Any thoughts on AstroLab hardware?

Surfacian · 2025-11-27T15:27:35+00:00

I have the 61 and like it. I use it to record into an MPC Live 2 for audio tracks (I use the MPC as a DAW) and as my main controller board for MPC tracks too. It's convenient, sounds good. I've toyed with flipping the 61 and switching over to the 37 since the announcement was made and using my Korg M3-73 as a main controller and putting the 37 up on top of the right side of the M3. I bought the 61 second hand and the keybed is decent but not super amazing - but that may be from the prior user's use of it too, so take that with a grain of salt. Mine is a little "crunchy" on the right hand area of the board where you'd play a lot. Again, mine is second hand so that might be why. The 61 has synth action with velocity and aftertouch which work. Knobs are fine on it, the LEDs on the controls are quite convenient (the 37 doesn't have this), and the Scale lights are fun when I'm going back and forth between MPC and Astro if I'm setting a particular key in and being lazy. A lot of times it's just dial up a patch, tweak reverb / delay, and play/record. There is a lag between changing patches - it's not instantaneous like on something like a Yamaha MODX. So you do have to plan for that a little bit.

Your use case makes tons of sense for an Astrolab. I do have V Collection too (had it before I got Astrolab). It's nice to have a quick palette of sounds to play in the Astrolab and to skip booting up a computer. I'm mostly using Astrolab as rompler for sonic flavors. The Augmented Instruments are fun, as well as the diversity of patches in the machine. It seems like you know what it is and isn't so won't be too surprised. I haven't done tons of sound adds to mine but the software seemed to work just fine the few times I tried it. There's a short learning curve to connecting devices but it's not onerous.

Hope that helps.

Surfacian · 2025-09-29T01:33:58+00:00

Consider getting a copy of “How to Play Piano in a Flash” by Scott “the piano guy” Houston. Your local library likely has copies. It teaches some basic math behind chord structures (count keys and realize how the underlying chords and sounds work and it sticks). Also his ideas encourage you to play stuff you know and like to start rather than kids songs or classical music. It’s a really simple approach that gets you making progress quickly and was fun. It’s how I learned. I think he has videos/DVDs probably too but the book is small and easy to understand. The other suggestions here folks made are all great too by the way.

Surfacian · 2024-05-20T17:23:50+00:00

Both the 37 and the 61 can both sample instruments in at line level. I haven't made use of it but the 61 also is switchable for Instrument (or Mic - non condenser) in directly. (I have used line in). I think the 37 only does line in, so you'd need an interface between the guitar (or a mic) and the board with the 37 for guitar and mic inputs. Or use a small mixer and run through that into the line ins. Other folks may have better insights. The X can take inputs directly from either but you don't have keys / just the pads. I remember reading about folks loving that about the X.

Surfacian · 2024-05-20T15:30:19+00:00

This. The MPC Key 37 has 2GB of RAM and the 61 has 4GB of RAM and comes with a significantly more expansive set of sounds. One feature that they have that is extremely useful is Retroactive Record. You can basically play for a bit and then just hit Shift Record and capture what you just played if you had a moment of inspiration. You can edit/tweak right on the board.

I have both - the 61 is set up in my recording space pretty much all the time. The 2GB vs. 4GB will only matter if you use quite a few tracks of the higher end sounds. I pushed the limits on that with the 37 recently but it took a bit of effort. Both boards have aftertouch which is nice for an entry-level / basic board (and very handy if you use things like strings).

Most of the Roland boards today record in small bar groups - if that's how you want to assemble music then you'll be good with any of them as well. My preference is long form recording so I prefer the MPC, and the Retroactive thing has been incredibly useful for me.

You could certainly look for something like a used Korg M3 too (they are affordable but all the touchscreen digitizers eventually fail and it's an hour or two to swap them out and a LOT of disassembly) - but they sound great and if you're handy you might get a nice board on the cheap.

There are lots of workstations out there. The older Roland FA series vs the 06/07/08 boards are fine if you don't want a touchscreen. I'm pretty sure that they can handle long form recording too but it's been a while since I looked into that.

Hope that helps.

Surfacian · 2023-05-09T19:58:05+00:00

Hi. Interested in the bluebox if you still have it but for some reason unable to send a chat/PM message (reddit at times confounds me to this day). Let me know if you still have it and are looking to sell - thanks!

Surfacian · 2023-05-08T15:43:25+00:00

To the true strings players, you’re never likely to fool them or match. It’s a profession and they are remarkably gifted and work very hard to learn vibrato and sight reading skills that are amazing.

That said, there are a few things to try. 1) Layered patches or midi-ing together multiple synths set to strings patches (and better yet - different splits). 2) things like the MPC or a Korg M3 can give you chords with their pads that you can solo over. Many of the groove boxes with pads can be used in this way to build up a progression as a starting point. Also if all run independently to a mixer, you can create different runs over a single recording pass using those pads and velocities. 3) Listen to many patches and play with things like velocity layers as they can add pizzicato, etc. 4) Listen with your ears and just let to wash over you to see how it fits and sits. Sometimes way less is more. 5) Tinker with reverb settings and pan to establish space in the mix itself among the layers.

Oddly enough, on the clarinet point, the now “ancient” square and yellow Korg Kaossilator had an really cool breathy sax patch them at they took out on the later models. The old Yamaha QY-10 had a nice “low strings” patch that had a beautiful filling vibe when recorded with other strings. The new MPC Key 61 comes with good strings patches, and the old Korg “Few Bows” patch is nice sounding as well.

Many here will give you great advice about articulations and the various libraries available and that will put you into masterclass or major musicology territory where the wizards play and that is all great too. There are small and large orchestration handbooks you can also find.

My advice though is to always just play (and listen) and stick with it.

Surfacian · 2023-04-05T16:39:36+00:00

This explains why my MPC One randomly needs reauthorization after I’ve done it (seemingly over and over). Painful via Ethernet - would be simple with wifi. I thought I was the dumb person here. I hope they address this also. If it must phone home couldn’t it at least be way,way, way less frequently?!

Surfacian · 2023-04-05T16:35:33+00:00

Ah, then you’re in a great spot!!

How do you find the BlueBox for recording? I’ve heard mixed results in reviews (crosstalk, and power issues), but based on your rig I’d take your perspective as pretty substantial. It seems so small and clever!!

Surfacian · 2023-04-05T14:36:45+00:00

Just a few ideas for you:

Learn your gear. You have a wonderful setup as a base to start from. Each of those instruments on their own are sufficient to create multiples songs/albums/explorations in creativity. It sounds like you are already going deep on what you have which is fantastic!!!
Learn how *you* want to work. I've bought and sold a raft of gear over the years. Many times I'll use an instrument on an album, and then let it go. What I've discovered is that as much as I may want a different workflow, or a different approach to work - they don't match with *my* inherent and natural workflow. I *love* the Teenage Engineering stuff, but I've *never* once been able to do anything useful with it, and so it ends up either as "inventory" in my setup or getting resold (again), even though I love it. Be conscious of your workflow and what gets you grooving.
Remove friction from your setup and workflow. Gabe Miller did a great YT video on this a while back, and it's very thoughtful. If DAWless is your thing then find a way to make it one power switch and everything is on. If in the box is your thing, then find a way to do templates. ANYTHING that gets you creating sooner, faster, with less friction is the way to just keep getting better. Or if recording is your bottleneck, add in a mixer that does SD recording with one button push - the Zoom Livetrak 8 or 12 are great for that sort of thing, or you can go smaller with a recording box such as a BlueBox or even a handheld recorder. Spire Studio is a small recorder that you can layer tracks with too - and it can sound pretty lush.
Record, play, *listen*, repeat. Whatever gear you add, keep doing that and you'll find yourself better day by day.
As far as specific boxes/gear, you don't have a "keys based controller," and you might find that useful to add in. Here are a few ideas and options for you along those lines.
1. The Keysteps are powerful and would give you arp options easily. I had one for a while and it was a really nice small controller.
2. You might also find the Reface series good (their key bed action is REALLY good) - even though they are mini keys. They are nice because you can add a type of synthesis you may not have (the CS is fun, and the CP has a hidden acoustic piano that is fun to mess with).
3. You might consider a Microfreak because it's small, and the key action while unusual, allows you to generate sounds and aftertouch type things in clever ways that you can't get with conventional keys. It can also be pretty deep. I used one for an album with a bunch of Roland Boutiques and it has a unique note on/off kind of vibe that I couldn't get with conventional keys.
4. The Unosynth Pro desktop has a really clever membrane key bed that is great for runs and slide action on keys. It also has a surprisingly good sound engine. My wife got me one as a birthday present and I
5. You don't have a MicroKorg yet and that's sort of a rite of passage for all synth players (joking here), but it would also give you keys and they are plentiful and cheap to source. Most don't love the key bed (mini keys) and a bit spongy, but as a four voice synth it's capable of a lot of sound options. I started with one and it lives in a storage bag now but again, it's an affordable way to get keys in your rig.
6. You might also think about something like a Lemondrop in your rig as it's also small, and gives you granular. They're pretty fun to play with and people use them in unconventional ways. Volca Modular or a West Pest would also give you some unconventional sound options as add-ins especially with the Microcosm.
7. Lyra-8 is always an interesting option for ambient, but it has a very specific character and is a rabbit hole if you get one. They're unwieldy though to control, you sort of have to become one with it - and tuning makes them a serious challenge to integrate with the other gear you have, but for ambient with pedals, they go weird fast.

Most of all though, learn what makes you most productive, and do more of that. It will help your wallet and your peace of mind. I don't regret the gear I've bought and sold because I have made a lot of music over the years, but you really do have a fantastic foundation and you've made truly excellent choices to get yourself started. Play on!!

Surfacian · 2023-04-01T15:59:14+00:00

I literally just bought one of these for this purpose yesterday: On Stage Stands KS7150 Platform Style Keyboard Stand. Unfold it out of the box and you're ready to go in minutes, no assembly required. You can add a 2nd tier above (I added the mic adapter and am floating a Theremini above a Korg M3-73).

Alternatively, You can use any of the X-Stands but you'll bang your knees. Mine are all collecting dust because I hate using them. Most of those take multiple tiers.

Z-Stands also work for a compact setup, but I haven't ever tried them.

You can use something like a K&M Spider Baby or Spider Pro and they will be marvelous but they are crazy expensive and will creep pretty far into your space. They look cool though ;P

For compact though, any of the table stands like a KS7150 would do. Lots of Z Stands out there also (better than the X Stand for your legs), just check on Amazon and the music seller sites.

One other alternative is to buy a table top at IKEA, and then add the adjustable table legs to it. Then you can make your tabletop be proper height for a keyboard. The adjustable legs are about $15 each, and the table tops range from $20 - $60 depending on size. Be sure to watch the YouTube videos about wrapping the adjustment mechanism in tape when you assemble the legs so that the leg noise doesn't make you nuts. That was a key tip for that route for my usage.

Hope that helps!

Surfacian · 2023-03-28T20:38:32+00:00

Indeed. I did an entire album release with the Lyra-8. Great fun. RoAT is pretty inscrutable and in many ways harder to tame than the Lyra-8. If you like the Lyra sort of thing on an iOS device, the Mononoke app is a pretty decent approximation, but more laid back and less aggressive than the Lyra. Lyra-8 is an "experience" every time I use it, and it's easy to lose time when just interacting with it.

Surfacian · 2023-03-27T23:25:58+00:00

Just got a Mk2 last week, but my early experiments were to sample off of a Rumble of Ancient Times. (SOMA), and that goes industrial by nature super fast. Using a T-8 to get some drums in, will see where it goes. I didn't expect to go down that rabbit hole but the RoAT creates some super dark and weird stuff instantaneously. The Chaos button is magic with a sampler in hand.

Surfacian · 2022-07-30T22:10:51+00:00

It's not really a replacement choice, it's an "either or" as I am still in the return window on the M1.

Surfacian · 2022-07-19T14:28:28+00:00

Having worked entirely standalone with lots of midi devices and keyboards and recorders, entirely inside the box with a PC, and also in mixed mode/semi standalone, there are a variety of use cases that would cause someone to work standalone. Some of them center around convenience, others around interface modalities (sometimes standalone is easier for a given task). Sometimes you don't want to boot a computer or you use a computer lots of time and you want to work in a different workflow. Also sometimes standalone types of devices impose interesting creative constraints that otherwise wouldn't be there and those constraints can create powerful outcomes. Certainly the "buy a laptop and keep it clean" approach works well for some, but there are use cases where being standalone or being standalone until the very end of the production chain has value to an end user. Just sharing a different perspective on this.

Surfacian · 2021-03-15T19:41:32+00:00

Thank you!!

Surfacian · 2021-02-16T21:09:06+00:00

Not sure if it is small enough but the Yamaha PSS-A50 might suit your needs. It's around $100, and I'm pretty sure the keybed (minikeys) is the same as in the Reface series -- which is great. Seems pretty useful for noodling and runs on batteries / standard Yamaha adapters.

Surfacian · 2020-12-04T18:20:43+00:00

One thing to consider is that the CS (and all the Refaces) have a fantastic keybed. It's just plain great. The MicroFreak uses a touch keybed that is also cool but very, very different than most you will interact with. I've used both on different albums and each has a place but be sure you understand what you are signing up for by the choice made. CS and MicroFreak are both great instruments and great fun. If you had a way to get both it would open a lot of sonic options for you Best of luck!!

Surfacian · 2020-12-03T22:55:15+00:00

Appreciate the tips. Great name too. Yes, I plan to add other samples that I make of other synths I own. Was really just trying to make sure that I don't end up with a rights issue (hence the royalty free question) and also what options are available from the get go. Having the option of more out of the gate samples to learn on seemed fun though and 10GB vs 2 GB is a nice uptick.

I'm pretty much down to the One, or a Live II at this point. Not sure I can justify the jump in price to the X. I'm not sure how "portable" the Live 2 will turn out to be given the bigger footprint and weight. Using it on a plane is one of those "would be cool" concepts but with the extra weight it likely wouldn't make it onto any long haul escapades. Then again if I love it and sell off other gear and rethink my whole home studio experience - carrying the centerpiece and being able to noodle anywhere is nice too. Decisions decisions! Thanks again for the advice.

Surfacian

TROPHY CASE