Spice & Dice also gives it a bit of immediate hands on
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I do find the sound are a bit on the weedy side, itās hard to articulateā¦ I donāt think the filter is enough to compensate for the digital engines, and I always seem to get better results from Plaits on its own (even without a filter involved). Effects definitely help, and I think it would have been a good idea to include at least a delay.
Some of the oscillator modes I doubt Iāll ever use - whatād be really interesting is if they opened it up like Korg have, so you could mix & match third-party modules. Some of the modes that have been created for Mutable modules are very impressive and useful, and this could give the Microfreak some real longevity as competing devices appear.
The matrix and sequencer / arp are great, and spice/dice works well when you have a handle on it. The touch panel works fine for me, but it is easy to make errors, especially with the black keys. Hardware-wise, I think itās great.
Ultimately itās not getting much use from me at the moment, unfortunately. I think it takes some dedication to setting up the mod matrix to really make it shine. I strikes me as a synth that rewards perseverance and focus, and I think the price and sheer novelty of much of it are to be commended. I think itās a decent synth for someone who wants to dip their toes in without making a huge commitment. I donāt know how well itās been selling, but if itās popular then I wouldnāt be surprised to see an expanded version (Minifreak, I guess) with more models, effects and modular connectivity. Combine the Minibrute 2s and the Freak and lob in an onboard reverb, and I reckon youād be close to the mythical modern Music Easel.
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Solid points here.
Had mine only for a few months, itās super fun. Havenāt used it much yet because Iām focusing on producing a few tracks.
I agree the sequencer is a lot of fun, although it would be helpful to have a metronome (strange omission), since itās a fun little synth to play around in the couch with headphones.
I also agree that it lacks a bit of low end - and the output is a bit too quiet for me.
As pretty much everyone said, it really benefits from some spatial effects - I should be receiving a Korg NTS tomorrow that I think will be perfect for that.
I should mention though that all my other synths are panel-based (for lack of a better word): Shruthi, Audiothingies P6, Virus Snow. So having a synth with more direct control and hand-on features like the mod matrix (which is quite intuitive once you understand it) and the sequencer makes it a great synth for the price imho
EDIT: recieved the Korg NTS-1, and it really is the perfect companion for the MicroFreak
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I got my Microfreak shortly after I got the Digitakt and Digitone, and I never really found the sequencer to be that good on the MF. That is probably more tied to the fact I never really liked the workflow of the MF.
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I added the sequencer to the instrument quite late in the development. Initially only had an Arpeggiator. Unfortunately it was too late to add a metronome: The sound goes into the analog filter and VCA, so we canāt āgenerateā one afterwards.
Iām considering a visual metronome, shown on the display. Itās not ideal but it can be helpful when real-time recording !
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You worked on this? 
Thank you! such a fun synth 
That would be helpful for sure!
To microfreak users: is it a buggy mess? Iāve ignored it for a long time but listened to a demo earlier and was very impressed with how it sounds. Plus, Iāve never used any sort of touch keys and kinda want to try one.
The other day I was trucking around with mf and m:c, had mad fun! Super combo!
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This is a polarizing topic. Some love it, some hate it. I personally love it and find it much more expressive to use the touch keys on the freak vs regular keys. A good reverb to pair with and youāre good to go. Within a few weeks I found a freak for under 200$ and a korg nts1 for 75$ā¦ these two paired together are arguably the most capable synth/effects team on the market for the price.
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since i got the Hydrasynth, my MF is just kinda sitting there staring at me like a bitter ex. sorry girl.
Well, no bugs hereā¦ I donāt use it as much as I should, but we I do use it either for its keys (midi controller) or its sounds sequenced from my digitakt, it has delivered 100% of the times.
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My new vocoder edition just came into stock in my local shop and is now on the way to me . Bit of an impulse buy for my ever expanding ācheapā techno corner that aināt looking so cheap now.
Anyone recommend any good tips or tricks ?
One to try: modulate modulation points 
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Looks like you get some extra dedicated controls as well as the mic? Will be interested whether it seems worth the 70/80ā¬ bump in cash
The Arturia Mic costs 30ā¬.
What extra controls do you get on the new edition?
That I would use as a send effect.
Reverbs (from what I have listened to) are worth the price.
It was only Ā£25 more at my music shop in Bristol
I was in the market for a mk1 when I saw this come out so thought what the heck . Sounds great to me on the demos and the vocoder looks fun
Jupp, sold mine.
Will check it out when Iāve got more time, but on the Vocoder edition it seemed to be advertising some dedicated controls, but I could be wrong. It has happened once before 
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Ah wow - Much bigger difference here
Edit: What it actually said was āA 16-band vocoder with accessible real-time voicing controlsā. No new physical controls though
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Might need some help, Iām looking deeper into the modulations and Iām trying to start the modulation when I press a key and restart with every key press. Possible? How?