Arturia has unveiled the latest iteration of its renowned effects suite, FX Collection, now featuring two fresh plugins: EFX Ambient and Pitch Shifter-910. With FX Collection 6, users can also opt for an Intro version that offers a curated set of six essential effects for $99. This is a modest offering compared to the 39 effects available in the comprehensive FX Collection Pro, which carries a price tag of $499.

The Pitch Shifter-910 takes inspiration from the legendary Eventide H910 Harmonizer of 1974, an early digital pitch shifter and delay known for its distinctive character. Arturia has captured its quirky charm, delivering an effect that revels in its idiosyncrasies, such as producing chipmunk-like vocals at higher pitches. While a modern mode is available to refine some artifacts, it retains the essence of what makes the 910 unique, though this refinement may slightly dilute its original unpredictability.

EFX Ambient, the other new offering from Arturia, stands out with its unconventional approach. While it fulfills its promise of delivering ambient sounds, it often surprises with its delivery. Beyond the expansive reverbs and shimmering effects, it incorporates resonators, glitch processing, and reverse delays. Featuring six distinct modes, each with its own character, it channels these through a lush reverb. The central X/Y control allows for dynamic sound manipulation.

Unfortunately, the new effects are not included in the Intro version of FX Collection 6. Instead, it comprises Efx Motions, Efx Fragments, Mix Drums, Tape Mello-Fi, Rev Plate-140, and Delay Tape-201, offering a robust range of capabilities including delay, reverb, tape-inspired lo-fi, modulation, and granular processing. However, it lacks certain saturation and mixing effects like bus compression, as well as specialized delay and reverb flavors such as the Rev LX-24, modeled after the 1978 Lexicon 224.

While the full FX Collection 6 Pro comes at a cost of $499, the suite has evolved significantly since its inception, expanding from 15 effects in 2020 to 39 by 2026, enhancing its appeal. Although it has yet to achieve the acclaim of Arturia’s V Collection of soft synths, it is steadily building a reputation for delivering high-quality effects.