ARTURIA PIGMENTS
Not just another clone, this 2019-released synth is already winning fans
With so many wavetable synths flooding the market in the wake of Xfer Serum, it’s easy to mistake Pigments for yet another clone of that insanely popular plugin. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Pigments is very much its own instrument, cribbing elements from iconic analogue synths, and boasting a massive array of modulation resources that strongly evokes the capabilities of contemporary modular rigs.
Pigments’ sequencing, arpeggiation, and effects all tread familiar territory, so over the next few pages, we’ll take a deep look at its core synthesis engine, which pulls off tricks that no other softsynth in its class can. Consisting of two distinct tone generation engines, a pair of powerful filters with a few unique vintage features, and modulation tools that include multiple random generators and a pair of elaborate function combinators, its synthesis amenities amount to far more than meets the eye and ear. With so many vintage-inspired elements, Pigments is also a great way to explore the history of synthesis itself – so let’s get started!
Engines
Instead of traditional oscillators, Pigments offers two ‘engines’, each of which can be either Wavetable or Analog. Since both are available at any time, a voice can be based on either two Wavetables, two Analogs, or one of each.
The Analog engine bears a strong resemblance to the Minimoog, with three oscillators and a noise generator serving as the basis for its sound. The Wavetable engine is reminiscent of Serum, but with the inclusion of four simultaneous audio-rate modulation tools, some of which are derived from the golden age of vintage digital. Both are so feature-rich that you can develop extremely detailed tones with a single engine. Combined, the results are huge.
Analog Engine
Since the Minimoog oscillator architecture has been around for nearly 50 years, this section will be straightforward to all but the newest of newcomers. 01 Even so, here’s a summary of what it includes, along with some tips on Arturia-specific additions.
As with the Mini, three oscillators with selectable waveforms (sine, triangle, saw, and square) can be tuned and mixed to create thick analogue textures. The global tuning section 02 for this engine includes a drift knob that really helps to warm things up and add a touch of vintage chaos to the pitch of all three oscillators simultaneously. Also in this section is a modern feature – tuning quantisation – that’s available for the global coarse tuning. With this, you can define a scale/ mode by selecting notes on a one-octave keyboard. With quantisation active, sweeping the coarse pitch with an envelope or LFO will create glissando or arpeggio effects.
PRO TIP While quantising to specific keys is impressive, especially when combined with delay effects, you can achieve more tasteful effects by selecting just the root and fifth for your key, creating simple arpeggio trills that won’t clutter your tracks.
Like the Mini, you can toggle keyboard tracking off; here you have options for both Oscillator 2 and 3, useful for unusual atonal effects. There’s also a hard sync switch that ties Osc 2 to Osc 1 for vintage harmonic sweeps. 03
Also, the width knob governs more than the duty cycle of the square wave; here it can also be applied to the triangle wave, morphing it into a sawtooth shape at max values. 04
PRO TIP Applying envelope modulation to the Width of a triangle wave imparts a sweep that’s a bit like a low-pass filter in motion as the waveform shifts from all integer harmonics (saw) to muted odd harmonics (triangle). In a single-oscillator context, this has a classic Kraftwerk feel that historians may appreciate.
While the Mini offered a choice of white or pink noise sources, Pigments has a continuously variable colour knob that transitions between red (diminished highs) to blue (diminished lows), operating a bit like a filter or tone control. 05
The last nod to the Mini here is the ability to apply frequency modulation from either Oscillator 3 or the noise generator to Oscillators 1 and 2 simultaneously, with an amount knob that can be modulated from any of Pigments’ sources. Since this is a digital environment, the results are much more consistent than you’d get from the real thing.
Wavetable
06 Pigments’ Wavetable engine is so reminiscent of Serum that you can actually import Serum wavetable files by pointing its browser at either a wavetable folder or set of files, and instantly add them to your library. But that’s missing the point, as Serum is still very much its own synth with its own unique strengths and capabilities.
Where Pigments shines is in its ability to apply four simultaneous audiorate modulation styles to any of its wavetables, each with its own amount control that can be animated by a vast array of other modulation signals 07 . Since each of these modulators has a distinct flavour (and historic relevance), it’s easiest to explore them using the Wavetable Engine’s Basic Waveforms table, which consists of sine-triangle-sawsquare. From there, you can advance to the more complex options in the factory library.
All four destinations are governed by the same Modulator 08 – an audio-range oscillator offering the standard waveforms (sine, triangle, etc) and five noise colours 09 . Its coarse tuning knob can operate in relative, absolute, or nontracking Hertz (20-3000Hz) mode. When you’re getting the hang of these techniques, it’s best to select the Relative option, as it yields the most musically consistent effects.
Frequency Modulation
10 The first section is true Frequency Modulation, as it was originally discovered by John Chowning in 1967. While there are options for both linear and exponential FM types, linear is the more musical of the two and approximates the results of Chowning’s pioneering work. Since the only other parameter in this section is FM amount, the modulator tuning and waveform play a crucial role in the timbral output.
TECHNIQUE While other waveforms will yield growly ‘big room’ tonalities, begin by using a sine wave both from the Basic Waveforms table and for the modulator. As for tuning, since the modulator’s coarse tuning is in semitones (unlike mainstream FM instruments’ use of harmonic tuning), it’s useful to understand the correlation between specific notes and harmonics. That is, coarse tunings of 0, +12, +19, and +24 are the equivalent to the first four harmonics, respectively. It’s also worth noting that proper FM delivers a more subdued effect than its more popular cousin, Phase Modulation, so if you’re looking for vintage Yamaha timbres, the next section will be of particular interest.
Phase Modulation
Often a point of contention between synthesis historians, Phase Modulation is the actual technology implemented by the Yamaha DX and TX synths that dominated the 80s. Since the sonic output is nearly identical, this debate is largely academic. As a result, the FM description also applies to PM, with the difference being that PM is a tad brighter,
overall.
TECHNIQUE Using the FM approach outlined above, assign Envelope 2 or 3 to the PM amount knob as its modulator at around 50% and give the envelope an immediate attack, 0.400 seconds decay, zero sustain and quick release. This will create a classic 2-operator configuration.
From there, let’s list the coarse tuning values for some of the most famous harmonic ratios:
0 delivers a 1:1 ratio, good for basses and, with longer modulation attacks, some horns. +12 is a 2:1 ratio, which creates the famous ‘knocking’ house bass tone. +19 is a 3:1 ratio, the core timbre of the DX Jazz Guitar preset. +22 is close to the 3.5:1 ratio for the iconic DX Tubular Bells preset. Use a longer decay and release on your modulator envelope, with a lower modulation amount for best results. +24 will give you a 4:1 ratio which has a similar character to the +12 tuning, but a tad brighter.
Phase Distortion
Originally implemented in the Casio CZ series, Phase Distortion was a competitor to the DX sound, favoured for its more analogue texture. While it imparts a filter-like ‘wow’ on harmonically complicated waveforms, you can recreate the behaviour of the original Casio CZ-101 by again starting with a sine wave, leaving the modulator amount at 0 11 , then selecting one of the six ‘Phase Disto’ waveform targets from the PD menu 12 . As with the original Casio, this will smoothly morph your timbre from the pure tone of a sine to the brighter texture of the target wave, which was how the CZ was able to achieve its pseudoanalogue flavour.
PRO TIP While the above technique may deliver ‘thin’ results when used in the traditional manner, it sounds quite contemporary when paired with Unison settings that are higher than four voices.
Wavefolding
This transformation tool is having a bit of a resurgence thanks to its prevalence in West Coast design techniques. It’s also found on Arturia’s MiniBrute series, disguised as ‘Metalizer’, as it’s most controllable when applied to a triangle or sine wave. The principle here is that it functions a bit like a distortion or saturator that specifically folds the top of the waveform back down on itself using one of three shapes: sine, triangle, and an undocumented ‘squiggle’, each brighter and grittier than the last 13 .
TECHNIQUE To familiarise yourself with the essentials – and understand what’s happening with the Metalizer parameter in the Minibrute –
start with a triangle wave in the basic wavetable, leave the modulator tuning at zero, set the fold shape to triangle, and increase its amount or modulate it with an envelope or LFO. From there, try the harmonic tunings outlined previously, in conjunction with the modulation depth knob
at around 50%.
Unison
While most readers will already be quite familiar with the Unison effect, it’s worth noting that Pigments also includes a Chord option for this feature. Unlike the Classic detuning effect, this lets you select specific chord types (major, minor, seventh, etc) which are great for vintage techno and house stabs.
Filters
15 The dual filters can be configured in series or parallel, with independent sends from each synthesis engine via the Filter Mix parameter 16 . For example, in the serial configuration, you can route Engine 1 into Filter 1 followed by Filter 2, while simultaneously sending Engine 2 into Filter 2 alone. Parallel lets you send both engines into the filters, with independent mixes and volumes for each.
Filter types
Each of the dual filters can operate in any of the following formats, discretely: MultiMode, SEM, Mini, Matrix 12, Surgeon, Comb, Phase, Formant. Most of these types will be recognisable to softsynth users, but Surgeon and Matrix 12 both deserve special attention.
Surgeon is an astonishing 64dB/octave filter that’s at its most dramatic in conjunction with band-pass, delivering tinny ‘telephone’ effects when processing the Wavetable Engine or bright analogue waves.
Matrix 12 offers uncanny recreations of the Oberheim Matrix 12 (and Xpander) synthesisers. While the primary options are fairly standard, the Notch+LP6 and Phase+LP6 17 types are remarkable, imparting a breathy fizz to bright waveforms – especially in tandem with an LFO.
TECHNIQUE In parallel mode 18 , you can recreate the design approach taken for iconic Roland D-50 patches with a bit of advance planning. The secret here is to assign a Wavetable engine to Filter 1, with a chime/bell wavetable (Polygon Inharmonic is a great choice), giving it a percussive, mallet-like envelope with very fast decay. Then turn Filter 1 off. Next, create a thick triple detuned sawtooth using the Analog engine and send it to Filter 2 in MultiMode with the LP24 slope and a low cutoff. Then go ahead and give it a soft, pad-like envelope. At the end of the chain, apply generous amounts of chorus and reverb.
Modulation
Pigments’ array of modulation tools is astonishingly comprehensive, and everything in its arsenal can be routed to nearly any parameter. In addition to essential tools like common MIDI controller assignments, three envelopes, and three LFOs, there are three Function generators with customisable shapes for step-sequencing and sidechain patterns. These can also be used as one-shot sequences for sophisticated enveloping tasks.
There are also three Random function generators 19 , which are marvelous resources for when you’re adding organic ‘chaos’ to textures. Here, you’ll want to use very small amounts on timbral and tuning parameters. The first option would be Turing, which generates random sequences that can also be locked into loops of up to 64 steps, for instant pattern creation. The Sample & Hold generator includes Rise and Fall lag generators for smoothing, which sounds fantastic when applied tastefully to Wavefolding – simulating the sound of decaying circuitry.
It also lets you select the keyboard as its trigger source, like the ARP Odyssey, generating a different random value every time you hit a key. The Binary generator randomly flips between two extremes, with variable probability, which is quite useful for those hyper-erratic modular effects that are all the rage on Instagram.
Also of note for modular fans are the dual Combinate tools, which let you select a source, a modulation input, and then apply one of eight mathematical transforms to the pair. These include everything from adding and subtracting, to multiply, divide, crossfade, and threshold gates . 20 While these aren’t terribly practical for musical applications, they’re terrific when it comes to constantly evolving generative soundscapes, specifically with the Random value generators.
Wrapping up
Once you get the hang of Pigments’ sophisticated synthesis engine, adding effects like chorus, delay, and reverb is just the icing on an already delicious cake. The fusion of vintage and modern tools in this extraordinary synth is a one-of-a-kind sound design experience.