Arturia MicroFreak Synthesizer Keyboard

so cool, I recommend a midi controller for it. Arturia is great though; keep them in n business. buy their stuff. it is a robust and fully featured 4 "paraphonic" (not polyphonic) little synthesizer, 20+ synth engines, firmware updates, a small learning curve, it's about the same size as a 13" laptop. You can pop it in a backpack if needed. Lots 6con connectivity options. Not too big, not too small. Easy to carry around, portable. I am a fan. Give arturia your money ~ they're one of the few companies out there trying to innovate and improve their products. It seems like they care and that is a rare thing these days.

I was ready to spring for my first Behringer clone...the 2600, when I realized that I was about to pay a lot of money for something that I already had...mono analog synths. I love the old Arp sound, but it is a nuance that I consider nonessential at this point. And, quite frankly, I miss being able to save my sonic creations to memory. Polyphony would be nice too. So, after watching tons of Youtube videos, I decided on the Arturia Microfreak...and I'm glad I did! It has a LOT of sound design potential, and using the Mod Matrix is a joy. The arp and sequencer are very fun and flexible, and the whole design seems catered to evolving and expressive sounds. The capacitance keyboard is odd, but just adds to the quirky expressiveness of the instrument. The firmware updates are awesome and easy to install. And btw...with a little patience, the vocoder works surprisingly well! And yes...besides being a decent four voice polyphonic synth, it now has a powerful unison mode. Thick! No onboard effects though. :( For a great video that covers all the features in detail, I recommend "Loopop" on Youtube. Very informative! I'm very happy with my Microfreak. I love my analogs, but adding a digital synth to my audio arsenal filled that void perfectly and opened up many new avenues of sonic exploration for me. There are literally years of tweaking sounds in this amazing yet inexpensive synth! And it's nice knowing that all my careful crafted sounds can be stashed safely away on my computer for future use...no more use it or lose it programming sessions! Five stars!

Initial review as a Hip Hop producer (boom bap) who is primarily sample based. I'm fairly savvy with the use of VST synths but never tried hardware synths. I've used Ableton, FL, Maschine and MPC and have about 7 years of experience. I paired this with my SP 404 Mk2 using a single 1/4" patch cable into the mono input of the SP. Endless, let me repeat...ENDLESS sound sources! Endless inspiration. I have ZERO use for anything else in order to get absolute bangers, and that's not even consciously designing sound. When tweaking sounds, I'm literally like a kid unconsciously scribbling anything on paper and then turning it into my favorite tracks ever. The sounds are rich and offer lots of sonic possibilities when chopping, pitching and reversing. Perfect size and weight and right at home in a backpack. My only gripes thus far are (1) It's packaged without the cable to connect to your computer. This is a requirement if you want to download the latest firmware (although NOT necessary to get up and running) Luckily I had plenty of cords lying around from other midi gear. (2) The power cord is long and bulky. (This might be a pro for others, but not for me...I will switch to a power bank.) Best purchase I've made in a very long time. Thrilled with this product and I'm not easily impressed.

Definitely a distinct type of synth. I watched YouTube videos on it before I got it. It's definitely priced right and is an amazing tool for creators. I highly recommend but watch videos of it first just to make sure it's for you.

Highly recommended for first synth

I've owned a MicroBrute for about 6 months now, and I have a bunch of other gear including everything from boutique effects pedals to crappy CasioTone keyboards from Goodwill to a set of microcassete recorders I use to get ideas down quick to a cheap beginner electric guitar (yes, a Squire, how'd you know?!). I hope this demonstrates that what I'm about to say isn't hyperbole, but I NEVER get bored with the MicroFreak, and I don't think I ever will. For its price point, I really don't think you can find a synthesizer that has SO MANY features and things you can do. The last firmware update even allows you to upload your own samples, so you can use it as a drum machine or weird vocal sample chopper/editor to whatever weird ideas you can think up. While I still love my MicroBrute and other gear, there's just something about the depth and breadth of what the MicroFreak can do that if I find myself running out of steam or not getting the results I'm looking for, I just need to load another preset and start editing it, or even just change the insanely deep Mod Matrix to throw things into a new avenue. The first night I sat down to play this synth, I was somehow shocked at how easy it was to plug it in, turn it on, and start playing the presets and twiddling knobs and things. Before I even got to preset 100, at least two hours had gone by and I realized I had been sitting cross-legged for so long my legs were asleep. I mean, the Runtz I was smoking probably helped, too. Now let's address the elephant in the room: the keyboard. As with the MicroBrute I'll tell you, I am 6'4" and have fairly large hands but I have never found the MicroFreak limiting. I actually adore the aftertouch aspects of the keyboard, I find it helps me get some expressiveness to what I'm doing. I can definitely understand why a lot of people probably just hook up a MIDI keyboard but if you're coming from less of a trained piano/keyboard background and more of a "I like weird/creative ways of making and interacting with music" background, like me, you'll likely not miss a full and normal keyboard. Now, I know some people criticize this synth because it doesn't have any onboard effects. But not only can you get "free" effects by using programs like Audacity or other free audio editors and DAWs, but if you're any kind of serious gear-head who wants more options and more tangible control from your effects, you'll want to get dedicated effects pedals, anyway. Hell even a cheap multi-effects unit can open up the possibilities of sound to an almost unlimited level. Ever since getting the MicroFreak, I effectively see it as the centerpiece of my whole music world even if I don't turn it on every time I sit down to play music. I know it's not for everyone, but given the combination of the features upon features it has, the depth and breadth of sound design possibilities, and the compact size, I could genuinely see myself taking this on a long train trip or flight and passing the time that way. Arturia is just fantastic and I love that they keep doing new things instead of the Behringer approach (no shade but does anyone want anything but cheap reproductions of vintage/unavailable gear from them?).

My intro to hands on synthesizers. Though it is a unique device, it is very beginner friendly and powerful. If you want to learn how to shape sounds instead of just using presets, this is a great tool. There are plenty of presets and oscillator types but my favorite thing is to open an “init” patch and get creative. This thing can generate some pretty great sounds.

This turned out to be much better than expected. I’ve owned several Arturia products, but just felt like this was too good to be true. First the negatives: the case is less robust plastic than the micro brute. The on/off switch is so small and fragile, that I bet you’ve never seen anything like it. It’s the type of micro switch companies use on the internal pcb’s of some products. Really stupid... in fact, the entire unit has a much cheaper feel than the brute series. I would have paid another $100 to have it with a higher build quality. Now on to the good: the sounds are incredible. So much better than the Korg mini/monologue. It’s very easy to manipulate even if you don’t know what you are doing. It was easy to update the firmware once the desktop software was installed. It has a logical progression of workflow. The keys function perfectly. I love this synth. I wish they had charged a little more and made it more substantial. The korg has this beat in that regard, but for sound quality, and fantastic presets, this wins.

Ses ve özellikleri bakımından beni bayağı tatmin etti. Tam olarak Synth'lere 0'dan girecek insanlara önerilecek bir ürün olduğunu düşünüyorum. Firmware 5 güncellemesinden sonra 300'ün üzerinde preset ile birlikte kullanabiliyorum ve Ableton üzerinde de Minifuse 2 ile birlikte muhteşem çalışıyor. +'ları +Boyutu acayip iyi ve kompakt, +0'dan kendi sesinizi yapmak çok kolay, +Ses kalitesi çok iyi, DAW ve Efekt kullanmadan bile bass amfime takarak çok iyi ses alabiliyorum, +Klavyesi çok iyi, fiziksel olarak tuşa basmak yerine parmağınızın ucu ile basarak ya da direkt olarak parmağınızı koyarak aynı ayarda farklı seslere erişebiliyorsunuz (Bazı tonlarda bildiğiniz LFO'lu gibi geliyor ses) +Aşırı ilham verici, eğer boşta durup müzik ile ilgili fikriniz yoksa bile bu cihazı kullanarak yeni sesler keşfedesiniz geliyor. +16 notaya kendi art arda kendi basışlarınızı bir sekansa çevirebiliyorsunuz ve bunu mevcut BPM'e göre yaptığı için kulağa her türlü hoş geliyor. +Eğer USB-B'den USB-A'ya bir kablo alırsanız ürünü prize bağlamak ve bilgisayara takacağınız zaman MIDI-IN VE MIDI-OUT kablolarını takmak yerine bir kablo ile iki dertten birden kurtuluyorsunuz. (Tabii ki sesi bilgisayarınıza vermek için Audio Interface(Ses Kartı) ve enstrüman kablosuna ihtiyacınız var.(Gitar Jackı) Malesef Vocoder'ını kullanma şansı bulamadım. -'leri -İçerisinden USB-B'den USB-A'ya bir kablo çıkmadığı için güncelleme yapmak için böyle bir kablo satın almanız gerekiyor. Ben ürünü severek kullanıyorum ve bayağı beğendim. Bence başlangıç için çok iyi bir Synthesizer ve fiyatına göre aşırı iyi.

C'est une très bonne machine mais il faut savoir qu un clavier externe est essentiel car le Freak n' a pas un grand clavier et touches si légères qu à peine effleurées elles donne Beaucoup de sons ( 200 et + ); mais le hic se sont les connexions avec d' autres machines comme les Volca; Behringer etc..il faut un jack spécial et un boîtier pour y connecter les autres machines. Donc environ 200 euros de plus. Prenez le Korg minilogue// xd car il a toutes les possibilités pour les connexions.

Don't let the name fool you. The MicroFreak isn't just an experimental sound-design machine—it's also capable of producing surprisingly convincing analogue-style sounds. Its digital oscillator engine can generate up to four independent voices simultaneously. Those voices are mixed through a single analogue filter and VCA, giving it four-note paraphony. Switch to Unison mode and those same four voices stack onto a single note, creating a rich, detunable sound that feels much bigger than you'd expect from such a compact instrument. Although the architecture is digital and physical-modelled, its ability to produce convincingly analogue-style sounds was a pleasant surprise. Many YouTube videos understandably focus on the more experimental and unusual aspects of the MicroFreak, but it's equally capable of warm, musical sounds. The resonance behaviour, in particular, allows you to reach a sweet, singing resonance without suddenly becoming harsh or uncontrollable. The analogue filter gives the instrument a coherence that some purely digital synths lack. You can begin with a fairly complex oscillator algorithm and still end up with something organic and musical because the filter and resonance behave in a predictable, controllable way. Many synths suffer from one of two problems: • The resonance is so polite that it never really sings. • The resonance reaches a tipping point where it suddenly dominates the sound and becomes difficult to use musically. The MicroFreak's filter has a very useful "middle zone" where you can push the resonance surprisingly far and achieve that vocal, singing quality without the patch collapsing into whistles and squeals. The Harmonic, Superwave, Basic Waves and even some of the simpler wavetable positions can produce sounds that sit in a mix remarkably like classic analogue polysynth textures. Not identical, of course, but often much closer than you'd expect from a synth with "Freak" in its name. Treat the Mod Matrix and factory presets as your teachers. There's an excellent range of presets that are worth studying before creating your own, and most respond well to small tweaks. One of the quickest ways to discover new sounds is simply to switch an existing preset to a different oscillator engine. Likewise, pressing the Panel button lets you hear the preset using your current knob positions, effectively giving you a "what you see is what you get" mode where the sound reflects the physical controls rather than the stored values. The touch-sensitive keyboard allows rhythmic effects, slides and expressive glissandos that aren't possible on conventional keys. There is a slight learning curve: lift unused fingers clear of the keybed, as even a light brush can trigger a note. Likewise, when playing black keys, keep your finger centred, as touching a neighbouring white key can trigger it as well. You'll soon discover that using just your fingertips, or deliberately increasing finger contact, produces expressive aftertouch effects for timbral and modulation changes. Physical size • 30.5 cm wide • 23.3 cm deep • Mono output • MIDI DIN adaptor cables included Mine arrived with Version 4 firmware, so it's worth checking which version yours has. If you want the four sample-based oscillator engines introduced in Version 5, you'll need to install Arturia's MIDI Control Center, update the firmware, then load the Version 5 factory presets and accompanying sample library. One small limitation I found is that I couldn't save individual edited presets directly to my computer; instead, the software saves the entire preset collection as a project. On the plus side, this makes reorganising presets for live performance straightforward: simply rearrange them within the project and send the whole bank back to the MicroFreak. Firmware Version 5 also expands storage to 512 presets. Visually, I found the panel text rather small and somewhat lacking in contrast, particularly for older users or anyone with reduced eyesight. A small magnifier is useful until you become familiar with the layout. It's also worth noting that the LEDs cannot be dimmed, and in low-light conditions their brightness can obscure some of the nearby panel text, especially around the Mod Matrix. On the positive side, the coloured encoder caps make navigation much easier than an all-black control panel would have. The sequencer's small buttons, subtle icons and low contrast also take a little getting used to. Once learned, however, it's surprisingly capable. It offers two pattern lanes (up to 64 steps each), supports both step and live recording, and provides four automation lanes for recording filter sweeps and other modulation changes. You can even record automation without recording notes, allowing the sequencer to animate parameters while you play the keyboard live. Overall, the MicroFreak rewards curiosity. It can certainly produce the unusual and experimental sounds it's famous for, but it also excels at surprisingly rich analogue-style textures, making it much more versatile than its appearance initially suggests.

After a lot of YouTube videos and reading online I purchased this to integrate into my dawless setup. Fantastic palette of sounds and latest firmware gives a vocoder. If you’re starting out this is very approachable, if you are experienced, the mod matrix alone will blow your mind. The granular and wavetables guarantee your wife will be sending you emails asking where you are. Only criticism is patch storage out of box - there aren’t groups of sounds that compliment, you go from vocoder to sequence to bass in two clicks. Buchla keyboard very expressive with after touch - I’m using the Microfreak outboard of keystep pro so don’t use it much but it does add a neat effect. Right after buying this you’ll be looking for some type of delay / reverb - stock sound is a bit flat but still liveable …. But reverb is like bacon…. Onboard sequencer is meh if you already have one, but is functional. ARP and HOLD are excellent. Highly recommend!!

Lmad/crazy sounds, gets freaky..