Arturia MicroFreak

Bread and circuses for the public. Or rather spices and action, which is fine as well. The Arturia MicroFreak is a small digital-analog synthesizer. Digital oscillators, analog filter. Nothing new, theoretically. But the PCB keyboard and those “Spices” and “Dices” turn the MicroFreak into an exciting synthesizer concept. It seems as if Arturia managed to release another best-seller …

MicroFreak is “micro” in every aspect. It weighs 1 kilo. It’s 31 centimeters wide. So it fits in every notebook bag. The features:

Synthesizer with 192 preset slots and 128 factory presets
11 Digital oscillators with variable modes, with integrated open source Plaits engine created by Mutable Instruments
Analog State Variable Filter, 12dB/octave, resonant, Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass
ADSR envelope
Cycling Envelope offering two modes
- Envelope
- LFO
LFO with Sync: Sine, Tri, Saw, Square, Random, Slew Random
Modulation matrix with 5 sources and 7 destinations (3 custom destinations)
Monophonic or Paraphonic modes – Up to 4 voices
25-key capacitive keybed with polyphonic aftertouch
Capacitive touch strip
Crisp OLED display for editing and parameter values
Powerful arpeggiator
- Up, Order, Random, Pattern modes
- Spice & Dice Gate randomizers
64-step sequencer
- 2 patterns per preset
- 4 automation tracks per preset
CV / Gate / Mod outputs
USB, Clock and MIDI in and out

Happy Accidents? That sounds crazy. “Record up to four automations, edit notes per step or use the innovative Spice and Dice sequencer functions to find happy accidents.” (arturia.com)

The oscillator is pure madness: “Physical modelling, wavetable synthesis, virtual analog, there is nothing as complete and exciting as the MicroFreak oscillator on the market.” (arturia.com)

The filter is slightly more ordinary – but hey, it’s analog! – it’s a SEM VCF clone: “Inspired by the trailblazing 12-dB Oberheim SEM filter, you can make MicroFreak’s filter scream or whisper to taste.” (arturia.com)