Arturia Pigments 5 is a free update of its flagship multi-engine Synthesizer plugin with multi-core support, algorithmic sequencing, and more.
NAMM 2024 begins in two days. The media coverage started two weeks ago. After a break last year, Arturia will have a booth (11907) at NAMM again this year. There won’t be a big new hardware 2024 announcement unless they pull something out of the hat that no media knows about.
But they have a big software news. Pigments, its popular multi-engine Synthesizer plugin, has been updated to version 5 with new features.
Arturia Pigments 5
Pigments is now available for download in your user account. Like the previous updates, it is free for all existing users—a big like for that. Free plugin maintenance like this is very welcome and rare in the industry. It’s maybe also a French thing, see UVI Falcon 3.
The update is not the biggest so far, but it has many new features and improvements in its core that improve Pigments 5 significantly. For many users, Pigments 4 was too hot on the CPU, especially on older systems. Good news! The fifth version now comes with multi-core support.
By default, the function is not active. It is located in the settings menu at global settings. Click on it, and you’ll notice a difference in the CPU workload.
On my office system (Macbook Air M2 8GB) the CPU fell from 32% to 22%-24% with polyphonic patches (Ableton CPU meter). It’s not massive but better than before.
New Play View
Arturia has revamped the Play View in the new Pigments update for the players among the musicians. It features a simplified view of the oscillators, utilities, filters, FX, modulation, and control over the macro controls. There is also a new interactive audio spectrum.
A handy section where you can stay focused on composing and not be overwhelmed by the huge amount of parameters of Pigments.
External Sound Processing Via Audio Input
There are also two major engine upgrades. Unfortunately, no new oscillator types, but an audio input function. You can now process external audio in Pigments 5 using the utility engine with the track sidechain input.
A dedicated FX version of Pigments would have been nice, but this new option is a good addition either way. Besides this utility engine upgrade, they also enhanced the internal FX routing.
You can now choose whether the AUX FX send is routed pre- or post-insert effects, letting you send the processed audio also into the spatial effects.
Sequencer Boost
The sequencer took the biggest step forward in this update. It now hosts a generative algorithm, allowing you to create a sequence with just one click on the dice.
Thanks to built-in classical and generative-focused scales, you can constantly generate new musical sequences. There is also a scale editor with which you create own scales and determine the probability of getting specific notes in the generated sequence.
A very fun and inspiring function that greatly enhances the sequencer and brings it more in focus in Pigments. Especially when you’re in the creative flow, you get new melodic ideas. And don’t forget, you can also route your sequences out of the synth via the MIDI output functionality.
New Sound Content
Of course, there is also new sound content to explore, for free and via a purchase in the Pigments sound store. Pigments 5 ships with 100 new factory presets that highlight the new features, giving you now a total of 1500+ sounds. New wavetables and samples (808, vocal…) are also included.
Further, Arturia also released three new “exploration” sound expansion banks (beats, liquid, & expression) in the built-in Pigments sound store, each with 150 MPE-focused presets.
First Look Review
Pigments has been one of the best Synthesizer plugins on the market for many years. Seen from the features, operation, and sound side. This update takes the plugin to another level, not just because of the higher number in the name. The sequencer alone is a big step forward. Also, the new audio input functionality is a neat addition.
Arturia Pigments 5 is available now for an introductory price of $99 instead of $199. Existing Pigments users can update it for free. It runs as a VST, VST3, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows.
More information here: Arturia
Available at my partner
Good news, I hope my old 6-Core Phenom will be more relaxed now, when I load an instance. Pigments is so straight forward, a real joy to work with! In my opinion, there are almost no reasons left, to look for digital hardware synths.