While going through some of the presets, I learned a fun alternative way to build unusual and morphing sequences using a sample and the function curve.
1. Choose a sample with a tone you like2. Turn on Granular and set Size: Time to a shorter duration depending on how long you want each step to go3. Set Dens: to Sync mode and choose the rate of your sequence4. Under TUNE, set Q to on and use the little pencil button to select a scale you like5. Draw or choose a Function curve and assign it to the TUNE Coarse knob, make sure the Function is set to Loop or Run mode6. You can use the Function Rate knob to control how quickly it cycles through the sequence7. The Function Scale knob can be used to modulate the Function, which changes up your pattern. If you assign and LFO to the Scale knob, you end up with an endlessly modulating sequence.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Sunday, 23 January 2022 19:22 (two years ago) link
to add some fun texture, use a wavetable as your 2nd engine. Apply the same Function to the Position knob. Then apply a square wave LFO to the wavetable Volume set to the same Sync rate as your sample.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Sunday, 23 January 2022 20:02 (two years ago) link
Ooh I'm going to try this
― change display name (Jordan), Sunday, 23 January 2022 21:54 (two years ago) link
Anyone mess around with the cross-engine modulation in 3.5 yet?
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 24 January 2022 21:59 (two years ago) link
Ok I did, and it is easy to use and very fun.
There was a page on the Arturia site that explained CrossMod very simply, which has now been deleted for some reason. But basically you go to Modulation (lower right of the main panel for each engine) and can select Engine 2, and you get different options for each engine type.
A frequent Pigments experience is happening upon something that instantly sounds great (like choosing a wavetable as a modulation source and the default wavetable sounding perfect), but feeling like I should be exploring all my options first. But then often it's hard to beat that first thing, and hopefully I've saved it properly. Trying to embrace those moments and not overthinking something that works.
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 27 January 2022 21:04 (two years ago) link
There are a stupid amount of wavetables, and so many of them sound similar to me. Scrolling through them all to find the best one just isn't happening. I have similar issues with presets. Just give something that's close to what I want, and then I can tweak until I'm all the way there.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Thursday, 27 January 2022 21:24 (two years ago) link
Word. Also I always thought any sample wav could be used as a custom wavetable, and apparently they can...not.
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 27 January 2022 21:38 (two years ago) link
Moodles, you are a genius.
It's a very clever way of building a sequencer within Pigments without using the sequencer. I'm not sure yet if it has advantages over using the sequencer, but it has its own flavor (and wait, what if I controlled the evolving Sampler engine WITH the sequencer, maybe at a much slower rate?).
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 7 February 2022 15:45 (two years ago) link
definitely not something I invented, just uncovered it while digging through presets. I'm guessing there's a ton of interesting stuff like this in there.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 7 February 2022 15:57 (two years ago) link
Ah cool, did you reverse engineer it from a preset? That can be tricky sometimes (following all the modulation).
I'm making a track in the mold of the intro to Billy Cobham's 'Stratus' with sequence and drum solo, with more interesting synths and worse drumming.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 7 February 2022 16:51 (two years ago) link
yes, exactly, figured this out by digging into the preset to figure out how it worked, and then built on that to try a few other things
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 7 February 2022 16:59 (two years ago) link
Pigments 4 out now!
https://cdm.link/2022/12/new-in-arturia-pigments-4-soft-synth/
― Elvis Telecom, Wednesday, 14 December 2022 00:23 (one year ago) link
Not quite as huge an update as version 3, but I do like the drag and drop modulators and other UI improvements.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Wednesday, 14 December 2022 01:46 (one year ago) link
Pigments 5 out now!https://cdm.link/2024/01/arturia-pigments-5-hands-on/
― Elvis Telecom, Wednesday, 24 January 2024 02:16 (two months ago) link
Downloaded earlier, but I haven't really had a chance to see what's new with it
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Wednesday, 24 January 2024 02:26 (two months ago) link