Arturia Minifreak Polyphonic Hybrid Keyboard Synthesizer

[WatchTheGuitar]

I also have no space for anymore hardware synths (and something will have to go when the Osmose turns up!) so I am most interested in is MiniFreak V (dedicated VST counterpart). I assume this will end up in V collection as it's a 'V'

Well you can kind of get a lot of it already as they took the oscillators from MI Plaits so just get VCV Rack or Softube Modular.

[vurt]

Looks interesting, more voices makes it much more usable. Would love a desktop version.

polyphony is a fad!

Tell that to your MS2000

i do repeatedly, and i mock it's sequencer too.
lovely vocoder though. for the voice, mono!!!

[vurt]

I also have no space for anymore hardware synths (and something will have to go when the Osmose turns up!) so I am most interested in is MiniFreak V (dedicated VST counterpart). I assume this will end up in V collection as it's a 'V'

i like the micro personally, the keyboard made it a bit more interesting than this one for me.
but even then, having plaits aleady made it less sexy and necessary.

[cryophonik]

[SLiC]

I also have no space for anymore hardware synths (and something will have to go when the Osmose turns up!) so I am most interested in is MiniFreak V (dedicated VST counterpart). I assume this will end up in V collection as it's a 'V'

Well you can kind of get a lot of it already as they took the oscillators from MI Plaits so just get VCV Rack or Softube Modular.

True, I also have Plaits in my M8 tracker and my Poly Hektor! Its more about just having it 'all' as a VST with the modelled analogue filter etc...be cool if it was identical as claimed, that means there is no difference between digital and analogue

MiniFreak V – MiniFreak comes with a dedicated VST counterpart, letting users totally integrate its unique hybrid sound and presets into their DAW productions and vice versa. Using identical sound engines, modeled filters, presets, and synchronized controls, users can enjoy an identical experience in hardware or software form.

[foosnark]

The touchplate keyboard was one of the big attractions of Minifreak IMHO. Going to regular minikeys -- without polyphonic aftertouch! -- seems like a step down, away from that "freak" identity and what made the thing unique and cool.

I'm just not excited about this one overall. I know some people will like the polyphony. But I gave up on the Microfreak because:

- the menu navigation wasn't fun, and the encoder response on oscillator parameters always felt weird. There are certainly worse examples out there, but I found myself just not enjoying using it as much as other synths.
- the pressure needed slew (preferably adjustable) so it wasn't so twitchy.
- there needed to be a way to open the VCA with pressure instead of the envelope. There was no way to properly have pressure-controlled volume without a clicky bit at the start of each keypress.
- the oscillators I think didn't sound as clear, or impactful somehow, as other iterations of them. The Noise Engineering ones in particular sound so much better in Virt Iter and in VST form than they do on the Microfreak. I couldn't compare the Plaits ones directly since I'd sold my Plaits before getting the Microfreak, but I always thought their choice of algorithms was a bit off and they could have tweaked control ranges/curves a bit more.

Maybe the dual oscillators make it sound a lot better, maybe the filter per voice is a big step up. But there's also going to be more fiddling with it probably and less of the immediacy I want in a small non-modular synth. So, this one's not for me.

[whyterabbyt]

Well you can kind of get a lot of it already as they took the oscillators from MI Plaits so just get VCV Rack or Softube Modular.

yeah, but there's also the noise engineering oscillators...

[WatchTheGuitar]

Well the Noise Engineering plugins are pretty good. Don’t know if there’s a 1:1 with the ones in the MiniFreak.

[T-CM11]

True, I also have Plaits in my M8 tracker and my Poly Hektor! Its more about just having it 'all' as a VST with the modelled analogue filter etc...be cool if it was identical as claimed, that means there is no difference between digital and analogue

MiniFreak V – MiniFreak comes with a dedicated VST counterpart, letting users totally integrate its unique hybrid sound and presets into their DAW productions and vice versa. Using identical sound engines, modeled filters, presets, and synchronized controls, users can enjoy an identical experience in hardware or software form.

Identical "experience" is a bit vague though - there's no claim that they sound (100%) the same.

[elxsound]

Hmm that's a wide-ass keyboard

I guess typos are inevitable.

Instrument dimensions
Size : 122.75 x 9.09 x 1.57 inches (578 x 231 x 55mm)
Weight : 8.37 lbs. (2.94 Kg)

[cryophonik]

Hmm that's a wide-ass keyboard

I guess typos are inevitable.

Instrument dimensions
Size : 122.75 x 9.09 x 1.57 inches (578 x 231 x 55mm)
Weight : 8.37 lbs. (2.94 Kg)

Damn, I'd have to sell my PolyBrute, Sub37, AND my Virus to make space for it!

[vurt]

Hmm that's a wide-ass keyboard

I guess typos are inevitable.

Instrument dimensions
Size : 122.75 x 9.09 x 1.57 inches (578 x 231 x 55mm)
Weight : 8.37 lbs. (2.94 Kg)

how wide does that make a mini key?

good weed in france im assuming...

[foosnark]

Well the Noise Engineering plugins are pretty good. Don’t know if there’s a 1:1 with the ones in the MiniFreak.

To me, the oscillators sound clearer and better in the NE plugins than the Microfreak versions.
(The Eurorack version, Virt Iter Legio, is better still IMHO.)

The filter in the NE plugins is generally not bad, though it gets super weird at high resonance (which is intentional apparently) but not quite as nice as the Microfreak's analog filter IMHO.

[elxsound]

Hmm that's a wide-ass keyboard

I guess typos are inevitable.

Instrument dimensions
Size : 122.75 x 9.09 x 1.57 inches (578 x 231 x 55mm)
Weight : 8.37 lbs. (2.94 Kg)

how wide does that make a mini key?

good weed in france im assuming...

[vurt]