Why all the hype about the Arturia MicroFreak?

I got a used Microfreak today. I am a guitarist and I can't wait to send it through my pedals and see what I can do with this little synth. Thanks for this video.

At any point, pressing thrice on the preset knob leads you to a blank page. It's an interesting way to start building.

I sold it a couple of months after I bought it, everything is great about it except its sound, boring plastic sound like a cheap children's synthesizer, sorry if I offended anyone

While you may not find the presents all that pleasing...they can be instructional in that you can view the mod matrix and determine how they were created...useful learning tool

I have a micro freak sitting on a shelf and I got the mini freak V and really regret buying it.

It’s my favorite synth for sure. To me, it behaves more like an acoustic instrument than any of my others. Make sure to lick your finger tips periodically to get the most out of the keyboard!

I never got why some people complained about the keyboard. A synth in that price category would get a very mediocre keyboard. Instead you get something that opens up new possibilities in how you shape the sounds. Getting a decent midi keyboard is easy and not very expensive. Buying something like the MicroFreak keyboard separately isn't as easy, especially for the price you pay for the whole unit.
I love that keyboard.

Regarding the odd sounding patches, I see those more as a way to study how they managed to create that sound. Dive into the matrix and see what they combined, and in the process learn something you perhaps hadn't thought of before.

Cheers!

Not multi timbral and no effects , no thanks

Does the minifreak do everything the micro freak does and MORE?

Nice video... the preset packs for it from Ultimate Patches makes this synth a lot more fun and useable. Biggest frustration I have is the display and how difficult it is to navigate presets.

I agree, not being able to assign the ribbon for other parameters is one of the weakest points. I do hope it will come in a firmware update.

Great video. Can that aftertouch movements be recorded in sequencer?

“[keyboard Very original very unique” Actually the keyboard can be found on a 1973 Buchla as well 😂

Excellent, now I understand better what a real experience with the MF is. Thanx! All my best wishes!

Should have got a MiniFreak. It’s better is many ways.

I love your cave 🔥

right on so helpful and well done

Love it. Your talk videos are so good!! Excellent look at the Microfreak.

I use it all the time as my main synth , couple it up with the mod dwarf adds beautiful effects to it . Its also great for taking to gigs as its light .

Holy smoke! You getting a lot of response. Sure it will get way way more. Your context is just like nothing else. It shows your years of experience by hands on work and experimenting.

Nice review.

IMHO MiniFreak was a mistake. They should stick to MicroFreak 's design and expand it. But Arturia just removed these great " buchla-style keys" and put that cheapo toyish keys which can be excused for Keystep but not here!
Also my ears tells me that MicroFreak 's filter sounds way better than MiniFreak 's. In the MiniFreak version it sounds almost like a usual VST plugin. Maybe I'm wrong, correct me then.

I didn't buy it. 🤓

I was so hyped on it I sold it like two years ago. I was never impressed by the sonics of this one, even with good effects. Hell of a lot of fun to play - love the arpeggiator and the keys are really expressive, but It never really did anything for me I couldn't get out of Surge XT, Serum etc.

I agree the factory patches left alot to be desired, i felt like many of them are the literal UNSWEET spot of how I would like a paticular patch. That in turn encourages tweaking where people explore its very straightforward interface. I borrowed one for a month from friend and loved it so much i bought a minifreak only to return the minifreak in a week. I actually preferred the micro to the mini despite its significantly more limited polyphony.

I just saw a used one for 249+ tax in canada, if i didnt already have one i would have picked it up. Fun synth, my only issue is that arturia should up the polyphony to 6 voices in a firmware update, i dont want a minifreak at all, just a 6 voice microfreak.

An excellent and characteristically thoughtful look at the Microfreak. Appreciate the SOUNDS I HATE segment- far too often reviewers will cherry pick only the good stuff. Thanks Will!

this thing rules its my first "real" synth. I've been using it as a drum machine by modulating the sample files with the keys, then programming it into the sequencer.

Love mine. Really want a minifreak now, as it's so nice to play just as a keyboard, and I want more than two octaves.

I love mine. It is the best first synth because it's so versatile. You start playing with it, and find what you're into. You're always using the FM engine? Well your second synth could be something FM based with way more capability and depth. You keep making bass sounds? Maybe get a Moog for a second synth, and so on.
And absolutely combine it with effects!

are you splitting the mono output to stereo? because the presets sound like they are missing stereo field information. The effects on the micro freak presets may add stereo info. The presets might sound much better in stereo (Mono TRS to Stereo TRS)

I have the mini freak and i LOVE it. It is a stereo synth and has a traditional keybed and a mod wheel

Most of those drawbacks are eliminated by the Minifreak

You hit the nail in the head when you explain the rationale behind no FX. Even Trentemoller has a MF video and he showcases it with a bunch of FX pedals. I was like, no, the magic of this piece is not about that.

The mouth noises sound like this is supposed to be some kind of asmr

The patch bay alone, is very powerful, and unique.
Use a Zoom Multi Stomp pedal with it, and you are set.

Well, because it is an awesome synth. Love it so much, I bought two ⚡🎹⚡

Does the microfreak have both velocity sensitivity and the capacitive touch? I have one, but didn't realize there was velocity sensitivity.

The Microfreak was my first step into synthesized music, and it was the gateway into electronic music for me. I absolutely love it.

I have some incredible synths (Hydrasynth, Pro3, Moog, etc), and a whole lineup of Rolands, but the very last synth I’d get rid of would be the MicroFreak. One thing I did do, though, is get it skinned with a “Moog Inspired” overlay that took care of my visual confusion and made the matrix much easier to use as everything is color-coded. BTW, if you haven’t done so, do make sure you have the latest firmware installed (along with the new generation of presets) as new functionality is being added with each version.

Hey Will, I was thinking exactly the same thing for years about the pitch strip limitation for sending MIDI out. Thanks to you mentioning it, I did a quick search and found a Reddit post showing that in sequencer mode, when Spice (but I guess Dice too) are enabled, the pitch strip sends CC2 (mod wheel). Nice!

You're absolutely right, Can you dig it,skinny puppy

Im gonna get one as my first synth, I had a dream about one last night so I think the decision is made! I have some outboard reverb and delay already so this should be fine, I cannot wait to try the sampler as well. But the thing that really sold me over a Behringer Model d or pro-1 or a monologue or Roland boutique, all of which are to be had for around the same price is the sequencer and keyboard along with the multi functionality and updates.

Sold mine after a couple of years because the sounds were meh. Love the form factor and control design.

I bought my microfreak at a Music Go Round store in Duluth MN 18 months ago for $250. Once I convinced Arturia that I'm its new rightful owner, I was able to update to Ver. 5 which, btw, didn't make it any easier for me to figure out this deceptively simple-looking instrument. 😵‍💫😵‍💫 Anyone getting one of these and later are disappointed over its not having effects: well, ADD SOME! 😀😆

My first and only synth(for now). Way more funny to play than to listen it, yet still no regrets on buying it

All the MicroFreaks on the second-hand market come from people who own no good effects pedals or DAW effects. Great talk, Sir!

I have the minifreak. What I think is a big pity is that while the minifreak has fx and polyphony, the samples still haven’t been ported over, so no granular. Also: the filter seems pretty tame, I can hardly use it unless I add a compressor as fx afterwards, there is no filter drive. And while the minifreak is stereo, it becomes only stereo through the fx, there is no oscillator panning. It would be lice if Arturia made a big freak, a non budget non compromised addition to the freak line.

Hello Will!
I actually owned one of those back in time when they first came out, But I was completely disappointed by the very low quality of the sound. So I bring it back the same week.Yes it offers lots of fun to play and explore but the sound is HORRIBLE to me!

Will - As someone who remembers playing the Emax, the Wavestation, the M1, and the D-50 back when they were released when we used to have local music stores, we knew how important good presets were. The first patch upon powering up an instrument was that chance to get your attention. The next few patches were meant to inspire you to show you that you could make music with that board. I had that experience with the Hydrasynth when I played it at Knobcon in 2019. I know that you're a fan of the Access Virus instruments. (I have a TI2 Desktop.) The Virus has an absurd number of impressive presets that will blow you away. I was really impressed with many of the original presets on the Novation Summit as well. (And you mentioned built-in effects - the Virus and the Summit have some spectacular effects.)

Yet many synths use their presets more to show the functions of an instrument and that potential instead of showcasing useful patches for composition. I think many of the presets on the MicroFreak fall into that category. I got my MicroFreak when it came out for the original price of $299. Since all the upgrades have been free, that turned out to be a pretty impressive investment. My first thought upon pulling it out of the box was that if felt cheap and like a toy. I was truly disappointed holding it in my hands. However, it quickly won me over when I plugged it in and began to explore its sonic palate. Many of those open source Mutable Instruments oscillator engines are exceptional! I already had a MatrixBrute (and I still do). As spoiled as I was with the modulation matrix on that extraordinary instrument, I was blown away with how effective and easy to use the matrix implementation was on the MiniFreak. Turning the knob to select which row/column for your modulation route and then clicking the same knob to access the negative or positive modulation amount was truly brilliant and refreshingly simple to use.

Finally, I have to commend Arturia for the use of the analog SEM style filter. For such a tiny instrument, they packed a tremendous amount of power and versatility in that little board. Heck, one of the things that first drew me to it was the contact keyboard. I was looking for something that could provide me an interesting way to engage with my newly-built Eurorack modular system and looking at a similar touch panel solution from Make Noise would have cost me much more and wouldn't have had a sound engine let alone an analog filter. This little instrument fills several needs and, as you so aptly stated, it INSPIRES!

Always a delight to see you post another video. Keep up the great work!
Peace.