Arturia PolyBrute - 6-Voice Analog Powerhouse - SonicLAB Review

[@JustinKahrs]

You take your time, Nick, don't let "official launch deadlines" dictate your style. We're going to watch regardless :)

[@sprungingforvoltage]

yes! this right here ^^^^^^^

[@BromeliadBro]

I also like that he doesn’t go “feature by feature” (as he puts it).... there’s already another much-viewed reviewer that does a very thorough job of that, it’s more interesting to watch a varied demonstration like this.

[@Seadogstudio]

Because I am going to rewatch this 6 years later when I am pulling the trigger.

[@DominicTic2daTocBazile]

exactly!!!

[@jazzjeffjazzjeff]

"Official launch deadline"......yeah, still not available in the US!

[@ewanstefani]

Loopop gives us the details; Sonicstate gives us the passion and inspiration. Great to have you both!

[@julianhigginson5946]

Loopop is a synthetic 😂

[@frankschneider7190]

perfect comment!

[@McEnroe911]

Loopop when I’m too lazy to read the manual. Nick when I want to know if the synth is actually good or not.

[@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5]

@@julianhigginson5946 He prefers the term "artificial person." His reviews are very good, and I like them for different reasons, but always as an adjunct to a SonicState review.

[@julianhigginson5946]

Michael Smith ahh i see. We only ever see his hands they are very realistic would be interest to see what’s attached to them one day

[@YanivhmTube]

Nick is the best synths reviewer by far! I enjoy watching him every time.

[@RadicalCaveman]

He's great and lovable. Loopop is also consistently excellent.

[@303machine]

Daniel Fisher also.

[@DavidLee07]

"Maybe add a bit of reverb..." That's the Nick we know and love!

[@eskimotionmusic]

You're always the first person I come to for synth reviews Nick. Great job as usual!

[@555atU]

Nick please don't worry about launch dates. Get your arms around stuff and give us another one of your great reviews.

[@MidlifeSynthesist]

The king of synth reviews👏🏼👏🏼 I have not been this excited for a synth a long time, awesome review and amazing sounds!

[@sikdrumz5752]

Wouldn’t have gone anywhere else for my first look at this 🙏 Cheers, looks and sounds amazing!

[@pizzagogo6151]

Never been interested in an Arturia synth before this, because just haven’t thought much of the basic sound....but this sounds brilliant!! Don’t like the form factor much (& it’s certainly priced at the high end) but it is undoubtedly a hugely impressive instrument, well done Arturia for doing something new & innovative with analogue. Thanks Nick for the great review.

[@VincentPresley]

Yeah, I got a Microbrute when it came out and hated it so much that I didn't give the company a 2nd chance for a while. The Drumbrute Impact and the fact that someone from Arturia is behind the Hydrasynth made me take another look. This is definitely their masterpiece.

[@agerven]

What a surprise at 31:05 ! Sounds very nice actually. A very complete, relaxed and fun demo Nick, thanks man! So far, from all the arturia hardware synths, this one appeals most to me. Apart from the pandemic, the new millenium synths are unexpectedly exciting. i'm really considering cleaning my studio out and restarting with some new. Only the D50, Microwave 1 and Hydrasynth will stay i guess.

[@crosswick]

Nick's playing is improving impressively, great. Great (form of) review too

[@mclarensmps]

Beautiful sounding Synth. Your reviews are still my favourite :)

[@halcyondaystunes]

Adding that brute factor around 9 mins seriously had me chewing on my gums and pulling bass face😆😆 love this thing and want one. Great review as always Nick.

[@MrKayMrKay]

So glad you took your time, it seems like there are a lot to say about this beast of a polysynth! It sounds huge and really complex at the same time, the kind of synth which kind to nearly everything properly used. I'm really impressed by the quality of the bottom end for a poly. Thanks again for giving us the best review on the web

[@elekktrikk_home_video]

So far I didn’t like the sound of Arturia, neither in their drumbrutes nor their VA stuff. But this one sounds really nice. Thank you for so much sound in the demo :)

[@montazownianr1]

I only like Microbrute sound. This synth is not for me.

[@gooberthoreau]

I actually thought this sounded a bit like a VA synth. At least after the KZbin translation.

[@Nonpartisanmusic]

That matrix thing should be a standard on any synth, it's amazing. would buy this synth just for that... might actually put some money aside for this beautiful synth

[@libla-music]

Great overview about the features. PolyBrute mod matrix is the best routing interface I have ever used.

[@intheblink]

I’ve had this thought with the Mini, micro, and matrixbrute before, but now with this one out, I really do feel like Arturia is one of the newer manufacturers who really seems to capture the tone of the 70s in their synths. It just has that kind of feel to it for me. Really desirable tone!

[@kierenmoore3236]

The 70s - is that what that sound is … ?!

[@denniscrosbymusic]

Nick has the most incredible content, including the podcast...but my favorite thing is that dirty ol’ white IEC cable being used on state-of-the-art gear haha Keep up the good work, man!

[@thefishdog]

This could be synth of the year?nice interesting take on a analog poly

[@robinr22]

But, it's basically it's a matrixbrute with three extra voices and some minor changes for over a *grand* more. Absurd.

[@thefishdog]

@@robinr22 so how much should it cost extra than its older sibling? It's not a berhingher with big factory doing bulk orders.

[@marvinkmooneyoz]

@@robinr22 three extra voices? this is 6 voices, thats filtersand oscilators PER voice, the matrixbrutes three VCO's and one filter section is HARDLY three fewer voices then the polybrute. Also, the Matrixbrute is $2000, the poly is $2500.

[@mossgraber]

Always take your time for a proper review! This one got me hooked. Damn :-)

[@NicoHolloman]

"Does the world need another massive polysynth?" Hell yes! I feel like the market for really high end, characterful, VCO polysynths is dishearteningly sparse tbh. I'd love to see more analog polys with polyphonic aftertouch and a long ribbon controllers to create as much room for human expression as possible. I wonder why Fatar and other big keybed manufacturers aren't offering more MPE feature options in their keybeds; I would gladly pay the extra cost. This synth is still awesome though. I love the MS-20 growl of the first filter and how it can be coupled with the creamy ladder filter. And the blend knob + morphee pad are sweet too. And most importantly, it sounds good!

[@danielclifton3319]

I completely and wholeheartedly agree!!

[@NicoHolloman]

@Donal Finn I completely agree. I sometimes joke that I wish I was in charge of overseeing the design of everything on Earth because manufacturers so often skip over the things people actually want in an effort to make what they think people want. Like you said, someone needs to tell synth makers to go back to the essentials of an instrument: sound quality, expressivity, musicality, fun to use, reliability, etc. For example, the prophet 5 rev 4 was just announced, but they gave it a single mono output, no poly aftertouch, no ribbon, no pan spread, only 1 LFO, and I'm baffled by all the missed opportunity there. Again I'm sure Dave Smith thought people wanted something true to the original, but what people actually want is the sound quality to stay the same with more options for expressivity and experimentation.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

You mean you don’t want another mono synth with a 24db analog filter and simple 101-style setup?? How about a wavetable synth with digital filter? No? 😂

[@scottharris7222]

Always love your take Nick. Your sound design ear always come through in your reviews/previews. Well done.

[@blindianajones]

Well done demo. I'd rather see a demo such as this vs a rushed review pushed out at a deadline. I feel like there was more time spent on the unique and important bits.

[@zipnone1996]

great for ambient noodling, no question. I think keyboardists with strong musicianship will get a LOT out of this, as long as their synth programming is decent too :) nice review!

[@johnhawkins191]

Nick, you are a master. I love all your patches you capture on the fly with all these different synths and you seem to come by them almost completely intuitively. If you ever make presets of r the Polybrute, I will buy them. Sonicstate is one of my favorite channels and a "go to" resource before I buy. I bought the OB 6 and the Pro 3 and the Sub 37 based on your word. I love the way the synth sounds in your capable hands.

[@DanielPerryMusic]

Nice one. Loopop made me very interested, hearing this has made me really want it. Proper BATTed it out of the park with this one. These videos are better after you have had some time to play with it

[@intheblink]

Yay, finally the review I’ve been waiting for :) you guys really do it the best!

[@benjaminbrodie9801]

Thanks you.

[@denverm4x]

Showing out for Arturia! Love their stuff and this is exciting. You look like you are having fun.

[@spazkong]

This thing sounds incredible (in your hands). At times, it's sounding very CS80 which I've only ever heard in recordings but sounds very expressive just the same.

[@Soundsauca]

Thanks Nick, really enjoyed your creative presentation in action. It’s out of my reach unfortunately but I appreciate the amazing possibilities it offers. Maybe one day!!

[@valdiskrebs566]

Wow! Looks like you have your Friday Fun machine for the rest of the year... 😎

[@CommunityGuidelines]

Solid review Nick, you gave a good sense of the myriad PolyBrute possibilities. Sounds great, too! Arturia have created something special, once again.

[@xoio]

What an excellent synth. On a side note... Morphing between 2 scenes was something the Yamaha AN1x could do 23 years. -And by morphing it wasn't crossfading, but actually interpolating between parameters. - Of course this is analogue, as opposed to VA.. Glad it's making a comeback..

[@kierenmoore3236]

PRO 3 does it, too.

[@Bananskuden]

It really sounds as good as the classic polys. Best new poly in decades?

[@kierenmoore3236]

Doubtful - Sequential/Oberheim exists …

[@markparker4362]

Super easy Numanesque soundscapes...(amongst countless other wonderful possibilities.) Morph control should be the largest knob on the synth. Can the morph be pedal controlled?

[@sonicstate]

Yep there's two expression pedal inputs

[@sub-jec-tiv]

The morphee is the biggest control on the synth... and that is normalled to the morph control.

[@nectariosm]

Might get this one...just have to wait for the first 6 months of release to go by to make sure it has no bugs/issues/whatever. Some very nice features and the sound is there too. Its what I would expect an analog poly to be like in 2020.

[@jerrycornelius9329]

sweet review, I like how you tweek things up! well done.

[@andrewkealaher4688]

When watching most reviews of this-I was quite underwhelmed-even though I have a Matrix Brute. After watching this I now understand the possibility’s potential and power of it - and probably have to get one!

[@alternatingbitmusic]

Superb review (as always). I'm curious, what happens if you change knob/slider settings when the morph mix is in the middle? Which parameters are you then affecting, a combination of A&B?

[@KelvinHemas]

Great review as always. Im really missing wavefolding on synths, why its almost impossible to find beats me

[@EannaButler]

Agree!

[@Tolognabullets]

Wish I could upvote twice

[@sub-jec-tiv]

It doesn’t sound great on chords. (Opinion)

[@stevedenny3547]

Wow what a synth,as always expertly reviewed .

[@vprice509]

6:19 I can't get enough of the hairy triangle.

[@robertsyrett1992]

Phrasing!

[@pricejoss]

Having been looking for months at synths in the £2k price range, the PolyBrute seems the most interesting and sonically pleasing by far. It's probably sacrilege to say but personally I'm bored of the classic sounds from makers like Roland, Moog etc.

[@KacyDennis]

Another great review by Nick. He reviews these instruments much like most of us probably do in making our buying decisions.

[@dwaynecarroll6098]

Amazing sounding powerful synth! I want one!!!

[@Jimbo386000]

"What a synth" - Nick Batt, 2020

[@AngryPhotoGuy]

I was done with the GAS. I had everything I could want and more.... sigh.... It sounds so wonderful.

[@ToyKeeper]

@Andrew Mwah Have been seriously considering a Hydrasynth module. It's relatively inexpensive, can do damn near everything, and has a decent interface. I'm just not sure if I want to get that deep into patch design, or if I'd be better off with something which prioritizes performance features instead of engine flexibility. So I'm trying to decide between Hydra or Pro 3. Would love to hear more thoughts on the Hydra.

[@theaudioeng]

Cheers Nick, nice longer review time there - veeerrry nice poly (not sure I can stretch that far at the mo' though ...!) 😷🎹🎶👍🍻

[@JBrm]

Really cool video as always :) Since you were asking why the effects section does what it does in split/layer: fx are after the mixer, so they're not per voice any more like e.g. enveloper and filters.

[@Shadowbait]

I watched the other guys’ videos and thought “okay, cool, but it’s not for me.” I watched yours and now I want one.

[@X22GJP]

Which probably means you’ll suffer buyers remorse if you do buy one.

[@Shadowbait]

​@@X22GJP I think you're right. I think it's more a credit to Nick's patch design than any unique must-have feature of the Polybrute.

[@seeyouintheeighties]

Another fantastic review, I see nick out in the pub and he definitely drinks for free. Great job!!

[@NOLNV1]

god, I intend to one day own a big poly like this but all the current variety makes it hard to figure out which one to get. Features wise this one sure seems special and that ladder filter is really nice

[@matteogazzolo1]

What a review! What a synth! I enjoyed each!

[@JacobPadlock]

That patch at 12:30 knocked me out of my chair. What a heavenly sound.

[@AmbientAndroid25]

Something beautifully melancholy about the tone of this beast. I've played one. It is wonderful. Can't afford one...........yet!

[@lokologico]

very cool! wish they made just a module of it, or if this version had the lift up option like the matrixbrute

[@thehowlingterror]

'The hairy triangle' I'm having that one Nick.

[@rogerlegends166]

Hairy triangle works best with a soft flange .

[@Bendy2K]

@@rogerlegends166 New EP title?

[@kierenmoore3236]

Gotta catch ‘em all!!

[@philipd2252]

As a Matrixbrute owner i would like to see the "morphing" comparison. The MB has the capability to change every parameter with the 4 programmable modulation knobs to create multiple sounds A and B in a patch, v2 added a additional 12 free to chose destinations. What is the difference, besides the polyphony, between Morphing idea and the Matrix modulation using the 4 M knobs. Are the PB sounds in line with the MB filters, MB has 3 VCO, noise and external input in the mix. Looking forward to play PB and find out if the 2 can coexist in the same setup without sounding alike.

[@jppagetoo]

So much to like. But... every day I play on another polysynth and I see I am using up 8-10 voices. That means the six on this one is going to change how I need to play. That could be just fine, maybe I would adapt, but it's not insignificant.

[@SyntheticFuture]

Just the intro. Instant thumbs up.... chilling, beautiful!

[@davebellamy4867]

I like it when Nick says "Ooooh, it sounds better" 24:55

[@Psychlist1972]

Great review, Nick

[@synthplayer1563]

Very well done Arturia. Very good sounding analogue OSCs, 2 very good sounding analogue filters, brute factor, bi-timbral, real morphing, 5 octaves, aftertouch, ribbon, very good UI, ... . I'm very, very impressed. But why only 6 voices, no poly aftertouch, no endless encoders with LED. Then it would be absolutely killer.

[@richardstevens8839]

If you really want more voices then you can spend £7000 on a Moog One

[@maydaygoingdown5602]

Led encoders, ribbon controler, poly Aftertouch, more poly voices,...sounds like you would be more interested in the Hydrasynth.

[@kierenmoore3236]

There’s a 12-voice Polybrute coming soon, apparently …

[@CO5MA]

The best review :) Should I preorder..... huumm

[@CO5MA]

Trololo Inc ® already received 😍

[@jazzjeffjazzjeff]

UDO is also great! Completely different, great in unique ways!

[@PLA.net-DANTE]

@@CO5MA damn , so jealous right now...if I wouldn't save my money for the pulsar 23 , I definitely would do it for the UDO . Awesome Wavestate Patches , by the way😉

[@CO5MA]

DVTUR4 MUSIC thank you very much :) Oh my... Pulsar 23 is also on my wish list.... too much temptations...

[@marcusfreeweb]

yes :)

[@davidsolus9410]

I wanted one. After hearing things rattle in the background, I now REALLY want one.

[@kevinnolan3592]

Fantastic review - thanks a million!

[@jazzjeffjazzjeff]

I have one on order. Been suffering from a little buyer's remorse. There are a lot of great synths in this price range! Prophet 6, UDO Super 6, OB6, Waldorf Iridium.......Thank you Nick for affirming I made a good choice!

[@dukeofpearl]

Oops. An ob6 would have been a better choice🤪

[@CO5MA]

UDO!

[@christianthompson1473]

I'm lovin th hydrasynth. And its half the price!

[@jazzjeffjazzjeff]

dukeofpearl maybe. I still morn the loss of my Xpander from the 80’s. It was stolen. OB’s are still my fav filters to be sure!

[@jazzjeffjazzjeff]

Trololo Inc ® I’m hoping to own both! 😜

[@ozorg]

quality review! great stuff - wish it had 8 voices ... cheers!

[@Hummelsbusch]

Great demo, Nick! Mod-slots!

[@stuartmccallum91]

Re: playing the filter! Arturia mentions in their tutorial on the voice engines mentions that the Steiner Parker will not key track very well, whereas the ladder filter is very accurate!

[@Nomo_Popo]

Cool but I'm still stanning Udo Super 6

[@N-trepid1]

I was a solid Super6 guy--until Nick got his hands on the Polybrute. Im gonna keep my powder dry for a bit. I really love the Poly's morphing knob, morphee, ribbon & 61 keys. Sounds fantastic-even on KZbin. Emailed Arturia re: MPE. Suggestion forwarded to developers. Super 6 is already MPE compliant. Cant go wrong with either synth. Surprisingly, leaning towards to Polybrute now.

[@dan55ellis]

It's brilliant and so are you a perfect match

[@MobiusVideo]

Sounds like I’ve just stepped through the gates of heaven. 😇

[@davebellamy4867]

I just went straight from this at 18:00 minutes to the j3p0 prophet-5/10 reissue and the difference in timbre was total.

[@gatorgoforth3097]

That filter pan got my eyebrows up

[@s.kxx1956]

Very intrigued by this synth, however given the 5 octaves and the price i think this should be atleast 8 voice. I can imagine this being great for big soundscapes especially with the morphing, but i worry the 6 voices will be a limiting factor and cause voice stealing. I have an ob-6 (6 voice) and as soon as you even think of a long release sound it will voice steal and infact bypass the envelope all together.

[@SpacehotelMusic]

This is why I sold my P6 and OB-6 and bought a Prophet 10 rev 4 (over the 5) 10 is perfect! Gorgeous sound too (much better than this Polybrute imo), my Korg Prologue 16 takes care of the rest of my poly needs.

[@Andronty]

@@SpacehotelMusic Yeah, but does it MORPH?

[@N-trepid1]

17:20 "Its very easy to go dreamy" - pause - Nick jams some funk. This thing sounds good.....

[@graphene1487]

Looks like a holy grail synth 😮😃

[@MinusNoir]

If there's a ''Monster Synth'' in existence, this is the one. And btw, Nick your synth reviews are still the best out there. I always go first here.

[@philreeves7361]

I am smitten, What a lovely bit of kit.

[@pittan86]

Very impressive piece of machinery there.

[@davebellamy4867]

There's almost too much on this synth but a lot of it is one control per function but there's a lot more too. Sounds quite irresistible to me in many places. 26:30

[@comfysynth]

This is a really nice sounding synth with loads of capability. And Nick clearly loves it. But.... ... I think I am ever so slightly better off with my Rev 2 16 voice. The effects are obviously better on the polybrute but the Rev 2 has it all over the brute in voice count and the stability of the analog DCOs. The modulation on the Rev is almost as good and the LFO count is higher. No ribbon on the Rev though.

[@maydaygoingdown5602]

I'm really struggling to decide on this poly brute or the Rev 2. I've watched so many damm video's on them both and still can't decide. I like the tonal aspects of the Rev 2 along with those 16 voices, but I also like the sonic capabilities of the ploy brute. Just can't decide, close to just giving up on trying:).

[@Sentientfx1]

Great concept and execution. It sounds a bit cleaner than the Matrixbrute to me..

[@reaktiv1408]

Seems kind of a more tamed sound overall indeed. The brute factor is more gentle sounding. I still enjoy my wild matrixbrute though! They'll compliment well I guess

[@jontip]

Wonderful bit of kit

[@grigioviola8523]

Lovely review like ever you do

[@GeirOpdal]

As usual, great review and demo. One thing Iam still wondering though. How does the knobs work after you morph to another sound? Are they take over, fade in.. how do they work? Thats an important point for me being a tweaker.

[@danselmix]

I think this is the first time I disagree with Nick about a synth. Anyway, the review is great (as usual).

[@anteeko]

Daniel Anselmi in what way you disagree?

[@rickk4990]

I waited for Nick's review!

[@LaurentDiscShowMan]

Muy bien very good como van las cosas..animo con todas las cosas y vayamos con alegrias

[@Digiphex]

5:40 what is wrong with that saw? You don't see it?

[@sonicstate]

We often find that waveforms aren't perfect, there can be imperfections without it being "wrong"

[@danielfeatherstone674]

Awesome review. Inspiring synth

[@Kirk-Monteux-Production]

Can't wait for the 12 voice version

[@thedarkestrainbow]

Oh when is that coming out? Date announced? Confirmed by Arturia?

[@sergiosensation6]

Can’t wait to not spend $3,000 😂

[@jeffg4686]

Great video. How about one of these synths use vocals (live) as a modulator - any have that capability? Another thing that would be coool would be to have the keyboard auto-play back (macro) to give you two hands control of the synth knobs, buttons, sliders, instead of having to touch keyboard at same time.

[@synkuk]

Well thankyou very much ... really noticed the differences from the matrixbrute.. so many things missing ... BUT so many things added.. and SO .. now I'm toying with adding another arturia monster to my studio ... wonder if I'll ever get out of debt :D .. only dissapoinment is this one doesnt have the hinge ... which is something I love about the matrixbrute

[@notsure1135]

I would buy this over the moog and get a minilogue xd

[@evanstevens8021]

This is simply too cool what a pleasant surprise!

[@final_mile_music9713]

I finally succumbed. What a synth!

[@ztkspace5885]

.................got the pb, fekkin awesome. an just so you know NB, you and the guy loopop, give the best of info. got a few niggling issues with bringing up the software editor in cubase 7.5. on a pc, arturia say they don't support the 7.5 format. 7 yeah, 8 etc yeah but not the 7.5. beatstep pro has a problem as well. anyhow, the pb is phenomenal.