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. 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. 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... Euan Dickinson MASSIVE ATTACK gets creative with MicroFreak Massive Attack are known for their intensity, wide range of emotions and inimitable electronic sound. We visited their studio in Bristol, UK, to see how the MicroFreak has added to their creative process. • Synthesizer with 192 preset slots and 128 factory presets• 11 Digital oscillators with variable modes, with integrated open source Plaits engine created by Mutable Instruments• Analog State Variable Filter, 12dB/octave, resonant, Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass• ADSR envelope• Cycling Envelope offering two modes: Envelope and LFO• LFO with Sync: Sine, Tri, Saw, Square, Random, Slew Random• Modulation matrix with 5 sources and 7 destinations (3 destinations are user-assignable)• Monophonic or Paraphonic modes - Up to 4 voices• 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 / Mod outputs• USB, Clock and MIDI in and out• 6.35mm master and 3.5mm headphone output• Instrument size : 12.2 x 9.2 x 2.2 inches (311 x 233 x 55mm)• Instrument weight : 2.3 lbs. (1.02 Kg)
