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as I understand things there isnât any AD conversion onboard after the filter on the way out for the audio ⌠so that wonât be popping up on the existing hardware versions (and presumably not the new one as it wasnât promoted (at least yet) )
anyway - given it has no effects you can get your audio out from your favourite Elektron or an AH+FX one day perhaps
The microfreak is a great device to have to hand and it shines with a 'verb etc, so no need to write it off so readily (without usb audio) - itâs so hands on and varied - the new stealthy one looks just how that synth feels inside itself imho - a factory rechargeable battery in that would have been a sick move imho
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What kind of person uses a 350 euros synth with a 1000 euros FX box? Seems a bit unrealistic.
Maybe a cheaper (and more realistic) combination would be microfreak+nts-1.
I think unfortunately the rechargeable battery would have increased the base price by quite a large margin. I like that Arturia minimize the price with some hardware decisions but is still maximizing the potential of the synth with the firmware updates!
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Me - price has no bearing on what sounds fun - art isnât about ârealisticâ anyway
weâre on an Elektron users forum, itâs normal to assume fellow members have (at least) one already - so no cost required (to get audio into the computer domain with fx added)
Arturia are doing a whole lot right (and a fair bit wrong with the customer loyalty models that donât reward long term investment in their growth) - but they are a company with an innovative portfolio at decent prices and pretty good update cycles, but some proper cynical tactics I cannot abide) - I have a plethora of plugins they cease developing by virtue of their being bundled - itâs not a customer focussed model - in reality keeping up is a bit like a tax
I still think theyâre an interesting market player, but alas I canât justify paying for a cosmetic upgrade, irrespective how much I like it
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Thank you for your advice, but I have actually owned 2-3 Microfreaks (depending on how you count, LOL) and I also know what my needs are currently. Chief among them is portability. Being able to plug the Microfreak into a computer and have USB audio and MIDI control would be great for me.
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I would get a Minifreak to process its output through A4 and TI2 in cascade. 
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in binary and Roman numerals, so I see the confusion potential there 
maybe theyâll have fx and all manner of mod cons when they release os 6.0 with a new hardware iteration !! clearly they keep the sales fire alive rather well and that could be the end game
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Minifreak is about 250 euros more expensive than the microfreak which is almost universally considered as the best budget first hardware synth to get for a lot of people.
I think if youâre on a budget (like a lot of people are), itâs more likely to spend the most money on the synth rather than the FX.
I am not saying nobody has an expensive FX product to pair with the microfreak, but itâs more likely that someone just starting in hardware synths and looking to get a cheap hardware FX option, which is not something Elektron provides.
I would add Audiothingies Minimonsta 2 & Dreadbox Typhon (which both includes FXs too), although they arenât really comparable with the MicroFreak into the osc department.
Yep, this could be true.
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Just when I was almost, most definitely going to sell mine, we get this. I suppose I should give it one more chance.
Iâve never once been slightly impressed by the sound of it, but on paper it should be an amazing device.
Regarding the sound, is it just my device or is the output really quiet?
(Like so low itâs close to impossible to get to work in a mix with my analogue gear)
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it is quiet (keeping in mind it can be unison/paraphonic, so teh headroom is accomodating that already if you are playing individual voices theyâll be individually quiet ⌠it due to being able to bus power it afaict
if itâs not inspiring by 4.0 then it may not be by 5.0 (although user samples and some granular modes will be a new direction for it), itâs a quick ideas box and it needs fx and a boost as you mention, thatâll help - never found teh filter that wow
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I totally understand that dry itâs going to be pretty flat and very digital (even the ÂŁ100 Modal Skulpt sounds more natural dry), so Iâve put it through a range of various effects and devices in order to try to make it sound better
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I think it can be quiet compared to analog synths or other synths. But itâs not unusable to me. I also tend to put it through an FX chain (either gear or DAW) part of which is pre amp/amp/compression etc.
I think as to the overall sound, many people want it to be as full and rich as an analog synth.
To my ear it is very different but itâs this difference - âthinâ some describe it as - that makes it perfect for recording and sitting in certain parts of a mix.
Evolving pads, biting leads, good mid/mid-lows all HP/LP/Band filtered and effected to accentuate the wanted frequencies and to shave off the others which are filled by other instruments and sounds.
In other words, on its own it is what it is, a great synth. Used in conjunction with other elements itâs a perfect complement. The continuous updates with major features has been wonderful. And oh yeah, vocoder.
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Some good points, I suppose I should stop treating it as a subtractive or VA synth, but thatâs hard to do when it does frame itself in that space
maybe the kind of movement i add instinctively into my sound design lifts it from the flat somewhat ⌠itâs certainly not a character synth that can win you over with any single given note ⌠but from an init patch you can get places pretty quickly, itâs light and if you like the âkeysâ and can use the sequencer quickly then itâs easy to get somewhere new - i especially love the âpolyphonicâ âaftertouchâ - so to me it has its own thing and it is fun, sounds nice wet ⌠but thereâs never a sense (even with itâs underwhelming filter âcharacterâ ) that you could hold a single note and marvel at the richness ⌠the way i can on say an MS20 or 2600 type voice
synths for one person donât need to appeal to another ⌠my metric for synths which donât land well with me is how few presets i create (excluding synths like ms20/2600 etc) - the Microfreak does not too badly, but itâs not a single synth that i have, i have other options and i can see where it might not wow - its strengths lie in itâs good modulation and it generally being in a sweetspot (which is also a big downside)
the sum of its parts raises its value to me amongst other options as does its ease of running (no fixed setup in my play space), although i think i see what you are alluding to
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have you tried using a balanced connection? Itâs known to be weak using unbalanced.
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Also check your Preset Volume for settings, itâs the first preset setting, turned way down by default on most presets/templates, and turning it to max can help a lot.
oh yeah of course, thanks for the reminder on that, i only read this recently somewhere else ⌠never investigated
That Stellar one looks really nice, I often flipped and flopped about getting a MF, maybe I will finally take the plunge at some point. The new update pipped my interest, user samples in particular.
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