Arturia MICROFREAK Experimental Hybrid Synth

Experimental Hybrid Synth

A synthesizer like no other, MicroFreak is a peculiar, exceptional instrument that rewards the curious musician. It blends wavetable and digital oscillators with analog filters. It features a unique poly-aftertouch flat keyboard. It adds controlled randomness to sequences. This isnt a revolution, its a mutiny.

Whether youre looking for your first, affordable hardware synth or are a collector looking for original sounds and unique interface, MicroFreak is the synth you need.

This out-there little music machine features a versatile digital oscillator so you can create rare and interesting sounds with ease. Modes like Wavetable, KarplusStrong, Harmonic OSC, and Superwave give adventurous musicians the chance to explore totally new, unheard possibilities.

Like having dozens of synths in just one instrument, both wild-eyed newcomers and seasoned professionals will fall in love with MicroFreaks flexible, powerful synth engine.

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Small but fierce

MicroFreak packs so much into such a compact instrument, you’ll wonder how we did it. We’d love to say it was magic, but it was pure skill and passion.

Physical modeling, wavetable synthesis, virtual analog, there is nothing as complete and exciting as the MicroFreak oscillator on the market. It’s hard to believe from such a small synth, but here it is, ready for you to explore. Stimulate your creativity and reward your curiosity with a large, diverse sound palette. MicroFreak features 16 awesome oscillator modes, including 5 bespoke Arturia engines, 7 modes from Mutable Instruments, and 3 oscillator modes designed with Noise Engineering.

There’s a little freak inside you, and this instrument will bring it out.

Thats a funny looking keyboard

Thats right, it is. It isnt really even a keyboard. Its a PCB. Super-flat, with no moving parts. Will it track lightning-fast synth solos? You bet. Better than a traditional keyboard, actually.

Will it let you be expressive? Of course, its not only pressure-sensitive, but also offers poly-aftertouch. This means each key can control parameters in a different way depending on how much you touch.

You can also use its USB, MIDI, and CV outputs to control instruments in your DAW and modular synths. This also means that you can also use MicroFreak as a controller to experience polyphonic aftertouch with cutting-edge software instruments.

Taste the spice, throw the dice

MicroFreak is packed with unique, exciting features that let you create music with a fresh perspective.

Record up to four automations, edit notes per step or use the innovative Spice and Dice sequencer functions to find happy accidents. Add randomization to create evolving, original patterns, and virtually rewire and reconfigure its signal chain and controls with the 5×7 modulation matrix.

This truly is a budget-friendly synth like no other.

The best of both worlds

Even though MicroFreak has a digital oscillator at its heart, opposites attract as the saying goes. Thats why weve included a lush-sounding analog filter.

Inspired by the trailblazing 12-dB SEM filter, you can make MicroFreaks filter scream or whisper to taste. The filter is state-variable, and can even auto-oscillate! You can use this is any way you like, from taking the edge of the razor-sharp wavetable sounds, or automating the cutoff by modulating it with keyboard pressure or the in-built sequencer.

Wait. Did we mention that MicroFreak has a sequencer? And a mod matrix? Things are about to get seriously interesting…

Features

Synthesizer with 384 preset slots and 320 factory presets

16 digital oscillator modes, including engines from Mutable Instruments and Noise Engineering

Analog State Variable Filter, 12dB/octave, resonant, Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass

ADSR envelope

LFO with Sync: Sine, Tri, Saw, Square, Random, Slew Random

Modulation matrix with 5 sources and 7 destinations (3 custom destinations)

Cycling Envelope offering two modes

• Envelope
• LFO

Monophonic or Paraphonic modes – Up to 4 voices

Chord mode lets you program a chord shape and play it on any note

Scale Quantize lets you set a specific scale for the white notes to simplify the creative process

25-key capacitive keybed with polyphonic aftertouch

Capacitive touch strip

Crisp OLED display for editing and parameter values

CV / Gate / Mod outputs

USB, Clock and MIDI in and out

Powerful arpeggiator

• Up, Order, Random, Pattern modes
• Spice & Dice Gate randomizers

64-step sequencer

• 2 patterns per preset.
• 4 automation tracks per preset

6.35mm master and 3.5mm headphone output (TRRS input compatible for Vocoder engine)

Specs

Box content

• MicroFreak unit
• Power supply

Instrument dimensions

• size :12.2 x 9.2 x 2.2 inches (311 x 233 x 55mm)
• weight :2.3 lbs. (1.02 Kg)