KVR Audio

Cyforce · Post by **Cyforce** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 3:29 pm

Pigments looks really neat, in direct comparision i think Serum is still the best wavetable synth at the moment, more flexible through the detail features and additional layer possibilites with the sample osc and sub. Also the amount of updates with improvements and new features, Serum received since release makes it in my eyes still the best workhorse wavetable synth

Żurek · Post by **Żurek** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 12:45 am

Both are very good. It's matter of taste.

layzer · Post by **layzer** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 1:55 pm

the only thing worth comparing here is the gui, the workflow, and the overall experience
of using one or the other because soundwise, they just make different sounds,
with no real one better than the other.

that being said.... i like SURGE.

Igro · Post by **Igro** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:25 pm

SiliconDeath wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:57 pm Serum is pretty basic. I wish it had more features, maybe 1-2 more oscilators for better FM options, and maybe some of these Phase modulation/distortion options, as they can provide very different results from traditional FM synthesis. I really like Serum's sound engine, much better than Massive's, but Massive at least has more oscilators (including the independent modulation oscilator), so it's unfortunate that Serum feels like a trade-off in this aspect.

I've always liked FM or PM more than wavetable modulation, so maybe because of that I've liked other synth's palette more than Serum's (SM 2.x you can get warmer analog sound from base waveforms than on serum, yet you can also get quite far with its FM/PM and modulation stuff). My dream synth would have warm base waveforms (like that of Legend/Xils 4 or warmer) with the option to PM/PD these warm waveforms. Pigment's wavetable engine is pretty good sounding (certainly warmer than Serum), I really like the FM/PM/PD/WF and all the different modulation options I can do. I wish the step editor for LFOs was better (Serum and SM 2.x has better step editor). I'm still trialing Pigment's, but I do wonder if SM3 or Zebra 3 will prove to be more enjoyable for me.

Haha, I'm the same as you waiting for Massive X, Zebra 3, Deversion 2 and SM3 and then to decide whether I need Pigments or not.

The only thing I don't like in Pigments are those shiny moving squares with envelopes and LFOs. What are they for? What if I click on them?

vastdynamics · Post by **vastdynamics** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:33 pm

Another option: https://www.kvraudio.com/product/vapori ... -dynamics/

Razzia · Post by **Razzia** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:43 pm

Cyforce wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 3:29 pm Pigments looks really neat, in direct comparision i think Serum is still the best wavetable synth at the moment, more flexible through the detail features and additional layer possibilites with the sample osc and sub. Also the amount of updates with improvements and new features, Serum received since release makes it in my eyes still the best workhorse wavetable synth

ever tried Avenger?

I like Serum for its UI. It gives you a really clean canvas to paint with, so to speak. But IMO Avenger sounds better and has a lot more options. Avenger does LOTS of stuff that Serum doesn't and only thing Serum does that Avenger doesn't is wet/dry knob on the filter (which is a big one, admittedly) and wavetable editor.

learnsounddsine · Post by **learnsounddsine** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 12:42 am

Urs wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:46 am Quick question: Is Pigments vegan friendly?

(sorry, I had to...)

NO THEY ARE NOT URS AND THEY COULD NEVER U-HE! The work you to is so incredibly inspirational it makes me actually want to actually use your analog emulations over the real thing on almost every occasion, and all without any trade off what so ever...a trade up!

I run learnsounddsine.com unison.audio/blog as well as part of WaveAI's brand new AI songwriting app that just launched, ALYSIA. If I could ever do anything in any way to help, do a course/tutorials in written and/or video format... Even if its just reminding my readers who have the best plugins in both emulations and originals at a fraction of the price you would get something that only promised you to sound like the real thing. Might capture the color, tone or timbre and possibly a drop of 'random instability that to me in all honesty just sounds like some LFO modulation.

When I held down a note on Repro-1's INIT patch for the first time I almost fainted and literally listened for minutes trying to find the turnaround/cycle/loop...None at all... The FX themselves make the synth a dream machine in every sense of the word..... And no standard/average effects included! All are so incredibly unique and mind blowing that they have started developing and expanding them as individual effect processors...Magical ones.

And when you think nothing can truly sound as good and certainly better than the real thing...Diva does! Zebra2, Satin, Presswork...The list goes on. Every release is a classic, legendary for the elite and even the free legacy instruments are better than any other free synthesizer you would ever find.

Sorry guys, sorry for the rant but its all true and when I saw Urs in the chat I had to say something!

Anyone please feel free to contact me at any time on any music production/mixing and sound design related topics. Go to LEARNSOUNDDSINE.COM for in-depth articles, tips, tricks and theory of all things under the Music production umbrella as well as free serum and massive preset collections. Follow me on social @learnsounddsinecor contact me directly at dusti@learnsound dsine.com

Fraggle · Post by **Fraggle** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:27 am

If you are rich, or not shy to use your credit card, buy whatever synth you like. If you are budget limited, whichever one you buy, learn it inside out, make tonnes of leads, pads, arps, drum sounds etc until you feel you can do anything with it. Then, you won't wonder too much about 'ABC v XYZ' because you will KNOW. I have used many of the big synths released since the early 2000s and only in the last couple of years did I properly begin to learn deeply the guts of the few I liked. Today I can do all I need on Serum and Zebra 2.8, and frankly I do 95% of it on Serum.

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 9:17 am

If you are rich, or not shy to use your credit card, buy whatever synth you like. If you are budget limited, whichever one you buy, learn it inside out, make tonnes of leads, pads, arps, drum sounds etc until you feel you can do anything with it.

Hoarding lots of synths won't make you any better sound designer.

nachenko · Post by **nachenko** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 2:26 pm

Just my two cents:

I demoed both. I bought neither (got Dune 3 in the end), but I think both products have great qualities:

The best thing about Serum is how focused it is. Just a good wavetable synth with a solid sound engine and a clean interface that doesn't get in the way. A joy for people who likes making their own patches. Really fast way from your way to the speakers. As I already had ANA 2 and Synthmaster, Serum was redundant to me, but in other circumstances, I'd probably have bought it and I would be using it a lot.

Pigments: It's more complex, but also mora versatile, and the interface is also quite easy to get into. Arturia clearly put the product in the hands of a real designer, not just some PhotoShop wizard (which is what most synth vendors do), because Pigments interface not only looks great, it makes sense and you get on it with little effort considering how many possibilities it offers.

CPU: Serum. Hands down.

Last, price difference: even at full price, is not that much. Serum is the most simple and fastest one to get your hands on, you get great results, but Pigments is not too far, it's more versatile, well thought out, and offers more for just a few extra bucks. And Serum never goes on sale.

If I had to pick one, it would be Pigments.

But as I wrote in the beginning of this post, I picked neither. I got Dune 3 instead.

Fraggle · Post by **Fraggle** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 6:47 am

DJ Warmonger wrote: Thu Feb 28, 2019 9:17 am
If you are rich, or not shy to use your credit card, buy whatever synth you like. If you are budget limited, whichever one you buy, learn it inside out, make tonnes of leads, pads, arps, drum sounds etc until you feel you can do anything with it.
Hoarding lots of synths won't make you any better sound designer.

Is your sound design better than your English comprehension? Maybe so, maybe not. No native speaker of English could conclude from my short post, and the part you quoted, that I suggested hoarding synths was helpful to one’s skills in sound design. Lord have mercy!

My full post :-

"If you are rich, or not shy to use your credit card, buy whatever synth you like. If you are budget limited, whichever one you buy, learn it inside out, make tonnes of leads, pads, arps, drum sounds etc until you feel you can do anything with it. Then, you won't wonder too much about 'ABC v XYZ' because you will KNOW. I have used many of the big synths released since the early 2000s and only in the last couple of years did I properly begin to learn deeply the guts of the few I liked. Today I can do all I need on Serum and Zebra 2.8, and frankly I do 95% of it on Serum."

Tj Shredder · Post by **Tj Shredder** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 8:42 am

He just wanted to put a „+1“ into simple words, I read it as such...

telecode · Post by **telecode** » Sun Mar 03, 2019 1:22 pm

FWIW, here's my take so far (not I only recently got serum and am just starting to tinker with it).

To me Serum is easier to work with and much easier to achieve very out there modern sounds. Pigments has a lot more features and takes a little more navigating to get into the groove of how the work flow works.

I got serum because I was on the U-he thread a while ago and realized I dont need any more retro sounds and needed something more modern sounding to work with in my sound canvas. Serum turned out to be a good choice and I don't regret it.

haslo · Post by **haslo** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:23 pm

I'm coming in here really late, but actually wondered whether I'd want to buy Pigments because of a new sale. I've now looked at it for a bit, and to me, the difference between Pigments and Serum is mostly the approach the two bits of software have to their users, and conversely, the approach needed for getting the most out of the synth.

I arrived at this thread and read a lot of it, and still wasn't sure. Here's what I'd have loved to read:

Pigments is a very powerful synth (particularly version 2 now with added granular synthesis and a better sequencer / arpeggiator). It does a lot of things, and it does all of them reasonably well while sounding great. But, when you start the synth, it always has a preset loaded. It doesn't even have an "init" preset because, and I quote from their forums (for another of their synths though), "we didn't make a real blank preset because of the beginners that may take it for a bug."

After resetting an analog engine, you get a pleasing and boring sine wave. The mod sources are all laid out in the center, to make sure that you can always look and see what exists, but if you want to see all the mods from all the sources, you have to look at each of them individually. In the preset browser, there's a prominently placed "Store" button for more sounds. The synth has a built-in tutorial, and every patch has helpful hints that show you what you can tweak to morph the sound in ways the sound designer thought might make sense.

Serum also is a very powerful synth. It does slightly less things, but the things it does, it does really well. When you start the synth, you have a blank canvas. You have to find the presets when you want to use one.

When you push a key, you get a nasty sawtooth wave. With so many frequencies to play with! The mod matrix gives you a great overview over all the mods in the current patch, while looking like a very boring and intimidating spreadsheet. The LFOs are also custom functions, and most sources can modify most parameters. You'll need secondary sources or (gasp!) read the rather well-written manual if you want to know what the synth does and how. But once you do, you have a real powerhouse at your hands for building evolving sounds and rich patches, and getting the best out of your wavetables (or building custom ones).

So, in conclusion:

Pigments is a great all-around synth for people who like to have an instrument that they can use quickly, pick a preset and go with it. It has VA, wavetables, FM, it has granular synthesis, it has effects and an arpeggiator, and it explains everything it does very verbosely.

Serum is a one of the best wavetable synths for people who know what they want in a new patch they want to build, and who don't want any compromises or wasted clicks once they know the synth inside out. And who are ready to use other plugins for things Pigments would also do, like arpeggiation or other synth engines.

For me, the choice between these two is clearly Serum.

Fraggle · Post by **Fraggle** » Sat Mar 19, 2022 10:17 am

Pigments does not have the breathtaking wavetable editor - I want to make MY OWN sounds rather than load up a wavetable offered by another , so Serum beats Pigments on wavetable synthesis easily -

Pigments vs Serum