{"id":405,"date":"2021-08-14T06:57:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-14T06:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nilamox.com\/mancave21\/?page_id=405"},"modified":"2023-07-26T22:22:12","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T22:22:12","slug":"microfreak","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nilamox.com\/mancave21\/microfreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Arturia Microfreak v5 \ud83e\uddfb\ud83e\uddfb\ud83e\uddfb\ud83d\udca9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More updates – now with three and a half knobs.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before anything else \u2013 thank Arturia for actually trying out ideas<\/strong> not the regurgitation practised by Behringer and Roland. In contrast Arturia is one of the leading brands of the moment because they are prepared to try, and perhaps fail. There\u2019s many smaller brands I could mention here but let\u2019s examine the Microfreak, which represents the risk taking that I\u2019d like to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The sales pitch is that you\u2019ve acquired a weird, freakish, mutant thing, a monster from outer space. Frankenstein himself has sewn together this confection. But…<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It’s partly my problem.<\/strong> I get excited when I see a process to explore and then the process turns out to be three knobs, switching through vowel sounds, or adding more hiss. The three knobs are your limited conversation with someone’s recipe for a sound. I can’t quite grab anything and strangle it. It feels like owning many houses the size of a dog kennel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The launch oscillator types were interesting<\/em> but not exciting<\/em>. Superwaves are not exciting. Detuned virtual analogue is not exciting. And Speak and Spell<\/em> voices that speak numbers and colours and who cares what else \u2013 are meh<\/em>. Some of the newer modes have potential but I still can\u2019t fuck them up the way they need to get fucked. The Microfreak is like one module of a modular system, lacking the community that a full modular would allow.<\/strong> You can<\/em> LFO very quickly, that\u2019s kind of useful. There’s a cycling envelope. The modulation matrix is an excellent piece of work for a small machine. The sequencer is also fun, but not anything that you haven\u2019t seen before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The white keys extend up to run next to the black keys. Why on earth would you do that? There\u2019s absolutely no need for it and it causes me endless mistakes. I will probably put sticky tape over the top. Or just play it on a real keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four digital voices share an analogue filter. That promises that the filter is going to do wonderful things that four digital filters wouldn\u2019t offer. The reality is I\u2019d prefer the modelled filters on the MS2000. I\u2019d like to drive the signal to cause heat and pain. That\u2019s usually the only reason for analogue anything \u2013 but it\u2019s not there. Four voices drop the level to politely avoid that overdrive. That is not freakish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now for the good news<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s quite sweet actually, about the footprint of an iPad and very light. The standard machine has an engraving of flowers and peacocks on the front and a special version has planets \u2013 who could fault that? Even though it\u2019s like a big KORG Volca<\/a> it has elegance that KORG haven\u2019t managed in their lifetime. If this is your first synthesiser you\u2019ve done well \u2013 you will find much to explore across a wide terrain of sound. If you got it second hand on the cheap, you\u2019re on the path of profound fleacore<\/a> \u2013 your future is bright. My first synthesiser was very simple compared to this – but then it is a real<\/em> freak.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I must compare it to Novation’s Bass Station 2<\/a>. The BS2 burns, it feels pain<\/em>, it is very much analogue where it\u2019s needed. It was introduced as a simple bass keyboard but Novation have since added in all kinds of bitter and twisted features \u2013 the latest of which allows every single key to make a different noise. Arturia are on the same path having just reached the fifth upgrade – and this augmentation is the best thing about the Freak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n