Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
Imaginando COLAPSO is an additive synthesizer that builds sounds from the measured emission spectra of 22 chemical elements, with an uncertainty-principle Observation control.
Arturia Pigments is a software synthesizer combining six synthesis engines, drag-and-drop modulation, filters, effects, and sequencing.
Technical matrix
| Signal | Imaginando COLAPSO | Arturia Pigments |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 69 euros (intro, regular 89 euros) | $199 |
| Dubspot Score | — | 9.1 |
| Formats | Standalone, VST, VST3, Audio Unit (AU) | Standalone, VST, VST3, AAX, Audio Unit (AU), NKS |
| Type | Additive (atomic emission) synthesizer | — |
| Sound source | 22 elements, 422 measured emission lines (NIST data) | — |
| Oscillators | 3 per voice, up to 16 partials each | — |
| Voices | Up to 8 (Poly, Mono, Unison) with detune, glide, legato | — |
| Filters | 9 circuits per voice (SVF, ladder, comb, formant) with drive and keytracking | 19 filter types and 68 filter modes |
| Modulation | 4 drawable envelopes and 4 drawable LFOs (0.01 to 40 Hz or synced) | — |
| Effects | 2 series inserts (8 types) plus a send per oscillator; master glue compressor | 20 effects, with 3 FX slots per bus across two insert buses and one send/return bus |
| Presets | Over 200 factory presets | Over 1,700 presets |
| Platforms | macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon native, ~333 MB), Windows 10+ 64-bit (~68 MB) | Windows 10+ (64-bit) and macOS 11+ (incl. Apple M1); 4 GB RAM, 3 GB disk space |
| Synthesis engines | — | Six engines: Modal, Granular, Wavetable, Sample, Harmonic, and Virtual Analog (plus a Utility engine) |
| Current version | — | Pigments 7 |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.