Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which hardware to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
Arturia AstroLab is a stage keyboard that runs Arturia's software instruments in standalone hardware, with 11 synthesis types and 1,800+ onboard presets.
Arturia Pigments Play is a free player edition of Pigments with all six synthesis engines, 68 filters, 20 effects, and 100 curated presets.
Technical matrix
| Signal | Arturia AstroLab | Arturia Pigments Play |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $699 (37) / $1,999 (61) / ~$2,399 (88) | Free |
| Dubspot Score | — | 8.6 |
| Formats | Standalone Hardware, MIDI DIN, USB-C | Standalone, VST, VST3, AU (Audio Units), AAX, NKS |
| Models | 37, 61, 88 keys | — |
| Sound engines | 11 types (virtual analog, samples, wavetable, FM, granular, physical modeling, vector, harmonic, phase distortion, vocoder, Karplus) | — |
| Onboard presets | 1,800+, expandable to 10,000+ with V Collection and Pigments | — |
| Macros | Four knobs (Brightness, Timbre, Time, Movement) | — |
| Effects | 12 insert effects | 20 effect algorithms |
| Performance | Arpeggiator, MIDI looper, chord and scale modes, multis and split | — |
| Connectivity | MIDI DIN, USB-C, USB-A host, balanced stereo in, pedal inputs, Bluetooth audio, WiFi | — |
| Included | Analog Lab Pro, AstroLab Connect app | — |
| Latest firmware | AstroLab 2.0 (front-panel Sound Edit, 60+ new sampled instruments) | — |
| Type | — | Free multi-engine software synthesizer (player edition) |
| Engines | — | Virtual analog, sample, wavetable, granular, modal, harmonic (all six) |
| Filters | — | 68 filter modes |
| Editing | — | 4 macros (brightness, timbre, time, movement) plus 4 effects |
| Presets | — | 100 curated presets |
| Operating systems | — | macOS 11+ (Intel or Apple Silicon), Windows 10+ (64-bit), OpenGL 2.0 GPU |
| Formats | — | Standalone, VST, VST3, AU, AAX, NKS |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.