First Look: Arturia Pigments 3 Brings Additive Synthesis to its Arsenal

Have you ever wanted a synthesizer plugin that’s capable of producing sounds using every type of synthesis that’s ever existed? Well, I’m pretty sure that doesn’t exist just yet, however Arturia’s newest iteration of Pigments comes pretty darn close as they announce version 3 of their powerful software synthesizer plugin.

Pigments 3 introduces additive synthesis in a new Harmonic sound engine as well as a new 3^rd utility engine that acts as a sub-oscillator and noise generator. Also included are 64 new wavetable presets, 4 new FX including their Juno chorus emulation, Jup-8 V’s iconic resonant low pass filter as well as enhanced filter and FX routing.

The addition of the Harmonic sound engine is a super exciting one, which employs additive style synthesis to create rich glassy timbres. Additive synthesis is a synth technique that produces sounds by adding the output of multiple sine waves at different frequencies and amplitudes. The results are really complex and interesting and is another reason why Pigments is being used beyond electronic music production.

Arturia have made a name for themselves over the years for making exciting new electronic music products, however they’ve been most recognised for their detailed software emulations of classic synthesizer instruments. When Arturia released version 1 of Pigments about 3 years ago now, it was a step in a new direction for the company as it was the first time they’d developed an entirely original virtual software plugin.

With Version 3 Pigments has become a powerhouse of sound creation in its own right. With its ability to blend sounds from multiple sound engines, a vast modulation section, amazing FX as well as a complex arpeggiator and step sequencer Pigments is an entire universe of sound creation.

Arturia have provided us with a breakdown of everything new and some key features that make up Pigments. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see and hear a few demos of what Pigments is capable of.

New Harmonic engine

Cutting-edge additive synthesis with up to 512 harmonic partials. Forge curious & tangible timbres from scratch, from plastic tubular resonance to evolving vowel-like swells – in vivid harmonic detail.

Wavetable engine

Animate, distort, or morph through over 160 wavetables, bringing a vast spectrum of breathy, glassy, and abrasive digital sounds. Perfect for everything from roof-raising bass music to pop toplines.

Virtual analog engine

Energize your mix with coveted analog warmth and irresistible vintage charm, inspired by the greatest synths ever made, courtesy of our award-winning analog emulation technology.

Sample & granular engine

Browse hundreds of instrument samples and loops, import your own, and transform them into genre-defying granular patches. Warp, contort, stretch, and modulate samples down to the finest detail.

Utility engine

Used in conjunction with Pigments’ dual sound engines, the Utility engine lets you add an extra oscillator to the mix, complemented by 2 noise sample players, ensuring that your sound always has the depth and detail it deserves.

Intuitive, powerful

Pigments 3 is easy to understand thanks to its fluid color-coded interface – any modulation source or destination is just a colorful click away, letting you weave complex modulation and animated patches with a simple click and drag.

Studio-grade FX

The ultimate final touch. Create your own unique chain of FX with twin insert buses and a send bus, and a curated selection of 18 classic, creative, or modern algorithms – from pitch shifting delay to an essential multiband compressor.

Pigments is in stores now.

https://www.arturia.com/
Expect to pay $289 AUD