Arturia releases Pigments Play, a slimmed-down free version of its mainstay soft synth

Arturia is taking one of its most beloved products and releasing it for free! Well, almost. Pigments Play is a free, condensed version of the flagship Pigments soft synth. While it doesn’t pack the same potential as the full product, Pigments Play has numerous creative functions that can keep newer (or more experienced) artists busy for a long time.

There are over 100 sounds loaded into Pigments Play, including keys, pads, basses, and leads that fit into numerous genres such as modern pop, R&B, garage, house, drum and bass, trap, and ambient. All of these sounds also have four macro parameters to provide options for individual taste, along with a visual aid to demonstrate how each change affects the sound output. And if these 100 aren’t enough to start (they really should be), there is a sound store built into the UI that offers over 200 more for sale with new items added regularly.

After messing around with the presets, users can dive into their own creations with modal, granular, wavetable, sample, harmonic, and virtual analog synthesis. Once something cool has come from all the knobs and levels, there are also over 50 filter modes and 20 effects to add even more personalised character to the sound.

Beyond the extensive capabilities, Pigments Play is so primed for beginners that it can function with or without a DAW. Download it and start creating immediately, or use it as a way to expand a current workflow.

However, if the holiday shopping is already on the mind, Pigments Play works with Arturia’s full line of controllers such as the MiniLab, KeyLab, and KeyStep. Give the gift of tactile music creation with solid free creation software.

Pigments Play is available now as a free download. Learn more at Arturia.

Harry Levin is a freelance journalist with credits in SPIN, Billboard, MusicTech, Grammy.com, Los Angeles Magazine, and more. His musical journey began 20 years ago with a Led Zeppelin CD. He played jazz trombone through college, produced large-scale electronic music events, and now spends his professional time writing and editing.