When individuals ask what their first {hardware} synth must be, I usually suggest Arturia’s MicroFreak. Until you completely have your coronary heart set on an analog instrument, I feel it provides essentially the most versatility and the most effective bang to your buck. It has over a dozen totally different synth engines, an analog multimode filter, a mod matrix for placing collectively advanced patches, plus it’s routinely up to date with new options. Positive, it wants the help of exterior results to actually shine and its touchplate keyboard is a bit controversial, however there’s no denying it provides loads for simply $349.
The little digital weirdo has confirmed so profitable that Arturia determined to make an much more {powerful} synth, constructed on the identical core. The MiniFreak has double the oscillators, six voices as a substitute of 4, built-in results and a extra conventional keyboard. It’s a strong midrange providing with a fairly low $599 value. That places it proper up in opposition to different choices just like the Hydrasynth Explorer ($599) and the Korg Minilogue ($530). However, as is often the case with music gear, there’s nobody proper selection right here. So let’s discover who may need the MiniFreak and why.
In case you’re in any respect accustomed to the MicroFreak, then you have already got a reasonably good thought of what to anticipate right here – simply greater and extra advanced. The oscillators on the MiniFreak are the identical, simply now there are two per voice so your pads is usually a little thicker. And you’ll add some evolution by layering two totally different engines – say Bass from Noise Engineering for some upfront punch, and a digital analog voice that is available in after.
Similar to its predecessor, the MiniFreak is a digital / analog hybrid synth that mixes digital oscillators with an analog filter and digital results. As stable because the digital analog engine and analog filters are although, it’s not going to idiot properly educated ears. You may coax some first rate heat and instability out of it, nevertheless it’s decidedly digital. For some, that is perhaps a deal breaker – these persons are frankly improper and lacking out. However, when you’re 100-percent satisfied solely analog will do, be happy to bail out now.
Terrence O’Brien / Engadget
The multi-engine synth core of the MiniFreak is extremely versatile, overlaying all the things from primary FM, to Karplus-Robust string modeling, to vocal synthesis and rave-ready superwaves. There are a few notable omissions from the MicroFreak although, that can hopefully make their method over in a firmware replace. As of now there isn’t any vocoder or customized wavetables accessible on the MiniFreak.
That being stated, it might course of different devices by connecting them to the audio in jack on the again and feeding that via the in-built filter and results. Plus there’s a wave folder and bitcrusher particularly built-in to the incoming audio “oscillator.” Oscillator two additionally has a handful of distinctive digital filters and results that you should use to form sounds from oscillator one, together with Destroy, ring modulation, a comb filter and extra. This makes the MiniFreak not only a versatile synth, but additionally a reasonably stable results processor. You can simply join a Moog, a guitar, or perhaps a microphone and create totally new textures that weren’t attainable earlier than. You may go utterly overboard too, utilizing the bit crusher on the incoming audio, then use the destroy module to bit crush your sign additional, then filling up all three results slots with extra bit crushers!
Terrence O’Brien / Engadget
The digital engine does have its strengths and weaknesses. It could actually deal with bass and leads simply fantastic, nevertheless it actually shines on keys, plucks and weirdo sound results. The MicroFreak was a satisfactory pad machine, nevertheless it at all times sounded a bit skinny. By including a second oscillator, the MiniFreak is ready to beef these up and pads turn out to be one among its robust fits. It could actually get just a little muddy at decrease frequencies, however normally it sounds nice, particularly in case your tastes err in the direction of chilly and gritty textures.
The brand new digital results part actually helps full the bundle. Whereas the MicroFreak usually sounded just a little lonely with out some exterior results, its large sibling is ready to create thick epic atmospheres proper out of the field. There are three impartial impact slots, with 10 results to select from together with a number of reverb sorts, a number of distortion types, refrain and compression.
Normally Arturia performs issues fairly conservative right here, sticking to bread and butter results. You gained’t discover loopy pitch shifting delays or tremendous sparkly reverb. However that’s okay. My one want is that there was some form of equal to the lo-fi impact discovered on the Hydrasynth. You may create one thing comparable by patching up a random LFO to the refrain and or pitch, and messing with the EQ, however having it as an easy-to-use one cease impact could be nice.