I have both and can tell you that the HS UI in many ways is like a refined (digital) version of the MB. The signal flow and mod matrix layout are intuitive in the same way. I have had the MB for several years now, and do plan to keep it, but I also wish it didn’t take so much space, which is where the HS really shines. I have the desktop version of the HS and feel like I have just as much or even more sound design options at the MB and even though it isn’t as “knob per function” as the MB, the balance toward much smaller size is worth the compromise.
1 Like
Thank you both so much, it did sound like oscillator phase to me but one voice in particular was standing out to me. This is my first analog poly so I wasn’t sure what to expect
So I drove myself crazy for a few days and discovered there actually is an issue with my unit. What I was hearing was the tuning of one of the voices’ Steiner filters. It’s super drifty, especially in the upper ranges. I know the SP filter is super unpredictable and weird, but on some patches every sixth note is practically silent. I bought it new so I’m arranging for a swap.
How common are issue like this? I believe I’ve read some people have had similar problems but I can’t remember exactly
I bought a Polybrute recently, but I was really struggling with the esthetic, shallow I know…but today I just fitted it with some Davies clone knobs, and I’m so much happier with it!
The knobs aren’t the popular orientation, I couldn’t find and D shaft knobs in this style that were compatible, so I went with the set screw version. Bit of a wild ride if you’re in any way OCD 
1 Like
2 Likes
Not shallow if you ask me - sometimes I feel like my favorite feature is the walnut legs. 
1 Like
I had no plans to aquire another synth, especially with a keybed, in the foreseeable future, but this Noir Edition is highly tempting and is surely under consideration.
2 Likes
I’m curious: does it respond to polyphonic aftertouch?
I was on the fence regarding buying a Polybrute for a while, but as soon as I tried it in person at a music store, it took me only a couple of seconds to realize that the keys felt so cheap that I didn’t want the synth anymore.
I’ve never gone so fast from wanting a synth to not wanting it at all. I just pray that Arturia don’t release a desktop version so that I don’t have to start GASing over it again 
Nope. That would have been somewhat of a redeemer for the keybed, but sadly no.
1 Like
I mean external polyphonic aftertouch. In the highly unlikely scenario of me getting one, I’d use it with an isomorphic keyboard with poly aftertouch.
I think the keys are fantastic! 
1 Like
This was my buyers experience. Except the one I demoed in the store was actually decent (or maybe I rushed through before checking everything). For the price, the keybed is not acceptable in my opinion. I also have issues with many of the circular pad buttons. When pressing the buttons down, they feel as if they have a tiny metallic ball in the dead center; the end result is that pressing the buttons slightly off-center or on the side does not register a press.
Among other things, from what I remember, things like the presets menu were easy to accidentally navigate out of because of how sensitive some of the knobs were. Smaller things like morphing… I would accidentally trigger the horizontal strip a lot with my palms or elbows. I would load a patch, my morph knob already turned all the way to the right at the position for sound B, but the patches always load with sound A. So to start a patch with sound B, I have to turn the knob to the A position, then back to the B position. This is one of those knobs that should always reflect where the physical knob is at IMO.
A lot of YouTubers that pushed this flagship as the only one they will ever need have seemingly stopped using it after the initial review videos. Not a fan of the Polybrute Connect software either, which you need an account to use. Class compliant USB audio please, shouldn’t be too much to ask for in this day and age.
2 Likes
Well this is just the norm for any person in sales, and YouTubers are just sales people underneath it all. The quicker people realise this, the sooner the GAS settles down.
I agree about the keybed being the PB’s weak point, but it also plays quite well, and fast IMO.
It’s an all-round analog poly, I think that’s its strong point… mods, filters, seq, fx… it covers a lot of ground.
I think I have other synths that outperform it in single sections (Prophet 6’s osc’s and filters, for example), but nothing analog that covers it all, the only other real option as an alternative is the Moog One.
6 Likes
I see. No, it doesn’t support that. MPE has been a requested feature on the forum for a while, but nothing seems to be happening.
1 Like
Thanks. I hoped it could be supported even without MPE support.
I think it’s one of the great modern synths, in every category. And fwiw I’ve owned and have played a lot of synths!
2 Likes
Has anyone tried playing it with a poly AT keyboard? I’ve seen claims it does actually support poly AT from external keyboards.
Hi guys! I got the Black Beauty Polybrute Noir… I think it is interesting and flexible, but the oscillators seem a little weak for an analog poly.
My question to you, who have other analog polys and using them for a while in parallel to the Brute, is the Brute worth, or I better return it to get an OB6 module or something on that line?
Thanks!