The new Pitchshift Delay, Jun-6 Chorus and BL-20 Flanger effects modules. By my reckoning, that’s 164 total! You can also create and import your own wavetables and samples, offering near-infinite options for experimentation and customisability of your base sounds. Wavetables: The original set of 100 have been added to with 64 new ones. A great way to add some subtle sampled atmospheric grit, and/or a beefy lower-octave sub oscillator to your sounds, respectively. This one provides two noise sample layers and an extra oscillator layer. Utility Engine: Also supplementing Engines 1 and 2, you now have an all-new third, the Utility Engine. The Additive engine in Pigments offers control and modulation of up to 512 partials, as well as morphing and dual formant filters. Unlike the subtractive nature of the Analog engine, additive works by adding harmonics or partials to a fundamental tone, for glassy-to-buzzy futuristic sounds not too dissimilar to classic FM. Harmonic Engine: joining the existing Analog, Wavetable (which includes some simple FM and phase distortion functionality) and Sample (with additional granular processing!) Engines, Pigments now has Additive synthesis capabilities courtesy of the Harmonic Engine.

Pigments’ Harmonic Engine for additive synthesis.

I also wondered how it stacks up against the competition vying for your attention and allegiance in the fierce arena of modern soft synths. With Pigments now up to version 3, I thought it was the perfect time to take a look at what has been added in this latest version and how Pigments as a concept is maturing. Arturia’s polychrome synth Pigments brings together a huge amount of the considerable synth knowledge that the French company has spent the last 20 years collecting and refining while building the instruments that make up their much-loved V Collection and classic effects collections.īut Pigments goes further than being simply an amalgamation of Arturia’s greatest hits: it features several different synthesis and sampling types, it’s own novel modulation system and powerful sequencing possibilities, and it attempts to house all this power and complexity in a sleek and intuitive interface that is fast and easy to use.

Arturia pigment 3