Arturia MicroFreak in review - What is the affordable synthesizer capable of?

Arturia's new "algorithmic synthesizer" is a remarkable departure for the French company - best known for its analogue hardware synthesis and software emulations of classic instruments.

Featuring a 12-mode digital oscillator, a multimode analogue filter and myriad sequencing options in a graffitied chassis, this low-cost hybrid synthesizer looks really promising.....

The exterior

Arturia synthesizers captivate "out of the box" with their design. This is no different with the Microfreak. The first impression is fully convincing!

In terms of build quality, the synthesizer's plastic chassis and keybed feels a little bit "cheap". Some design compromises have understandably been made for a synth of this price. Ultimately, MicroFreak's tiny size and light weight are definitely advantages in terms of portability.

On the top is an OLED display that provides visual feedback for the current parameter - presets, waveform, filter sweeps, envelopes/LFO curves, and more. This real-time visualization is both useful and aesthetically pleasing and enhances the unit significantly.

On the back are a variety of connectivity options for such a small synthesizer. It can be powered via USB or plugged into the mains using the included power supply.

In addition, there is a mono 6.3 jack output for audio and one headphone output; CV/Gate/Pressure outputs and mini-jack for MIDI In and Out.

Sound and construction

MicroFreak is a four-voice paraphonic synth - when the Paraphonic button is enabled, you can play up to four voices simultaneously, but they all share the same filter, envelope and VCA settings under the bonnet.

Oszillator des Arturia MicroFreakThe sound is generated by the single digital oscillator, several variants of which implement Mutable Instruments' open-source designs.

There are 12 modes available: Selecting one with the Type knob fills the OLED screen with three parameters unique to each mode. The Wave, Timbre and Shape controls can be used to further shape the sound.

The 12 modes cover a wide range of analogue and digital types and offer enormous sonic potential. The Basic Waveforms and Virtual Analogue Oscillators offer continuously variable waveforms for classic VA sound design, while the Superwave mode delivers detuned fatness for more modern basses, leads and pads.

Oscillators at a glance

For more complex sounds, there is a wavetable oscillator; the Harmonic oscillator, complete with chorus, is useful for creating bell-like timbres; the Karplus Strong mode is a physical modeling oscillator that facilitates the creation of bow and string-like sounds, while the Modal resonator replicates the tuned ringing of real instruments and drums.

Not surprisingly for a digital synthesizer, there is still a dual-sine wave oscillator with FM (frequency modulation) ratio, FM amount and feedback controls. The waveshaper mode, on the other hand, uses a combination of waveshaping and wavefolding and can create smacking basses and resonant harmonic tones with ease.

In addition to these familiar synthesis types, MicroFreak also has several experimentally oriented oscillator modes. The Speak-and-Spell style speech mode outputs synthesized vowels and consonants, while the Granular Formant Oscillator breaks down a waveform into "particles" and allows for formants to be recombined in various ways.

For us, however, the highlight of the MicroFreak is the Chords Oscillator, which outputs a four-part chord. The Wave knob is used here to select one of 11 chords, the Timbre knob toggles current inversion and Shape scans through a variety of waveforms.

Sound character

As you can easily guess, MicroFreak often feels like several synths in one. Quickly switching to a different oscillator mode while stepping through the patches can be the idea generator par excellence, conjuring offbeat sounds out of thin air.

On the other hand, being a digital synth, many of these oscillator types can sound a little ... too digital. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing - if you need a freaky, harmonically complex sound that stands out in the mix, the MicroFreak can do that in many different ways.

While the oscillator is unashamedly digital, the filter it feeds into is entirely analogue, albeit digitally controlled. Inspired by the classic Oberheim REM design, this two-pole tone shaper can be switched between low, high and bandpass modes with the Type button and has cutoff and resonance controls.

In use, the sound is smooth over a wide range of settings, and high resonance settings result in powerful gains to a satisfying 'howl'.


The 12dB/oct design is a little silkier and less intrusive than the 24dB/oct design, but we would have loved another mode for deeper filtering applications, but that might be beyond the price range.

Modulation

MicroFreak's oscillator and filter parameters are prime candidates for modulation. The synth's 5x7' switchboard' matrix makes setting them up a breeze.

Mod-Matrix

The seven horizontal rows represent mod destinations - the first 4 are fixed to Pitch, Wave, Timbre and Cutoff, while the 'Assign' 1, 2 and 3 slots can be freely assigned by clicking an upper button and rotating the desired parameter on the synth. The 5 vertical columns correspond to the 5 available modulation sources: Cycling Envelope, Envelope, LFO, Keyboard Pressure and Key/Arp.

To activate modulation, turn the matrix encoder to select a specific crossover point between source and destination, move it in to activate, then turn the knob left or right to apply negative or positive modulation.

It's a quick, intuitive workflow that encourages you to experiment with multiple mod assignments on the fly.

Speaking of modulation sources: MicroFreak offers three main modulators: two envelopes and an LFO. The regular envelope (attack, decay/release and sustain) is hardwired to the filter, with the cutoff mod depth set by the bipolar Filter Amt control. This envelope can also control amplitude when the Amp Mod toggle button is activated.

Cycling Envelope

The cycling envelope can be set either in a normal one-shot envelope mode, a run mode that acts as a kind of free-running LFO, or set to loop, analogous to a retriggering LFO. Its influence can beadjusted by pulling back the Amount knob, while optimising Rise, Fall and Hold/Sustain allows you to create and merge complex mod signals.

By turning the knobs, you can even bend the rise and fall curves between linear, logarithmic and exponential shapes. Practically, this Cycling Envelope can create anything from slow, repetitive rises/falls and gurgles to completely turned off signals, while the OLED display gives visual feedback on what's going on.

LFO

MicroFreak's single low frequency oscillator is fairly simple, but gets the job done reliably. Here you can select from one of six shapes with the Shape button, while the rate is set with the Rate encoder.

The LFO can also be set to envelope-style retrigger. Eight symbols are located above the keyboard. The first allows notes to be held for extended play.

The next four (Up, Order, Random and Pattern) are used to operate either the arpeggiator or the sequencer, depending on which is selected.

The next two symbols, called SPICE and DICE, are used in conjunction with the Touch Strip to effectively shorten, lengthen and stop arpeggiator or sequencer notes on the fly.

Fazit

With so many synthesis features packed into such a small box, it's hard not to fall in love with Arturia's latest hardware offering.

The various oscillator modes cover an almost unlimited range of timbres; the filters sound smooth and are versatile; the matrix invites exploratory modulation; the performance and sequencing tools are the icing on the cake.

For the low price, you get a very experimental synthesizer at home, perfect for sound tweaking and freaky digital sounds!

Verwante artikelen
Arturia MicroFreak
Arturia MicroFreak
€ 302,00 € 329,00
Beschikbaar op korte termijn