Tutorials | MicroFreak - Episode 3: Keyboard & Arpeggiator

| MicroFreak - Episode 3: Keyboard & Arpeggiator
Yes, the keyboard might look different to what you’ve played before, but once you get your hands on it you will understand why we’ve chosen this PCB keyboard. It’s sensitive and expressive, just like Bryan himself (he’s a very sensitive guy). Switch the arpeggiator on and you’re in instant inspiration mode.
| MicroFreak Tutorial Series
Ep. 1: Introduction - bit.ly/2Q01s5f
Ep. 2: Modulations - bit.ly/2vRKLQa
Ep. 3: Keyboard & Arpeggiator - bit.ly/2JhPfs8
Ep. 4: Sequencer - bit.ly/2JiZlbX
Ep. 5: Connectivity - bit.ly/2VkK24m
| Learn more
MicroFreak: bit.ly/2Wa7Jhe
| Join the Community
Facebook: / arturia.instruments
Instagram: / arturia_official
Twitter: / arturiaofficial
SoundCloud: / arturia-official
| Credits
www.arturia.com/

[@matthewpeters2062]

The unit seems like a great synth, but I feel like I'm sitting through a forklift training video with the guy that's presenting it.

[@passedout4597]

@ 6:15 I don't hear any difference when he is playing with Dice at all, even when Spice is turned up..

[@rockhead11]

Yeah, he didn’t really get much out of those. And, honestly, as a MicroFreak owner there’s not a lot of excitement with them. Pretty subtle. I’m hoping that a firmware update makes spice and dice make more extreme changes to sequences and arpeggios. Right now the “spice” is black pepper, I’m looking for habanero.

[@jaroslavhorak2299]

@@rockhead11 I updated my fw to 3.0 and the Spice and Dice are now a Calirofnia Reaper

[@MyNameJeff..]

Love this synth, but why it there no up/down? It’s like the number one arp pattern.

[@TheRealTeebz]

was it just me or did NOTHING happen when you hit the 'dice' button?

[@solisinvictus4238]

I don't know how to play musical instruments.. but I like to play with them. I am thinking that this may be the next one I get to goof around with

Glad you made those videos, but using pedals while explaining the synth seems counterproductive.

[@masarome8376]

When I press 'up' or 'random' it says ext. jack. Does it mean it's synced to another device? Where do I change that? I'm using only microfreak so I don't really get it. Any help would be appreciated :)

[@TheKathleensUTube]

What reverb box are you using? Thanks!

[@ArturiaOfficial]

Empress Effects Reverb.

[@woodswalker88]

i just got mine today! I'm not crazy about some of the presets but overall I'm really liking it. For starters it is very SMALL like my Deluge yet it has huge options. For someone w/ a bad back, 2 small synths that fit in a backpack looks like a good option. Oh yea, the most exciting feature for me is that you can put on a synth and play over top of it in Realtime!!! Which essentially gives you a dynamic performance instead of a static thing that plays the same every time.

[@Seekthetruth3000]

Is the sound coming out of it mono or stereo, does it have a pan, reverb, delay function? Thanks.

[@OrangeNash]

@@Seekthetruth3000 It's mono and has none of those effects built in. It is an amazing synth and excellent value for money, though, even without those. They are easy enough to add in the DAW.

[@vandenhengel978]

Why not create a Midi controller with this PCB keyboard?

[@KeyosBeats]

Do You plan to add more options to arpeggio run? I mean down, up & down and so on :) I know there will be no more buttons, but probably it's not hard to add it in the software.

[@CaalamusTube]

Spice & Dice make no sense to me :P

[@dcashley303]

Yeah, haven't heard a single demo of it that sounds useful. It just takes some notes out it seems. The name makes it sound more exciting than it appears to be.

[@CaalamusTube]

@@dcashley303 I think I agree with you! The Synth over all seems really capable... like the Performance they uploaded the other day... with three Freaks & an Impact, that was great! But Spice & Dice, the Capacitive Touch Board & the bends inducing level of menu diving ...are causing me to steer clear!

[@CaalamusTube]

@@French_Canadian_Pea_Soup do you listen to other people when they speak? ...or are you just using it as an opportunity to say things that make you feel better about yourself? I'm *VERY OBVIOUSLY* not "judge[ing] this synth on an option ( spice and dice )" ...or really judging it at all, for that matter. But rather commenting on my lack of understanding with regard to said "option" & furthermore commenting on the fact that, despite thinking of it as being "really capable" ( id est having good "sounds" ) ...it's UI isn't my cup of Tea. So why does your comment exist, "lol" ...if not to build yourself up at my expense? PS, you failed & look quite dumb.

[@VictorSteiner]

@@CaalamusTube There is only menu diving in the Mod Matrix which you don't change on the fly ...

[@CaalamusTube]

@@French_Canadian_Pea_Soup listen, if you don't like interacting with me... maybe don't? You're argument is weak as fuck. You are deliberately dropping the context of my comments to prove that you're "right". Why? Why is it so important for you to insert your self in the conversations of strangers & be disrespectful? "lol" ...& then when you're called out on it you tell me to "calm down"? Maybe you should mind your own fucking business?

[@brandon_expo]

At 3:15 hes making a sequence pressing the notes in order while in (UP MODE) and the sequence plays correctly but when I try doing the exact same thing the first note of the sequence I try to play repeats itself before playing the correct sequence ??? Only plays properly in (ORDER)mode?

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Thank you. That was actually very helpful! The point of the "Spice" feature however didn't really make sense to me, except that it cuts off some notes of the arpegio / sequence.

[@lukasburic6796]

I believe it is also shifting random tones from the arpegio / sequence to other octaves, which, for me, results super nice. It's adding dynamics to your sequence without breaking the harmonics. Once you increase the spice and then switch to dice & place your finger randomly on the bar, it will apply the modification which stays the same unless you press again. So the randomness is random, but not uncontrollably.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@lukasburic6796 i see :o

[@AliaksejKa]

I wonder whether microfreak can be user as external midi keyboard and arpeggiator for external sound modules,

[@jonnyhead]

Dice and spice sorry but total waste of space on this brilliant machine a little Reverb there would have been the icing on the cake.

[@nikku1166]

can I use the arp function while connected to Ableton? Like can I have a vst synth open in ableton and have the arp of the microfreak control it?

[@ArturiaOfficial]

Hi you use MicroFreak as your Midi Controller, yes you can :)

[@untitleds856]

Dope

[@p8guitar850]

Me too, I don't understand what spice and dice does. Brian, what you play to show spice and dice doesn't make it very clear what happens. Could you explain further?

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

The manual does an okay job of explaining this (and I'm still figuring it out) but it's still a tad odd (and not apparent from this video where the sound did not appear to change at all). From my understanding and experience (and to quote part of the manual), Spice controls the amount of change from the "normal" value of the parameters (gates, triggers) and Dice controls how much of the sequence is affected. The default gate length is 45% - increasing Spice will introduce a deviation from the default length (think increasing the Filter Modulation knob - the higher the knob, the greater the change vertically). Dice affects how much of the sequence/arp is affected by Spice (change horizontally). You need to use both together, not one or the other. Does that clear it up a bit?

[@newday8545]

it cuts off when i play through mpc one. how do i get it to play continuous withou it t stopping. if that makes sense. it wont let me record pass a few notes and in time. it plays a few notes then stops.

[@mrradio2187]

It would be great if only it had an audio input!

[@truthbydesign5146]

The recent update allows headphone output to be used as audio (mic) input. I don’t have my Microfreak yet , but I think it only works with the vocoder for now, but hopefully they’ll update capabilities further to allow filter and effects to be used on signal.

[@Gedagnors]

Wish I could afford to buy this synth!

[@Sick1982]

As a synth.. it's very affordable ;’)

[@Molluszk]

why do you choose such a terrible and boring sound to presentate all of these? seriously why? there are tons of cool sounds on this unit... no offense! dont wanna fight! just so annoying...