Arturia’s V Collection 11 Intro review: A shocking price tag on a fantastic bundle$199 / €199, arturia.com
Arturia’s virtual instrument offerings don’t just go wide, they go deep. Next to the enormity of Arturia’s V Collection 11 Pro, it would be easy to attach epithets like ‘modest’ or ‘diminutive’ to V Collection 11 Intro. But, in reality, the plugin bundle is still a highly substantial offering that more than doubles the number of instruments in the original V Collection– and packs all the power we could want from a suite of its considerable size.
After all, at this point, if V Collection 11 Pro’s suite of 45 instruments carries one primary danger, it’s of overwhelming producers with choice. If that’s you, V Collection 11 Intro might be just what your DAW needs to keep the music flowing.

READ MORE: Arturia’s V Collection 11 Pro almost made me forget I had other plugins

It’s worth mentioning that the Mini V is the only instrument in 11 Intro that was also in that very first V Collection. But that by no means renders Intro inferior, which presents a similarly lauded set of iconic instruments. A skilfully curated selection from across the world of V, Intro presents a mixture of familiar favourites and newer additions.
Arturia V Collection 11. Images: Arturia; edited by MusicTech
Mini V
Arturia’s Mini V, the original classic, emulates the Minimoog Model D. The MusicTech review of 2024’s V Collection X notes that, in many ways, a software instrument developer is only as skilled as its emulation of the Model D. For that edition of the Collection, Arturia gave its Mini V design a complete overhaul to improve sound and accuracy.
Now, the Mini V boasts Arturia’s proprietary True Analog Emulation technology, which means that certain behaviours are far better expressed in the software environment. Take its digital oscillators, for example: instead of being samples, wavetables or generated from a zero-point, the Mini V’s oscillators are free-running with notes generated dynamically, more like they would be on the hardware. There are also a few extras on offer, such as additional modulation sources and effects, but also carefully worked-in functions such as Filter Bass Compensation to maintain low-end even at high resonances.
Arturia Mini V. Image: Vincent Joseph
Keys dreams
The Mini V can, of course, be played polyphonically, but that’s not stopped Arturia from including faithful emulations of three classic polysynths in V Collection 11 Intro, between them presenting a vast sonic range.
Arturia’s emulation of the Sequential Prophet-5 was also recently upgraded as part of V Collection 9. Boasting the same True Analog Emulation as the Mini V at the core of its engine and a comparable slew of extra features, the classic polysynth has multitudes beneath its panel, covering smooth baritone chords to soaring leads and brassy pads. Arturia has done an excellent job of making this emulation deep but still abundantly accessible, with a spacious panel that’s easy to navigate for synthesists and keyboardists of all experience levels.
The Jun-6 V, of course, channels the Roland Juno-6, which debuted in 1982 and has become famous for contributing its mammoth, chorus-infused polyphony to music by artists from Eurythmics to The Weeknd. This is a wide and lush synth that comes to life in glorious stereo. As with the Prophet-5 V, its well-laid-out panel combined with Arturia’s TAE-driven digital engine delivers both power and immediacy in equal measure.
DX7 V. Image: Vincent Joseph
The DX7 V, meanwhile, emulates one of the most celebrated digital polysynths of the 20th Century — the Yamaha DX7. I’d say Arturia has been successful with the DX7 V in translating what is commonly considered an unwieldy interface into a faster-moving, digital environment. FM synthesis is at the fore here, handling sounds from growling to glassy, from plucked to bowed with its six operators.
Arturia claims the Stage-73 V to be ‘the most authentic, versatile, and accessible electric piano plugin ever made’, and I’m inclined to agree. Replicating the soulful sonic signature of the venerated Rhodes electric piano, it’s driven by an advanced physical modelling engine and also throws a virtual amp and pedal setup into the mix to deliver a sound that far outdoes a majority of the virtual electric pianos available, of which there are multitudes.
Pure LoFi. Image: Vincent Joseph
Modern machines
As for digital versions of more modern instruments, the MiniFreak V represents Arturia’s unapologetic and much-welcomed venture into emulating its own hardware. Making its debut in V Collection X, this characterful synth is touted as an ‘experimental virtual instrument’ that combines digital voicing with analogue-style filters. Warmly received by MusicTech upon its release, the MiniFreak V more or less directly ports the original’s formidable digital engine into your DAW, with the exception of its analogue filters, which nonetheless receive lovingly accurate emulation here.
The V Collection 11 Intro is topped off with four of Arturia’s original software instruments. This includes two instruments from the Augmented range in the form of Augmented Grand Piano and Augmented Strings, both of which make tremendous use of the range’s innovative workflow to combine deep-diving synthesis with expertly captured sample-based acoustic instruments. Bringing out characteristics of both that you might never have known were there, I’m mightily impressed with the Augmented range.
Pure LoFi comes fresh from V Collection 11 Intro, an intriguing ‘low-fidelity synthesiser’ steeped in nostalgia for all things grainy, distorted and degraded. As noted in the MusicTech review of the full V Collection 11 Pro, I’m particularly impressed by the three lo-fi engines, each of which offer nine hardware modes emulating samplers of yore, from the E-Mu SP1200 to the Akai MPC.
Neat package
Tying things together is Analog Lab Intro, a more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts library of 500 presets from across 28 V Collection instruments. Analog Lab’s grouped controls can stray perilously close to over-simplification, but it’s excellent for quick referencing and on-the-fly sound sculpting. Arturia has worked hard to make Analog Lab’s presets as navigable as possible, and it shows.
Yes, for those in need of a vast instrument library ready for all manner of composition, sound design and production applications, V Collection 11 Pro is a formidable tool that covers most conceivable bases. But for the rest of us, there’s V Collection 11 Intro. Large enough to accommodate far-reaching exploration but selective enough so as not to overwhelm with options, the suite may even end up guiding you toward getting more out of its instruments, which all bring something unique to the table.
V Collection 11 Intro is excellently-priced, amply-stocked and bursting with potential.

Key features

Standalone and AU/VST/AAX plugins
10 celebrated Arturia software instruments blending emulations, modern hybrid synth engines, modelled keyboards, and augmented acoustic sounds
2500 presets
Included instruments: Prophet-5 V, Jun-6 V, Analog Lab Intro, Augmented Grand Piano, Mini V, DX7 V, Stage-73 V, Augmented Strings, Minifreak V, Pure LoFi

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