Some Thoughts on the Arturia Microfreak | The Perfect Synthwave Synthesizer?

[@savedbyasong4627]

If you press the Preset Encoder four times in a row quickly you get an initialized patch - saves you from scrolling through all presets to the end for an INIT :)

[@SynthCentric]

ahh legend! thank you brother. life saver!

[@remnant342]

WOW i wish i knew that earlier! i spent a bunch of time copying init patches with different instruments to the first preset slots

[@ephraimleejr]

Really like the way you used song creation to highlight how to use the features of the Microfreak effectively! This is a great Ableton tutorial also.

[@SynthCentric]

Thank you my friend I really appreciate that

[@DirtyPlumbus]

I have not spent enough time with my Microfreak. I have almost no clue what I'm doing with it and haven't spent the time to learn, but when I do pull it out I always enjoy the sounds I get out of it. Your video will helpful to me. 👍

[@SynthCentric]

I’m glad! Just be patient with it. I was the same and I am pleasantly surprised

[@FredF78]

Multitracking is something I did in the early 00s in lack of a software sequencer. Now Im eager to try it out again with one hardware virtual analog. Very challenging. Inspirering video!

[@SynthCentric]

Let me know how you find!! I’m keen to see how you go. Thank you 🙏

[@FlaxeMusic]

Dude, nice. This video was awesome just because you actually took us through at least the impression of what work flow can look like and composing with it (however good/bad the tune), rather than just chuckin on some sequences and hearing all the patches. Super good.

[@SynthCentric]

Thank you my friend I really appreciate that! I need to get back to making videos like this! Thank you for the kind words

[@mikearaiza]

Very informative and inspiring video. Thank you

[@SynthCentric]

Thank you so much

[@GerenM63]

That sounds great! I just stumbled across this today, and don't really know how much more you've done with your 'freak. I've had mine a couple of years now, and I never seem to get much recorded with it because I have so much fun making new sounds. I run mine through a few pedals most of the time (Flamma FS05, FS03, and FS02). Last week, I was fooling around and added an old Alesis MIDIVerb II to the end of the chain, and it sounded huge! But .... another thing I tried and was really blown away by was running it through Ableton's Convolution Reverb Pro and the Ableton Echo. So lush and spacious.

[@SynthCentric]

Yes absolutely!!!! I love the midiverb. I sold mine and regret it. I’ve been feeding mine into the Strymon night sky, which is a shimmer (you can do pretty much the same with ableton’s reverbs) and yes it sounds phenomenal

[@ciatangallaghe2485]

Great video, I'm actually learnin, more of these please

[@SynthCentric]

100% I’m going to be making a lot more moving forward, particularly in 2023! Thank you so much for the comment

[@ciatangallaghe2485]

@@SynthCentric your grand.p

[@DudeWithADrone]

My freak should be turning up today if PMT actually ship it. So excited now I've seen what you produced in a relatively short time. Great ethereal piece with a lovely chord progression. I also like the way you work. I have an iPad Pro with Cubasis 3 and a Mac with Logic Pro. I'm going to try to copy that workflow on those to see if I can do it that way. Thanks man. You earned another sub today.

[@SynthCentric]

Ahh brother you have made my day. It really means a lot. I did nothing special though, you could hands down produce way better stuff with what you have there. Please do get in contact if you need help or advice. Instagram is the best way (not a plug, you don’t have to follow me to message me). Send me some samples of what you have made with it. Would love to hear it. Did it happen to show up? I know it’s only been a few hours but I’m impatient for you :)

[@floatinganarchychannel3204]

Nice! 80s music is so fun and just make me feels happy & calm! I made an synthwave ep and used the freak a lot in it was such fun :)

[@SynthCentric]

Thank you brother! What’s you’re EP called I’ll check it out now. I had a quick look at your channel and there was a tonne of cool stuff. I like how you used the Arturia plug-ins

[@floatinganarchychannel3204]

@@SynthCentric thanks bro! My ep i used the most the freak called "moon traveler" outronic track #4 from this Ep i used the freak a lot.

[@SynthCentric]

@@floatinganarchychannel3204 I’ll listen to it today!!!

[@karl.weaver]

Who’s gonna take you home, tonight? Laid back and entertaining, thank you.

[@SynthCentric]

I’m glad my friend thank you for watching

[@unclemick-synths]

I need to put more time into my MicroFreak. I have a few synths I could make more use of because I tend to go for the synths with the most mojo that are quickest to design sounds on. My Reface CS gets a lot of use because it's so quick to dial-in great sounds. Also my Neutron responds well to control from my Roland AE-30 wind synth.

[@SynthCentric]

I feel you there Uncle Mick. I feel the Microfreak has too many options. Leads to a paralysis of its own... I don't have a Neutron but I feel the same with my Model D, which has a similar architecture but less of the semi-modularity. Have you seen the Proton?

[@unclemick-synths]

@@SynthCentric yes, the MicroFreak is cursed with an excess of features! I bought it to try out wavetable synthesis so I'm going to focus on that. The Proton looks interesting but I have started augmenting the Neutron with Eurorack. I almost got a Model D but a rack and a 904a VCF were cheaper and now I'm getting all sorts of ideas for other modules! 😀

[@SynthCentric]

I know that feeling. Ive managed to keep it down to 6 modules but the urge to build a bigger rack is very much present at all times.

[@unclemick-synths]

@@SynthCentric Fortunately with making a wind synth sound engine I have no need for envelopes or LFOs so that saves a few modules. I am also researching making my RK002 smart MIDI cable so that it only passes non-zero Note Ons - that will let me use my other synths as DCOs by sustaining notes indefinitely.

[@SynthCentric]

@@unclemick-synths Ahh that is awesome! Wind control has always interested me.Make sure you upload videos of it :)

[@jammingpositivevibration]

Love analogue jamming ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@SynthCentric]

Thank you my brother!

[@valley_robot]

I have owned the freak for a long time , the complaints about it’s thin sound are ridiculous, use EQ and effects and it’s sound engines are great , I use it in every song I do

[@SynthCentric]

I will say straight out of the box it lacks the sort of robustness other synths have. That said, i don’t think that’s a bad thing, and as you said you can always thicken it up in post!! What sounds are you typically making with it?

[@valley_robot]

@@SynthCentric I use it for bass , FM keys , pads , everything really , made some really nice koto type sounds that I use a lot in my music , the mod matrix and the fact that you can assign it to anything on the front panel is worth the money to me , I do own analogue synths but they are a pain in arse to set up and they don’t have any patch memory

[@SynthCentric]

@@valley_robot Very nice! and yes youre right a real pain in the arse, especially if you are doing commercial work and need to recall things. :(

[@acediast7445]

I got this product 6 months ago, i found it pretty 'thin' but with some effort and effects you can get some pretty sick sounds, chorus delay reverb haha

[@SynthCentric]

I agree whole heartedly! I felt the same about the Sequential Take 5, but found ways to thicken it up. I guess each synth has its quirks. Are using the Microfreak regularly?

[@acediast7445]

@@SynthCentric Hey yea I use it alot for automation mostly, and for some nice glistening pad leads etc. The filters on it are pretty sweet I'll have my track mapped out then I'll play it over midi while recording to another track and then fuck with the knobs to add some more dynamics. I hate typing in midi parameters lol

[@SynthCentric]

@@acediast7445 haha pretty much how I record it!

[@chiballa25]

Why do you use an INT PATCH?

[@SynthCentric]

So I can start from scratch

[@chiballa25]

Ohhhhhh so that’s a blank spot or patch I’ll assume? Clearly I’m new to the machine.

[@SynthCentric]

@@chiballa25 yes exactly!!! Most digital synths/ or synths with a digital preset recall have it!! So any of your soft synths will probably have it too!! Haha don’t worry it takes all of us a while to figure it out! Let me know if you have questions about it, it’s a complex little thing

[@chiballa25]

I sure appreciate it I’m going to play with it today, I’ve mostly been using my Moog grandmother In exactly the same way you demonstrate the microfreak. Appreciate this video tremendously

[@bst2664]

This is all so confusing. I wish there was a local class. Online classes have been a fail for me.

[@SynthCentric]

What’s confusing you mate?

[@awpMusic1]

Some nice sounds from the Microfreak - but a two bar loop is not a song!

[@SynthCentric]

Thank you!! And yes, I am very much aware. Never claimed that two bars is the equivalent to a full song. Im pretty sure I covered that in the introduction of the video where I said “it’s not going to be a full song”