When it first came out, the Microbrute was practically a no-brainer for anyone who wanted a cheap, compact analog synth. Its oscillator structure is similar to that of the SH-101, in which you can combine square, triangle, sawtooth, and suboscillator together, with the Microbrute giving you some extra tweaking of each type. The Supersaw, for instance, is kinda cool because it gives the saw wave a sort of "detuned oscillators" sound, making the single oscillator sound... well, like more than a single oscillator. Likewise it has the ability to mix in a fifth which is an awesome trick for a single-oscillator synth. It can make lots of sounds that belie its small stature! I think it's also an excellent starter synth, as it's easy to use, with a very nice layout, but gets more complex the more you dig into it. On the surface level, this can seem like a very boring synth, but the more you learn about it, the more it surprises you. Even the simple little patch panel is enough to open up a number of options with how you make sounds with it. No doubt one of the biggest complaints will be with the oscillator and filter, which everyone loves to complain about on Arturia synths, until they hear someone use them properly. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't make Moog sounds and it can be harsh at times, but I'm just not an oscillator or filter snob, and I don't buy a Microbrute expecting to get Moog Grandmother sounds out of it. I expect a Microbrute to be... well, a Microbrute! And that's an apt name for this thing. This little thing can sound very gnarly! For anyone that has one of these and wants to learn more about it, I highly recommend Marc Doty's 6-part dive into the Microbrute. I learned quite a few things about it by watching. It can be found here: th-cam.com/video/3R_b2f74uZE/w-d-xo.html Great video! The Microbrute isn't my favorite synth that I own, but it's one I'll never get rid of, in part because it's a lot of fun to just pick up and play with. I like to think of little ones like this as a sort of "scratchpad synth," something you can play around with to work out song ideas before taking a seat in front of a larger, more complicated synth.
@@ToyKeeper Yeah, it's cheap enough that it's worth keeping for its fairly unique sound alone, even if that's not the sound you always want. Personally, I have an affinity for synths like this that force you to remember how the various knobs affect the sound. To me, that's where the relatively simple layout turns into a benefit on the Microbrute. There aren't a thousand settings to remember. I believe it even came with some blank templates to keep track of your favorite sounds?
I got the transparent red one, looks like an old PS2 or N64 controller where you can see the circuits inside.... even more reason that I don't think I'll part with mine, in case I could only find the grey one again down the line haha
Microbrute SHOULD NOT appear here, there is literally nothing bad about it, on the contrary, it’s a classic. He’s trolling for clicks but definitely owes Arturia and his subscribers an apology.
Didn’t know the Romans had synths - the MinimeBrutus. Arturia copied that. This is why I love this channel - it’s entertaining, relaxing and educational. The way television was meant to be.
@@AudioPilz You're welcome. Minime is one of the very few words I still remember from Latin classes I took in 1979. 🙂 It's nice to finally put that education to good use! 😂
I am now officially addicted to your videos. They are hilarious! I love that you stick to the exact same formula for each video. Probably some of the most entertaining, honest and to the point synth review videos out there. Keep it up!
Love the Micro - I think people forget it came out in a pre-Clone-The-Planet Behringer world. For the price, simple mono, midi-to-cv, mini seq, different flavour of filter... it was killer!
If not for Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals right now, the Microbrute would still be the best thing available at $250. Because everything else is now $100 over MSRP (Monologues at $399, Microfreak at $349, even the Minilogue XD went up to over $700) and there's NOTHING analog with keys available for $250 anymore. Thomann has some really good deals going on right now (Korg Monologue for $229? What?!). Don't browse their synths if you're trying to keep your wallet tight! As it is, I had to buy the Behringer Odyssey from Amazon because $399 is a stupid good price.
@@rars0n I picked up the microfreak and the neutron for 260 euros each approximately from thomann ; I don't remember they were in sale; so they did went up in price. must be linked to the chip shortage. although the microfreak did increase a bit in value thanks to the noise engineering algorithms (honestly my favorites)
@@valdir7426 Yeah I think between the chip shortages and the pandemic, prices in general have gone up quite a bit. The Microfreak seems to be retailing for about $350 now. I remember Guitar Center had it on sale not long after release for $225. I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on that! But you're right, synths like the Microfreak do tend to creep up a little in price over time and stay there. The Bass Station II is now solidly above $400 and that's another synth that has received meaningful updates long after launch. That's why I appreciate companies like Arturia and Novation for supporting their products!
Ah! The MicroBrute... It was my first all analog synth and i loved it. It also helped me through a stay in a hospital. 🙂 Sadly, i had to sell it, cause i needed some money not long after these 6 weeks in hospital... And that "nod of approval" after the last shoutout made me laugh more than it probably should. 😂 Nicely done!
Ha! I literally have videos of me playing my brute confined to a hospital bed (for 6 months 🤢) on TH-cam. At 3 o'clock in the morning. I still have mine though.
this was my first synth! it was a gift from my dad and it completely changed the way i thought about music and made it possible for me to explore the types of music production i do now, and for that im super grateful to it, and i still use it in my music from time to time since its the only analog synth i have
_kicks door in_ I have returned! Back at school we were taught subtractive synthesis on an EMS VCS3 and Roland System 100m It was 1995. I fell in love with modular synthesis and then resigned myself to never being able to raise the 5 figure sums required to buy my own VCS3. Then Arturia made this. And it was good. I even now have the tascam 8 track we were taught on too. Sort of (Portastudio! 😂)
Mein Vater ist vor 3Tagen gestorben und du bist seitdem das einzige was wieder etwas normales für mich ist das ich genießen kann..... Danke für dein Format!!♥️
This was the first synth I ever played, and this is what got me hooked on synthesizers. Now I have a hydrasynth and behringer neutron, which are way more capable, but this little synth will always hold a special place in my heart.
Like many others in the comments, Microbrute was my first synth. I still have mine even though I now own bigger and more complex instruments, I find the Microbrute is just fun to sit down and have impromptu jam sessions and requires very little set up to sound good. It is very easy to set up and start using because of its simplicity. I don't think I will ever get rid of mine.
I love my MicroBrute, no thanks for adding yet another piece of gear in the collection. With its nice MIDI feaures, it is a far underused, powerful synth for heavy Bass lines.
WE love all your reviews. We are mostly used to listening to older warmer Analog sounds. And yet, this little device of eldritch power seems to contain great evil. We will keep our eyes open for one of these. Thank you once again.
Always great to hear the texture of Arturia analog synthesizers. I love what chorus and echo do to the different waveforms . I looked for one of these when I bought my Korg Monologue . Glad I went with the monologue instead (arturia stopped making the micro ) . Got Arturia Minibrute 2S years later and the Monologue are very powerful together .
The Microbrute was my second synth after the Alesis Micron. It's a wonderful learning tool. These days I mostly lend mine out to people I'm hoping will get addicted to analog synthesis. The sound is what it is--I think of it as electro-punk.
I have a crush on this synth but have never bought one. I love that it is so stripped down and no screens or menus or shift functions. Just a nice seq synth, perfect for in a set up because it is small and does one thing pretty good.
My Microbrute has gotten me from some very dark times and it's the synthesizer I brought with me to New Mexico when I had to live with my aunt for a month
This is hysterical, Happy Friday! I'm in session with my Microbrute right now 😂 My Microbrute was my first Analog synth. It infected me with bad GAS. Cheers brother!
My first hardware synth! I was such a noob that I thought the only way to get staccato notes was to shorten the gate length :D It was perfect for learning. I eventually sold mine as I find that Arturia has a wiry tonal quality that I don't love. But they're still great synths.
I was using 100% software for 15 years when my MIDI controller died, and I bought a Microbrute to replace it. I loved it and it wound up being my gateway drug into modular. Now I've got a Minibrute 2S and a Microfreak instead (plus the modular).
“aaaaAAAAAAAH THE FRENCH!” Florian, LOVE this show and look forward to it every week. Musical and technical commentary, writing, production/editing, all top notch. If I had one wish, it would be for you to leave the memery on the screen just a little longer so I could join in on 50% more of the fun. As to this episode, excellent once again, but I must admit I kind of zoned-out on the ending; once I got a glimpse of Barney, I was too terrified to hear anything else you said...
My first synth. Have owned it for over 5 years, but mostly it just gathers dust and blames me silently for not using it more. Every six months I'm selling it, but something keeps it with me. It's a great tool for beginners. The keyboard is somewhat awful, but it does the job if you got some patience and small fingers.
Always a pleasure to watch your videos. So much "second degree" ! And many times a synth I wanted to get or really had part of my gear once... Keep up man! ✌
was my first synth, really the best analog synth option at the time. Still love it, got into eurorack after that and it was the perfect gateway into synths
My favorite ad for the Microbrute was with Peruvian/Japanese performance artist Pauchi Sasaki, who had the Microbrute wired up to a dress made of speakers, and had a piezo pickup running into the input of the synth. An absolutely bizarre ad, not sure why the conventionally attractive synthrock hipsters didn't like that one.
@@partirparlesarmoires yeah man I did some nasty EBM basslines with it! The Metalizer is awesome or some heavy Analogue-PMW layered with some Microfreak FM pluckyness for Superthick Basslines 🤟🏻🔥
I must love feet like Tarentino because I love my Microbrute! People complain about the tone but run the oscillator levels way too hot- dial it back some, add some external chorus and reverb, and it becomes a dreamy little mono…. Also, for what it is, it does bass REALLY well. I’ve got mine paired with a Neutron and I think it’s an underrated combo…
I love this little synth! It was my first, and I’ve had a great time trying to optimize it these past few years! My favorite trick so far is to plug a noise generator into the input to add more depth!
Did not expect this to appear maybe because I own one myself 😳 But Bravo! Bull‘s-eye absolutely apt! You have uncovered all strengths and weaknesses in a fair manner 👍
Microbrute was amazing. I opened me up to the synth world and I learned so much from it. Have in on a lot of tracks that are out and some did fairly well! Definitely consider it ‘good gear’
Ah! What i forget to say in my older comment: Get yourself one or two of the "Blackmarket Monomult" passive splitters / multiples and a handful of patch cables! This opens up a whole new world on the Micro, as the mod sources can modulate more than one target at a time! A Monomult costs about 5€ to 9€ and a basic set of patch cables run between 10€ to 20€. I use the Monomults with my Eurorack, so i don't have to waste rack space for passive multiples. I can highly recommend those "external" mults for everything involving Eurorack modular gear!
I remember when my younger brother was getting into synthesizers, and he got one of these. He loved it, it seemed like it had the perfect mix of grit and versatility for a beginner. In contrast, my first synth was a MicroKorg and I got scared that every synth was just as menu-divey until I started learning more about them, lol.
Nooooo, not the Microbrute!!! I love this little synth. The Brute Factor ain't my jam but with a little finesse you can coax some real warmth outta this little toy.
Yeah, the metallizer is the really dangerous one. I think the choice of normalling the env control to the metallizer amount was an interesting one, and maybe contributes to the synth's reputation. The filter can really scream without destroying the fundamental of a bass note too though. And despite it being a single oscillator, it's an unusually textural and flexible oscillator which can produce a lot of different tones. The Micro was my first hardware synth, followed by a red Monologue (which also has a filter with a beautiful scream to it, although different too) and after those, once I got to my third which was a Roland System-1, the filter on that just seemed so smooth and sterile and boring. I don't think I'll get rid of the Microbrute. I find the sounds it makes can be very warm and deep, if you avoid pushing everything too hard. It won't do everything, and I think being so dry without any fx or stereo, it can sound "boring" at first compared to other modern synths which include that. The key is how it sounds with fx on a track, and I've used it on many very happily. I really like the Brute Factor, although it's kind of a misnomer imo because it tends to be misleadingly subtle - until it isn't, in the last third of the knob turn. I find I often turn it up to about 9 or 10 o' clock, and it tends to give this sound I think of as kinda "buttery". Dampens the resonance a bit too so you have to drive it harder if you still want the squelch. Idk. I think having the waveshaping, feedback loop, and a dirty filter which is very happy to self oscillate, all right in the immediate signal path can get to a lot of fun, nasty places that can still be used tastefully. Especially fun to run it through an old Mackie mixer for clipping and EQ to taste. I find that complex synths which take a lot of energy and intention to program, I need to be able to save and come back to it, which is my difficulty with modular stuff. I like self contained instruments that feel cohesive. This is in the sweet spot on the complete other end for me, where it's so easy to pick up and make a patch on the fly with just a general idea of what you're going for, makes it so accessible that it's great for coming up with fun bass patches and leads to fill out those aspects of a song. Also great for resampling. It really isn't supposed to be any other synth. I would say the comparison to an SH-101 is apt, even though they really don't sound alike, because they're best at being used for the same kinds of things. But they're like jaguars and cheetahs - they may fill a very similar niche, but they're still very different too. I can see how someone might not be impressed with the capablities or depth of it as an instrument, especially now that the
@@marsensound A nice compliment to your MicroBrute might be a Novation Bass Station (either I or II ) which has a much more traditional architecture and a very smooth, creamy sound. I have a couple of the LittleBits/Korg Synth Kits which are basically the guts of the Monotribe distilled into super-tiny modules. I've used the sequencer and oscillator modules to add functionality to the Microbrute using the patch bay. It really becomes a mini modular system with some pretty wild modulation possibilities. The other trick I love doing with my Microbrute is to play it through a cheap guitar distortion pedal. The pointiness of the Microbrute sound is perfect for driving the pedal and making crazy industrial noises.
I was convinced to buy it by a guy in my local music store when he ran it through some reverb and delay and it sounded epic. I really enjoyed it when I had it, but in the end I moved away from machines without patch storage for live use because it was just such a ball ache to dial in patches on multiple synths at once. The little patch bay was really useful for patching to external stuff.
I loved my microBrute, and used it almost daily, but haven't touched it in over two years. Maybe I should dust it off. It was such a gritty, metal machine. I really liked the sequencer.
I've had mine for three years, it takes time to understand it's little quirks and get the most out of it but i love it so so much, especially when ran through a catalinbread echorec.
I bought one back in 2014'sh...still have it, I think its a great synth, especially for what it cost, I also have a Moog Sub 25, a Korg Prologue 16 and Behringer Poly D and the Microbrute still sounds great next to them. I think it really comes down to the user and their abilities to program it. I just feel like years down the line this is going to be a classic synth that a lot of people slept on. I mainly got it because I was looking for something small I could travel with and this was perfect for me and my other mobile gear at the time. Ill probably buy a couple more synths in the near future but I don't plan on selling my Microbrute any time soon.
Man when this came out and I got my hands on one I was taking audio engineering classes and the first time we swept the filter in the studio, the walls shook. You def need to find sweet spots to not have it sound super aggro, but if you make minimal industrial shit it’s great. When it came out it was the only thing under like 600 that was a real synth and I loved it.
I have/had a lot of the Bad Gear, but this is the first episode that had me clutching my pearls. I love the Microbrute so much that I bought three of them. And then sawed off the keybeds because they're just God awful.
I always loved the Brute oscillator. I thought they would make a cheap 6 voice poly out of it.....low on features, but an affordable analog poly with a simple delay. Never cared for the SP filter that much though.
@@AudioPilz The good magic of the SP is that bass response is not diminished when resonance is in use. I have a minimoog and a minbrute, and after spending some time with them both, I find I prefer the brute for its endless bottom end. The SP doesn't track very well but its close enough. The woofers in my "studio" are useful down to 10hz and the brute has no trouble showing that off.
I've got a Microbrute. I recently got it. It's very musical. It's simple and uncluttered. The sequencer works simply on it. Sometimes simplicity is the key to getting music done. I find it is small enough not to get in the way. It's hands on. Well done Arturia. You have to balance cost vs controls and sound.
In 2015 I was tempted by a korg minilogue and this microbrute, I do not regret having bought the microphone, to this day I use it and I get lost in the textures that it can generate if delays, reverb, echos and the effect chain that you like. I think it would go well with some polyphonic FM synthesis.
4:55 Yes! 👍 IMO any step sequencer that lacks modulation from the keyboard is a Fail so this is good. I know that technically the modulation of analogue step sequencers occurs outside of the sequencer but all digital step sequencers should have it (yes it's yet another one of my gripes about the JP-08).
Got one for $30. The sequencer and lfo weren't working. After a complete disassembly, cleaning, some wd40 on the switches and a complete reassembly it worked perfectly. Think something came loose inside.
Built like a tank. Looks like a tank. Sounds like a tank. Best 300 I ever spent. Mark Doteys review when he highlighted the audio rate LFO into the triangle wave...🔥🔥🔥
Never been a fan of the brute series, but then again, subtractive only synths feel very limiting. Microfreak is the best value you can get out of a synth, their approach to use an analog filter but digital VCOs was very wise in that it gives you far more sound design and creative capability than the brute series but still has some analog character when you push the resonance. Also the semi modular nature of the matrix grid gives you far more modulation potential than anything I’ve seen for 299. I originally bought a minilogue XD due to the digital oscillator and user effects and oscillators but I sold it because I found that there were very few sounds I could create on the minilogue that I couldn’t on the microfreak and there were many sounds on the microfreak that wouldn’t be possible on the minilogue. For people interested in sound design, I think the microfreak is a no brainer, especially if you’ve updated to 4.0.
@@AudioPilz I just soaked them in hand sanitizer and gave them a good rub with a rag and all the rubber came off and they feel just fine. (Look a little marbleized, though)
one of my favorite synths! it's perfectly nasty and can't be beat for grungy wall-of-sound stoner synth jams. pair it with a delay followed by a blues driver and zone out!
Awesome jams again! Best start of the weekend there is :) Love the fact that the little synth can sound harsh within just a few knobtweaks, which is probably a turnoff for most people. Maybe, one day…
I do rather enjoy my Microbrute, but I always found that it sounds extremely sterile. While this might be a flaw when played totally dry, it seems to take to effects *really* well as a result.
This synth is crucial with my modular. I send it gate from a 2hp DIV module so I can speed up or slow down the note rate. The audio from the microbrute goes into the audio in of the Korg ER-1. This lets me play a steady rhythm no matter what the note sequence is doing. Plus I get access to the effects on the ER-1. I send pitch out into a doepfer A-156 QNT. But into the transpose CV in 1/2. So the quantizer is quantizing a sequence but the pitch info from Microbrute is transposing the scales of the quantizer. This makes the Microbrute a bass monster that plays nicely in key with modular and gets the effects from the ER-1. Happy patching!!
I keep coming across these used locally but every time I see one the price is just too high for my tastes. But bad pricing seems to be a theme with a lot of local listings for gear I come across.
@@AudioPilz I think the thing that killed it for me was how poor the cv put works. I just couldn’t get acceptable voltage out, always too much for any reasonable pitch control unfortunately. Fun fact: You can actually disconnect your hard wired mod sources by plugging a single disconnected jacks into the inputs
It's not Friday without Florian. Thanks for being a rock in these uncertain times.
Thanks! have a nice weekend!
@@AudioPilz Bless you Florian, you too
Totally agree.
Btw, I sent the monologue back, now looking for a microbrute..
What's so uncertain?
When it first came out, the Microbrute was practically a no-brainer for anyone who wanted a cheap, compact analog synth. Its oscillator structure is similar to that of the SH-101, in which you can combine square, triangle, sawtooth, and suboscillator together, with the Microbrute giving you some extra tweaking of each type. The Supersaw, for instance, is kinda cool because it gives the saw wave a sort of "detuned oscillators" sound, making the single oscillator sound... well, like more than a single oscillator. Likewise it has the ability to mix in a fifth which is an awesome trick for a single-oscillator synth. It can make lots of sounds that belie its small stature!
I think it's also an excellent starter synth, as it's easy to use, with a very nice layout, but gets more complex the more you dig into it. On the surface level, this can seem like a very boring synth, but the more you learn about it, the more it surprises you. Even the simple little patch panel is enough to open up a number of options with how you make sounds with it.
No doubt one of the biggest complaints will be with the oscillator and filter, which everyone loves to complain about on Arturia synths, until they hear someone use them properly. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't make Moog sounds and it can be harsh at times, but I'm just not an oscillator or filter snob, and I don't buy a Microbrute expecting to get Moog Grandmother sounds out of it. I expect a Microbrute to be... well, a Microbrute! And that's an apt name for this thing. This little thing can sound very gnarly!
For anyone that has one of these and wants to learn more about it, I highly recommend Marc Doty's 6-part dive into the Microbrute. I learned quite a few things about it by watching. It can be found here: th-cam.com/video/3R_b2f74uZE/w-d-xo.html
Great video! The Microbrute isn't my favorite synth that I own, but it's one I'll never get rid of, in part because it's a lot of fun to just pick up and play with. I like to think of little ones like this as a sort of "scratchpad synth," something you can play around with to work out song ideas before taking a seat in front of a larger, more complicated synth.
Thanks! I have to check out Marc Doty's vids
First modular module I bought as an ADSR to use with the microbrute. That patchbay is useful.
I
@@ToyKeeper Yeah, it's cheap enough that it's worth keeping for its fairly unique sound alone, even if that's not the sound you always want.
Personally, I have an affinity for synths like this that force you to remember how the various knobs affect the sound. To me, that's where the relatively simple layout turns into a benefit on the Microbrute. There aren't a thousand settings to remember. I believe it even came with some blank templates to keep track of your favorite sounds?
@@rars0n it did, but i never used them, because you can just take a picture of it.
People dislike this!? It was great for it’s time and it sounds nice. I liked the all white one with the stackable patch cables. I miss mine actually.
I'd like to have one in another color as well!
Stackable/pigtail cables help a lot. The patch Bay is small, but you can get creative.
I got the transparent red one, looks like an old PS2 or N64 controller where you can see the circuits inside.... even more reason that I don't think I'll part with mine, in case I could only find the grey one again down the line haha
People will dislike ANYTHING.
Microbrute is not my jam but I can see why people love it. Didn't expect it to appear here!
I didn't really like it the first time I tried it. Had much more fun with it now
No synth is safe lol
@@SkooterBrother looking forward to the Moog One episode!
@@AudioPilz hehehe , yay, this makes me happy 😁
Microbrute SHOULD NOT appear here, there is literally nothing bad about it, on the contrary, it’s a classic. He’s trolling for clicks but definitely owes Arturia and his subscribers an apology.
Didn’t know the Romans had synths - the MinimeBrutus. Arturia copied that. This is why I love this channel - it’s entertaining, relaxing and educational. The way television was meant to be.
Fun fact: "Minime" is Latin for "Not at all".
Gratias tibi ago.
@@AudioPilz You're welcome. Minime is one of the very few words I still remember from Latin classes I took in 1979. 🙂 It's nice to finally put that education to good use! 😂
Brutus invented italo disco. True story
@@solinvictus2018 Every new instrument lead to new genres, so that makes sense to me.
I have to admit.,..... I am totally addicted to watching these videos. Great Job
Thank you so much!!!
I am now officially addicted to your videos. They are hilarious! I love that you stick to the exact same formula for each video. Probably some of the most entertaining, honest and to the point synth review videos out there. Keep it up!
Thank you so much!!!
Love the Micro - I think people forget it came out in a pre-Clone-The-Planet Behringer world. For the price, simple mono, midi-to-cv, mini seq, different flavour of filter... it was killer!
Agreed! Game changer back then
Yes. And Probably the most key feature about this instrument - it's a budget synth
If not for Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals right now, the Microbrute would still be the best thing available at $250. Because everything else is now $100 over MSRP (Monologues at $399, Microfreak at $349, even the Minilogue XD went up to over $700) and there's NOTHING analog with keys available for $250 anymore.
Thomann has some really good deals going on right now (Korg Monologue for $229? What?!). Don't browse their synths if you're trying to keep your wallet tight! As it is, I had to buy the Behringer Odyssey from Amazon because $399 is a stupid good price.
@@rars0n I picked up the microfreak and the neutron for 260 euros each approximately from thomann ; I don't remember they were in sale; so they did went up in price. must be linked to the chip shortage. although the microfreak did increase a bit in value thanks to the noise engineering algorithms (honestly my favorites)
@@valdir7426 Yeah I think between the chip shortages and the pandemic, prices in general have gone up quite a bit. The Microfreak seems to be retailing for about $350 now. I remember Guitar Center had it on sale not long after release for $225. I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on that! But you're right, synths like the Microfreak do tend to creep up a little in price over time and stay there. The Bass Station II is now solidly above $400 and that's another synth that has received meaningful updates long after launch. That's why I appreciate companies like Arturia and Novation for supporting their products!
I honestly love how straightforward these things are. Shame that people think poorly of them.
It certainly as a distinct sound that isn't for everyone
Ah! The MicroBrute... It was my first all analog synth and i loved it. It also helped me through a stay in a hospital. 🙂
Sadly, i had to sell it, cause i needed some money not long after these 6 weeks in hospital...
And that "nod of approval" after the last shoutout made me laugh more than it probably should. 😂
Nicely done!
Thanks! Yeah, that one is a great starting point
It was my first analog synth too and I had to sell it, but now I got Minibrute 2s!
Ha! I literally have videos of me playing my brute confined to a hospital bed (for 6 months 🤢) on TH-cam.
At 3 o'clock in the morning.
I still have mine though.
this was my first synth! it was a gift from my dad and it completely changed the way i thought about music and made it possible for me to explore the types of music production i do now, and for that im super grateful to it, and i still use it in my music from time to time since its the only analog synth i have
Yeah, playing synths can be a life-changing experience
_kicks door in_
I have returned!
Back at school we were taught subtractive synthesis on an EMS VCS3 and Roland System 100m
It was 1995.
I fell in love with modular synthesis and then resigned myself to never being able to raise the 5 figure sums required to buy my own VCS3.
Then Arturia made this.
And it was good.
I even now have the tascam 8 track we were taught on too.
Sort of (Portastudio! 😂)
6:06 very cool use of the micro brute
Thank you!!!
Mein Vater ist vor 3Tagen gestorben und du bist seitdem das einzige was wieder etwas normales für mich ist das ich genießen kann.....
Danke für dein Format!!♥️
Mein tief empfundenes Beileid...
@@AudioPilz ich danke dir!!!
Wie immer wird die Musik mich durch diese Zeit bringen und das erste lächeln seit Tagen hast du mir gegeben!!!
This was the first synth I ever played, and this is what got me hooked on synthesizers. Now I have a hydrasynth and behringer neutron, which are way more capable, but this little synth will always hold a special place in my heart.
Nice setup!
this is the first time i remembered to pay attention to the sound in the intro
...and it's one of the most vanilla sounding intros ever ;)
I always thought that the unique timbres of the brutes were their main selling point. Great work, as always!
I would say it's a love/hate thing...
Like many others in the comments, Microbrute was my first synth. I still have mine even though I now own bigger and more complex instruments, I find the Microbrute is just fun to sit down and have impromptu jam sessions and requires very little set up to sound good. It is very easy to set up and start using because of its simplicity. I don't think I will ever get rid of mine.
I'm currently thinking about trading it for my Mini;)
Love my microbrute!! It taught me about analog synthesis and signal flow!
Great beginner's synth
i love this synth
😀
I love my MicroBrute, no thanks for adding yet another piece of gear in the collection.
With its nice MIDI feaures, it is a far underused, powerful synth for heavy Bass lines.
I was surprised by the deep bass as well
It will also take midi note info in and turn it into pitch cv which is super handy.😃
@@sheepkillindog oh really? I didn’t know, thanks for the info!👍
You made me get one…. I love the show!! I had a bad year but you have made it special thanks!! Keep the gear rolling.. ⚡️⚡️⚡️
TGIAP Thank God It's AudioPilz. 😁🙏
❤️❤️❤️Thanks❤️❤️❤️
I just pulled mine outta the cupboard and started putting it to work again after years! Still love it , love the video too
Thanks!!!
It has a soft spot in my heart. That triangle mod goes hard.
Agreed, the metalizer is really...metal;)
WE love all your reviews. We are mostly used to listening to older warmer Analog sounds. And yet, this little device of eldritch power seems to contain great evil. We will keep our eyes open for one of these. Thank you once again.
Thanks for watching!!!
@@AudioPilz Been watching under several account names for some time.
Always great to hear the texture of Arturia analog synthesizers. I love what chorus and echo do to the different waveforms . I looked for one of these when I bought my Korg Monologue . Glad I went with the monologue instead (arturia stopped making the micro ) . Got Arturia Minibrute 2S years later and the Monologue are very powerful together .
Yeah, great duo!
This was my first synth years ago. I still come back to it whenever i wanna crank the metalizer and it’s always satisfying.
Oh shit my fav Synth! I knew the day would come!!
It had to happen;)
The Microbrute was my second synth after the Alesis Micron. It's a wonderful learning tool. These days I mostly lend mine out to people I'm hoping will get addicted to analog synthesis. The sound is what it is--I think of it as electro-punk.
It IS quite punk-ey;)
@@AudioPilz punk... keys??
I have a crush on this synth but have never bought one. I love that it is so stripped down and no screens or menus or shift functions. Just a nice seq synth, perfect for in a set up because it is small and does one thing pretty good.
It's a super immediate synth!
My Microbrute has gotten me from some very dark times and it's the synthesizer I brought with me to New Mexico when I had to live with my aunt for a month
Yeah, it's a great companion❤️❤️❤️
I remember drooling for the Mini and Micro for years and years. I love the aggressive harsh arturia sounds!
Nice!!!
This is hysterical, Happy Friday! I'm in session with my Microbrute right now 😂 My Microbrute was my first Analog synth. It infected me with bad GAS. Cheers brother!
The GAS is strong! Have a nice weekend!
I was waiting for a microbrute bad geat episode for AGES thank you so much audiopillz!
It was about time! Thanks for watching!
My first hardware synth! I was such a noob that I thought the only way to get staccato notes was to shorten the gate length :D
It was perfect for learning. I eventually sold mine as I find that Arturia has a wiry tonal quality that I don't love. But they're still great synths.
Wiry hits the nail on the head!
The difference in quality between your newer and older videos is incredible!! Bad Gear just keeps getting better.
Thank you so much!!!
As this series develops over time you are refining yourself into the Allen Ginsburg of genre classification.
❤️❤️❤️Thanks❤️❤️❤️
I was using 100% software for 15 years when my MIDI controller died, and I bought a Microbrute to replace it. I loved it and it wound up being my gateway drug into modular. Now I've got a Minibrute 2S and a Microfreak instead (plus the modular).
Yeah, it's like a modular in a box
Just got one recently, I love it. It isn't what I expected but glad I have it.
Yeah, it is a very peculiar sounding synth
“aaaaAAAAAAAH THE FRENCH!” Florian, LOVE this show and look forward to it every week. Musical and technical commentary, writing, production/editing, all top notch. If I had one wish, it would be for you to leave the memery on the screen just a little longer so I could join in on 50% more of the fun. As to this episode, excellent once again, but I must admit I kind of zoned-out on the ending; once I got a glimpse of Barney, I was too terrified to hear anything else you said...
Thanks! Did you catch all the monsters (eg. cookie monster;)
@@AudioPilz Missed him. But he doesn’t scare me. When my kids were little, I banned Barney from our home.
Very cool and useful to hear you using "less bad" gear !
thanks a lot for sharing !
Thanks for watching!
Don’t have one but The microbrute did make us enter the “Semi-modular wave” of the 2010s
Yeah, it paved the way for many $/€ spent;)
You're a legend! love to you, thanks for taking the suggestion! You never fail to make my week better.
:)
So happy to hear that, thanks for watching!!!
My first synth. Have owned it for over 5 years, but mostly it just gathers dust and blames me silently for not using it more. Every six months I'm selling it, but something keeps it with me. It's a great tool for beginners. The keyboard is somewhat awful, but it does the job if you got some patience and small fingers.
...or can't play keyboards at all - like me;)
You can always plug in a better one.
Always a pleasure to watch your videos. So much "second degree" ! And many times a synth I wanted to get or really had part of my gear once...
Keep up man! ✌
Thank you so much!!!
Finally an episode with gear that I don't own! 👍
You might wanna get one;)
And you should. It's great
was my first synth, really the best analog synth option at the time. Still love it, got into eurorack after that and it was the perfect gateway into synths
but indeed puristic and too simple. Has that sound tho
Gateway drug indeed!
Microbrute was my first synth. I really liked how aggressive the brute factor made it sound.
Yeah, you should need a permit for that;)
My favorite ad for the Microbrute was with Peruvian/Japanese performance artist Pauchi Sasaki, who had the Microbrute wired up to a dress made of speakers, and had a piezo pickup running into the input of the synth. An absolutely bizarre ad, not sure why the conventionally attractive synthrock hipsters didn't like that one.
I'd take experimental artists over ad hipster all day
Wow, just watched it. I'm in love 🔥
Man! your videos are a joy to watch. Keep walking El dudo
Thank you so much!!!
I love my microbrute! So good for Darksynth or Harsh Dark Electro
True that!!!
Exactly ! This is also a great synth for EBM...
@@partirparlesarmoires yeah man I did some nasty EBM basslines with it! The Metalizer is awesome or some heavy Analogue-PMW layered with some Microfreak FM pluckyness for Superthick Basslines 🤟🏻🔥
@Brutewave I've checked your track "Brainwasher" and really dig it with its early Gesaffelstein vibe with a touch of Dopplereffekt. Congratulations !
@@partirparlesarmoires thank you! Its the microbrute in Action 🤟🏻
Literally never thought about getting one till now. Haha thx!
And? Will you get one?
Muy muy Buen trabajo!!!!! Saludos desde Argentina
muchisimas gracias
The synth I learned synthesis on… it’s still in my studio, adore it
Nice!!!
I must love feet like Tarentino because I love my Microbrute! People complain about the tone but run the oscillator levels way too hot- dial it back some, add some external chorus and reverb, and it becomes a dreamy little mono…. Also, for what it is, it does bass REALLY well. I’ve got mine paired with a Neutron and I think it’s an underrated combo…
Agreed on the levels thing (and I was a very good boy in this episode compared to the minibrute one;)
I love this little synth! It was my first, and I’ve had a great time trying to optimize it these past few years!
My favorite trick so far is to plug a noise generator into the input to add more depth!
Great idea! I will try that!
Did not expect this to appear maybe because I own one myself 😳 But Bravo! Bull‘s-eye absolutely apt!
You have uncovered all strengths and weaknesses in a fair manner 👍
Thank you so much! No synth collection is safe;)
Microbrute was amazing. I opened me up to the synth world and I learned so much from it. Have in on a lot of tracks that are out and some did fairly well! Definitely consider it ‘good gear’
I totally respect that but some might disagree;)
Dont forget the secret filter mode when you leave the filter select between lp/bp or bp/hp, it gets super gnarly real quick, great acid bass
Ah, didn't know that one, thanks for posting!
Thank you! I love mine, had no idea about that trick, tried it out and it's superb.
Ah! What i forget to say in my older comment:
Get yourself one or two of the "Blackmarket Monomult" passive splitters / multiples and a handful of patch cables! This opens up a whole new world on the Micro, as the mod sources can modulate more than one target at a time!
A Monomult costs about 5€ to 9€ and a basic set of patch cables run between 10€ to 20€.
I use the Monomults with my Eurorack, so i don't have to waste rack space for passive multiples.
I can highly recommend those "external" mults for everything involving Eurorack modular gear!
Hey Erika. Great idea. I'll try to get hold of these!
I remember when my younger brother was getting into synthesizers, and he got one of these. He loved it, it seemed like it had the perfect mix of grit and versatility for a beginner.
In contrast, my first synth was a MicroKorg and I got scared that every synth was just as menu-divey until I started learning more about them, lol.
Yeah, that's the definition of a generation gap;)
Watching my fav youtuber at work. Yeeet. Well invetween scans
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Nooooo, not the Microbrute!!! I love this little synth. The Brute Factor ain't my jam but with a little finesse you can coax some real warmth outta this little toy.
Yeah, especially NOT use the metalizer;)
Yeah, the metallizer is the really dangerous one. I think the choice of normalling the env control to the metallizer amount was an interesting one, and maybe contributes to the synth's reputation. The filter can really scream without destroying the fundamental of a bass note too though. And despite it being a single oscillator, it's an unusually textural and flexible oscillator which can produce a lot of different tones. The Micro was my first hardware synth, followed by a red Monologue (which also has a filter with a beautiful scream to it, although different too) and after those, once I got to my third which was a Roland System-1, the filter on that just seemed so smooth and sterile and boring.
I don't think I'll get rid of the Microbrute. I find the sounds it makes can be very warm and deep, if you avoid pushing everything too hard. It won't do everything, and I think being so dry without any fx or stereo, it can sound "boring" at first compared to other modern synths which include that. The key is how it sounds with fx on a track, and I've used it on many very happily. I really like the Brute Factor, although it's kind of a misnomer imo because it tends to be misleadingly subtle - until it isn't, in the last third of the knob turn. I find I often turn it up to about 9 or 10 o' clock, and it tends to give this sound I think of as kinda "buttery". Dampens the resonance a bit too so you have to drive it harder if you still want the squelch. Idk.
I think having the waveshaping, feedback loop, and a dirty filter which is very happy to self oscillate, all right in the immediate signal path can get to a lot of fun, nasty places that can still be used tastefully. Especially fun to run it through an old Mackie mixer for clipping and EQ to taste.
I find that complex synths which take a lot of energy and intention to program, I need to be able to save and come back to it, which is my difficulty with modular stuff. I like self contained instruments that feel cohesive. This is in the sweet spot on the complete other end for me, where it's so easy to pick up and make a patch on the fly with just a general idea of what you're going for, makes it so accessible that it's great for coming up with fun bass patches and leads to fill out those aspects of a song. Also great for resampling.
It really isn't supposed to be any other synth. I would say the comparison to an SH-101 is apt, even though they really don't sound alike, because they're best at being used for the same kinds of things. But they're like jaguars and cheetahs - they may fill a very similar niche, but they're still very different too. I can see how someone might not be impressed with the capablities or depth of it as an instrument, especially now that the
@@marsensound A nice compliment to your MicroBrute might be a Novation Bass Station (either I or II ) which has a much more traditional architecture and a very smooth, creamy sound.
I have a couple of the LittleBits/Korg Synth Kits which are basically the guts of the Monotribe distilled into super-tiny modules. I've used the sequencer and oscillator modules to add functionality to the Microbrute using the patch bay. It really becomes a mini modular system with some pretty wild modulation possibilities.
The other trick I love doing with my Microbrute is to play it through a cheap guitar distortion pedal. The pointiness of the Microbrute sound is perfect for driving the pedal and making crazy industrial noises.
@@marsensound BTW, where in Canada are you from? I'm in BC.
I was convinced to buy it by a guy in my local music store when he ran it through some reverb and delay and it sounded epic. I really enjoyed it when I had it, but in the end I moved away from machines without patch storage for live use because it was just such a ball ache to dial in patches on multiple synths at once. The little patch bay was really useful for patching to external stuff.
Yeah, setting up existing patches live is a serious PITA
Happy Thanksgiving to my favorite turkey!
Turturkeykey;) Happy thanksgiving!!!
Thanks for weekly Upload!!!
Thanks for watching!
I loved my microBrute, and used it almost daily, but haven't touched it in over two years. Maybe I should dust it off. It was such a gritty, metal machine. I really liked the sequencer.
Definitely dust it off!
I've had mine for three years, it takes time to understand it's little quirks and get the most out of it but i love it so so much, especially when ran through a catalinbread echorec.
Love Catalinbread stuff!
I bought one back in 2014'sh...still have it, I think its a great synth, especially for what it cost, I also have a Moog Sub 25, a Korg Prologue 16 and Behringer Poly D and the Microbrute still sounds great next to them. I think it really comes down to the user and their abilities to program it. I just feel like years down the line this is going to be a classic synth that a lot of people slept on. I mainly got it because I was looking for something small I could travel with and this was perfect for me and my other mobile gear at the time. Ill probably buy a couple more synths in the near future but I don't plan on selling my Microbrute any time soon.
A battery compartment would have been nice
Sounds like Suicide and John Carpenter sharing a barrel as they hurtle down a mountain. Frankly, that's all I ask of any keyboard instrument.
Yeah, that are two very important boxes ticked
Man when this came out and I got my hands on one I was taking audio engineering classes and the first time we swept the filter in the studio, the walls shook. You def need to find sweet spots to not have it sound super aggro, but if you make minimal industrial shit it’s great. When it came out it was the only thing under like 600 that was a real synth and I loved it.
Yeah, it was a game changer back then
Every episode keeps getting better, I hope you write a script for a Bad gear movie one day
Thank you! Bad Gear movie would be great!
One more thing, your jam was the best, and the tone of that little synth is telling me it’s a future classic like a 101.
Thanks!
man, your videos are ticking all my boxes!!!!
Thank you!!!
I have/had a lot of the Bad Gear, but this is the first episode that had me clutching my pearls. I love the Microbrute so much that I bought three of them. And then sawed off the keybeds because they're just God awful.
Yeah, the keybed is indeed the weak spot
2:40 .. Nice FM flex. 5:42 .. Nice Plaid/Tim Exile-esque jam, which had a back-alley baby with Carpenter Brut at 6:49. Great video! :)
Thank you!!!
I always loved the Brute oscillator. I thought they would make a cheap 6 voice poly out of it.....low on features, but an affordable analog poly with a simple delay. Never cared for the SP filter that much though.
SP is definitely a love/hate thing
@@AudioPilz The good magic of the SP is that bass response is not diminished when resonance is in use. I have a minimoog and a minbrute, and after spending some time with them both, I find I prefer the brute for its endless bottom end. The SP doesn't track very well but its close enough. The woofers in my "studio" are useful down to 10hz and the brute has no trouble showing that off.
Haha then they went and made their most expensive synth yet as a sort of cross between the MatrixBrute and the Prophet V.
I've got a Microbrute. I recently got it. It's very musical. It's simple and uncluttered. The sequencer works simply on it. Sometimes simplicity is the key to getting music done. I find it is small enough not to get in the way. It's hands on. Well done Arturia. You have to balance cost vs controls and sound.
Certainly a lot of bang for the buck!
In 2015 I was tempted by a korg minilogue and this microbrute, I do not regret having bought the microphone, to this day I use it and I get lost in the textures that it can generate if delays, reverb, echos and the effect chain that you like.
I think it would go well with some polyphonic FM synthesis.
The Logues and Brutes are not soooooo different;)
Ah, got one of these recently. Love it!
Nice!!!
4:55 Yes! 👍 IMO any step sequencer that lacks modulation from the keyboard is a Fail so this is good. I know that technically the modulation of analogue step sequencers occurs outside of the sequencer but all digital step sequencers should have it (yes it's yet another one of my gripes about the JP-08).
I think it would have made that thing much more expensive
Thanks so much, hilarious show.
Thanks for watching!!!
HAPPY FRIDAY!!
TGIF!
Have a nice weekend!!!
Yet another piece of Bad Gear that I own -- I would recommend other things to review, but I think that most of my other gear is actually good.
Bad Gear should be in every collection
Got one for $30. The sequencer and lfo weren't working. After a complete disassembly, cleaning, some wd40 on the switches and a complete reassembly it worked perfectly. Think something came loose inside.
Built like a tank. Looks like a tank. Sounds like a tank. Best 300 I ever spent. Mark Doteys review when he highlighted the audio rate LFO into the triangle wave...🔥🔥🔥
Yeah, great for fast modulations!
If you bailed before the Novation workout at the end, you really missed out.
❤️❤️❤️
sounds really good in the intro tune
Yeah, you really have to not use most of the synth to make it sound like a normal synth ;)
@@AudioPilz :)
Never been a fan of the brute series, but then again, subtractive only synths feel very limiting. Microfreak is the best value you can get out of a synth, their approach to use an analog filter but digital VCOs was very wise in that it gives you far more sound design and creative capability than the brute series but still has some analog character when you push the resonance. Also the semi modular nature of the matrix grid gives you far more modulation potential than anything I’ve seen for 299.
I originally bought a minilogue XD due to the digital oscillator and user effects and oscillators but I sold it because I found that there were very few sounds I could create on the minilogue that I couldn’t on the microfreak and there were many sounds on the microfreak that wouldn’t be possible on the minilogue. For people interested in sound design, I think the microfreak is a no brainer, especially if you’ve updated to 4.0.
Big fan of the digital oscillator/analog filter combination too!
Yes, but kinda disappointed they used the SEM filter on the Freak though.
I recently broke mine back out of the box and am loving it. Well, after I stripped the sticky rubber off all the knobs.
I was thinking of getting replacement knobs too!
@@AudioPilz I just soaked them in hand sanitizer and gave them a good rub with a rag and all the rubber came off and they feel just fine. (Look a little marbleized, though)
one of my favorite synths! it's perfectly nasty and can't be beat for grungy wall-of-sound stoner synth jams. pair it with a delay followed by a blues driver and zone out!
when emma says it you know its facts
Even MORE distortion???😳😳😳
Awesome jams again! Best start of the weekend there is :)
Love the fact that the little synth can sound harsh within just a few knobtweaks, which is probably a turnoff for most people. Maybe, one day…
Thank you!!!
I do rather enjoy my Microbrute, but I always found that it sounds extremely sterile. While this might be a flaw when played totally dry, it seems to take to effects *really* well as a result.
Agreed. Didn't really consider using it without FX
It's safe to say all synths (especially monos) sound sterile without effects, or at least complex envelopes/multiple LFOs/multiple filters.
@@Claidheambmor While I broadly agree with you, I personally find Arturia's synth's to be especially lacking in character without a little help.
This synth is crucial with my modular. I send it gate from a 2hp DIV module so I can speed up or slow down the note rate. The audio from the microbrute goes into the audio in of the Korg ER-1. This lets me play a steady rhythm no matter what the note sequence is doing. Plus I get access to the effects on the ER-1. I send pitch out into a doepfer A-156 QNT. But into the transpose CV in 1/2. So the quantizer is quantizing a sequence but the pitch info from Microbrute is transposing the scales of the quantizer. This makes the Microbrute a bass monster that plays nicely in key with modular and gets the effects from the ER-1. Happy patching!!
Nice setup!!! Great idea to use the ER-1 as an FX unit here
My first analog :D It was not exactly what I've expected but I still love it and own one to this day
First love is the deepest;)
I keep coming across these used locally but every time I see one the price is just too high for my tastes. But bad pricing seems to be a theme with a lot of local listings for gear I come across.
I assume they just want to set a price anchor for future negotiations
This is probably my second most used synth, so it's fun to see it on the show!
Great when it fits a setup!
Underwhelming first synth experience. I’ve owned two at this point from various trades. It is easy to mod it with waveform Outs
Same here. Didn't like it at all the first time I tried it
@@AudioPilz I think the thing that killed it for me was how poor the cv put works. I just couldn’t get acceptable voltage out, always too much for any reasonable pitch control unfortunately. Fun fact: You can actually disconnect your hard wired mod sources by plugging a single disconnected jacks into the inputs
I have one nestled amongst my big keyboards and I genuinely love it.
It's a nice synth to complement more classic sounds!