Arturia Microfreak | An excellent modular companion
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 เม.ย. 2024
- It's not easy to find a touch capacitive keyboard for Eurorack. I tried the Verbos and ultimately ended up with the Buchla Corvette 218e which also has a strong nostalgic value. I completely overlooked the Microfreak even though @mylarmelodies made an excellent video about it while recreating an Easel. I've been familiar with the Microfreak since its release, but didn't pay much attention to it when I found out it's a bit like a paraphonic Plaits. Then Noise Engineering contributed to it with three eclectic voices, also paraphonic. And recently they added samples and granular synthesis to the endless list of features. So the Freak isn't really 'micro' anymore. It's stellar.
I got myself a Freak because I wanted to find out if these keys were on par with the Buchla. The good news (for me), is that the Buchla is still a few decades ahead, because Arturia was clearly inspired by the older model with elevated 'black' keys. So objectively, the Freak doesn't 'ultraglide'. The good news (for all of us) is that the difference is marginal, considering that the Freak comes with a really, really nice synth. Bottomline: the Freak is a great addition to any modular setup. But it doesn't end there. If you happen to like granular synthesis and looping, it's an excellent source for grains, loops, stacks and sample mangling and when you recorded something cool, you can play it with pressure, gates and pitch CV.
I'll keep the Freak close to my Instruo case because it lacks a proper sequencer. Here, the Freak ticks all the boxes that were left open. - เพลง
The sonic textures you create are out of this world!! Truly inspirational! This video makes me want to get my microfreak out and hook it up to my modular system again!! Thank you for all of your video!! Just amazing!! 🙂💜
Love your work! Subscribed! And thanks for your comment!
The same 😮😮
Oh those golden grains. Hearing this dredges handfuls of seller’s regret for having sold my MicroFreak. The granular and sample updates sound tempting. I traded for a new Subharmonicon and thought I would be happier. Alas, my GAS drives me to the promise of the shiny and new. Gotta take time to fully learn what I have.
The Microfreak, with its avant-garde design and innovative sonic capabilities, emerges as a beacon of creativity in the realm of hardware synthesizers. Its multifaceted features and unparalleled versatility beckon exploration and experimentation, offering boundless possibilities for musical expression. As I delve deeper into its intricate synthesis engine and dynamic performance controls, I find myself continually inspired by its ability to push the boundaries of sound design. With heartfelt appreciation, I extend my gratitude for the profound impact it has had on my musical journey, compelling me to delve deeper into its sonic tapestry and unlock new realms of artistic expression.
Wow, you have a way with words, almost poetic. Also cool to see the effect of music on our wellbeing.
@@CinematicLaboratory Music serves as my preferred elixir, an indispensable tonic for the psyche. Devoid of its melodic embrace, I conjecture my mental landscape would languish, adrift in a vast expanse devoid of grounding and resonance, a cyclical oscillation between rootedness and transcendence.
your videos are absolute works of art!!!
Beautiful as always.I have a freak and it's pure joy to use.
Great video! Those microfreak tones are stunning. What a treat to see your instruo system in action. That is in my opinion the most aesthetically pleasing synth design of all- like a living, breathing piece of art, every single module!
Totally agree! The Instruo case is a wonderful sight, even when it's off.
Just as I wanted to comment (again) on the beauty of your video you show us the bonus, and I find out you are only human too. Just a more artistic and precise human than most.
I am far from precise :) ..and not 100% sure if I am human.
@@CinematicLaboratory 😄
Nice to see that this worked out!
I guessed he’d get along with it just fine…
I find it very interesting to mix multiple synthesizers together at the same time, I also often do it in my productions... the result is crazy!
Yes! Awesome! I have been using the Freak as a controller for my modular and I also use it to clock my system from my DAW and vise versa!
I got my MFreak last week.
I'm so inspired now.
Great work always! This has been on my list ever since i bought my first module and this video has made my decision easy. Buying it tomorrow! I cant wait to pair it with my 0-Coast and Mutable modules. Thanks for all the fantastic content. Hope your new studio is working well for you.
Thanks for sharing! I absolutely love that little machine! You'll not going to regret it!
@@CinematicLaboratory so excited!
Amazingly Bazingas!
It's one of my go-to CV/gate controllers. I often find I double up a module's voice with that Microfreak voice. I prefer the keyboard to "press" keyboards for modular. Thanks for another great video.
The MicroFreak is an almost indecently nice piece of hardware: sweet on your wallet and your hands and ears. I love it. I still have to dive deeper in the new firmware, though, and this new video of yours and the ones about the capacitive keyboard of late are really the best excuse. Fabulous tones and textures, as always. Great work!!
Thanks!
You gotta be a filmmaker as well as a musician. Such nice videos
Thanks and yes, those skills come in handy. But I am not a pro, just a mad scientist.
To make it easier to glide my finger across my microfreak I took one of my fingernail files and rounded the sharp edges off the the black keys. It works perfectly without harming the keys.
What an excellent idea. Thanks for sharing!
Good advice re the mod cv output- I’ve always underused that, but as you’ve just hinted, it’s just cv and can be sent anywhere. Thanks!
*And* you've got the Stellar edition, which is so pretty! I've got the OG, which lacks the je ne sais quois of the Stellar or Vocoder editions, buts gets the job done, quois or no quois.
Merci beaucoup!
I bought my Microfreak just before I started with modular. I never used it that much - which was a big mistake as I see now. Get to change it 😁!
So happy to read this video inspired you!
I’ve got a microfreak recently but haven’t gave it the attention it deserves. It’s definitely a workhorse, but too much preset is sometime a trap. Its small size and many cv are great for me, I can have the freak+ o-ctrl and Strega in front of the rack. It’s just that it’s nos as immediate as the other instruments and I get distracted to dive deeper!
I am thinking about making a small selection of presets and keep the originals as a backup.
I remember as this synth came out around 2018 if I’m not mistaken, i bought it right away. It was so damn buggy… I just wanted to throw It out of the window. In the early days you wasn’t even able to update this synth with a mac. I still have the email response from arturia who told me to find a pc for updating the device 😆😆 somehow I kept this synth, in the mean time it’s really one of my fav synths of all times.
Thanks for sharing. It's stil a bit awkward from the PC side and very slow while updating over USB.
About your focusing .. some airbrush artists specialize in elevated masks .. so that all the edges have a consistent blur. It can have a very nice look, to itself.
That piece of video was really beyond repair :).
@@CinematicLaboratory It's like routing something over to Blades, .. versus not .. sorry, that's the only example that I've experienced, 1st hand ..
Great little synth. If you don't have keyboard issues..... "your skin is too dry", "the power outlet is not good", "electrical interference from the closest black hole". The amount of excuses they come up with for a faulty product is next level.
Great video though :)
You're so right. I had my share of issues with capacitive 'keys' and several completely unusable modules. My 0-CTRL also showed erratic behavior. However, since I replaced my power lines from the 1950's and added ground they work well. My old MakeNoise Rene never worked on it - still doesnt - but the Rene V2 always worked fine. The Microfreak works fine here. So it seems to me, some manufacturers don't check if their products work on ungrounded mains (and kind of make it your problem). I'd like to mention Buchla, their keyboard has a ground connector and it comes with a wristband to ground the keys to your body/feet. It's not ideal, but at least they have the 1970's experience of a design that should always work. Even near black holes.
@@CinematicLaboratory Oh man.... hahah just wild. Sooo my Microfreak works perfectly.... when not anywhere near my laptop. "electromagnetic interference"
Great little synth otherwise :(
Lushness
god forbid you explain the patch ever considering no one is here for a video tutorial. come to think of it you never do. unfollowedZ
I think that's a good decision.