01-The Arturia MicroFreak- Oscillator types A: Basic Waves

[@marvinjay1509]

This playlist is pure gold!

[@Alex-bl6oi]

As a guitarist, who has no experience with synyhs, these videos are a lifesaver. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@shannonia81]

Just bought a Microfreak yesterday and needed some good practical videos to get the lay of the land. I laughed when you said you'd been talking for 15 minutes and only just gone into 1 oscillator type in this kind of exasperated voice. We're all out here glued to the screen, lapping it up!

[@cedgray]

omg, I can't believe how much good, solid info there is in here. This IS the video manual!

[@automaticgainsay]

Thank you! That's what I am for.

[@symbiat0]

I just bought a MicroFreak a few weeks ago and Im so glad I found this playlist! Thank you +AutomaticGainsay for doing such a thorough job of explaining the MF - I keep rewinding because there is so much packed into each explanation. After watching other videos and educating myself on 'classic' synth programming and then watching these videos, I now feel I understand how different and amazing the MF really is.

[@PhilSheardy]

Thank you for these excellent tutorials. I'm fairly new to synthesis and have a Micro Freak. I found you today and very grateful for that. Gradually going through these videos.

[@automaticgainsay]

I’m glad to help!

[@Art-zs6sl]

Oscillator sounds pretty good to me. It's a great time to be into synths and electronic music, for 300$ you get a cool piece of hardware you may keep forever.

[@PunguinYoga]

@gridsleep We truly do. I may steal that title for my next noise experiment. Hmmm. I think I'll call it "Sex While Listening to Elephants Playing Synthesizers." I'm 68 and bought three mini-synths since last October. I know little about them and nothing about music, though my dad was a pro jazz trumpeter for a bit and my brother is supposedly an accomplished guitarist. But I'm having fun making noise!

[@timhatch27]

When Mark informs you about a synth, you KNOW about that synth!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Mine is in the post. Time to binge through this series. :)

[@ozzy3933]

how come no one noticed you here... love your videos 🖤

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@ozzy3933 Hello. Just remembered this, mine didn't actually turn up seven months ago but it has now turned up. 🙂

[@ozzy3933]

@@AlexBallMusic AWEEEE i was just listening to you jamming on the juno-6, you're truly underrated 🥺

[@orangenotviolet]

Mr. Analog is talking digital! Thank you Mark, I loved every second of it, looking forward to the next part!

[@tedstahl3794]

Wow! Didn't see this one coming, but I should have! When playing with the "paraphonic" mode, I immediately thought of your "variophonic" discussions on FaceBook. The fact that this beast has a separate VCA (and corresponding envelope) for each voice provides a level of articulation that transcends "paraphony." I presented this instrument last week as part of our local bi-annual synth gathering in St. Louis and I mentioned how you wouldn't agree with the label "paraphonic" in this case. I couldn't agree more. I then demonstrated an envelope adjustment that provided a slow attack and slow release and how the second and third notes did not merely jump in at the point of the original note's envelope. Each fades in and out on their own (until you run out of polyphony). Whether using this wonderful touch keyboard as a controller for my Eurorack system or exploring the absurdly intuitive modulation matrix to contort the myriad of engines in the MicroFreak, it's a winner! Every time I power it up, I create another useful patch (or ten)! It's so inspiring and inviting! I was initially concerned with its lightweight plastic feel, but once I started programming it, those concerns melted away! I look forward to this rest of the videos in this series, Marc! Peace.

[@ET2carbon]

Here to start watching this series. Loving what ive seen so far. I'm hoping you continue your Playlist covering the new updated features

[@Oooo-bi7bi]

I’m a complete beginner with synthesis. Your video is helping lots. Had my micro freak for a few months. Look forward to the day I have worked out how to record my music . Not in a rush as want to wait until I have mastered or at least getting the exact sound I want. Would be lost without guy’s like yourself.

[@northerntao]

I finally got around to playing one of these and it was an insta purchase. I too scoffed at it as the latest toy, but it is probably the most fun I’ve had on a synth in years. Perhaps more so than things I’ve paid a lot more for!

[@DaringDomino3s]

Thank you so much for your videos on this, it is a little overwhelming when you step away from preset patches, but your videos have helped clear up a lot

[@gmodesike]

Mine delivers tomorrow and I will be following all your videos. Thank you so much.

[@OmarGearReview]

Got the microfreak for christmas and I was feeling a little overwhelmed with it, really glad I stumbled across your videos. Playing along with what you were doing was super helpful and pausing the videos when I'm inspired by a sound. This video series will be my life for the next few days, really fantastic stuff. Thanks!

[@automaticgainsay]

I'm glad I could help! It's such a great synth. Thank you!

[@wolfgang4468]

Very clearly structured and inspiring to do own experiments, thank you very much! Glad the MicroFreak is capable of producing such big sounds as I did not have the impression from listening to the pre-programmed patches.

[@eugene142]

Your videos are great, man. I’m a guitar player getting into synths and this has been the best tutorial on the MF. I also got a Microbrute at a steal so I’m working my way through both of them.

[@paulbrennan5807]

great video made me buy one ,good to see you back with some modern cheaper synths ,I remember spending weeks watching the ms 20 mini videos a few years ago man time flies

[@goodboid]

Fantastic! Can't wait to understand my MicroFreak as well as Marc!

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

ill second that !

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

Wait ....SHE said that !

[@kettenlaiho]

Ｉthink you should extend this series and add videos on the ’’new‘’ oscillators

[@Dogboy73]

Excellent to see you covering this beauty. Had one since launch. It's a lot of fun.

[@HotStrange]

IMO this and the Minibrute 2 are the best synths Arturia has ever released and 2 of my favorite purchases in years. They’re so fun and intuitive and the amount of feature packed in for the price is kind of outrageous. Would love to see you dig into the Minibrute 2 sometime Marc. I think the amount of AM/FM options they added, as well as the huge patch bay, make it a super fun, unique, and powerful synth.

[@lambertlambert7076]

I would rather say that the Microbrute and the Matrixbrute are the best synth that Arturia has ever released.

[@symbiat0]

@HautStrange Yes, you need to watch Marc's MatrixBrute videos to understand how much of an amazing beast it truly is!

[@HotStrange]

Lambert Lambert I love the MicroBrute, it I don’t think it can touch the MicroFreak, MB2/2s, or OG Minibrute.

[@HotStrange]

symbiat0 I’ve seen it! The MatrixBrute is definitely a killer synth. If I had an endless supply of money, that would be one of the first things I’d buy, along with an OB-6.

[@symbiat0]

@@HotStrange Yes, the MatrixBrute and OB-6 are on my list for sure! Also waiting to see how Behringer's DS80 will turn out 😁

[@mathieu250394]

I love your last words: it's gonna be lot of videos. Thank you for all this videos, I will watch all of them, it is very instructive for people like me who start with microfreak and with general music =)

[@azeriff]

Wow! That sounds so diverse and rich. Thank you for explanation.

[@eaman11]

You can have a sine wave or anything close just lowering the Cut Off to half and eventually raising the resonance to raise the amplitude of the wave. So you can have anything that morphs in between square-saw to sine. Use a scope like J-Scope for design, even when watching these (very helpful) videos.

[@rubenschiefke1337]

Just what I was looking for. I am relatively new to the synth game and this really gave me a better understanding. please keep dem vids comin. :)

[@AD-Dom]

Of all the hardware I own, mf is rather simple to understand but as you go down the rabbit hole... it gets crazy. Nice vid!

[@UncleBoogieRF]

Still trying to fathom mine as a newbie to synths. This is very helpful.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Gotta be honest, the one thing that sold the whole synth to me was the capacitive keyboard that reminded me a lot of the keys on Buchla Synthesizers. I hope Arturia uses that type of keys again on a all analog synth. The one thing that really bothers me the most about the Microfreak, especially considering that it is all digital, is the lack of ANY onboard effects… not even a Delay nor a simple Reverb. The dry sound of the thing gets VERY boring very quickly unless you hook it to an effect expander and make it more interesting. Still though, for the price of it you really can't complain. You do get a lot, as you wonderfully demonstrated. They even added an additional noise oscilator with a mid 2020 Firmware update.

[@manuelsteinmair]

I really like your videos! Thank you for going into the detais like you do. I try to tell myself i don't need this thing and i already have enough gear to play with... but i really feel like giving in in this case, this little beast is just sooo tempting

[@JD-xo2wz]

I've been waiting for this... Finally a systematic approach to this wacky little french machine! Thanks Marc!

[@cheapmusicgear]

Thank you so much for these videos.

[@positionnormal]

Great videos.

[@automaticgainsay]

Thank you!

[@rockhead11]

I’ve had my MicroFreak for a few months now and I love it and at times hate it. There are SO MANY variations that are possible that it makes my brain hurt. Some days every tweak I make just works, other days I can’t get a cool new sound to save my life. “What happens when I set the Matrix to turn this knob and set the cycling envelope like this??” It’s as close to being a mad scientist as you’ll ever get. It really is amazing!

[@automaticgainsay]

I have this same experience. It’s so easy to stumble onto something amazing that I think I’m going to do it every time, but sometimes I fail to, and it can be frustrating. Especially when I stumble onto something exquisite on accident, and then sometimes pursue something with knowledge that ends up being mundane! These situations are the result of the fact that the MicroFreak is so powerful and allows for so many possibilities.

[@miltos_schima]

Very nice! Curious to watch the next videos. 🙂

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Thumbs up for "Variaphonic" ;)

[@falazarte]

Fantastic!! Keep it coming.

[@electriceyeslide5959]

The Freak is an absolute bad ass little synth and one day is going to be worth a fortune as a collectible. There is nothing else like it. You’re missing a lot of stuff actually, it does some seriously wicked sonic manipulation across the spectrum.

[@automaticgainsay]

Even in a 21 video series it’s possible to miss things with a synth as powerful as this

[@warboats]

Loving this, nice one, cheers!

[@petercane6376]

Hey Marc. I really appreciate your series of MF vids. I am learning right from the start and following you. You started off nice and slowly explaining how the Oscillator produced a basic wave which was square and then went to saw tooth. Then added para or polyphonic which gave a four voice full sound. Then you freaked me to heck by going to the matrix, adding an LFO and started tweaking white knobs and you lost me. You got excited I guess and forgot that the clueless ( me) Will get lost. What I do not understand is why you added an LFO when there is on the panel? I do not understand and struggle with how the matrix works. I know it is a routing system but does it by pass where the signals would normally go if the matrix was not used. Would appreciate some feedback if you get time. Again………many many thanks for taking the time to teach us. I am 73 so my dumbness is exponentially escalated and by now probably polyphonic too!,

[@automaticgainsay]

The LFO on the panel is really just the controls for the LFO... which is to say how you change the functions of the LFO... but on this synth, that LFO isn't connected to anything. You have to use the matrix to connect the LFO to the destination you want to have it affect!

[@petercane6376]

@@automaticgainsay Ahhh!!! Ding ding!! I have slowly read the manual cover to cover and they do not indicate that the LFO is not connected to anything but lead me to understand that the Matrix is an added feature if we want to route signals differently. What you say now makes complete sense. It would have been helpful if the manual had a complete chapter with illustrated flow charts explaining the signal flow. Maybe five examples of the " sources" on the left of the matrix with different colours for each one going to their destinations and then where they finish up having gone through whatever the system is? Many thanks Marc for explaining that to me. It was not obvious. At least not to me. I will eventually be following all your MF vids. Pete

[@cravensean]

Haw! Haw! Haw! (Chick Tract devil laugh.) I went and looked up pulse-wave modulation on the Microfreak about five seconds before you answered my question. Just because the subject of square waves came up.

[@toothpasteelf4385]

I just talked myself out of wanting this synth, Damn you!

[@HotStrange]

Just buy it dude haha. It’s so cheap and so, so fun.

[@doughankins3996]

The polyphonic option is nice.

[@blindtightropewalker]

What an amazing series of videos...so useful! I’m thinking about purchasing this synth and I was wondering: can it get into the Micro/Mini Brute territory when it comes to aggressive bass tones? The Microfreak sounds a lot more versatile, but from the samples I hear on KZbin, I always have the feeling that the Brutes sounds fuller, with more character. To visualize it, it feels like the bass tones coming from the Brutes envelops you, like if they were more “3D” and you’re in the same sonic space, while the one coming from the Microfreak live in a more limited sonic environment, like if you’re “watching” them behind a glass wall and they can’t travel more than that in your direction. Is there something true in this feeling? Consider that I don’t own any hardware synth at the moment and I’m a beginner when it comes to synths in general, so I could be easily wrong. Thanks a lot!

[@chrislynch9364]

Great little pocket battleship. Beware of those sharp keys as they will cut you pushing up or down semitones.

[@dinogoldie9716]

Hi AGS. Many MANY thanks for this MicroFreak tutorial series. I've had mine since Tuesday afternoon and I have a few questions. 1) I know each preset can have different settings but is there a quick way to make them all the same? (e.g. as i scroll through the presets, some automatically trigger sequences/arpeggios and others dont. I want to make the MF uniform so that all presets default to their plainest version.). 2) I haven't enabled save/overwrite yet so before I do, will the MF always return to preset #1 on power-up or will it return to last state before powering down? 3) Similarly, when powering up, does the mod matrix always start at the same position/intersection or does it pick up from last position before power-down? (This may seem like an odd question but I'm blind so I'm navigating hardware by counting clicks and memorising settings). Thanks again for the tutes and I hoep you can help.

[@sqriations]

oH god I really need one of these. I've been putting off getting one but its getting harder and harder to resist.

[@criminimalj1897]

Thanks Marc.

[@doughankins3996]

Ok. I want to buy a "Starter" synth. I have looked at this one and the Korg Monologue. Which would you recommend for a someone starting out in synth?

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

Im.....in ! Damn that GAS , - you , sir,- are a very bad man .

[@automaticgainsay]

Sorrrrryyyyy

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

@@automaticgainsay Liar ! :-) nah - i really enjoy youre videos imennesly, the thouroughtroughtruthly explanatory stuff , aswell as youre music ,- a huge fan, my friend !

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

I GOT the Micro , AND the Typhoon - NOW its all about the PolyBrute .... I love the way you are being you ,-

[@Paparumbo]

Cool video, Thankyou.

[@Pan6888]

I always wanted to know if Kraftwerk had such a synth how they would sound. The sure thing is that they would be making some music compared to many of us staring at videos and tech talking all around the web. (Btw my MF is in its original box right now doing nothing that it was designed for so the comment applies first to myself)

[@ProckGnosis]

Marc!! WTF?? I thought you were an analog-only type of guy? : ) Maybe the analog filters help make it more palatable. Yep, I prefer analog too, but this definitely has my curiosity piqued. Got to play with it a bit at Superbooth 2019, and I have to say I was impressed.

[@automaticgainsay]

I love analog, and have been put off by many elements of digital synthesizers over the years. But this thing is different. I don’t even think it needs the analog filter.

[@trevorkononenko5941]

Fantastic

[@Mattbuchanan71]

Why is there tape over the words on the upper right of all these videos?

[@ET2carbon]

Same thought

[@VinceWhitacre]

I basically want one digital synth, one or two poly synths, and a capacitive controller for some of my CV ins... this ticks all the boxes, and for $300. Re: variophony/polyphony/paraphony... what I don't get is the hangup on one filter. Isn't articulation in the not retriggering the VCA more important? It's not like you're not wanting a master/global filter 90% of the time anyway. You can still get great sounds out of multiple oscillators playing multiple notes through one amp... but push to shove, I'd rather have a VCA for each voice and a global VCF than vice-versa.

[@JeremyForTheWin]

Thank you for these videos! Totally not really a problem but in the playlist your chapters are out of order.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Legend, thanks for the vid. I just wanted to know it's foundations without all the showy crap and preset scrolling on all the other videos.

[@truthseeker3907]

Thumbs up! :-) Indiana USA.

[@gasolineandwine]

Marc, I've heard you talk about your dislike for digital synths. What does this stem from? Your dislike of the digital sound, the menu diving and the lack of inmediate physical controls? I'm curious.

[@automaticgainsay]

I basically lived the development of digital consumer synthesizers. I went from the "limited" analog synths to the "new" digital synths, and marveled like everyone else did about how interesting and realistic their sounds were. I loved multitrack sequencers and great presets. I got excited about each new digital development and how far synthesis was going. But there was a massive tradeoff... the more powerful synths got, the more complex and frustrating it was to program them. It was more important to designers to make synths with great presets that were cheap than to make great musical instruments that included synthesis as part of performance. I was reminded of how synths "used to sound" in about 1995, and my jaw dropped. As I had been basically trying to find inexpensive ways to record semi-realistic instruments through sequencing, I had forgotten that I really truly loved the actual timbre and tone of synthesizers. When people started playing old analog again, I was deeply inspired. I realized that while I appreciated the convenience of digital, the tone of digital was not what I wanted. Plus, all of us who lived through the 80s had to live through the saturation that was the DX7... everything, everywhere was DX7... and since it had such a distinctive sound and no one used anything other than its presets, there was a serious backlash against it. In the past 20 years, digital synths have been given that which makes them more useful to me... interesting and expressive interfaces and the ability to destroy the icy purity of digital oscillation.

[@gasolineandwine]

@@automaticgainsay That's a very deep and fair assessment. I've been working with analog-type synths for close to 3 years now (I say analog type because I work only with plugins, never played an actual analog synth yet) and while I still use them for my music primarily, digital synths have offered me a level of flexibility that is impossible with analog. Do you ever find yourself wanting to write music or design sounds that are impossible, or painfully strained within the analog realm? I'm interested because this is what led me to work with digisynths.

[@automaticgainsay]

@@gasolineandwine There is literally no sound that is beyond the reach of analog-based synthesis. There are, however, sounds that require unrealistic levels of components to achieve. This is what bothers me about those who criticize analog as being limited. With the proper level of knowledge and unlimited access to analog functionality, any sound can be created. But the truth is that digital can achieve these levels of functionality more immediately, cheaply, and simply. Ultimately, analog's draw lies in its pleasing and acoustic sound.

[@gasolineandwine]

@@automaticgainsay You're right, I guess what I was thinking of was more along the lines of "digital can do more than analog can for less money and less space". I am still blown away by the level of realism that Wendy Carlos was able to achieve when recreating brass instruments for the Shining score. That taught me that it's who programs the synth that really shows you the ability of analog. Thanks for the answers Marc, I love hearing your opinions about these types of things.

[@realdealpete9994]

Am I screwed if I want to play more than four notes at once?

[@SorchaSublime]

... yes its a 4 note polyphonic synth

[@AlexandreSoma]

MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE!

[@SandcastleTheory]

Heck? Watch your language, Marc, this is a family channel... (smirk).

[@chargasm]

🎉

[@mattg1094]

I run the audio out into a RNDI and it gives it the analog thick mojo… as fat as a moog for my bass lines\ leads

[@ET2carbon]

Do you know if the analog filter is applied to USB AUDIO?

[@ionianechoes]

I love your videos Mark. But seriously, that sound.... Nah I just prefer analog, that osc is it's just too harsh to my ears. Edit: but anyway, I think it's perfect you also review digital!

[@automaticgainsay]

I completely understand. It never sounds analog to me, either. But when you get into what you can do with it and other functions, the results that aren’t really possible with analog make it worth it. Ultimately, though, you should use what inspires you, and if a synth doesn’t, that’s totally cool.

[@ionianechoes]

@@automaticgainsay yes true. Also, after having wet dreams with the Ob6 for years now (your demo is guilty, specially the filter part...) I finally got the new minilogue xd cause I just can't afford the Ob6. And actually I'm enjoying very much the digital oscillator on it. I must say I am mainly using it to reinforce the sound produced with the 2 vco and rarely by itself alone.

[@CaalamusTube]

Yeah... but how much do you hate the "keyboard" ?

[@automaticgainsay]

I love it. I think it is one of the best elements of the instrument! But we’ll get to that!

[@CaalamusTube]

@@automaticgainsay Wow! Totally interested to hear your thoughts on the subject... to me it seemed like the one fatal flaw of the Freak! :]

[@Revelator72]

Caalamus I wouldn’t want it as my only keyboard, but touch plate keys are a nice change up. As you’d imagine doing slides on a fixed surface with ridges between the keys is a bust. But the no travel thing allows for some really cool fast playing/triggering. Which fits this digital synth well with so many oscillator types and sounds where fast envelopes and attacks are such a plus. It’s not too bad with the menu diving which I saw you express concern with elsewhere. My biggest gripes are the low price point left out external audio in, and I’d have liked more CV beyond just note and gate. But for $299, $270 on sale, I’m totally pleased with this synth.

[@CaalamusTube]

@@Revelator72 right on... thanks for taking the time. I have a Volca Keys... that "keyboard" is useless! :P You ever used the Volca? Any thoughts on a comparison?

[@Revelator72]

Caalamus Not used any of the Volcas but I’ve used lots of other ribbon type inputs. I find the MF plate surface a lot nicer in use. I’m not trying to shill for this synth, but knowing your synth collection and tastes I think you might really dig the Microfreak. Quite a large palette of sounds for such an inexpensive box. [I went straight back to buying analog monos after though 😛]. Definitely complements a table full of mostly analogs nicely.

[@jaypeter666]

That was a long video to only have just scratched the surface...it makes it kinda seem like a one trick pony: a simple 1 osc 4 voice, that can morph from a square wave to a triangle. "Is that all it does; bird imitations?"

[@jaypeter666]

Nm! I see that was only the first of several bids, my bad!

[@TooSlowTube]

Flashing octave button LEDs. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

[@AxmGeet]

Heresy, I say!

[@technofications3686]

Add microtuning arturia this is not fair

[@trevormalcolm4328]

I’m trying very hard not to have this as my next synth, your videos are not helping!