Arturia Adds New Software Synths to Latest V-Collection 9 Line-Up

The synth lords at Arturia have today released V-Collection 9, marking the latest edition of their absolutely delicious collection of synth emulations, fan-boy much? Arturia have included 4 new instruments, as well as introducing their original Augmented Series instruments, plus a ton of new presets and performance updates. We take our “First Look” here:

The Korg MS-20 is new to the line-up, along with the Ensoniq SQ-80. I’m super pleased to see the Prophet 5 and Prophet-VS have been split into two individual instruments, as previously they were combined as one hybrid instrument. Arturia have also gone back and modernised some of the legacy instruments like the CS80 V and the Piano V, completely rebuilt the sound engine and DSP modelling.

The Korg MS-20 V instrument is worthy of a special mention here, as the original is well known for the sound of its filter and resonance, and oh boy I can confidently say VC9 faithfully retains the grit and tone of the original. Crank that resonance, ride that filter, and hear it squeal, all very characteristic of the MS-20. What is also quite interesting is the Augmented Strings and Augmented Voices, which at first glance, are simple-to-use instruments, with each instrument featuring a large Morph control that blends two sound sources and utilises a hybrid of multi–sampled sounds combined with modern synthesis.

Also added to the line-up is the SQ-80 V, an emulation of Ensoniq’s SQ-80 a digital synth with analogue filters that sounds absolutely dreeeamy. Arturia released this last year and have bundled it with VC9 so it’s a nice addition to the family. Shout outs to all the nostalgic synthwave and lo-fi producers out there, this one has your name all over it!

Specs

New Instruments:  

• Korg MS-20 V
• SQ80V
• Augmented STRINGS
• Augmented VOICES
• CS-80 V
• Prophet-5 V
• Prophet-VS V
• Piano V

Main Features

• 32 instruments: more than just synths and keyboards, the suite now features 2 Augmented Series titles
• 4 new instruments: Korg MS-20 V, SQ80 V, Augmented STRINGS, and Augmented VOICES
• Prophet-5 V & Prophet-VS V: now 2 individual instruments that were previously a combined hybrid instrument, totally rebuilt from scratch with next-gen modelling.
• CS-80 V rebuild a brand-new sound engine with totally rebuilt DSP modelling, advanced modulation, voice dispersion, and a modernized advanced panel.
• Piano V rebuild: a brand-new physical modelling instrument, now featuring 12 piano models, from Japanese Grand to Piano Bar Upright, and advanced sound design controls.
• Thousands of new expertly crafted presets: presets for every instrument, 14 new sound banks, and a huge range of styles – exclusively available for V Collection 9 owners.
• Performance and workflow updates: improved loading times, refreshed GUIs, expanded user playlist functionality, and more.

There’s lots to unpack here, and once you think you’ve gone through all of VC9, you’ll find you’ve only scratched the surface of what’s included in this huge collection. It was only a couple of years ago when V-Collection 8 was released and back then they added some absolute synth royalty like the Juno–106, the Emulator II, Vocoder V and a newly updated version of Analogue Lab. Arturia continue to build on their great legacy with their latest soft synth collection. I mean let’s be real here, it would be nice to own a stack of these original hardware instruments but that’s some serious investment. With the current cost of real estate in Australia, affording these vintage synths is completely out of the question, and who has the room right? All the more reason why owning a plug-in collection like this is pretty sweet if you ask me. Thanks to Arturia you can live in your own vintage synth museum without asking Elon Musk to invest in your synth obsession! 

Expect to pay AUD $899