any Modular V preset and you’re instantly transported back to the 1970s.

Summary

So, who will buy the Analog Factory Experience? The answer is simple: anyone who wants access to a vast array of analogue-like sounds at the touch of a software – and now hardware –button.

This collection should prove popular with programmers looking for a bit of analogue spice to liven up their productions; place almost any of the 3,500 presets in your track and you’ll have added the distinctive flavour of the synth that it’s drawn from instantly.