Arturia

I
n software, Arturia are best
known for their emulations,
bundled into the deservedly
popular V Collection (see page
78). For the past few years the
French brand have also been
building up a library of effects,
bundled here in the third iteration of
the FX Collection, which is quickly
gaining on its instrument-focused
sibling in terms of volume and scope.
Like V Collection, the effects are
largely inspired by classic hardware
– vintage compressors, tape echoes,
preamps, reverbs and more –
although there’s a healthy sprinkling
of modern originals too. V3 adds
plugins that fall into both camps. At
the contemporary end is Arturia’s
recent granular processor Efx
Fragments. We reviewed Efx recently
as a standalone plugin, so I’ll skip the
details here. Suffi ce to say though,
this is a powerful yet easy-to-use
creative effect. Efx is the sort of effect
that makes a great go-to when short
on inspiration – slap it onto any audio
source and marvel at how it can
completely reshape the sound. The
60 fresh presets added to mark its
inclusion here add to that appeal.
Tape Mello-Fi is another plugin
we’ve seen before. This Mellotron-
inspired tape emulation was released
as a freebie just before Christmas, so
doesn’t add so much in terms of pure
fi nancial value. It’s still a welcome
addition to the toolset though. With a
crunchy preamp section and easy
control over its tape-like
characteristics, it’s a convenient way
to add vintage wonkiness to sounds.
The two new plugins unveiled for
this update both focus on distortion
in a roundabout way. Dist Opamp-21
is based on Tech 21’s SansAmp
Classic, an analogue guitar amp and
speaker simulator. Like its hardware
inspiration, it covers bases from warm
saturation through to more overt
high-gain. While it’s aimed primarily
at guitar and bass the plugin can
work nicely on synths and drums too.
Dist Tube-Culture, meanwhile,
emulates Thermionic Culture’s widely
adored Culture Vulture rack effect.
The original hardware is a stereo valve
distortion unit, prized for its ability to
add crunch, warmth and grit to a
whole variety of sources. Arturia’s take
does a fi ne job of recreating the
sound and feel of the original. While
it can do wild and overt overdrive,
personally my favourite application of
the plugin is for more subtle
Still, the FX Collection is great
value. If you don’t already own it, Efx
Fragments is worth the update price
alone, but all of it is quality.
enhancement – it’s great at bringing
out the higher frequencies of drum
parts with subtle crunch, helped by
the switchable presence mode.
Both Dist plugins feature
oversampling, which can be switched
between Studio and Render modes to
balance latency and quality for
different situations. Both plugins
feature Advanced modes too, with
input and output fi ltering and more.
The Dist plugins go some way to
plugging the distortion hole in FX
Collection’s otherwise rounded
offering, joining the more modern
approach to saturation already offered
by Bus Force. That said, they’re
hardly do-it-all plugins and I’d like to
see a distinctive digital distortion
added to the bundle.
THE PROS & CONS
+
Efx Fragments is
worth the upgrade
price alone
Helps to fi ll the
distortion-shaped
hole in the FX
Collection lineup
Culture Vulture
emulation is great for
enhancing drums
and busses
-
Some kind of digital
distortion would
be appreciated
FM VERDICT
9.0
The FX Collection is great
value and only becomes
more apealling with each
new addition. One of the
best effect bundles going
Arturia FX Collection 3 | Reviews
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