Arturias

Arturia just launched a for its MiniFreak hybrid hardware synthesizer. Firmware version 2.0 brings a host of improvements and new features for avid fans of The biggest news here is a brand-new wavetable sound engine, boasting 32 wavetables and 64 patches. However, the engine’s only available on one of the oscillators, which does slightly decrease sound design options. Still, more engines are never a bad thing.There’s also a new Super Unison effect, which is basically a souped-up chorus that increases stereo width by…

Music gear and plugin maker Arturia is known for its annual Black Friday sale and it’s that time of year again. The sale is officially live, offering deep 50 percent discounts on most of its software instruments and effects plugins.That means you can snag the stellar V Collection 9 for $300 instead of $600. The latest and greatest collection of vintage synth recreations along with thousands upon thousands of presets. The sounds are pristine, the interface is solid and the presets are easily accessible, thanks to…

Arturia's effects collection just became a better value, particularly if you're looking to recreate classic sounds. The company has released an FX Collection 4 pack that adds four effects, including a brand new Rotary CLS-222 kit (above) that modernizes the Leslie rotary speaker emulator. It's best known as the sound used by guitarists like George Harrison and David Gilmour, and has also been used by jazz organists. FX Collection 4 otherwise adds effects you previously had to buy separately, including the Dist Coldfire…

I routinely state that the Arturia MicroFreak is one of my favorite budget synths. But honestly, I’m doing it a disservice. I think the MicroFreak is one of the best synths out there at any price. That has as much to do with the versatility of its sound engine as it does with Arturia’s relentless updates. Since being introduced in 2019 this little synth has seen countless updates, most of them adding fairly significant new features. The forthcoming update to firmware version 5.0 is arguably one of the biggest. It adds a…

Just about one year ago Arturia launched the first entry in its Augmented series of hybrid instruments, Augmented Strings. Since then it's grown to include Augmented Voices and Grand Piano. Now the family is getting bigger still with Augmented Brass. Just like the other installments Augmented Brass combines samples of its namesake — brass instruments — with advanced synth engines and effects to create something wholly new. The core concept isn't terribly different from what Output has with its Analog series, but the…

At this point it’s easier to list the features that Arturia’s Pigments doesn’t have than ones it does. The company has been rolling out regular updates for a few years now, and each new version adds something worth getting excited about. New synth engines, new effects, whole new utility sections – it’s both a place for Arturia to experiment with new ideas, and show off some of highlights from its lineup of vintage emulation. At first blush Pigments 4 seems like a comparatively minor update. There’s some new effects, a…

Now might be a good moment to splurge on music-making tools. Arturia is running a Black Friday sale that offers 50 percent off its "flagship" virtual instruments, effects and software. The 33-instrument V Collection 9 set has dropped from $599 to $299 for newcomers, while FX Collection 3's 26 effects plugins are $199 instead of the usual $399. And if you're looking for an accessible synthesizer, Pigments is down from $199 to $99. The promo runs until December 6th, and you'll get personalized offers if you already use the…

When people ask what their should be, I often recommend Arturia’s . Unless you absolutely have your heart set on an analog instrument, I think it offers the most versatility and the best bang for your buck. It has over a dozen different synth engines, an analog multimode filter, a mod matrix for putting together complex patches, plus it’s with new features. Sure, it needs the assistance of external effects to really and its touchplate keyboard is a bit controversial, but there’s no denying it offers a lot for just $349.…

Arturia has been building out its collection of effects plugins over the last few years. One notable blind spot was distortion. It wasn't until FX Collection 3 launched in June that the company would introduce its first dedicated distortion plugins. Dist OpAmp-21 and Dist Tube-Culture are solid, if unspectacular entries in the world of dirt effects. But the new Dist Coldfire is something different. It might just be the most interesting and most versatile distortion plugin I've ever used.  Where OpAmp-21 and Tube-Culture…

A couple of years ago Arturia ventured simulations of vintage synths and into audio effects territory. The FX Collection wasn't as clear of a must have as the V Collection, but the company has slowly built out its stable of effects with the new FX Collection 3 growing to 26 from the original 15. New to the collection are Dist Tube-Culture, Dist OpAmp-21, Fragments and Tape Mello-Fi. Now, the latter two were already available — Mello-Fi originally as a free offering during the 2021 holiday season, and Fragments launched in…