Arturia 11 December - Pigments Synth

[liquid234]

Tried the demo... niiiiccce! Love the “oscilloscopes”. Moar!
To be picky, a wavetable editor would be a cool addition eventually. Maybe some XY pads. But I’m straining to nitpick.
(Having difficulty logging in... anyone seeing a discount for owning a Beststep Pro?)

Maybe the best sound, despite all the options, was the one I DIDN’T hear. The sound of my CPU crackling from overload. Ten-finger chords and nary a snap, crackle, nor pop! I’ve got a solid if unspectacular CPU (Xeon E5) and 48gb RAM, but Serum kicks its assets to pieces. Using the demo, on some presets I can’t play a 3-note chord without maxing out. On Diva, i can play everything on the highest settings... because of the wonderful multi-core support! I imagine it takes some difficult code rewriting to implement MC, but it really is a deficiency in high-CPU VSTs not to have it, imho.

Anyway... Arturia’s lastest and greatest makes me as happy as a
PIG in excreMENT! (sorry... bad joke )

[pdxindy]

Arturia would have to constantly and consistently update PS to make it competitive with the big boys like Avenger, Rapid, Serum, Dune, U-he (Zebra, Hive) and Tone2 which are always in constant development. To be honest Arturia probably should have stuck to their niche which is where they have done really well. I think I would have preferred a new PPG Wave emu with a sound closer to the vintage sound. The market for wavetable based super synths is highly competitive and all about cockerel waving.

I don't know. I actually think the new Synth has a Lot of Promise, Especially in how easy it is to program and its beautiful UI and responsiveness. I agree however that the market for WT synths has become EXTREMELY oversaturated, especially after the Success of Serum.

I don't find wavetable synths oversaturated. I think it has just become good now.

[ke2041]

Thank you- any comment if MPE will be suppored in the future (see how I just slipped that in )

Can't promise anything about that at the moment. Sorry.

[Vortifex]

..

[polarsky]

The upgrade price wont be so great if this goes into V7. They released the SEM and Matrix-12 separately before they both went into V4.

thats what I thought but consensus seems to think that the V collection will just contain the emu's Arturia has made, I can see a total bundle down the line however as I doubt this will be the last stand alone synth and also the press and filters to include

This feels like part of the V collection upgrade cycle rather than the start of a new flagship synth line. The piano doesn't fit into V collection either but its still there, this would at least have a claim with the filter emus.

Maybe Kevin can chime in if Pigments will be in V7?

[foosnark]

OK, so, I have mixed feelings here, as a modular-head who loves audio rate modulation.

I like the idea of the modulation oscillator (especially being freely tunable), the availability of linear and expo FM as well as phase mod, distortion and wavefolding. I'm also impressed that these don't seem to murder the CPU like a lot of other plugins do. But often it sounds kind of sterile to me compared to Aalto, BEV or Cadmium. Not bad by any means, just not thrilling me quite the same way. I guess it doesn't sound like what I think of as "West Coast" despite the elements being there.

...except when it does. I feel like it's a sound designer's synth, but one with sweet spots -- whereas I feel like the other synths I mentioned sound good across the whole range.

A first, +3 octaves doesn't quite seem like a high enough max for this kind of FM -- but lower the coarse tuning and use absolute tuning on the modulator to help with that.

Audio rate filter FM is basically nothing like the real thing and is pretty weaksauce.

There's a lot of surprising modulation destinations. Voices in unison mode under envelope control? Very cool, and not even the sort of thing I've tried with my hardware modular (but I will now).

Some things are less flexible than I'd like. Why can't the Turing Machine and Binary have assignable triggers instead of a clock? Why is the output VCA hardwired to an envelope, and why is that envelope hardwired to MIDI notes? These sorts of limitations hold it back from "the spirit of modular" and seem arbitrary.

At first I thought there needed to be a lot more than two combinators, but then I found the "sidechain" thing and thought "there's all my missing modulation VCAs."

I'm glad there's a 30 day trial because I feel like this is a hard decision. There's some neat sounds in here which I can't necessarily make with the other synths I mentioned, and that's a good argument for it. But it feels like harder work than with the others (yes, including Eurorack) to get to sounds I love. Hmm.

[pdxindy]

OK, so, I have mixed feelings here, as a modular-head who loves audio rate modulation.

I like the idea of the modulation oscillator (especially being freely tunable), the availability of linear and expo FM as well as phase mod, distortion and wavefolding. I'm also impressed that these don't seem to murder the CPU like a lot of other plugins do. But often it sounds kind of sterile to me compared to Aalto, BEV or Cadmium. Not bad by any means, just not thrilling me quite the same way. I guess it doesn't sound like what I think of as "West Coast" despite the elements being there.

...except when it does. I feel like it's a sound designer's synth, but one with sweet spots -- whereas I feel like the other synths I mentioned sound good across the whole range.

Have you tried running it at 96khz? I haven't tried yet to see how that might affect the audio rate modulations.

I need to do more experimenting, but my initial reaction is that they are a bit brittle. So of course I want an HQ button... AKA the murder the CPU button! hehehe

[Ed A.]

Tried the demo for quite a while and I'm still not impressed. It has this generic Arturia quality to it that sounds like all their other software. Not terrible, but not the type of synth I want to buy and use either.

[crystalmsc]

Still can't replace my MicrowaveXT, but I like it for what it is! I like my other Wavetable plugins as well, but having a deep connection with Pigments, the first time from using a Wavetable Plugin. Some people may find that the character is a bit vanilla, but that's what I like about it. Kind of a Wavetable synth by Yamaha, which has an early sampler character. It has a more calm, relaxing and meditative vibe. To me this is the best synth from Arturia, seems like they're upgrading the engine or something. I has more depth, less crisp, more 3D quality to it's sound. This could be just me, but I didn't see any TAE being mentioned. If they really upped the game with this, hopefully V7 will sounds greater as well. But the GUI and workflow is the best assets of the synth.

[DavidCarlyon]

After making a track withthis synth, I have found that it is exceptional to use. It also sounds great. The included wavetables are my favourite by far of any synth, the wavetable oscillators in general sound fantastic. Dont see the problem with the filters! They sound really good. Now.....when compared to Dune 3, that has the edge, but every synth has its strengths and weaknesses.

Also, they really took care of their customers on this one, which is always welcome.

I think some people are missing the thing that sets this synth apart - th fact that you have really interesting possibilities for oscillator modulation (certainly for a wavetable synth.
Its really fun to work with also. It's also a synth that (for me at least) can lend itself to a really wide variety of music. Not just dubstep or EDM. You can coax all kinds of sounds out of this.

As for the name......i ran Insight 2 after the synth, compared it to other synths with metric A/B....honestly i couldn't hear it. Maybe others can?

[jens]

Oh well, sounds good enough but nothing new here.

+1

So is this what a company as big as Arturia came up with (of their own design) after so many years?

Are you not selling a product that is at least to some degree in direct competition with this one?

[v1o]

Arturia would have to constantly and consistently update PS to make it competitive with the big boys like Avenger, Rapid, Serum, Dune, U-he (Zebra, Hive) and Tone2 which are always in constant development. To be honest Arturia probably should have stuck to their niche which is where they have done really well. I think I would have preferred a new PPG Wave emu with a sound closer to the vintage sound. The market for wavetable based super synths is highly competitive and all about cockerel waving.

I don't know. I actually think the new Synth has a Lot of Promise, Especially in how easy it is to program and its beautiful UI and responsiveness. I agree however that the market for WT synths has become EXTREMELY oversaturated, especially after the Success of Serum.

I don't find wavetable synths oversaturated. I think it has just become good now.

Have you even tried them all.

[fmr]

Arturia would have to constantly and consistently update PS to make it competitive with the big boys like Avenger, Rapid, Serum, Dune, U-he (Zebra, Hive) and Tone2 which are always in constant development. To be honest Arturia probably should have stuck to their niche which is where they have done really well. I think I would have preferred a new PPG Wave emu with a sound closer to the vintage sound. The market for wavetable based super synths is highly competitive and all about cockerel waving.

I don't know. I actually think the new Synth has a Lot of Promise, Especially in how easy it is to program and its beautiful UI and responsiveness. I agree however that the market for WT synths has become EXTREMELY oversaturated, especially after the Success of Serum.

I don't find wavetable synths oversaturated. I think it has just become good now.

Have you even tried them all.

Have you? How many do you have? And subtractive... How many did you try and how many do you have?

[v1o]

Arturia would have to constantly and consistently update PS to make it competitive with the big boys like Avenger, Rapid, Serum, Dune, U-he (Zebra, Hive) and Tone2 which are always in constant development. To be honest Arturia probably should have stuck to their niche which is where they have done really well. I think I would have preferred a new PPG Wave emu with a sound closer to the vintage sound. The market for wavetable based super synths is highly competitive and all about cockerel waving.

I don't know. I actually think the new Synth has a Lot of Promise, Especially in how easy it is to program and its beautiful UI and responsiveness. I agree however that the market for WT synths has become EXTREMELY oversaturated, especially after the Success of Serum.

I don't find wavetable synths oversaturated. I think it has just become good now.

Have you even tried them all.

Have you? How many do you have? And subtractive... How many did you try and how many do you have?

List of wavetable synths on the market I have tried. How many I have is irrelevant but I have several not many.

Adam Szabo Viper
Initial Sektor
Reveal Spire
Arturia Pigment
Propellerhead Europa
Blamsoft Expanse
Synapse audio Antidote
Air Hive
Native Instruments Massive
Xfer Records Serum
Waldorf Largo
Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V
Waldorf Nave
MuTools MUX Modular
u-he Zebra 2
u-he ZebraHZ
Hybrid 3
Waves Codex
KV331 Audio Synthmaster One
KV331 Audio Synthmaster 2
Sonic Academy ANA 2
Tone2 Icarus
Rob Papen Predator 2
Vengeance Sound VPS Avenger
Parawave Rapid
UVI Falcon
Spectrosonics Omnisphere 2
Dmitry Sches Thorn
Steinberg Halion
PPG Wavemapper 2
PPG Wavegenerator
Synapse Audio Software Dune 3
Vember Audio Surge
Seaweed Audio Fathom Synth
Image-Line Harmor
Tone2 Electra 2

I’ll stay on topic. And stick to Wavetable synths.

[perpetual3]

Arturia would have to constantly and consistently update PS to make it competitive with the big boys like Avenger, Rapid, Serum, Dune, U-he (Zebra, Hive) and Tone2 which are always in constant development. To be honest Arturia probably should have stuck to their niche which is where they have done really well. I think I would have preferred a new PPG Wave emu with a sound closer to the vintage sound. The market for wavetable based super synths is highly competitive and all about cockerel waving.

I don't know. I actually think the new Synth has a Lot of Promise, Especially in how easy it is to program and its beautiful UI and responsiveness. I agree however that the market for WT synths has become EXTREMELY oversaturated, especially after the Success of Serum.

I don't find wavetable synths oversaturated. I think it has just become good now.

Have you even tried them all.

Have you? How many do you have? And subtractive... How many did you try and how many do you have?

List of wavetable synths on the market I have tried. How many I have is irrelevant but I have several not many.

Adam Szabo Viper
Initial Sektor
Reveal Spire
Arturia Pigment
Propellerhead Europa
Blamsoft Expanse
Synapse audio Antidote
Air Hive
Native Instruments Massive
Xfer Records Serum
Waldorf Largo
Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V
Waldorf Nave
MuTools MUX Modular
u-he Zebra 2
u-he ZebraHZ
Hybrid 3
Waves Codex
KV331 Audio Synthmaster One
KV331 Audio Synthmaster 2
Sonic Academy ANA 2
Tone2 Icarus
Rob Papen Predator 2
Vengeance Sound VPS Avenger
Parawave Rapid
UVI Falcon
Spectrosonics Omnisphere 2
Dmitry Sches Thorn
Steinberg Halion
PPG Wavemapper 2
PPG Wavegenerator
Synapse Audio Software Dune 3
Vember Audio Surge
Seaweed Audio Fathom Synth
Image-Line Harmor
Tone2 Electra 2

I’ll stay on topic. And stick to Wavetable synths.

I’d appreciate your opinion on Europa if you have the time.