Today we are checking out the MicroFreak from Arturia.If you want a MicroFreak check it in stores here: MICROFREAK EU: thmn.to/thoprod/457192?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/ZknZK OTHER GOOD STARTER SYNTHS Original Minilogue EU: thmn.to/thoprod/379052?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/2PbZM Korg Minilogue XD EU: thmn.to/thoprod/465932?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/Rxg72 Argon8 EU: thmn.to/thoprod/473936?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/0bKWL Modal Electronics Cobalt8 EU: thmn.to/thoprod/506277?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/eDP4X Affordable eurorack modules (Dreadbox Chromatic Series) EU: thmn.to/thoprod/486796?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/kjeaad US: bit.ly/dreadbox2 Korg NuTekt NTS1 EU: thmn.to/thoprod/473592?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/2OR10 Reface CS EU: thmn.to/thoprod/368212?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/PLJLR HydraSynth EU: thmn.to/thoprod/527778?offid=1&affid=623 US: imp.i114863.net/5b6MZ2

just bought one of these during lockdown...and now all i want are 2 things.. 1) to go back in time and record the 18hours of unbridled noise chaos i unleashed after unboxing 2) 3 more microfreaks

@BoBeats

4 жыл бұрын

😂♥️

@lunarsurfaceproductions

4 жыл бұрын

BoBeats awesome comment mate !

@richardadams429

3 жыл бұрын

​@@anniedarkhorse6791 : er..."easy" is the best/vaguest answer ive got. even though i love this thing, honestly, i may not be the best person to ask. its just a noise maker for me, i dont use 95% of its functions.. plenty of vids on KZread that would answer your question more satisfactorily ..have a good day

@richardadams429

3 жыл бұрын

@@anniedarkhorse6791 : sorry i couldnt be more help..

@glnnk_art

2 жыл бұрын

Ill keep that in mind for when i order mine :D

The fact that they released huge free updates for this synth while the price has been slowly decreasing is just crazy.

@SkelaKing

3 жыл бұрын

Haha “slowly decreasing”

@fivebyfivesound

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed, from a short-term profit standpoint, it makes no sense at all. But if you want to build a dedicated user/customer base that essentially markets your product and brand for you, over-delivering on value is a great way to go. I wish more businesses could/would deliver in this way.

@mikemeengs5720

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed, but I just bought mine today...$370.00 with tax. I don't think the new price has decreased.

@cheapmusicgear

2 жыл бұрын

@@mikemeengs5720 I just got one used for $274 and it’s in the mail right now. I’m so dang excited to get it lol.

@mikemeengs5720

2 жыл бұрын

@@cheapmusicgear Excellent! Enjoy!

hey synth fam! you can follow my synth life over on instagram.com/bobeats

Honestly this is the first demo i've heard of this thing that actually made it sound half decent, well done

The Microfreak strikes me as one of the most creativity-inspiring synths I've seen in a long time. While I love my analog synths, I feel like we're starting to see digital oscillators make a comeback and I think that's because with the massive improvement in processing power we have today, digital synthesis sounds better than ever, digital modeling is better than ever, and (perhaps most importantly?) the possibility of so many different waveforms makes for extremely interesting sounds. Also, being digital, it's easier to make the components smaller and cheaper, which I'm all for as long as it doesn't mean sacrificing quality. There's a lot of cool features in this synth and it looks like they created a very intuitive and user-friendly layout. It doesn't seem hard to make interesting sounds with this thing, and because of that I could see myself spending hours with it just going from one sound to the next. These cheap, but powerful little synths are massively appealing to me because I already have a couple large synthesizers and I can always use them to trigger notes if needed, but it's nice to have an octave or two to at least sample the sounds as I'm creating them. Yes, please, MORE of the Microfreak! This is sure to be a must-buy synth given it's unique nature, nice feature set, and quality and variety of sounds. I'm a bit of an Arturia fanboy myself, but this thing really knocked my socks off when I heard it. Great first impressions video, I would love to hear more!

Best review of the Microfreak I've seen to date. Thanks for showing in-depth the range of what it can do. I preordered it a few weeks ago, and cannot wait to create with it!

Loved the comedic opening....The sounds of this unit are incredible! Thanks for playing through it and exploring.

Thanks, Bo, for this impressive presentation. It sounds much better I expected. Especially the 'bell'-like sounds are nice to me.

That “RIP” moment killed me... 😂 Great video! Thank you for this!

I can’t stop discovering how amazing the patches can be on this synth. The depth and layering possibilities allow for really impressive chords and leads!

looking forward to it! versatility and aesthetics drew me in at first sight.

Just bought a Minilogue XD (which I love) but I can’t deny this is also a very unique and appealing synth. Great review, thanks Bo.

Great review. Was interested before as the price point is nice. Seeing your review has won me over some more.

Great video. Best demo / overview yet. I’ve had one on pre order since early March. Very exciting. Looks like a great little synth with some fantastic features for this size and price point. Can’t wait to get my mitts on it 👍

Loved the review. Going to the city tomorrow (I’m fairly rural) and I’ve been thinking about picking one of these up for a while to connect with my Force as my S61 is just too big to be practical for my use. Been watching your videos since I picked up my circuit, keep up the good work!

Fun, Fun Video...Nice Job! And I can't believe just how MUCH Arturia Swag U got in the box! I can't wait to Cop my own MicroFreak!!

this synthesizer is for its price an interstellar bomb ..... I have been a dj for years and I think this is the first step for live and production that opens up to me with this device! These are exactly the sounds I'm looking for and love. Your video is honestly excellent!

Dang Bo, making that Freak sing! Best demos I've heard of this synth by far!

Mine arrives tomorrow!!! Cannot wait.

Both my wife and myself would love to see this thing hooked up to your modular synth. We were thinking about getting one due to its great sound and unique surface that can control CV/gate/pressure.

Preordered it at my local store 5 minutes after release...and now I'm waiting for it. I think together with my Zoia it will be an interesting match. 😊😉

Really cool! I feel it like a 'micrologue'. Thanks for the videos Bo!!!

Sounds interesting! Definitely usable range of sounds and the UI seems intuitive but powerful. Great review. If I was in the market for something with this form factor this would be right near the top of my list at only $400 CAD.

It sounds massive and super interesting. I would love some demos exploring ridms and kind of drumachine/sequencing strategies

Thanks Bo for the closer look on the Freak! What I really dig about the synth is the versatility it offers! Decent sound possibilities and features like the paraphony and lots of osc modes are awesome. And saving patches is nice to have again, I mangle a lot on my semi modulars and recalling isnt always fun i've you are working on multible songs at once 😉 And finally, for the features it offers, the price is fair i would say.

Definitely looking at getting one! Thank you for sharing!!

I would love to see the Model Samples with the Microfreak in action.

@pfmmodule5144

4 жыл бұрын

Got both. Got the microfreak updated (finally), now to sync them up. Also got a NDLR to add into the mix.

Sounds like I’ll have a lot of fun with this. I’m looking forward to getting mine soon :)

You definitely changed my opinion of this synth.

@sheepkillindog

4 жыл бұрын

ADHD Synth watch noir et blanc vie. He has some good insight into this as well. Seems glitchy

@LukezyM

4 жыл бұрын

@sheepkillindog The firmware has to be updated, then all is well.

@powbobs

2 жыл бұрын

Try before you buy. Hate the keys.

Wasn't sure after what I thought was some lukewarm NAMM coverage but this video might have convinced me. I am glad I can trust your opinion and judgement. Keep up the good work.

Got to give it to them, those are some beautiful presets. Seems like a very versatile synth that doesn't have that "phat" analog sound but doesn't sound as tame as a Nord. This might have pulled me over the edge, really seems like a great addition to my current set up that can replace a lot of plug-ins I use in my productions.

@BoBeats

5 жыл бұрын

The presets are quite decent! Which is rare imo

It definitely sounds better here than in any other demo I’ve seen so far. It’s a very interesting piece and the filter sounds like the best one Arturia has implemented so far. But I’m struggling to see what it can do that my Blofeld can’t besides having the analog filter. Still pretty incredible for the price. Gonna be hard to resist for $299.

@reaktiv1408

5 жыл бұрын

I think that our blofeld are way more complex to tame but offers so much territories soundwise! It's worth learning it inside out. For instance, it seems that you can't import wavetables on the Micro as you can with the waldorf. Not to mention the mod matrix. Microfreak is tempting to me essentially for its simple to use interface,i like those keys also since I have a blo desktop.

@HotStrange

5 жыл бұрын

ReAKTIV Arturia did mention that more wave tables and oscillators would be coming in the form of firmware updates which is cool and the price makes it almost worth it purely as a controller with polyphonic aftertouch and MPE control. This will definitely be more hands on and performance friendly, I completely agree with you there. And the mod matrix on here is a huge plus especially for the low price. I have a desktop Blofeld as well but I’m currently using a Keystep which has aftertouch. Still, though. For $299 this thing is stacked with features.

@ghostly606

3 жыл бұрын

Hands on control

I think I might need one of these. Thanks for the upload.

Super nice! Arturia have gassed me. This will complement my almost all analogue set up very well. Great price too.

brilliant! really inspirational wee demo. i think i'll buy one of these. really individual sounding synth

Thanks Bo. Got mine yesterday. It is amazing.

Damn it, Bo.... I wasn't really interested in this at first... now you have me looking up it up on Amazon....

This looks amazing!! I love making weird synths and sounds. So far I've just been tinkering around with default synths in Garageband (they have a lot of nice, spacey experimental synths), but I might get this as my first real synth instrument!

Bought one of these a couple days ago! It’s capable of some really deep and varied chill tones. I usually just play around with the softer presets until I tweak it enough to sound unique. Or start fresh with the Karplus string modeled synthesis mode. It’s a very capable synth. So much possibility in the modulation section, too. From nostalgic subtlety to outright madness. The filter is analog, and that stands out when the resonance is turned up and reverberates with your chords. I didn’t expect this synth to have so much variety in styles for the price point.

Arturia is making some of the best synths on the market. This little beast, you presented in such a nice way, begs to be explored!!

So after watching the Loopop, Stimming, Jade Wii demos, and then coming back and watching this again, I’m sold on the MicroFreak. The preset demos up to this point were bad but being able to see you guys really dive into showed what it’s really capable of. It sounds great and it maybe the most feature packed synth for the price besides maybe a Blofeld. Absolutely insane what you get for $299.

@BoBeats

5 жыл бұрын

Cool! Yeah I mean if you want a fun digital synth this is a no brainer. I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. And I have the XD here for comparison which is also fun. But. Its the old analog style synth with a topping of digital. The Freak is just much more original

@HotStrange

5 жыл бұрын

BoBeats I agree. I love the XDs sound but the MicroFreak is such a more interesting piece of gear and all the synthesis types really opens up the sonic possibilities almost limitlessly. Needless to say I have one on preorder now :)

HOLY MOLY, I'm in love already :). One month for mine to arrive home. (I'm counting on you Thomann) Just waiting for Behringer Odyssey to be released, I have to decide between Odyssey or Deepmind 6 :(

@_EightySix

5 жыл бұрын

DM12! There you go, I've solved your quandary. Idk why anyone would get a DM6, the DM12 is only like 100 bucks more!

I like how the envelopes and filter are displayed while you adjust the knobs. It would be nice to have something like this in Korg's logues (altough it's nice to see the oscilloscope most of the time, while adjusting envelopes I'd like to see the envelope).

This is such a bargin but not cheap sounding, very capable synth, well done Arturia.

I was thinking of the minibrute 2, but I'm going to have to seriously look into this micro freak!

Informative review, thanks! This little screen is really useful, too bad they did had it when they made the matrixbrute... Let's wait for microfreak's brother because it has some potential! Analog dept is already so crowded, digital synth add something unique to our sound palettes

2:02 Yep, the microfreak is now on my must have list

I love how it sounds. So yea, I'm definitely interested.

It's the first review that really makes me wanna get it ^^

don't know whether its the chords you are playing but I have not heard a synth more designed for trance production since the roland jp 8000

@DarkSideofSynth

5 жыл бұрын

That hit me too

@fortheloveofnoise

5 жыл бұрын

Just wait until the poly 16 voice version is out. I bet that would be a trance monster. Who knows when we would get that though.....if we will even. Fingers crossed.

@dbsmash2

5 жыл бұрын

Agreed! Trance came to mind so strong here :)

@matszh

4 жыл бұрын

ADHD Synth Yeah, let’s hope for a MaxiFreak too.

@edwardfletcher7790

3 жыл бұрын

Then there's the JD-Xi... 😆

If you can get past the stubborn "not analogue" mental obstacle, I really don't know of a better synth for the money... So rich in features and sound manipulation. There's really no limits.

Yes, I just ordered one. Since I am from the future I am looking forward to the 2.03 firmware, chords and scales! Please do a video with the Arp, Sequencer, chords and sclaes please!

@UNSCPILOT

2 жыл бұрын

Another owner from the far(ther) future, it even has a vocoder mode now, seriously this little guy just gets more and more tricks!

Wow that actually sounds goosebump nice : )

Bo! I love your channel, it's my favourite synth content on the web but I would love to see more MicroFreak content! That's my main synth and I love it. I'd love to see your thoughts on the synth after having it for a few years. Cheers, Omar

I preordered one up Canada way. Still waiting for it to be shipped from Arturia. Excited for the digital sound to be added to my rig.

i really enjoy it but i might wait until i can afford the minilogue XD. I'll have to jump at the shop to try it to decide !!!

What a great hands-on review! Was debating whether or not the mikrofreak was the one for me…and you just made the choice easy enough. That thing is a creative beast on its own rights. Arturia owes you a sale on this one

At 7:07 really cool... so much electronic music there / synth music from the 80's there.. thanks Bo...Tack!

nice review.. def hearing the technoes within :))

Still waiting on my mine, I seriously can't wait, I think they should be shipping April 30th, so far away...

It seems interesting for sound experiment. Cool arp/seq too. I'm curious about the Matrix and digital oscillator... Micro Freak can be the little weird touch in your setup! Thanx Bo for sharing.

@VictorSteiner

5 жыл бұрын

Strange Oscillator the matrix rocks. I had a small presentation from an Arturia guy and it blew my mind that you can even assign the wave but also the general synth type to LFO and so on. So while you llay it can change frok sawtooth to Karplus Strong and so on ... it would have been great if they added a single CV in for modulation so you can use fun strange cv sources in the matrix.

@strangeoscillator1327

5 жыл бұрын

@@VictorSteiner That sounds great ! Thanx for the info ! I hope a review soon...

I just bought a microfreak from my local music shop. I had never heard of it but after playing with it for 5 minutes I had to have it!

This Micro Freak looks and sounds gorgeous - and the low price is gorgeous too. I am sorely tempted to get one (I reckon the Micro Freak would go well with my Novation Mono Station and Volca Drum).

First time a video has actually made me think this machine is a good idea. Great job, Bo!

OK I need one. The range of sounds looks very usable

When you dive into it further, I’m curious if the sequencer can drive external gear decoupled from the Freak’s synth, so that the freak could be played manually... or vice versa. I suppose local off could be used to drive external gear while the the sequencer would drive the freak. Basically curious about using both keyboard and sequencer to drive two independent midi channels.

yeah I'm getting one. great demo!

I am honestly having the toughest time choosing between the Microfreak and the Prologue 8! They both seems great. The Prologue sounds flippin' out of this world but the Microfreak is so cute, and I love how the keys are pressure sensitive... Plus the price is nice haha. I've been doing a lot of research in preparation for my first synth. I really want to dive in and get one asap, but I'm taking it slow and trying not to purchase until the new year.

Really does quite a few things for the price! It had me interested at Paraphonic...

I’m waiting for it. Still not shipped. Seems it will arrive mid May. I’m impressed. It has more features than I expected. Great sound!

@markwilliamson6884

5 жыл бұрын

same here. Can't wait after hearing this - going to be a great addition to my setup

@jimlarson123

5 жыл бұрын

I just read the manual already available on the website -- it's very well written with lots of great tips. Insane how many different ways you can modulate every control on this box.

great video! Please do a full in depth review of this guy)

I’m obviously late to the party, but I just paused the video and purchased one. Finally! Now on to the rest of your video. I know I won’t regret my purchase.

For me, I'd be interested in making 'weird' textured sounds to sit around the other content. Use it as a digital sound source that's not trying to be analogue.

Definitely a good idea from Arturia to buy you some coffee, this is an extremely well structured #notareview. This went from lax & narrow-chested to lush fast. Only thing I spotted that seemed like a real bummer: does the LFO-rate stop at 100Hz? thats pretty meh. Thanks again, have a nice day.

Oh man, I‘m from now on in love with this. Thanks for the review, I will totally buy it. and was the little Silent Hill part an coincidence? ;)

@BoBeats

5 жыл бұрын

Coincidence :-)

mr.bo what i should get for synths as i keep seeing things i like on your channel and i want EVERYTHING. ahhh so much amazing gear

Finally a video with musical sounds instead of totally electrical sounds. Great job.

Well Bo....thanks to watching you tinker around with this thing, and for quite a while also...I realize I'm a button pusher and knob tweaker type of creator...sliders, cables and connections, hands on the instrument or fx unit and controllers. So...the Microfreak is moving in, no doubt about that! Thank you Bo :)

@janerikurbye5763

5 жыл бұрын

An update just for the hell of it, ordering the Microfreak on monday most likely. This thing looks wicked cool!

it'd be great to see you use this paraphonic digital Arturia synth with your paraphonic analog Arturia synth

Purchased! 1st impressions are, it sounds very rich and lively, it's easy to use if you know synths, its versatile, it bangs for the bucks!

Gotta reinforce others here and say I'm so glad you actually showcased the wide range of sounds that can be extracted from this thing

it also does a really great supersaw!

Hi, Bo - i ordered my freak a couple of weeks ago at thomann's ... still waiting ;-( ... Just wondering if the LFO can be polyphonic too, like the digital Oscillators. Or is it only one LFO at all times... You know it is a big difference. For Ex. the DSI OB-6 has only one monophonic LFO for all 6 Voices; the Korg Minilogue instead has 4 LFO's, which can run independently with every voice... and, - yes, everybody is wondering about the feel of the keys, for anybody who is used to play ... real keys... ;-) anyway - thumbs up for you! - cheers!

oh when it drops :O lol nice vid, i just got mine to play wit too. What a naughty little box!

Exactly what I've been looking for. So much modulation at your disposal. I ask you, good people, what other piece of hardware could do what this does? I was thinking about a few synths with a roli, but now we are twice the price at least.

Like the synth a lot! (But hate the keys) thanks for uploading this!

I can see you love this synth. It sounds awesome bo. You made any trip hop or acid house beats with it yet?

@BoBeats

5 жыл бұрын

nothing like that yet :-)

its what i need. small.affordable,mad! prob would like to see a track made with just the le freak.

Wow, nice sounds. Sounds very flexible.

beautifully designed synth

Can you separate the sequencer between internal and external? So I could use the sequencer to sequence Eurorack and use the keys to play the freak? And vice versa?

Got one. And very happy!

I love Arturia they do great stuff! The sound from 2:50 is what I’ve been after now

Nice review. Do you think this would work well with the Minilogue xd as a kind of bass synth? any other suggestions?

4 knobs for oscillator shapes tuning reminds me op-1's synth engines too much.

@lunarsurfaceproductions

4 жыл бұрын

Alexey Kurilo do you think that makes this a synth comparable to an op-1? Asking for an honest opinion

Note to Arturia! I was on the fence about this synth until seeing/hearing this vid! Bo crushes it!

Great video thanks bo. When I saw this first demod alot of people said it sucked but I think it sounds great! Maybe it's you! Haha

Very interested in this synth. Heard these are fantastic value for the $.

I love mine. I don't try to make it sound 'analog' at all. I specifically try to coax digital weirdness out of it. It looks like a toy sorta but it's a very well designed instrument. I sequence mine with a Digitakt.