It was my fault for pre-ordering the MicroFreak based just on the advertising. It did everything that was promised but when it came down to it that wasn’t enough. Sum it up – a modular rig with only one module. Not a win. Still, Arturia have tuned it and tuned it and it’s a more respectable device than at the start. They are good at that.
I swear on my dead parents that I once saw an image on Arturia’s site with DARE TO FAIL written on a picture of the MicroFreak. I wrote those words in praise, and although I can’t prove it I hope my grumbling led to some of the changes. The keyboard is now a real keyboard. There are two modules that speak to each other. And there are filters for every note. They are going to tune it and tune it and…
I’ve run out of studio space. There are KORG things leaning on other things because I use the software versions – and so I have bought the software version of the MiniFreak, honestly because there’s no more floor space. Also – $50. Hell’s Bells that’s a punch right in the Cherrypuss.
Somebody out there is going to start up something about ‘real hardware filters’.
Listening test or shut up.
Problem straight away – the interface was so….slow……..that…………..it………………..was……..unusable. Straight to Arturia tech support and after a few exchanges it turns out my AMD GPU is weird and runs faster on my 2nd screen. Duh Fixed. But still, it seems silly that it needs so much GPU to just pull down some menus. Over time it still slows down and down. I think there’s plenty of room to improve performance. Tune it and…
So now you can mix your modules which is good. Even the stupidest module – the Speak and Spell – has some function when combined with a Superwave. You can also pass one through the other, best example of that is hissy fits through the Comb Filter. Plenty of Mild Freak.
Sonically KORG still wins with the opsix. There you have 6 modules in many arrangements, with a soundscape that is comparable but wider. No Speak and Spell but lots more textural space. My guess is that the MiniFreak-V could have included more than two generators, but the hardware imposes a construction limit. I also guess that Arturia have decided to keep the complexity down and the performance up – the Freaks aim at the instant gratification of analogue machines. Fair enough.
Tune it…
AND here are the updates – Seven new granular engines… hang on… isn’t granular the synthesis engine? Well yes, what they call ‘engines’ are really different performances of a single engine. But in terms of their effect on the sound, sure, you would pick one over the others. ‘Sample’ is just playing the sample. ‘Skan’ is a slow movement through the sample. And so on.
And there is a sample library. At the time of writing you cannot load your own samples, unlike the MicroFreak. Lord knows why. Tune it.