Arturia - MicroFreak Synthesizer Keyboard - 25-Key Hybrid Synth with PCB Keyboard, Wavetable & Digital Oscillators, Analog Filters Blue

Product Information

For us, though, the USP is the Chords oscillator, which outputs a four-voice chord. The Wave knob is used to choose one of 11 chords, the Timbre knob switches the current inversion, and Shape scans through a host of waveform shapes. The hybrid nature of the MicroFreak Stellar allows you to blend digital sound engines with a resonant analogue filter inspired by the classic Oberheim SEM. Experiment with low-pass, band-pass and high-pass modes to make your synth sounds whisper, scream and launch into self-oscillating orbit. Complex Sound Design Possibilities Mechanical things, electronic firmware, the code that is inside the instrument, all of these things are being developed (now). We still have a lot of interactions with the development team at that point but then once we have working prototypes where we can start to test the features, press some buttons and things happen, then there’s a whole phase for us product managers to evaluate whether the instrument makes sense now that we can finally have it in our hands. The Arturia MicroFreak Stellar Hybrid Synthesizer is a limited edition, space-age inspired version of the popular MicroFreak. With its distinctive grey exterior and unique cosmic graphics, this desktop synth is not just visually striking, but also features an exciting new firmware with four additional sampling and granular sound engines.

a b Rogerson, Ben (2020-08-25). "Arturia releases MicroFreak Vocoder Edition, and there's a pleasant surprise for owners of the original synth, too". MusicRadar . Retrieved 2022-10-25. Wavetable – a method of synthesis where the waveform transitions through a table of different waveforms, But filter here is analog. Some oscillator modes have features, what making filter not so important to use with them, but the filter is real cool, it's work smooth and sometimes making sound "warmer". The lovable oddball of the Arturia range, this brilliant hybrid synth combines versatile wavetable and digital oscillators with analogue filters. Touch keyboard gives uniquely expressive control.

The MicroFreak is a synthesizer manufactured by French music technology company Arturia and released in 2019. [1] Described as a "Hybrid Experimental Synthesizer", it uses 18 digital sound engines (algorithms) to synthesize raw tones. [2] This digital oscillator is then fed into a multi-mode analog filter, giving the MicroFreak its hybrid sounds. As well as the pseudo-dual‑oscillator Virtual Analogue model, there's a wavefolding/shaping triangle for West Coast flavour. In a more traditionally digital vein there's a two‑operator FM model, and a granular formant synth. The Chord synth is lots of fun, generating 12 different one-finger chords which can be progressively transposed and inverted (great for anything from textured washes to bouncy chip‑tune sequences). Speech is an old-school speech synthesizer based on classic 8-bit speech synth systems like the Texas Instruments Speak & Spell. This has several modes with different sets of vocal sounds and words, a parameter to scan through the sounds, and control of formant. It works slightly differently to the original Plaits equivalent, in that the words are always played in full and a single knob affects both formant and speed. In Plaits you can actually scan through the words.

This update, plus ALL the of previous updates (see Vocoder & Noise Engineering oscillators etc.) cement the MicroFreak as one of the most interesting, powerful and flexible synthesizers on the market, whilst maintaining excellent value for money.You can also use its USB, MIDI, and CV outputs to control instruments in your DAW and modular synths. This also means that you can also use MicroFreak as a controller to experience polyphonic aftertouch with cutting edge software instruments. Key features I love the keyboard. In some ways not so good as "traditional" keyboard, but i'm, as pianist, don't feel conservative negativity about this sensor decision, it's just different way to play. Finally, to take full advantage of the update, you should also send the new Factory preset from V5 to your MicroFreak. Added sample and grain engines, 128 more preset slots, and a sample and hold mode for keybed modulation. The Stellar edition released with this firmware. [3]

The MicroFreak's digital oscillator has 12 different algorithms, providing a huge range of sonic raw materials. The oscillator routes into an analogue filter and VCA then out into the world. There are no effects except for a chorus built into a couple of the algorithms. We'll look at modulation in more detail, but the spec is one main envelope, an LFO, a function generator that can be used as another envelope or LFO, and a detailed mod matrix. For me it's comfortably and fun to use. And it's really expressive. I'm sure, this flat keys better, then cheap keys with bad velocity control or without it. Physical modelling, wavetable synthesis, virtual analogue, there is nothing as complete and exciting as the MicroFreak oscillator on the market. It's hard to believe from such a small synth, but here it is, ready for you to explore. Excite your creativity and reward your curiosity with a large, diverse sound palette. MicroFreak features 11 awesome oscillators, 4 bespoke Arturia engines, and 7 modes from our friends at Mutable Instruments. While it can be fun to play with yourself, things can get more exciting when there’s two. We love to collaborate, so we’re excited to bring you the first collaboration between Arturia and acclaimed modular synth pioneers Mutable Instruments. Among the multiple modes of MicroFreak’s synth engine, you’ll be able to select the much-loved Plaits oscillator and with added paraphony. No Built in Effects. A simple Reverb, Chorus or Delay would be nice but again no big deal for me, I feed it into my ZOOM MultiStomp Effects Box like I do my other Analog Synths that do not have any built effects.

Free MicroFreak Presets

Choosing and adjusting the core sound model for a patch is done with the four orange encoders in the Digital Oscillator section. The first, Type, selects the algorithm. The other three, Wave, Timbre and Shape, are named fairly arbitrarily as they alter the sound in different ways depending on the Type. Connect the MicroFreak to your computer and make sure the firmware is up-to-date. If your firmware is out-of-date, update itbefore moving forward. Moreover it has built in sequencer, that lets you to use it either as a step sequencer or record in real time. There's also a possibility of randomising sequences via slice and dice function.

Arturia made available user installable firmware updates for the MicroFreak with additional features and improvements in the years after the original release. [8] [9] As an example, the first and most simple Type is Basic Waves. In this algorithm the Wave encoder morphs between a square and sawtooth wave, the Timbre adjusts symmetry (providing pulse‑width modulation), and the Shape knob mixes in a sub‑oscillator. (For a more classic monosynth sound there's the Virtual Analogue algorithm from Plaits — more on that in a moment.) The MicroFreak can connect to any MIDI-capable device using a ⅛” to 5-pin MIDI adapter. Depending on how you connect the devices, you will need to change the MIDI settings in Utilitymode or the Devicetab of MIDI Control Center. Trigger sounds of an external device on the MicroFreak Microfreak does not have its own effects. Some patches obtaining good without it. But If use third party effects, sonic possibilities and power increasing a lot. With tons of excellent, affordable analogue synths to choose from (not least Arturia's own MiniBrute and MicroBrute) I for one have been keen to see something different. The MicroFreak is a clever idea. Take a multi-algorithmic DSP sound engine, like Mutable Instruments' Plaits or Braids modules or Teenage Engineering's OP‑1/OP‑Z, and build it into a classic‑style synth like the MicroBrute.USB Powering for many people has been unpredictable causing different issues but using the included power supply solves this problem, so why not just use it!. After long researching of some variants, microfreak had becomes my choice. I had bunch of fears and skepticism about it, but price of the synth is a very tasty. Features I love - versatility, cycling envelope, matrix, arp and seq, and so many great things under a hub of this little beast.