Never tried the IK plugins but assume they would be good, they have a good reputation and everyone loves Amplitube.
I just demoāed them both, very different, oddly enough.
The IK sounds a lot cleaner, and gives you a lot more leslie options and controls.
The Arturia sounds a bit dirtier, have built in āroomā enviornments (warehouse, studio, etc) but has less leslie options and controls.
I liked the interface on the IK more.
Will do some research a bit more and listen to others and await a sale.
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This is the way of plugins for sure. Find the one you want, wait a month or two, and save 80% 
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Speaking of which, right now on PluginBoutique:
All three of these are top notch mixing/mastering plugins.
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Itās so funny. I am kind of GASing for the V Collection Prophet-5 and Juno, which is really pretty silly, because either would be easy to just make in either Phase Plant or any other modular synth. Especially the Prophet; itās more or less a perfect, simple little synth. Probably a great place to learn synthesis, actually, just like my ESQ-1 was.
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It just took me less than five minutes to make a Prophet-5 in Phase Plant, it turns out 
(I forget where the Unison is applied on the original synth - I just threw it on both oscillators, which is probably wrong.)
Sounds pretty much like a Prophet-5, too:
Thatās raw, not really mixed or anything, no effects. The kick is from the SQ-80 V. great kick.
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Yep. Nice clip and the kick is great indeed!
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Thanks! Might do that song as a cover, weāll see
No bass though, lol.
Having had it for a while I am super happy with the Arturia KeyLab 61 MkII. The keybed is just perfect.
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Yes, the Arturia is a very nice keyboard, and yes the key bed is nice. It was a bit to soft for my liking, but I can see it for someone who does a lot of synth stuff as you do.
You had the Essential, right? The MkII keybed is different and way way better. It is definitely a synth keybed though, yeah - literally in fact, it is the keybed from the Arturia MatrixBrute.
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Yes, that is correct. I do however recall looking at the MKII 88 and it was way more expensive than Iām prepared to pay. I ended up with the M-Audio Hammer 88 which suits me perfectly. If I ever upgrade it will be to the MKII 88.
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Yeah the 88 is also different and has one of the best keybeds you can buy for piano feel - the Fatar TP/100LR. But it aināt cheap for sure. The Hammer 88 should last you a long while
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2 month update on my Arturia MiniLab MkII Midi Controller.
Itās a big thumbs up (for my simple needs). If I want to work on an exercise from my Talking Bass lessons and say itās a chord progression of C Am D G. I can pull out the controller, fire up Garage Band and create a loop in about 15 minutes. Then jam over the top of it working on the bass exercise Iāve been given. Minimum Midi time, maximum bass time.
The added bonus is that (as @howard has previously pointed out) learning theory of chord tones is so much simpler on a piano keyboard. The whole flattening the third, suspending the third etc is much more visual.
Itās only $120US, has a nice feel to the keys, not as nice as my wifeās weighted digital piano but still decent dynamics and Iām probably using about 0.005% of itās capability.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MiniLabMk2--arturia-minilab-mkii-25-slim-key-controller
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Awesome!
Yeah, Iām totally sold on Arturia too. Lots of other good brands out there but their stuff is top notch.
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I have a Keylab Essential49ā¦really happy with their stuff to include my AudioFuse Rev 2 DAI
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Yes Arturia does make some great stuff, and their customer support is superb. I had the Keylab 49 for awhile and liked it, except for the soft keybed and all those slides, knobs, pads, and buttons that I not only found to be of no use to me, but also rather annoying. I also wanted the full 88 keys with hammer action.
If it was in my budget, I may have traded it for the Arturia MKII 88, but it too has all those controls that I donāt need. I ended up with the M-Audio Hammer 88 with which I am quite pleased.
Itās great that there are so many MIDI keyboards available to suit a multitude of wants, needs, and tastes.
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I have a question for the Arturia owners (@howard @sully et al). Is your Analog Lab IV and Analog Lab V the full version or just the demo version? The reason I ask is because the one I have, which came with the Keylab Essential 49 that I had, is only the demo version (times out after 20 minutes). Iām curious if this is all they give you with those keyboards, or if there is a way to activate the full version. To purchase the full version of AL V is $199.99 (OUCH!)
I rather like Analog Labs V but would rather not have to shell out 200 bucks for it.
Thanks.
Pam
Okay then, Iām going to contact support and ask why I only have the demo version. Thanks