Does the Arturia Minifreak VST Synth sound identical to the Arturia Minifreak HW Synth ?

[Muziksculp]

Hi,

Does the Arturia Minifreak VST Synth sound identical to the Arturia Minifreak HW Synth ?

Thanks.

[El°HYM]

Except the analog filter it indeed should sound very similar.

[Kyunghee]

Not 100% identical but for all intents and purposes it is.

[Muziksculp]

I'm guessing that Arturia modeled quite accurate emulations of their HW analog filters, so it sounds and behaves very close to the real analog filters in their hardware. The filters have a lot to do with the sonic character of the synth. That was the main reason I was curious if the HW and VST versions sound very similar, my guess... They sound very close to each other, but not identical.

[HAL76]

I just had the Microfreak for some time and my impression was that its probably cheap op-amps have a strong impact on its sound. That is generally an important aspect when you compare hardware with software that is often overseen. Op-amps add coloration and non-linearities - and also have effects on dynamics, transients and so on.

I liked the sound of the Microfreak somehow. It doesn´t sound like a VST but more "90s digital".

[Korg Supporter]

I just had the Microfreak for some time and my impression was that its probably cheap op-amps have a strong impact on its sound. That is generally an important aspect when you compare hardware with software that is often overseen. Op-amps add coloration and non-linearities - and also have effects on dynamics, transients and so on.

I liked the sound of the Microfreak somehow. It doesn´t sound like a VST but more "90s digital".

They're asking about the Minifreak, not the Microfreak.

[Cuauhtli]

Hi,

Does the Arturia Minifreak VST Synth sound identical to the Arturia Minifreak HW Synth ?

Thanks.

No. Hardware components have tolerances. No two HW synths are going to sound exactly alike. Likewise, none of the HW versions are going to sound exactly the same as a software version. At least as far as the analog/solid state aspects go.

[foosnark]

No. Hardware components have tolerances. No two HW synths are going to sound exactly alike. Likewise, none of the HW versions are going to sound exactly the same as a software version. At least as far as the analog/solid state aspects go.

I feel like this answer is valid for older analog synths -- with electrolytic capacitors in particular, which degrade as they age. But for a synth that came out in 2024, I doubt there's going to be a noticeable difference between individual units.

It's more a question of how well they modeled it, and since both are Arturia products and they're fairly competent I would expect a pretty decent match.

[Muziksculp]

Hi,

I'm trying to decide if it is worth buying the Minifreak HW , which also offers the Software version (Minifreak V), so far I'm quite impressed by how flexible, and great sounding the Minifreak is, listening to many of the demos on YT. most of the demos are showing the HW version in action, but I think the difference between the HW vs Virtual Minifreak might be minimal.

I hear a very tasty warmth in some of the pads, and similar type of textures of the HW version demos. my guess it is the analog filter that is adding that element of warmth to the digital oscillators.

For those who have the Minifreak HW, and the Virtual version, maybe you can provide some feedback on this detail.

Thanks.

[Muziksculp]

Here is a helpful video on this topic :

[Muziksculp]

Oh, I also think It would make sense if they offered a desktop Minifreak version (without the toyish keyboard), costing less, and playable via your studio's main keyboard controller. That would have been an instant buy for me.