For one, the more intimidating controls are stashed away in the advanced tab as is the case with many Arturia products. Two things help keep it approachable (beyond the excellent tutorial). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Fragments to someone that was new to granular effects.

And the UI is impressively clean and intuitively laid out. If that sounds like an overwhelming array of options don't worry, there's a handy tutorial that helps you get familiar with the interface. But, it is capable of much more than just epic drones. Simply put, it might be the most immediate and musical granular processor I've ever used and gives the Microcosm a run for its money as a cheat code to creating beautiful ambient music. Arturia has been putting a lot of effort into making its software more user friendly, though, and that's clearly on display with Fragments.

Granular is pretty trendy right now, check out the Microcosm and Lemondrop for instance. Now the company is launching Efx Fragments, a granular processor that that brings an experimental edge to its current effects lineup.

(Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to get my hands on one.) Then in 2021 it gave the MicroFreak and Pigments, two huge free updates, upgraded its FX Collection with seven new plugins, and launched the SQ80 V virtual synth, which I fell instantly in love with. But in 2020 it announced the KeyStep Pro and PolyBrute - delivering the MIDI controller than many had been clamoring for and an analog polysynth that has bowled people over. The company has always made top notch MIDI controllers and soft synths. Arturia has been on a bit of a roll over these last few years.

Arturia granular