Hardware synths that blew away your expectations

[D-Fusion]

Apparently the prologue has been discontinued by Korg.

It's still listed on their website.

Yes, it was just discontinued in Feb. along with the King Korg and another synth I can't remember

The Third Was Korg Kronos.

[Benutzername]

It's delisted from https://www.thomann.de and https://www.musicstore.de which is strange. Not just listed as out of stock, but completely removed.

This doesn't have to mean much. The Hydrasynth Desktop and the regular Hydrasynth were delisted too for a while from Thomann's store but now they are back.

[AdvancedFollower]

It's delisted from https://www.thomann.de and https://www.musicstore.de which is strange. Not just listed as out of stock, but completely removed.

This doesn't have to mean much. The Hydrasynth Desktop and the regular Hydrasynth were delisted too for a while from Thomann's store but now they are back.

Well it means that at least temporarily, it's completely impossible to buy the Prologue new in Europe since it's delisted everywhere. But yeah, it doesn't necessarily mean it won't ever come back.

[Constructed Identity]

Yes, it was just discontinued in Feb. along with the King Korg and another synth I can't remember

I can't find anything to confirm this, just the usual bullshit rumours started in Reddit. StoreDJ here in Aus has plenty of Prologue 16s but only a couple of Prologue 8s.

Well, I got the info from the Korg forums. I didn't see an official announcement, but companies don't usually announce that soft of thing. It would be a stupid thing for Korg to have done, but they are probably happy with the profit margins on their new Modwave/Wavestate/Opsix combo.

[rezoneight]

Whether I like the way it sounds is the ONLY thing that's relevant. Any other considerations introduce bias that lead to poor decisions.

We, you and I, weren’t talking about the way it sounds. Stay on target. We were discussing the statement you made which was clearly false. So no, what you think of the way it sounds has nothing to do with anything. You dont like the Microfreak SEM-inspired filter has nothing to do with the fact that it has a real, SEM-inspired filter, and its not just software running in a plastic box (unlike the Cobalt8).

[BONES]

No, you were nitpicking to try, unsuccessfully, to justify the unjustifiable. You're still nitpicking. I actually have only the vaguest idea what the filter in MicroFreak is like. I don't need to to know much about it to know that it's not as good as my favourite softsynth filters. I've certainly never heard anything in any of the demos that have picqued my interest. Workmanlike would probably describe it accurately enough.

[cryophonik]

I picked up a white Arturia Microfreak recently just because I was curios about the keyboard and it was a really good deal. I didn't expect much from a synth of this size and price but it is extremely versatile and it can do some really nice sounds. I've paired it with a NTS-1 from Korg as effect processor and now this is a killer combination for very little money.

I actually had a guy offer to trade me his basically new Microfreak for some items I no longer use. I'm seriously tempted, but I already have a dozen hardware synths. I'll probably do it, since it's a very good deal for me and I can always sell it later for at least the value of the stuff I'd be trading. But, I am wondering how much it will overlap with my Shruthi XT, since the Microfreak uses MI soundsources. Anybody happen to have both of these?

Justin, I'm looking at you, dude. I'm pretty sure you mentioned recently that you've own(ed) both?

[justin3am]

Hah, no I don't have a Shruthi or a MicroFreak. I do have an Ambika and a I used to have a MiniBrute. I've built two Shruthis for friends. The Ambika's voices are more similar to the Shruthi, than the Shruthi is to the MicroFreak I think. It probably depends on which filter your Shruthi has. If it's SMR4 or Mission, it's going to sound pretty different from the MicroFreak. The osc models in the MicroFreak are based on Plaits IIRC, where the Shruthi's are pre-Braids. Shruthi's digital side is AVR based, so more lofi than later Mutable oscillators/voices.
That is to say, there may be some functional overlap but I'm sure they will sound different.

[cryophonik]

Hah, no I don't have a Shruthi or a MicroFreak. I do have an Ambika and a I used to have a MiniBrute. I've built two Shruthis for friends. The Ambika's voices are more similar to the Shruthi, than the Shruthi is to the MicroFreak I think. It probably depends on which filter your Shruthi has. If it's SMR4 or Mission, it's going to sound pretty different from the MicroFreak. The osc models in the MicroFreak are based on Plaits IIRC, where the Shruthi's are pre-Braids. Shruthi's digital side is AVR based, so more lofi than later Mutable oscillators/voices.
That is to say, there may be some functional overlap but I'm sure they will sound different.

Awesome, that's good to know, Justin. My Shruthi has the SVF, which the MicroFreak also has, but obviously they're not going to be identical filters. When I watch/listen to MF demos, it certainly seems to have a similar character to the Shruthi, but it's hard to say since both synths go to some pretty wild places, so the demos I'm hearing are really no use as an A/B comparison. I'm just gonna go for it because I really like the Arturia hardware, and because,... hey, new toy, right?

[cryophonik]

OK, I got the MicroFreak and, as expected, it's got a pretty cool sound/vibe. I actually sorta like the weird little keyboard on it, which surprised me since I usually don't like anything that's not a good full-sized Fatar keybed or equivalent. The only disappointing part is the overall build quality of the synth, which is well below what I expected from Arturia. I mean, it's actually about what I'd expect in a $350 synth, but Arturia's build quality generally blows away everything in the same price range, so I guess I expected the MicroFreak to be built like an $800 proverbial tank, but it's built like the $350 synth that it is, so I guess that's not really a complaint.

[_leras]

No, you were nitpicking to try, unsuccessfully, to justify the unjustifiable. You're still nitpicking. I actually have only the vaguest idea what the filter in MicroFreak is like. I don't need to to know much about it to know that it's not as good as my favourite softsynth filters. I've certainly never heard anything in any of the demos that have picqued my interest. Workmanlike would probably describe it accurately enough.

I thought this might be the type of edgy sound you might like. Pretty punchy for a small synth. Quite gnarly.

It's also had lots of updates and can now load user waveforms. Quite a wide range of sounds, but maybe a bit of exploring needed to find them all.

[justin3am]

Holy crap, BugBrand!
I only have a small system now; 2130 VCO, Quardrature Sine, DC Mixer, Dual Filter, Dual Amplifier, Phaser and PT Delay, but it's such a wonderful synth to play and the modules have a unique character. This is one of those systems that is all sweet spots and even when you get it into ugly territory, it's very easy to control. I can easily transition from a controlled melody, to chaos and back. Here is a patch I made, using the Phaser as a signal generator, FM'd by the Quadrature Sine and run through the PT Delay. The patch was controlled by a DUSG, SSG and Random Source.
https://soundcloud.com/justin3am/bugspace-03

[vurt]

Holy crap, BugBrand!
I only have a small system now; 2130 VCO, Quardrature Sine, DC Mixer, Dual Filter, Dual Amplifier, Phaser and PT Delay, but it's such a wonderful synth to play and the modules have a unique character. This is one of those systems that is all sweet spots and even when you get it into ugly territory, it's very easy to control. I can easily transition from a controlled melody, to chaos and back. Here is a patch I made, using the Phaser as a signal generator, FM'd by the Quadrature Sine and run through the PT Delay. The patch was controlled by a DUSG, SSG and Random Source.
https://soundcloud.com/justin3am/bugspace-03

that's great!
i have a more basic system i think, but still find plenty of range in sounds

wonder if the early ptdelays are a different chip?
mine is more like the koma, where it's mostly crunchy, i don't think ive ever heard it do echoes
the strega delay i can get that with but not my bug.

it is great stuff though, and built to last!!! heavy duty knobs n switches and nice thick plates for the modules

[mztk]

I only have a small system now

seem to recall you mentioning a monster system. how do you decide what to cut down to?

[justin3am]

I only have a small system now

seem to recall you mentioning a monster system. how do you decide what to cut down to?

No, I still have Too Much Stuff™
I just have a single frame of Bug Brand stuff (which is Frac format, not Euro), so I would call it a small system. It's part of a bigger 28U synth, which is comprised of Serge, FracRack and EuroRack modules that have been converted to banana jacks.

I have shaved down my modular a few times though and it's really a matter of getting rid of the stuff you don't use (or being honest about the stuff that doesn't really click). If I go a few months without using something or if I struggle to make something fit into the way I work, it's up on the chopping block pretty quick (or at least it'll go into a box in my closet ).