MiniBrute and MicroBrute in 2023?

[stoopicus]

I gave up hardware synths long ago but I have to admit to some GAS for a small and fun analog. The MiniBrute 2 looks great for a reasonable monosynth but looking in to it I realized there's a ton of cheap original MiniBrutes and MicroBrutes out there. Anyone still using these in 2023?

Youtube resources make them look fun but most of the content is 10 years old. All the newer reviews are for the MiniBrute 2 and 2S. Which generally looks great but are double to quadruple the price of the originals.

[cryophonik]

I had a MiniBrute 2S for a short period. Wasn’t my cup o’ tea and definitely not something I’d get if I wasn’t into hardware. But, if they look fun to you, find a good deal on a used one and check it out. If you can find a motivated seller, you should be able to recoup your investment or make a profit if you later decide it’s not for you. Seems like the secondhand prices are holding pretty steady.

[stoopicus]

Yeah, the thing with analog monos is that it's a crowded market in that price range - Behringer has its line, lots of other stuff too.

I should say I fully understand subtractive synthesis and have a working knowledge of FM, and use virtual semi-modulars now so I would be comfortable with the interface of something like the 2S. I totally get that it's not a beginner synth.

How did you feel about the sound? Interested in your opinion as someone that sent it back

[cryophonik]

Well, to be honest I was not a fan of the sound of the 2S at all, but that's more on me than the synth. It's a synth that wants to be aggressive sounding, but I bought it with sorta unrealistic expectations that it could cover far more mainstream analog sounds. I'm also not really into modular/semi-modular, but I found a great deal and thought I'd give it a go, but it didn't work out for me. I bought it pretty cheap and sold it for more, so I'm certainly not complaining. It's probably a great synth for what it is, but it just simply wasn't for me. I'd still recommend it for someone who wants an aggressive and punchy sounding synth with loads of CV ins and outs. But, for someone who wants a single conventional analog synth to complement a software-based setup, it's definitely not the first thing that would come to my mind.

[foosnark]

I love my Minibrute 2S. I find that it's not hard to rein it in so it's not aggressive, depending on what kind of sounds you're looking for with it. Staying light on the resonance, not pushing the osc mixer sliders all the way up since it tends to saturate, and oddly, dialing in maybe 1/4 to 1/3 on Brute Factor kind of smooths things out more so than leaving it down fully.

I have mine paired up with a Make Noise Strega and they work really well together.

[chk071]

How did you feel about the sound?

Make double sure that you like it. I absolutely hated every sound demo I've heard of the *brutes so far... they sound... well... brute. And dry. Opposed to pleasant, creamy, punchy how I like it.

Yes, just judging from sound demos, as I never had one. But, so far, judging from sound demos never really let me down. If a synth sounds good in sound demos to me, then I also like it when I have it here.

[stoopicus]

It's kind of amazing how much competition there is in this space. The Mini/MicroBrutes are also basically single oscillator with a sub, right? That seems pretty limiting compared with the many Behringers (though at probably higher quality overall).

The MiniBrute 2's do sound quite a bit better in samples than the originals to me though. Could be due to patching in the modular part.

[sin night]

Microbrute owner here. I don’t use it much because I have bigger / “better” synths, but I think it’s a nice little synth.
It’s limited (one oscillator with sub, only one envelope), but you can mix the various waveforms to obtain more complex sounds and each waveshape has some kind of modulation. I have other monosynths, but none of them feature that “saw animator” (did Arturia called it that way? anyway I think that’s the name of the circuit on YUSynth website) or the “metalizer” (a wavefolder controlled by the envelope). A wavefolder may be avaible on some other synths (Moog Mavis, for example), but I have a hard time at trying to remember one with a “saw animator”. So, it’s a limited synth, but it has its tricks…

Soundwise, I probably prefer other synths, but it has its character, which can be useful.

There’s just one thing though: the sticky rubber on the controls. You’ll have to clean it at some point (or, if you buy used, hopefully the previous owner already did it); it’s an unavoidable fate and it’s no fun.

[egbert101]

I personally would go for a Behringer Crave. Sounds fantastic and has huge flexibility but like the Microbrute, only one oscillator.

[Septimon]

As posters before already said: you probably either love or hate the sound.
I had a micro, a mini mk1 and mk2 and i totally love the sound. I bought a „chopped“ Version on eBay: Somebody just cut off the Keyboard of the mk1 (25 Keys are completely useless in my opinion anyway, Even for a Bass Synth.)
I prefer the mk1s sound over the mk2 since it‘s rougher, they tamed the filter in the mk2 Version.
It‘s also fun to run it through guitar pedals. Personal Favourite: Electro Harmonix cock fight.
Of course it‘s limited, but i like it a lot for Bass Lines. And for me it‘s so much more fun to have hardware with actual knobs and sliders. But it‘s very subjective of course.
if i had to choose between the Arturia and Behringers Model D, i‘d pick the Model D, but i enjoy to have them both.

[stoopicus]

For Behringer I would probably go with the Pro-1, or Kobol Expander, and then Model D. But that's only because I have the very unpopular opinion that Moog synths only truly shine for bass (and are good but closer to average everywhere else). But you can't beat them for bass, yeah. Those oscillators with the ladder filter just sound awesome down low.

[stoopicus]

There’s just one thing though: the sticky rubber on the controls. You’ll have to clean it at some point (or, if you buy used, hopefully the previous owner already did it); it’s an unavoidable fate and it’s no fun.

Yeah, not looking forward to this as my Keylab ages.

[stoopicus]

I personally would go for a Behringer Crave. Sounds fantastic and has huge flexibility but like the Microbrute, only one oscillator.

Interesting. That's basically the Mother 32 clone? They are very cheap.

[egbert101]

I personally would go for a Behringer Crave. Sounds fantastic and has huge flexibility but like the Microbrute, only one oscillator.

Interesting. That's basically the Mother 32 clone? They are very cheap.

Yes basically. A Prophet Oscillator (3340 VCO) and a Moog Filter. It's very well constructed but cheap and sounds great. It has a sequencer too, if you're into creating bass sequencing. Lots of stuff on youtube on various tricks you can use to make the sound more interesting.

[stoopicus]

So much recent/renewed Uli hatred for the Moog clones out there on the youtubes, it's very funny really