In this video for Production Expert, Brent March takes a look at Pigments 3, Arturia's latest update that extends their first original VST synth to include Additive, Wavetable, Granular, and Virtual Analogue synthesis engines.
In 2019, Arturia announced the release of Pigments 2, which was a significant update, welcoming the addition of some really intuitive and advanced features. Just over a year later, Arturia has done it again, with the release of Pigments 3, a free update for all existing users.
Pigments 3 is an equally sizeable update, if not more significant, with additive synthesis, thanks to the new harmonic engine. Arturia has created a Utility Engine that hosts a sub-oscillator and two noise-based sample layers while also bringing some of the classic features from V Collection 8, including the new Jup-8V Filter, the BL20 Flanger and Jun-6V Chorus.
Existing engines, such as Wavetable, now have 64 new Wavetables, making a whopping total of 164 altogether. Pigments 3 also comes with 500 new presets that showcase the unique feature possibilities, bursting with additive, wavetable, granular and virtual analog synth engines, making this arguably the most powerful synthesis plug-in available.
Arturia has made Pigments 3 easy and intuitive to work with by incorporating a simple mod matrix that allows for endless routing possibilities. The ease of use doesn't limit the possibilities with Pigments 3. If anything, Pigments 3 is a sonic playground of limitless possibilities for producers, composers, musicians and sound designers alike. You can express yourself even further by importing your own samples and designing custom wavetables.
The new multiband compressor is a fantastic addition to this soft synth, OTT, by Xfer Records. OTT's sound has somewhat defined the last 10 years of music and has become a staple for many sound designers. Arturia has done a great job creating a homage to OTT, but with a slicker and more detailed interface. The new PS (pitch shift) delay feature is just one of the ways that Arturia is bringing new and creative sound design tools to Pigments FX rack.
New In Pigments 3
NEW Harmonic engine - detailed additive synthesis with up to 512 partials and advanced customisation for sounds unheard
NEW 3rd Utility engine - add a sub oscillator and up to 2 noise sample layers to Pigments’ dual-engine sound for extra depth and sonic color
NEW 64 new wavetables, bringing the total to 164
NEW Ramp waveform for Virtual Analog engine
NEW Jup-8 V4 Low-pass filter - the revered filter from our meticulous emulation of a polysynth icon
NEW Enhanced filter routing - route either filter to either FX bus for detailed sound
NEW Pitch Delay - a clean, modern algorithm for creating exciting pitch-shifting ambience
NEW Multi-Band Compressor - a much-requested tool for creating a tight mix-ready sound without ever leaving Pigments
NEW BL-20 Flanger - a faithful reimagining of an elusive analog studio effect
NEW Chorus JUN-6 - one-touch analog sparkle and stereo fatness, taken from our faithful Juno-6 emulation
NEW 300 expertly-crafted presets by world-class sound designers
NEW Additional sound bank available for purchase with 500 extra presets
NEW Enhanced in-app tutorials from the product designers
Updated Sounds
Additive, wavetable, granular, and virtual analog synthesis in one intuitive plugin, with an additional sub-oscillator, noise players, and boundless modulation. Whatever sound you're after, Pigments 3 can do it.
Intuitive And Easy of Use
Pigments 3 is easy to understand thanks to its fluid colour-coded interface - any tweak is just a colourful click away. From learning synthesis to deep dive sound design, you'll enjoy yourself.
Truly Unique?
Pigments 3 is built with curiosity in mind. Intelligent features like macro controls, chord generation, and polyrhythmic sequence randomisation provide endless inspiration on tap.
Pros
With the release of V3, Pigment's is now an all-in-one plugin. There would be little to no benefit in acquiring other synths when all of it can be done in Pigments.
The new multiband compressor sounds brilliant.
The Jun-6V Chorus is a welcomed addition
Cons
At €99 introduction pricing, we're really grasping at straws to find faults with Pigments.
It would be cool to see the Granular FX engine added to the Virtual Analog engine.
Final Thoughts
It is clear to see that user experience is at the heart of Pigments 3. With the click of a button, you can load your own samples and field recordings into the noise-based sample player or create and shape your own custom waveforms with the Wavetable engine. All of these new features are now supported with unparalleled DSP performance, making Pigments 3 easy on CPU, stable and reliable.
Arturia Pigments 3 is their single most powerful software instrument to date and is available at an introductory price of $99/€99. Existing customers of Pigments 2 will be happy to know that you’ll receive the update for free.
For full details and download a demo of Pigments 3, head over to Arturia’s website.