The art
of sound design
Marco Iodice - on Pure LoFi
“The LoFi Processor is what makes this instrument organic and literally alive. My favorite thing about Pure LoFi is the immediacy and simplicity with which you can interact with all its features: the engines, the carefully selected samples, the filter and the effects can blend naturally, Making the sound design process a joy! I usually create macrogroups in my DAW so as to have a clear picture of the sounds on which I will work. Then, I simply get lost in the sound design process, trying to alternate order and discipline with chaos and instinct. Pure LoFi offers a very wide range of tonal results, while focusing on the lofi world. Working on the ambient oriented presets was truly satisfying for me.”
It Blossoms
One of my favorite presets is surely "It Blossoms", a lost keys sound with which to create endless ambient soundscapes. In this short demo I carefully selected a few notes, then I let express the preset in all its ethereal attitude; slow pitched delays and great reverberations are its strengths. During the performance I play a lot with Timbre and Brightness Macros: the first one allows me to manage the amount of sound deterioration, while the second one filters the sound drastically changing the overall flavor.
Little Pleasures
Little Pleasures is by far the simplest preset I made, it doesn't even use both oscillators but that is exactly why I like it so much. It's basically a sine wave and a noise texture that go through the tape processing, and a combination of Timbre Macro, Aftertouch and Mod wheel change dynamically the degradation quality. It's like a vintage electric piano that makes you feel all warm inside.
Ale Mastroianni - on Pure LoFi
“I really love the idea that there are 2 main ways to degrade the sound: the modelling of old digital units on the single sound sources and the tape emulation on the master output. The combination of these elements leads to really cool results very quickly. I think the key is to keep the sounds clean and simple on the surface but have ways to add interest dynamically. At the moment I’m quite obsessed with MPE so I’ve tried to use that as much as possible for this purpose. And release velocity is genius! It’s a great tool to add finishing touches to keys and other short sounds.”
Grand Reversal
Grand Reversal, a really degraded and warped sounding piano that has layers of reversed piano you can bring in via the mod wheel.
ARC Noise - on Pure LoFi
“I love the different sampler modes, they can get some really unexpected timbres out of the sound-sources, and it’s a real treat to have an E-MU mode in there, which sounds almost hi-fi. The tape effects are great too, I don’t know what each one is yet, but they all colour the sounds in a lovely way. They are controllable further with the various knobs so you can really fine tune them. Sometimes, it’s having an idea to chase after, but often I just see where the sounds take me. The raw samples are all excellent and once that’s chosen I tend to find a contrasting but similar tone for the second source, and after that it’s a case of finding ways to tie them together to make a playable and cohesive instrument.”
Laura Katic - on Pure LoFi
“What I love about Pure LoFi is that it’s completely built for lofi textures, which makes it a must-have synth. The LoFi Processor and Creative Sampler really stood out to me. They let you create super dynamic, contrasting layers, making it perfect for that warm, textured lofi vibe. I start by exploring the synth and getting familiar with its features. I also dive into the music of the genre I’m working on for inspiration. I love creating textures that feel alive, as if they breathe and evolve on their own, so I make sure each preset feels immersive.”
Reversed Breeze
My favorite preset is Reversed Breeze. I love this preset because it creates an atmosphere on its own. It’s full of subtle details and evokes a beautifully ethereal and meditative feeling.
Time Drift
Time Drift is my favorite preset so far. I exploited the creative sampler mode, loading different electric and taped piano samples across slots with random triggering. Both vibrato and filter are modulated by LFO/function speeds derived from vinyl record rotations. Paired with a slow filter sweep, ambient reverb, and delay, it creates a dreamy nostalgic feel.
Chad Beckwith - on Pure LoFi
“Pure LoFi's magic lies in the tape processor effects and immediacy of the layout. Simply load a sound engine, apply a warm filter, tweak the LoFi processor and you've got sounds that transform into melodies before your fingers leave the keys. I focused on harnessing the engine modes, modulation sources, and effects to create patches that breathe with life. By orchestrating subtle shifts in volume, pitch, and timbre, to create sounds that evolve into immersive atmospheres.”
Muted Memories
My favorite preset is “Muted Memories” - I love its soft, velvety character and gentle expressiveness. The programmed functions allow the sound to evolve from a deeply muted piano to a more defined one. The macros allows you to play with perspective and the sense of depth, which is really interesting for adding relief and emotion.
Zane Twice - on Pure LoFi
“I find that the strength of this instrument lies in its ease of sound design—if only everything in life were this simple. The samples and oscillators are well-crafted, as we’ve come to expect from Arturia. And finally, the element I’ve been waiting for has arrived: tape machine algorithms that add the perfect touch of grit to the sound—just the way I like it! For this preset series, I let myself be guided by the moment, enjoying the vast sonic variety at our disposal. My goal was to create a diverse set of presets in the spirit of lofi, and as always, I made full use of LFOs to add beautiful filter movement. I hope each preset inspires you and that you make them your own in your productions.”
Jörg Hüttner - on Pure LoFi
“The Tape Processor Modes and lofi parameters, specifically "wear", "wobble," and "vintage," allow for a fairly quick character change to create the low-fidelity sound you're often looking for, and which regularly require you to open plugins to recreate this effect. Having such parameters straight inside an instrument is a welcomed addition. I went through the sample content that was delivered with it to get a sense of what might be possible. I then took a look at sample Hardware Modes, to get a feel for how gritty things can be already on the sample level. From there, I let inspiration hit me and see what caught my ear. I tried to include already a lot of lofi elements before finalizing a sound with the Tape Processor Modes.”
Somber Mood
My favorite preset is Reversed Breeze. I love this preset because it creates an atmosphere on its own. It’s full of subtle details and evokes a beautifully ethereal and meditative feeling.
Snow Ghosts
Snow Ghosts is my favorite; it is a simple pad, but it sounds very evocative and touching to me. I was experimenting and found that the fourth tape processor was perfect for certain washed-out ambient sounds, adding density and warmth. I think that simple, but expressive sounds can be the most effective sometimes.
Vincenzo Bellanova - on Pure LoFi
“Pure LoFi is very straightforward to use, which I appreciate as it minimizes obstacles when using the instrument. The Tape processor section can effortlessly add significant character to your setup, resulting in a very warm sound. I find the concept of the creative sampler in random mode particularly appealing, as it allows for the creation of distinctive and expressive patches. Sometimes I start with a general type of sound in mind and outline its main characteristics, like envelope and range, then I get inspired by playing with the different oscillators. Other times, when working on a patch, I find a particularly interesting parameter that alters the sound, and I completely deviate from the original idea—happy accidents. Personally, I almost never start with super specific ideas.”
Corrupted Sub
Hard to pick just one, but Corrupted Sub stands out. It shows how dynamic and expressive preset can be by modulating key features—shifting from soft to extreme lofi while keeping a powerful, evolving bass energy. It’s dirty, noisy, and alive.
Gustavo Bravetti - on Pure LoFi
“Personality and character are everything in sound design, and Pure LoFi delivers both effortlessly. It gives me the signature flaws of vintage gear I grew up with—now reimagined as texture, flavor, and vibe. It instantly takes me back to a time of discovery and wonder, reminding me how far we’ve come—and how much there still is to explore. Having a tape-style saturation processor as part of the synthesis path is truly unique—it adds colors and textures that feel alive. I spent hours exploring its modes, uncovering hidden harmonics and flavors, especially when combined with the stunning acoustic sources. The lofi filter is the cherry on top. Even the most broken sounds remain musical and inspiring.”
emptyvessel - on Pure LoFi
“I mostly enjoy making quite lofi, dusty, melancholic tape-loop type sounds, “in search of imperfection” as I put it in my bio. When I first played the instrument my feedback was “I think you made an instrument specifically for me :) “. It’s a cohesive set of components; from sound generation to filters, modulation and fx which are just perfectly suited to making the kinds of sounds I love to Make. Because of the design and goal of the instrument the approach was obviously an exploration of lofi sounds, from classic to modern. For factory presets I try to build a range of sounds to show the scope of the instrument and what can be done with it and to produce a set of patches that relate to each other and would work together in a musical context.”
