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moosers
Published on 09/24/10 at 14:05
The Arturia ARP2600 V is a software synthesizer that aims to emulate the original ARP 2600 modular synthesizer. There is a second version of this synthesizer that is out now, but this review is for the original as it's the only one that I've used to date. I didn't have any issues related to compatibility or installation, as the process of getting it up and running took only a short amount of time and was problem free. Breaking down the interface of the ARP 2600 would certainly take a long time, but suffice it to say that this has a lot of control and models the original almost to a T. It's even got the patches and all that so you can feel like your using a real modular synth. I wouldn't say that it's hard to use per say, but it definitely will take some time to learn everything about it since there is simply so much happening here. It's got all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a synthesizer, including three VCO's and a four octave virtual keyboard. A manual would be a good idea if you're new to synthesizers (soft or hardware), but I haven't seen it for this one in particular.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
I'm running the Arturia ARP2600 V in my rig at home and I can't really say that I've had too many issues with it. Sometimes I get some latency, but for the most part it's been pretty stable. I've been using it as a stand alone piece of software, occasionally rewiring it into Pro Tools or using it in Logic. The computer that I'm running it on is a Mac Book Pro consisting of a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. This has been enough for me to run the software pretty well as I haven't encountered any problems and don't anticipate running into any in the future.
OVERALL OPINION
The Arturia ARP2600 V is definitely the most complete software emulator of the ARP 2600, and is a great one at that. I haven't used an original ARP 2600 since they're pretty rare and hard to get a hold of for sure, but this thing sounds good enough that it could stand on it's own for sure. It's got all sorts of classic, 'analog' synthesizer sounds and has the vintage looking interface to match. I love playing around with it because there is so much that you can do. It's got a nice collection of presets as well, making it easy to get started if you're feeling lost at first. Considering the amount of detail involved here, the price of the Arturia ARP2600 V is very reasonable and is absolutely worth getting if you want a great modular synthesizer inside the box.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
I'm running the Arturia ARP2600 V in my rig at home and I can't really say that I've had too many issues with it. Sometimes I get some latency, but for the most part it's been pretty stable. I've been using it as a stand alone piece of software, occasionally rewiring it into Pro Tools or using it in Logic. The computer that I'm running it on is a Mac Book Pro consisting of a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. This has been enough for me to run the software pretty well as I haven't encountered any problems and don't anticipate running into any in the future.
OVERALL OPINION
The Arturia ARP2600 V is definitely the most complete software emulator of the ARP 2600, and is a great one at that. I haven't used an original ARP 2600 since they're pretty rare and hard to get a hold of for sure, but this thing sounds good enough that it could stand on it's own for sure. It's got all sorts of classic, 'analog' synthesizer sounds and has the vintage looking interface to match. I love playing around with it because there is so much that you can do. It's got a nice collection of presets as well, making it easy to get started if you're feeling lost at first. Considering the amount of detail involved here, the price of the Arturia ARP2600 V is very reasonable and is absolutely worth getting if you want a great modular synthesizer inside the box.