Arturia V Collection 6

Emulations of the Buchla Music Easel, Fairlight CMI, Yamaha DX7 and Clavinet join the ranks for V6

Arturia have announced an update to their V Collection emulation bundle, adding software recreations of the Buchla Music Easel, Fairlight CMI, Yamaha DX7, and Hohner Clavinet to the mix for version 6. Based on the company’s physical modelling tech and ‘True Analog Emulation’ engine, all four are solid additions to the line-up, although it’s the Music Easel and Fairlight that get us particularly excited.

Released in the early ’70s, the Buchla Music Easel was a rare analogue semimodular and arguably the quintessential example of west coast synth design. Created with performance and convenience in mind, the Music Easel was housed in a briefcase-sized travel case and featured a metallic touch plate keyboard. It was also one of the first synthesizers to feature patch recall capabilities, via a system of program cards. Sonically, the Music Easel is renown for its ability to create experimental and ambient sounds, thanks to features like its unusual filter design, impressive modulation capabilities and built-in spring reverb.

Arturia’s Buchla Easel V recreates the full capabilities of the original with the addition of the usual software niceties such as full MIDI control, an arpeggiator and (considerably easier) preset recall. Intriguingly, Arturia have also added a physics-based synth engine, Gravity, which the French brand say is intended to take Don Buchla’s experimental vision ‘one step further’. We’re yet to see how exactly this fits into the synth engine, but we’re certainly curious to check it out.

The Fairlight CMI, meanwhile, is largely regarded as the original sampler. Released in ’79, this prohibitively expensive instrument (costing upwards of $25,000) combined additive synthesis with polyphonic sampling and waveform editing. The CMI V builds on the original’s capabilities with 10 multitimbral, polyphonic sound slots, a new sequencer and real-time waveform editing window. There’s also an added ‘Spectral’ wavetable engine, allowing users to upload their own audio files to uses as wave sources.

Arturia’s take on Yamaha’s iconic FM synth, the DX7 V, boasts a simplified and improved interface that Arturia claim makes programming this notoriously impenetrable synth engine considerably easier. There’s also a new mod matrix too, along with customisable envelope generators, additional effects, a sequencer and arp, and additional source waveforms.

Finally, the Clavinet joins the V Collection’s already generous selection of keyboards and organs. Made famous by the likes of Stevie Wonder (think

Superstition or Higher Ground), the original is known for its funky, percussive tone. Arturia’s take lets users shape sounds further by diving into the instruments innards to change its physical properties, and also configure various amps and effects.

These four new additions bring the line-up of emulations to a total of 21, joining existing emulation of the CS-80, Minimoog Model D, Synclavier, ARP 2600 and more. Along with the new instruments, the collections allpurpose piano gets an overhaul. Piano V2 now includes a trio of new piano models, enhanced mic positioning, an improved EQ and new stereo delay and compressor. Arturia’s preset-focus sound hub Analog Lab gets an update to version 3 too, now incorporating the new line-up of instruments.

We’re still awaiting word on pricing, but we expect – as before – the new instruments to be offered as individual purchase or as part of the full V Collection. Keep an eye

www.arturia.com for purchase and upgrade info.