Arturia Analog Factory -- same keys on 61 vs. 49 model?

[Mark Schmieder]

I've wasted way too many hours trying to intuit this from photos, product literature, manuals, etc., and the information simply isn't available on-line.

 

Does anyone know whether the Arturia Analog Factory 61 has the same keys as the 49-key version? All the photos I see look like it doesn't; that it has those shorter, blockier keys.

 

I finally had a chance to try the 49-key version yesterday and it completely blows away every other controller on the market in terms of ergonomics, aftertouch implementation, and even possibly the semi-weighted action itself. I'd rather get the 61-key version, but ONLY if it has the same keys.

 

Of course, I realize recent sales are a good indication this controller is going to get updated at NAMM, but that could still be six months away from a market point of view. I'd be a bit surprised too, as it's only a year old, but I guess the controller market is hyper-competitive.

 

The only controller of interest that I haven't seen in person yet, other than at the AES Show where I was rushed and couldn't compare to anything else, is the Akai MAX49 with CV, but I've heard enough caveats to have lost interest (until Rev 2). The Arturia keybed is an amazing controller that fits on my computer table, unlike my analog synths, so will get used more as a VI controller as a result (too often I dumb it down with an Alesis Q25).

 

I had never really been interested in this keybed before as I hated the Origin keybed and assumed it was the same. But after my disappointment with the Akai MPK series and even the Novation Impulse series due to the flimsy pads, knobs, and sliders, I did a bit more research and found almost nothing but praise for Arturia Analog Factory. Also, it would automatically work great as a controller for the Arturia VI's, which I use a lot.

[mate stubb]

The 49 key package is very nice, and indeed the action is better than average.

 

I own a 49, but haven't seen a 61.

[Mark Schmieder]

I finally found a site that lists dimensions for the 61-key model, and they appear to be for the keyboard itself vs. the shipping dimensions: Size (H x W x D): 875 x 20 x 65 millimeters. That from zzounds (who do not list dimensions for the 49-key model).

 

Sweetwater lists the following dimensions for the 49-key model:

 

Height 2.75"

Width 31"

Depth 9.5"

 

Doing the conversions, that means the 61-key model is 0.787" high x 34.45" wide x 2.36" deep. That clearly is incorrect, except for the width, which already looked to be just 3.5" wider than the 49-key version. Desktop space isn't an issue with one vs. the other; I need to verify the depth so I know whether the keys are shorter as appears to be the case from the photos.

 

I'll keep looking, but this is very frustrating. I can't believe it is so hard to find such basic information. They must have rushed both products out, as the 25-key version has full specs on Arturia's own webpage. I even downloaded the PDF manual but it doesn't list physical dimensions.

 

 

[Mark Schmieder]

This is what Sweetwater lists for the dimensions of the 61-key model, now that they have updated their info to account for the price drop and have added data:

 

Height 2.6"

Width 34.5"

Depth 7.9"

 

I am slightly suspicious of those numbers as well, as the area behind the keys looks the same depth (or shallower) on the 61-key version as the 49-key version. If these numbers are correct, the 61-key version has keys that are 1.6" shorter than the 49-key version, which is of course unacceptable. But I can see why they would do that to keep the price and profile down.

[AnotherScott]

I finally found a site that lists dimensions for the 61-key model, and they appear to be for the keyboard itself vs. the shipping dimensions: Size (H x W x D): 875 x 20 x 65 millimeters. That from zzounds (who do not list dimensions for the 49-key model).

 

Sweetwater lists the following dimensions for the 49-key model:

 

Height 2.75"

Width 31"

Depth 9.5"

 

Doing the conversions, that means the 61-key model is 0.787" high x 34.45" wide x 2.36" deep. That clearly is incorrect

The 61 is 9.5" deep. The keys of the 25 and the 61 are the same size as each other (though the keybeds are not identical, as the 25 does not have aftertouch). Honestly, I find it hard to imagine that they would source a different keybed for the 49 than the 61.

 

p.s. -- I have a 61 I don't really have a need for, PM me if you might like to buy.

[Mark Schmieder]

Scott, thanks for the info -- it's really incredible how sloppy people are about specs these days. It's why I didn't bother sending an inquiry to any vendors, as I wouldn't have faith I could trust the answer they give me. I'll PM you about your 61.