Sineway’s AstroLab 37 Review: The Everything Synth or Just Everything at Once?

The Arturia AstroLab 37 lands with all the subtlety of a rave in a library. Sineway wastes no time, pitching it as the closest thing yet to an “everything synth”—a compact slab promising the warmth of Moogs, the sparkle of Yamahas, and a buffet of classic and modern sounds. It’s basically a hardware portal into Arturia’s Analog Lab universe, cramming 40 instruments and over 1,800 presets into a 37-key shell that’s clearly aimed at both studio rats and live performers.

But don’t let the tidy size fool you—this isn’t just a toy for preset junkies. Sineway makes it clear: the AstroLab 37 is a serious contender for anyone who wants a massive sound arsenal without hauling a museum’s worth of gear. If you’re after a single keyboard that can morph from Jupiter pads to Prophet leads at the flick of a switch, this thing’s got your back. Still, as with any synth that claims to do it all, you know there’s a catch lurking somewhere.

With over 1,800 presets, the AstroLab 37 is a preset playground that would make even the most jaded sound designer raise an eyebrow. Sineway shows off how you can jump from lush orchestral textures to gritty organs and ambient pads, all with a few knob twists. The macros let you shape each sound expressively, but let’s be honest—this synth is built for instant gratification, not endless menu diving.

Browsing by category, instrument, or even artist, you’re never more than a few clicks from a classic patch or a wild new texture. But here’s the rub: it’s all about presets. If you’re the type who wants to build a patch from scratch, you’ll hit a wall. For everyone else, it’s a never-ending buffet. Sineway’s not shy about calling out the lack of Swedish artist patches (sorry, Sweden), but the sheer variety on offer is hard to argue with.

Sineway gives props where they’re due: the AstroLab 37 feels solid, with a keybed borrowed from the MiniFreak and metal pitch/mod wheels that could survive a toaster-fight. The encoders are sturdy, and the whole thing feels ready for the road or a sweaty club set. The lack of a sequencer or looper might annoy some, but the streamlined controls keep things focused—no endless button mashing here.

The four macro encoders per preset are the real stars for live tweaking, letting you morph sounds on the fly. Add in four dedicated effects knobs and you’ve got a setup that’s just as happy in the studio as it is on stage. Sineway’s hybrid workflow—running the AstroLab through a Digitakt II for sampling and sequencing—shows this synth isn’t afraid to get dirty. If you want a performance-ready street weapon, this build won’t let you down.

Sineway doesn’t dodge the big question: AstroLab 37 or MiniFreak? The AstroLab wins on sheer sound variety—forty instruments in one box, ready to go. But if you crave hands-on, tactile sound design, the MiniFreak is the better dance partner. It’s a classic trade-off: do you want a massive preset arsenal or a synth you can sculpt in real time?

For Sineway, the AstroLab is less a synth and more an idea machine—a source of instant inspiration, perfect for grabbing a sound and running with it. The lack of deep editing is a trade-off for speed and variety. If you’re the type who wants to modulate an LFO with another LFO, look elsewhere. But if you want to make music now and worry about the details later, the AstroLab 37 is a serious contender. As always, the real magic—and a few quirks—are best experienced by watching Sineway’s full video, where the jams and sound demos do the talking.