Hello, how to integrate Minilab3 with Pigments so that you can control the sound settings in Pigments directly from Minilab3?
Hi Bendir, welcome on the forum 
By default the Minilab’s control are linked to some of Pigments’ parameters. You can just tweak some of the knobs while you play something and it should be possible to guess what is going on. To have a clearer idea, click on gear icon in the upper right corner, it opens the side menu and then select MIDI. There you will have a map of the default MIDI CC, and you can select what controller you are using as well.
To know exactly what CC your Minilab is using, download Arturia’s Midi Control Center (MCC) software. You can also use this software to edit the controls to your liking. So by combining Pigments’ MIDI mapping and MCC editing options you can customize your layout for hands on control. Minilab has multiple banks and you can have different mappings for each of them.
Honestly, if you are thinking of mapping EVERY parameter from Pigments, don’t do that. It gets clunky and it defeats the purpose of using a software synthesizer in my opinion. You probably need just a handful of parameters, like cutoff and resonance for one filter, two ADSR and an LFO, and the four macros. Depending on your patch, use the modulation system to assign the macros to some additional parameters and have them assigned to some CC you have at hand on your controller.
Pigments is a software and it is built to be mainly operated with mouse and keyboard. Controllers are handy for some expressive work, but if you want something where everything is readily available at your fingertips, just get a Minibrute / Minifreak. I hope this helps 
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Thank you very much, your answer is very clear and complete. Much more than I expected. Thanks to you I am taking a big step. Thank you so much!!!
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Hi @Bendir and welcome to The Sound Explorers Forum!
Many thanks @ASJ for their input, that’s some good advice they’ve given there to get you started!
Ps,
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Done, thanks for the link!
I’ve noticed that my Minilab3 doesn’t adjust the current Pigments preset Macro settings from their current positions, but rather resets to “0” or “Max”?
To reproduce, Open Pigments, Select a preset, notice the current default Macro settings for the preset, and turn a knob that is linked to the macro. Observe effect - the current macro value is “reset” and the change is not incremental from its current default, but a major jump.
Is there any way to avoid that?
Standalone Pigments 5 on a MBP M1.
Hi @LarsFosdal . Welcome to the community.
To have things to work in Relative you you need to change the Midi Config. Right click over a parameter/ Control in a midi config in the right panel and select the relative mode.
It’s probably set to Absolute now.
It was set at absolute, but changing it to relative (in Pigments, MIDI config), did remove the jump in value at first touch of the knob, but now the knob behaves erratically. Turn to the left, stop, turn to the right - and the value continues to the left, and vise versa. The knob doesn’t feel precise and linear. Also in absolute mode, if you turn the knob very slowly, it doesn’t respond at all until you turn the knob faster.
Weird!
Firmware = 1.1.1 - is that the latest?
Have you also set your Minilab encoders to work in Relative mode and not Absolute mode?
Example
In Midi Control Center, ControllerMap for the Minilab 3
Knob 8
Output: CC
Midi Ch: Keyboard
CC: 16 - General Purpose Controller 1
Option: Relative 1, 2 or 3 - all give same result
In Pigments, Midi
Ch: 1
CC: 16
Control: Macro 3
Min 0.0
Max 1.0
Right-Click: Relative
Preset Mega Saw Seq, where Macro 3 is Side Chain
Knob 8 is super-erratic!
Note that the in Absolute mode, there is no erratic behaviour, but the initial value is not respected, and hence you get a jump away from the default value which is set when you select the preset.
Any difference if you use setting Relative 2 or 3 for your Minilab encoder?
Also are you trying it out outside a host using Pigments in standalone mode. Please do so if not allready.
No significant difference between the three relative settings in MCC.
I am using standalone Pigments. No other DAW involved or running.
Hm. I don’t have a Minilab 3. I can’t tell if something is wrong with the firmware or with your unit. I suggest you contact Arturia support. But also be aware of the time you have to return the unit, if it’s new.
Please let us know how it turns out.
I figured something out! I selected the Macro 3 in the Pigments MIDI settings, then pressed the Learn button in the settings, and turned the knob in both directions several times, and pressed Learn again. (Note that the knob/control in both MCC and Pigments have the relative mode set)
The erratic behaviour disappeared, but now I am back to problem 1 again - it still makes a jump away from the initial preset position of Macro 3.
I suspect the problem is internal to Pigments Stand-alone. Analog V does not behave this way, regardless of how the knobs are configured.
I can respond to you and add this to my previous post like this.
Pigments 5 work fine with my old none Arturia controller using Relative modes.
In Minilab 3 release notes Relative modes was added for User programs in firmware 1.1.0. Be sure your firmware are up to date. I assumed it was.
I assume you are in User mode, when you try to control Pigments. If so, then perhaps try to reinstall Pigments 5.
You can also try to do a factory reset for your Minilab 3 like described in the manual.
I can’t tell if this is a usage issue or a technical issue.
As mentioned in the OP, firmware is version 1.1.1.
Relative works perfectly in the Analog V plugin under Logic Pro, using the same Pigments presets that has issues in the standalone Pigments.
It is only in the standalone Pigments that the problem exists.
Have you contacted Arturia support as i suggested?
I can’t see why it does’nt work for you in Pigments standalone version.
I commented about it on the Pigments purchase feedback form that Arturia sent me, but I haven’t raised a support issue yet. I’ll try to get around to doing that.
I agree it is odd, particularly since it works perfectly when you run the Pigments presets through Analog Labs V.