That reflects my experience with the MicroFreak+ I´ve been sitting on the couch with uFreak, usb/brick and headphones. That worked just fine.
1 Like
Gotta love Mr. Ellard. He’s very honest about how the gear works for him, which may or may not be how it works for users with a more conventional approach (let us not forget that this is the man responsible for the gloriously lunatic “Gashing the Old Mae West”). I for one am pretty much in agreement with him about the Microfreak. It’s a neat little box, and to a newcomer to electronic music, it might seem a bit weird in a world of endless analog rehashes and soundalikes. However, the little Arturia doesn’t hold any surprises for me, personally. I’d hoped it would, and should it have failed to do so, I was willing to enjoy that touch-plate keyboard. However, I have to concur with Ellard’s impression there - it was disadvantageous to dress it up like a standard keyboard, with the ‘white keys’ extending all the way to the back edge. I can see how some might find it useful, though. Nevertheless, after two weeks of mucking about with it, I can safely say that the sorts of sounds I can get out of the Microfreak are easier had in more flexible form elsewhere in my studio, and mine is already boxed up and ready for return to the vendor. I do hope that Arturia consider making a “Maxi” Freak with an extended parameter set. Now that could be fun.
5 Likes
First time I heard of Ellard. Really good writing by the way. Thanks for the recommendation. Part of me still wants a microfreak but come January there will be a Minifreak.
2 Likes
This is him. He is awesome. I’d love to hear what he could do with a Micro, Mini, or Super Freak. Heck, I’d listen to him drop a melon off of a rooftop (and I have).
7 Likes
Yeah - same. I can’t recall hearing of Ellard before. His writing is hilarious and his candor is refreshing. Going to give that video a watch/listen too.
3 Likes
Mine should be with me tomorrow!! Can’t wait! Looking forward to introducing it to the other members of the Arturia family currently in residence at Bunk Towers and seeing how they play together. Then sampling some stuff into the OT2. That’s my weekend sorted, work allowing…
5 Likes
First: update the firmware! Then, enjoy!
2 Likes
Should have been here today, now coming tomorrow…Grrr
Haven’t seen anything about it, but thought I’d ask here anyway: are there user scales? As in non-equal temperament? I would love to drone with this - and the pressure keyboard - but it’s just way more fun in other scales.
There are not.
1 Like
There are no user scales but there is Master tuning, so maybe you can get out of the usual that way?
Has anyone tried to use their MicroFreak with a DigiTone? I think the aftertouch messages the MicroFreak is sending and the DigiTone is expecting are different…
If someone could confirm that would be great. Hope I’m wrong. Bummer if I’m not.
it’s a different midi message - poly pressure is different from channel aftertouch - whether MF can be dumbed down to send basic channel AT is one for the arturia owners/devs - i suspect not tbh
3 Likes
That was my conclusion after doing a bit more reading/research. Thank you for confirming.
I might reach out to Arturia just in case. Might as well. Can’t hurt.
Might be time to look into a Keystep?
1 Like
Master tuning I don’t think will work, that’s just offsetting the pitch for all notes.
You can get weird pitched notes out of some of the oscillator types, but not something like a scale that can be played by the kb.
Another thing to play with could be applying the keytracking mod source at different amounts to the pitch, this in effect will change the frequency amount between notes (intervals), but you can’t prepare each key in different definable pitches as true user scales / programmable tuning would work.
Just read the output is mono, is that true?
Yes.
1 Like
That means it’ll only take up one input on the Octatrack!
5 Likes
That came as a surprise… this might have killed it for me 
Minimoog is mono!