Are you suggesting Arturia port an unrelated, branded VST into the Microfreak? Because as cool as that would be, I think that idea will forever exist in the ‘pipe-dream’ realm. If you can figure out how to do it, including practical uses for the knobs with regards to controlling an Easel, please share the results!
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I’ve just taken delivery of a new Microfreak, but I can’t comprehend that this could have happened with any new product. It seems the encoders have indented and (in a couple of cases) pierced the inner bag, cardboard box and card sleeve.
I love the company and have a few of it’s products from audio interfaces to midi keyboards to software and i’ve never seen this happen before with any new product, so just wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Is this normal, perhaps through Arturia trying to minimise it’s packaging dimensions as it isn’t on really that the encoders have broken through the 3 layers of packaging to the outside and i’m currently thinking about sending it back to the dealer?
That’s obviously a fault of the shipping company(ies) involved and not any intentional neglect from Arturia. You can see the deformation of the cardboard as if it were stepped on, etc.
There is a larger, round area encompassing the indentations and a tear at the seam indicating something from the outside pressed down far enough the reach the Freak.
It’s definitely a cause for concern.
I would first contact the seller. Send them the picture via email. If you bought from a reputable retailer they should have a no-hassle return policy. Check it’s functionality. I can tell you that the knobs on my MF are rock solid, no play or wobble.
Finally, having tossed my MF off the studio table at least a dozen times, I can say it’s a tough little piece considering it’s plastic build.
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This is incredible. Had an MF briefly and did like the keyboard but didn’t find many sounds in there that I really enjoyed. For the MI stuff I tend to prefer Spectrum on iOS, which doesn’t leave a load in the MF that I wanted… but this is a whole different angle I hadn’t even contemplated. Thanks for sharing
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I’m inclined to agree with you that something unnatural has happened. I’ve since measured the foam depth between encoder and box and it’s about 13mm. I can’t imagine any amount of shaking or dropping that could compress it that much, so it’s taken an impact from something, or had something heavy on top.
Not Arturia’s fault and the store has sent a return label, so all’s well that ends well, apart from not being able to play one, for now.
Was an easy purchase decision after watching All You Need Is Live’s ‘30 Freaky Tips’ video.
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The only thing worse than waiting for a piece of gear to arrive in the mail after purchasing it, is having to immediately send it back and wait again!
But it’s the smart thing to do, if any problem ever developed in the future you would be second guessing it.
I love using my MicroFreak, it’s worth the wait!
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i love it more and more every day. the modulation matrix with the 3 assignable targets is so much fun. doing recursive cylcle evn/s& h lfo modulations and then modulating other things makes everything so dynamic and almost self-generative stuff.
edit: then pair it with a long delay/reverb and let the filter self-resonate once in a while. boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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Any of you use the input to process various sources ? Only a trrs adapter is required ?
Thx.
A little mod I’m quite proud of - internal battery microfreak.
Put a 4000mah lithium flat battery under the keyboard. So far so good
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Nice! Do you have pictures and a small ‘how to…’
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As it is already done I’m afraid no process pictures.
However it is relatively simple:
Ingredients
1x 5055110 battery pack
1x MH-CD42 battery board
1x 2 way switch
- disassemble the microfreak, including keyboard panel
- file/remove plastic cross lattice in the sub keyboard cavity sufficient to place the battery
- insert the 2 way switch in the case (I put mine just under the logo on the back panel)
- connect the usb port power pins (on the microfreak pcb) and 2 way switch and battery to the MH-CD42.
- I placed the MH-CD42 in the space approximately under the shift button and made a hole on the bottom of the case to see the battery meter leds and access the reset switch.
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- you could pick another battery pack size if you want to remove less of the lattice work supporting the keyboard, but actually my rather large battery doesn’t seem to have weakened the structure at all
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One of my favorite tricks on microfreak:
Modulate decay with the envelope itself to change the contour of the envelope. Negative modulation makes it more “plucky” or “percussive”, and positive modulation makes it just, eh, strange.
The same trick could be applied to the cycling envelope by letting it modulate its fall-time.
How to:
- Assign decay (or fall time) to one of the asssignable destinations by holding the collumn button while turning the knob you want to assign to it.
- In the matrix select the env row (or cycling env row) and let it modulate the assignable collumn you’ve assigned the decay (or fall time) to.
- Tweak modulation amount and decay knob (or fall time) to sculpt your sound.
Result
This trick will put the famous buchla bongos even more within reach of this little, but potent synth, especially since you can modulate both vca and filter with that same contoured envelope… 
Enjoy!
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Another one:
Auto glide / legato glide on Microfreak
With this simple trick one can achieve autoglide on the microfreak.
How to:
- Turn off env retrigger in preset settings (== “env legato” on)
- Assign “glide” as modulation destination to one of the assignable collumns in the matrix
- Turn envelope sustain full up, or atleast more than half way
- Keep the env decay/release rather short
- Don’t use the envelope to modulate the filter, use the cycle env for that instead.
- Leave the glide knob at 0
- Select the env-row in the matrix and let it modulate glide by the desired (positive) amount to dial in the desired glide time
Result
Overlapping notes will result in a glide, since the env will still be high when the next note is played. Works on both played and sequenced notes.
Glide time can be changed by adjusting the env to glide modulation amount
Bonus tip:
After you’ve setup auto-glide:
Hammer in a straight 16th sequence or convert a random arp pattern to a sequence.
Then hit “dice” once or a few times. In the process of randomizing your sequence slides will be added automatically too!
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Thank you for the tipps!
Nice!
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Just wanted to share this amazing performance by Cabiria featuring the microfreak:
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You’ve been AudioPilz’d
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Hi! Do you fix your Arturia Microfreak program change problem?
Huhu, gerkinear here…
I’m concentrating on other boxes atm, so I actually boxed it up.
tldr: no