• Manufacturer: Arturia
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Arturia MicroFreak 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 isn't a revolution, it's a mutiny.

Product Features:

Un Grain de Folie

Whether you’re 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 3 granular engines 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 MicroFreak's flexible, powerful synth engine.

Small but Fierce

MicroFreak packs so much in to 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, sample playback; there's 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 17 awesome oscillator modes, including 7 bespoke Arturia engines, 7 modes from Mutable Instruments, and 3 oscillator modes designed with Noise Engineering.

That's a Funny Looking Keyboard

That's right, it is. It isn't really even a keyboard. It's 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, it's 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.

Digital Oscillator: Stop sounding like everyone else. This synth features a hugely powerful digital oscillator with multiple modes. Find new exciting sounds from virtual analog to crazy speech synthesis.

Analog Filter: A tasty state-variable LPF, BPF, HPF analog filter capable of self-oscillating.

LFO, Envelope, and Cycling Envelopes: Deceptively simple, but hugely powerful LFO and Envelope to shape your synth sound. The flexible cycling modulator can act as an Envelope or an LFO with variable rise and fall times.

25-note PCB "Keyboard": Super-expressive interface with poly-aftertouch sensitivity.

Transpose Buttons: Switch from dirty bass range to screaming, high-pitched leads with ease.

Arpeggiator/Sequencer: Polyphonic Sequencer + 4 modulation tracks assignable to any parameter. Find happy accidents with Spice and Dice to add some fun to your sequences.

Assignable Mod Matrix: Virtually wire up 5 modulation sources and 7 destinations, with 3 user-defined points.

512 Preset Slots Including 320 Factory Presets: A fantastic mix of traditional and, well, let's just say "not very traditional" kick-ass sounds to explore, and plenty of space to save your own.

OLED Screen: Navigate settings and presets with crystal clarity.

Headphone Output: A standard 3.5mm headphone output that's also TRRS-compatible for microphone and audio input (for the Vocoder engine).

Audio Output: A 1/4" jack connection for balanced line-level output.

Analog Clock: The 3.5mm clock input and output lets you sync with external gear, and can be configured to older clock types 24 ppq, 48 ppq, 2 ppq, or even a single pulse per step.

MIDI Connections: Use these 3.5mm connections with the included MIDI breakout cables to connect to your favorite synths, controllers, drum machines, or any other MIDI gear.

CV/Gate Connections: Integrate MicroFreak into your creative ecosystem with its CV outputs. Use the sequencer to control vintage synths, take control of your Eurorack gear, the options are almost limitless.

PSU & USB Power: MicroFreak comes with a PSU, but no volt-hungry analog oscillators means it can also be powered by USB!

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 5x7 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. That's why we’ve included a lush-sounding analog filter.

Inspired by the trailblazing 12-dB SEM filter, you can make MicroFreak's 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...

Product Specifications:

Main Features

Synthesizer with 512 preset slots and 320 factory presets

21 digital oscillator modes, from wavetable to sample playback & granular processing, plus engines from Mutable Instruments and Noise Engineering as well as the Vocoder mode

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

ADSR envelope

Cycling Envelope offering two modes

Envelope

LFO

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

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

Monophonic, Paraphonic or Unison 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

Powerful arpeggiator

Up, Order, Random, Pattern modes

Spice & Dice Gate randomizers

64-step sequencer

2 patterns per preset

4 automation tracks per preset

CV / Gate / Pressure outputs

USB, Clock and MIDI in and out

6.35mm master and 3.5mm headphone output

Instrument Dimensions

Size: 12.2 x 9.2 x 2.2 inches (311 x 233 x 55mm)

Weight: 2.3 lbs. (1.02 Kg)

Box Contents

MicroFreak Unit

Universal PSU

Registration card

2x MIDI port adapters