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Musicians, producers, and sound designers looking for a powerful software instrument with a vast potential of sonic exploration and a simple-to-use interface will be thrilled with Arturia Pigments 4, a powerful Polychrome wavetable, harmonic, and virtual analog software synthesizer, which leverages the best of Arturia's 20+ years of modeling heritage with their latest advancements of DSP research.
This latest update to the award-winning Pigments includes a Play mode, refreshed graphics, and the best sound design workflow yet. Other enhancements include updates to the wavetable, ring mod, and PWM engines plus extra Harmonic engine phase options, and a streamlined Unison control. The new MS-20 provides bite, while the Shimmer Reverb and Super Unison effects provide depth and dimension. Additionally, there is a ton of new content within the factory presets. The software is Windows and Mac compatible and works with any 64-bit DAW that supports VST, AAX, AU, and NKS plug-in formats.
What's New in Pigments 4
Play mode
- Take a step back and enjoy a simplified overview of your entire sound, with stripped-back modules and hands-on macros.
New looks for your setup
- A refreshed graphical interface and a higher-contrast Light Mode makes Pigments easier to navigate than ever.
The best sound design workflow yet
- Quick drag-and-drop modulation editing, LFO waveform presets, ODDSound MTS-ESP microtuning compatibility, and more.
Enhanced engines
- Wavetable engine ring mod and PWM, extra Harmonic engine phase options, and streamlined Unison controls.
New effects and filters
- Introducing the MS-20 Filter, Shimmer Reverb, Super Unison, and improvements to a number of existing effects & filters.
Fresh sound exploration
- Discover a huge selection of new factory presets, wavetables, samples, and noise types.
Complex Synthesis Made Easy
A sound designer’s dream, a producer’s workhorse, a musician’s playground. With everything only ever a click away, Pigments takes the intricate details of sound creation and makes them instantly accessible, enjoyable, and yours to explore.
Multiple synthesis types
- Pigments puts you in control of 4 powerful sound engine types: Wavetable, Virtual analog, Sample & Granular, and Harmonic. Combine any pairing of these engines with an additional Utility oscillator and sampled noise for a near-infinite synthesis palette.
Modulation and sound shaping
- Unleash, mutate, and elevate your sound until it’s entirely your own with instant drag-and-drop modulation. Nothing is off-limits when it comes to altering your patches, with dozens of sources and almost infinite destination combinations, yours to command with a single click.
Musical sequencing and arpeggiation
- Pigments doesn’t just make amazing synth sounds - it makes music. Weave beautiful melodies, create evolving stepped modulations, and animate your whole sound with a simple yet powerful sequencing and arpeggiation engine that keeps your sound moving.
Color your sound
- Add the finishing touches or send your patches into sonic orbit with a vast yet accessible array of filtering and FX options. Combine or collide dual filters with a selection of classic and modern modes, and sprinkle endless color into any sound with studio-grade FX, from Shimmer Reverb to Bitcrusher.
Different views
- Get totally lost in your sound without ever losing your focus using Pigments’ clean-cut layout options. Oversee your voices and modulation with the Synth tab, switch to Play Mode to keep it simple, or opt for Light Mode for a higher-contrast look.
Flexible audio routing
- Choose how Pigments’ voices, modulations, filters, and FX respond to each other with complete control over its audio routing. Direct different engines into different filters, swap series for parallel, or find your own combo for uniquely experimental audio manipulation.
Every Sound You Need
From soft acoustic timbres to deep hard-edged bass, atmospheric choir pads to granular percussive glitches—with Pigments, anything is possible. Combine any pair from 4 dynamic sound engines to create a double-edged sound that’s totally unique to you, with different types of oscillators, algorithms, detailed sampling capabilities, and so much more.
Harmonic engine
- Access the expansive world of additive synthesis, allowing you to create your own custom waveform down to the finest individual harmonic detail. Build acoustic string and wind sounds from scratch, or modulate for aggressive material timbers that demand your full attention.
- Experiment with up to 512 partials, dual customizable formant filters that can be morphed from A to B, odd and even harmonic customization, partial distribution, complex frequency windows, and more.
Wavetable
- Huge basses, razor-sharp leads, and dense digital pads await with Pigments’ advanced wavetable synth engine. Choose from over 160 wavetables, select any waveform snapshot, or morph between them—you can even import your own wavetables to unlock limitless possibilities.
- Transform any wavetable beyond sonic recognition with dynamic tools like phase distortion, wavefolding, and rich unison and voice controls—make it your own.
Virtual analog
- Arturia's award-winning analog emulation technology lets you harness the iconic sound of the best synths ever made, in the context of Pigments’ advanced stereo architecture. Enjoy the sought-after vintage warmth and timeless retro charm of analog keyboards, monosynths, and modules.
- The Virtual Analog engine offers 3 oscillators complemented by noise and unison features. Each oscillator has 5 waveforms to choose from, as well as its own tuning, FM, and keyboard controls, much like the coveted bass synths of old.
Sample
- Browse hundreds of samples, or import your own, and render any sound into a detailed granular synth patch at the touch of a button. Warp, contort, stretch, and modulate your samples for timbres ranging from ambient texture to surreal grainy keyboard sounds.
- Choose from 8 granular waveforms, with detailed interconnected controls for grain density, length, start position, pitch, and much more. Take any existing sound and effortlessly mould it into something beautifully musical.
Utility engine
- Whether you’re using Harmonic, Wavetable, Virtual Analog, or Sampling, Pigments lets you add equal depth and texture to any sound with the Utility engine.
- This additional engine can be added to whatever pair of sound engines you’ve chosen to create your sound, allowing you to add an extra oscillator and up to 2 layers of sampled noise.
Filters
Pigments features twin morphing filters that can be customized to taste. Choose from 11 filters, from legendary analog self-oscillating ladders to bleeding-edge modern options like surgeon, formant, and comb.
Refine further with enhanced routing, giving you detailed control over your signal chain. Wire your filters in series or parallel, route each filter to a separate FX bus, or sum both filters pre-FX for that all-encompassing finishing touch.
- Lowpass Gate
- Comb Filter
- Formant Filter
- Jup-8 Filter
- Matrix-12 Filter
- Mini Filter
- MS-20 Filter
- MultiMode Filter
- Phaser Filter
- SEM Filter
- Surgeon Filter
Boundless Modulation
- Modulate practically any parameter with anything you choose, with no limit on the number of connections.
- Creating modulations and movement is as easy as drawing a line, literally. Drag and drop any modulation source onto your chosen destination, edit by hovering over, tap into each source for more detail, and see how different elements interact with the color-coded modulation source strip visible at all times—never let your modulation out of sight.
Cutting-Edge Effects
Add the finishing touches with some studio-grade FX. Pigments’ FX panel offers twin insert buses and a send bus, each one letting you choose and combine any 3 of the premium effects to create a truly refined, mix-ready sound.
- Shimmer Reverb: Add cathedral-in-space ambience and cinematic detail into any sound with 2 octaves of modulated pitch-shift.
- Super Unison: A swaying choruslike stereo effect that can mimic ultrawide ensemble timbres with a single voice.
- Pitch Shift Delay: A clean, modern algorithm for creating exciting pitch-shifting ambience.
- Flanger BL-20: A faithful reimagining of an elusive analog studio effect.
- Chorus JUN-6: One-touch analog sparkle and stereo fatness, taken from our faithful Juno-6 emulation.
- Multiband Compressor: An essential dynamic tool for creating a tight sound without ever leaving Pigments.
- Multi Filter: 5 additional and essential resonant filter curves to further shape your sonic response.
- Bitcrusher: Inject a touch of lo-fi goodness with beautifully digital downsampling.
- Param EQ: A 5-band parametric EQ for continuous detailed control over the important frequencies.
- Compressor: Control peaks and fatten up your sound with a beautifully transparent compressor.
- Distortion: Turn up the heat with 16 modes of distortion rolled into one effect, from jagged wavefolding to germanium fuzz.
- Chorus: A classic modulation effect for animating and widening any sound.
- Flanger: Unmistakable overlapping jet engine sweeps and resonant peaks.
- Phaser: A classic chunky modulation effect that oozes guitar pedal attitude.
- Stereo Pan: Subtle manipulation of the stereo field for adding width to any mono sound.
- Delay: Straightforward time-based ambience.
- Tape Echo: Delay with vintage color, based on classic guitar FX units.
- Reverb: Give your sound some space with a detailed yet simple reverb algorithm.
Lean While You Play
Laying everything in front of you like no other software instrument, Pigments lets you truly visualize your sound and understand what’s happening, and why. What does a Wavefolder actually do to the waveform? When does your envelope’s Decay turn into the Sustain? How do these LFOs react to each other? See for yourself.
See your sound
- See how waveforms behave, how modulation affects your sound, and how frequencies change in real-time thanks to constant visual feedback.
Tutorials included
- If you’re a synthesis beginner, or you’d like to expand your knowledge, Pigments’ in-app tutorials will lead the way, starting with the basics and going into full sound design detail - letting you explore at your own pace.
Accessible design
- Whatever your ability, style, or level of familiarity with synthesis, Pigments’ layout, language, and workflow is designed to be accessible, enjoyable, and easy to understand.
Expert tips
- Enjoy tips straight from our expert sound designers who contributed to Pigments’ unique architecture, from simple production hacks to guiding you through the detailed process behind their signature presets.
At a Glance
Two engines in parallel
- Virtual Analog triple-osc engine
- Complex Wavetable engine
- Sample and Granular engine
- Harmonic Oscillator additive engine
- Includes Engine Crossmod
Utility Engine
- 5-shape Virtual Analog Oscillator
- 2 sample-based Noise Engines
Two filters
- Classic filter types from V Collection instruments
- Modern filter types
- Continuous series/parallel routing
Powerful FX section
- 2 Insert buses, 1 Send bus, 3 FX per bus
- Modulable parameters
- 18 algorithms including Shimmer Reverb, MultiBand Compressor, Chorus JUN-6, and more
Advanced modulation system
- Color-coded workflow
- Drag-and-drop assign, hover-over adjustment
- Envelopes, LFOs, Function generators, Random src, and more
- 4 dynamic, assignable Macro controls
Visual interface
- Graphical representation of the most important modules
- Simplified Play Mode
- Dark or Light themes
Polyrhythmic sequencer and arpeggiator
- Create complex, custom, and evolving sequences/arps
- Advanced random sequence generator
Additional features
- Extensive library of 1400 presets
- MTS-ESP microtuning compatibility
- MPE compatibility
- NKS controller compatible