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The world of soft synthesizers is vivid and full of exceptional products. Some manufacturers manufactures do a good job a emulating the best or pioneering new features. But one brand has been fairly consistent in keeping us satisfied. So, in this article, we’ll explore some of the best Arturia synths.
Pigments 3 is Arturia’s most successful softsynth, being highly popular due to its versatility and quality. Specifically it’s a wavetable, analog, granular synthesizer.
Top 10 Best Arturia Synths
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Pigments 3 – Wavetable, Analog, Granular Synth
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Mini V3 – Analog-modeling Synth
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Prophet V – Prophet V Modeling Synth
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DX7 V – DX7 Modeling Synth
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Jup-8 V – Jupiter-8 Modeling Synth
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CS-80 V – Yamaha CS-80 Modeling Synth
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OB-Xa V – OB-Xa V Modeling Synth
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Modular V – Analog-modeling Synth
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Analog Lab V – Analog-modeling Synth
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Buchla Easel V – Buchla Music Easel Modeling Synth
Pigments 3
Pros
- Additional sampler and granular synth
- 18 FX from vintage to cutting-edge
- Advanced MIDI control
- Over 1200 factory different presets
- Can run as a standalone application
Cons
- Can be a bit overwhelming in terms of extra features
See price @ Plugin Boutique
Best features and specs
Arturia Pigments 3 has an incredible amount of modulations and sound effects as an addition to its wavetable engine. Having a super intuitive granular synth and a sampler adds more to the versatility of this incredible virtual synthesizer.
User impressions
Users are quite impressed with Pigments as it is an incredibly powerful and versatile synthesizer with a massive amount of extra features. It has embedded VA, FM, and phase-distortion synthesis, which expands the sound designing options even more.
What we think
We believe that Arturia Pigments 3 is a new powerful addition to the world of electronic music production. As the new version has come out recently, we were greatly surprised with a massive quantity of features, specs, and sound banks. The latest feature lets you customize your sonic palette based on your favorite instruments and artists.
Bottomline
Although you might find it a bit overwhelming to become very fluent in all of the features of this synthesizer, Arturia Pigments 3 is definitely a very powerful digital synth workstation that easily can rival other already established soft synths on the market. So if you are looking for something new or just want to freshen up your toolbox, you should definitely check this one out.
Mini V3
Pros
- Sound of the legendary MiniMoog
Cons
- None that we know of
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Mini V3 is a recreation of MiniMoog, arguably the most iconic synthesizer of all time. You have a very precise recreation of the behavior of the original unit with the addition of improved modulation metrics which could be controlled graphically.
User impressions
Users like Mini V3 for a vast library of classic and modern sounds and endless possibilities of MIDI integration and programming. GUI is very intuitive and user-friendly with some interactive content to help new producers get accustomed to it.
What we think
To be completely honest with you, we’ve never used the original MiniMoog, and chances are we never will, which is unfortunate. However, Using Mini V3 allowed us to experience what it would have been to try the real thing because this synth feels and sounds truly amazing.
Bottomline
Mini V3 offers you an opportunity to experience the magnificence of the original MiniMoog for a relatively low price. This is a perfect choice for someone who is looking for vintage and iconic sound with a lot of modern and convenient features.
Prophet V
Pros
- Legendary sound of Prophet 5 and Prophet VS
Cons
- A bit heavy on the CPU
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
With Prophet V, you have a recreation of not one legendary synth but two. You have the warmth of Prophet 5 and the clean, pristine sound of Prophet VS, and it’s needless to say that you have some additional modern modulation capabilities.
User impressions
Users like Prophet V for the warmth of the sound and the fun that comes with using this synthesizer. It has a bit of analog sound and the feel of the 70’s and 80’s.
What we think
For some reason, with Prophet V, we had the most fun amongst all of the synthesizers on this list. It’s just very easy to create sounds with this one. But be careful though, if you get carried away, too many instances of Prophet V could overstress your CPU.
Bottomline
Prophet V is a perfect choice for someone who is looking for a very capable modern synthesizer with a very distinguishable vintage feel. It has a lot of capabilities in terms of customizing the sound, and you can easily create the whole arrangement using only Prophet V.
DX7 V
Pros
- More than 400 factory presets
- Yamaha DX7 emulation
Cons
- Only FM synth sounds
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Arturia DX7 V is a carefully made and meticulous recreation of Yamaha DX7, the legendary sound of the 80’s. And as expected, it is generously packed with extra features that weren’t available on the original one. It has a step sequencer, arpeggiator, and ADSR controls on top of 32 original DX7 algorithms, which includes the legendary DX7 electric piano sound.
User impressions
Users agree that Arturia DX7 V has an enormous amount of various high-quality sounds. It has a very user-friendly and intuitive GUI which is also easily resizable. As this virtual instrument is quite versatile, you can use it while composing all sorts of music genres.
What we think
Being an extremely versatile and powerful synthesizer, Arturia DX7 V gives you an extra possibility to create your own sounds and combine them with the built-in presets. As Arturia always tries to impress with new features, you will never get bored composing.
Bottomline
Arturia DX7 V is an excellent choice for those who are in search of a classic FM synth with additional options.
The only downside to this synth is that FM synthesizers sound very distinguishable. And if you’re not a fan of the 80’s synth wave, you may skip this one out.
Jup-8 V
Pros
- Emulation of Jupiter 8
Cons
- Gets a bit hard on the CPU
- Overwhelmingly 80’s sound
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Jup-8 V is another recreated legend from the 80’s. Many audio producers believe that Rolland Jupiter 8 is the best analog synthesizer ever made. And now we have the chance to see if this is true.
User impressions
Users agree that Jup-8 V looks like it was sent to us from the 80’s. It has a soft and space-like sound. It is extremely easy to use. Users say that this virtual instrument has captured the character of the original Jupiter 8 quite well.
What we think
There’s no doubt that Jup-8 V is a great and capable soft synth, but we believe that it has too much of the 80’s sound. It’s cool if you’re doing a retro synth track, but for more modern projects, it’s hard to imagine it to be your go-to synthesizer.
Bottomline
Jup-8 V is a perfect synth if you’re looking for an expressive and iconic sound of the 80’s. That being said, it would be very hard to use it in projects that require more modern sound, yet that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try anyway.
CS-80 V
Pros
- Legendary sound of the 70’s
Cons
- A bit overwhelming GUI
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
If you feel a bit overwhelmed with the sound of the 80’s, Arturia offers you an opportunity to experience the sound of the 70’s instead with its CS-80 V.
User impressions
Users like CS-80 V as it has an old-school vintage sound that transports you back in time. Despite having a bit confusing and even hard-to-understand GUI, it is still one of the most user-friendly synths. It can be used in composing soundtracks for movies, especially horror ones, as some sounds can give you chills quite easily.
What we think
Although it is advertised as the synth from the 70’s, you can easily make it sound rather modern. That is if you figure out how to do it first because the GUI takes some time to figure out what it does and how.
Bottomline
CS-80 V is a perfect choice for someone who likes to tweak things a lot. Considering the sheer number of controls that CS-80 V offers you, the amount of sounds that could be produced is proportionally overwhelming. The best thing about CS-80 V is that it doesn’t sound too vintage, which makes it more usable in different scenarios.
OB-Xa V
Pros
- Gritty vintage sound
Cons
- Is a bit CPU heavy
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
It’s hard to imagine 80’s rock bands without the sound of the Oberheim. OB-Xa V gives you an opportunity to imagine yourself rocking the stage of the Wembley Stadium.
User impressions
Users like OB-Xa V as it has that good analog sound from the 80’s and 90’s. It has a pretty straightforward GUI and really is easy to use. It has a lot of wobbly and wavy sounds and effects, which let you recreate iconic intros and melodies from the past quite easily.
What we think
You can guess what keyboard line we played when we first got our hands on this synth. If you can’t, it was Van Halen’s “Jump.” That pretty much is everything that you need to know about OB-Xa V.
Bottomline
OB-Xa V is a perfect choice for someone who is looking for a very specific and iconic vintage sound. Apart from said vintage sound, this synth can offer you a lot of customization and a few useful modern features.
Modular V
Pros
- Very capable modular synth
Cons
- Quite complicated and overwhelming GUI
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Modular V was the first Acturia’s success as a software development company. It was made in collaboration with a legendary Robert Moog and offers you a very faithful reproduction of various modules from the Moog 3C and Moog 55.
User impressions
Users like Modular V as it is a very good recreation of analog synths with captured high-quality sounds and effects. Despite having quite an overwhelming GUI, users say that it is pretty easy to use.
What we think
We believe that Modular V is one of the most capable modular synthesizers on the market. Even if you don’t consider its vintage heritage, it can still easily compete with its direct rivals.
Bottomline
You might find Modular V to be rather overwhelming and, at times even confusing if you are not familiar with the principles of modular synthesis. But once you get a hang of it, you might find this synth to be almost irreplaceable in your toolbox.
Analog Lab V
Pros
- Over 13,000 presets
- More than 30 different synths
Cons
- Some sounds are better than others
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
Analog Lab V gives you access to some of the most iconic synth sounds throughout the history without any need of learning controls and various synthesis techniques. Although you have very limited opportunities in terms of customizing sounds, there are still a few very interesting FXs and parameters to choose from.
User impressions
Users say that Analog Lab V has a lot of vintage sounds and sequences of the highest quality. It has a very straightforward and user-friendly GUI, which makes it unbelievably easy to use. Also, it has a useful option of creating your own layers and effects, which is nice.
What we think
We believe that it is better to see Analog Lab V not as a conventional synth but rather as a presets player. There is not much you could do when it comes to creating your own sounds, but as a very simple and quick layering tool, Analog Lab V is unmatched.
Bottomline
Analog Lab V is the perfect tool for someone who uses synthesizers only as a layering instrument. So if you don’t want to learn the basics of electronic production and prefer a faster workflow, this one is for you.
Buchla Easel V
Pros
- Very capable modular synth
Cons
- A bit overwhelming GUI
- Heavy on the CPU
See price @ Plugin Boutique / @ Sweetwater
Best features and specs
As you might have guessed already, Buchla Easel V is the recreation of the legendary synth from the 70’s with the same name. Although it has quite a lot of presets with iconic sounds, its expanded functionality offers you a great opportunity to create your own sounds.
User impressions
Users agree that Buchla Easel V is a very colorful and fun-looking synthesizer with excellent sound quality and a shocking amount of presets. Although it can be hard to get all the nuances first, composing while using this synthesizer becomes a really fun process. Having all those presets makes this synthesizer perfect for commercial music and adding some flavor to cinematic scores.
What we think
With Buchla Easel V, you get an extremely capable modular synth with a lot of vintage flavor. The only downside is that each voice from the polyphony takes approximately 20 percent of your CPU. You do the math yourself.
Bottomline
Buchla Easel V is a great choice for someone who is looking for a very powerful modular workstation with a very distinguishable vintage feel to it. It also looks cool and colorful, which is always a nice thing.
Arturia Synths Buying Guide
Arturia is a software and hardware manufacturing company that was found in France in 1999 by two professional engineers and audio enthusiasts. They’ve started with manufacturing original software synthesizers but soon switched their attention to the realm of analog emulation. They’ve gained their first success with Modular V, which they’ve made in collaboration with the legendary Robert Moog. While working on that synthesizer, they’ve created a technology that is called True Analog Emulation. It is a type of physical modeling where a bunch of mathematical algorithms recreates various circuits of analog gear with unprecedented precision.
Thanks to that technology, Arturia was able to recreate some of the most desirable vintage synths and present it to the audio community in a very affordable package. And since samples are not being used and the technology is extremely flexible in itself, guys from Arturia managed to modernize and improve most of their digital recreations with a lot of features that original units didn’t have. We should point out that all of Arturia’s soft synths are equally great, and it was extremely hard to pick 10 that would stand out.
Important features
In this list, we’ve decided to choose 10 of Arturia’s synthesizers that fell under a few very important criteria. Firstly, those synths should offer a lot of versatility. In other words, you have to be able to use it in as many styles as possible, and they have to offer you the ability to create a great variety of different sounds.
Secondly, we’ve picked those synths that we believe to be the most iconic ones, but with a few exceptions. The core idea of Arturia’s synths is to recreate the vintage synthesizers as close to the original as possible, and it wouldn’t be wise to ignore that. The good news is that all of Arturia’s digital synthesizers offer a free demo version without any time limitations. This means that you can experience the best Arturia synths for yourself.
