Arturia’s MiniFreak is a weird-but-powerful digital synth at an amazing worth | Engadget

When folks ask what their ought to be, I usually suggest Arturia’s . Unless you completely have your coronary heart set on an analog instrument, I feel it affords essentially the most versatility and the most effective bang to your buck. It has over a dozen completely different synth engines, an analog multimode filter, a mod matrix for placing collectively advanced patches, plus it’s with new options. Sure, it wants the help of exterior results to actually and its touchplate keyboard is a bit controversial, however there’s no denying it affords rather a lot 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 worth. That places it proper up towards different choices just like the ($599) and the Korg Minilogue ($530). But, as is normally the case with music gear, there’s nobody proper selection right here. So let’s discover who would possibly need the MiniFreak and why.

If you’re in any respect conversant in the MicroFreak, then you have already got a fairly good thought of what to anticipate right here – simply larger and extra advanced. The oscillators on the MiniFreak are the identical, simply now there are two per voice so your pads could be a little thicker. And you’ll be able to add some evolution by layering two completely different engines – say for some upfront punch, and a digital analog voice that is available in after.

Just like 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 can coax some first rate heat and instability out of it, however it’s decidedly digital. For some, that is perhaps a deal breaker – these persons are frankly flawed and lacking out. But, if you happen to’re 100-percent satisfied solely analog will do, be happy to bail out now.

The multi-engine synth core of the MiniFreak is extremely versatile, protecting all the things from fundamental FM, to Karplus-Strong string modeling, to vocal synthesis and rave-ready superwaves. There are a few notable omissions from the MicroFreak although, that may hopefully make their approach over in a firmware replace. As of now there isn’t a vocoder or customized wavetables obtainable on the MiniFreak.

That being stated, it may 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 need to 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 in addition a fairly stable results processor. You may simply join a Moog, a guitar, or perhaps a microphone and create solely new textures that weren’t potential earlier than. You can go fully 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!

The digital engine does have its strengths and weaknesses. It can deal with bass and leads simply effective, however it actually shines on keys, plucks and weirdo sound results. The MicroFreak was a satisfactory pad machine, however 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 considered one of its sturdy fits. It can get somewhat muddy at decrease frequencies, however typically it sounds nice, particularly in case your tastes err in direction of chilly and gritty textures.

The new digital results part actually helps full the bundle. Whereas the MicroFreak usually sounded somewhat lonely with out some exterior results, its massive sibling is ready to create thick epic atmospheres proper out of the field. There are three unbiased impact slots, with 10 results to select from together with a number of reverb varieties, a number of distortion types, refrain and compression.

In common Arturia performs issues fairly conservative right here, sticking to bread and butter results. You received’t discover loopy pitch shifting delays or tremendous sparkly reverb. But that’s okay. My one want is that there was some form of equal to the lo-fi impact discovered on the Hydrasynth. You can create one thing related 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.