if the 8 encoders align to parameters on the screen, ala elektron, … i’d have prefered the big knob & button to be on the other side of the screen … it seems to be ‘in the way’ . …obviously i’ve not actually used it .
perhaps its got a modern screen and comes with fully functioning firmware on day 1.
it’ll be interesting to see how mental the audio industry reacts … when it was an accidental webpage it was silly … now theres an actual set of photos … i guarantee many youtubers are just going insane with their ‘exclusive analysis’ of buttons on a box … perhaps time to avoid youtube for a while.
First of all the microFreak has a sound. If you don’t like it, nothing will help I think. But first and foremost I do really like how it sounds.
But for me is just a neat little package where the sum is much greater than all the parts, and for not a lot of money to boot.
First, possibly the most controversial parts. The funky keyboard, I find it very expressive, I wont play virtuoso melodies on it, but for freaky (get it ) basses and pads its excellent. As many state, It does sound a bit weak on its own, so a bit of reverb and/or delay are really needed. I understand this is a no-no for some people, but I pair it with the OG ms-70cdr and never look back. And yes it does sound digital for the most part, but again I really like how it sounds.
Then what you have is so much versatility in OSC/Synthesis types. VA, Granular, sample, wavetable, vocoder, you name it. The controls are simple, not exactly one knob per function, but close, so tewaking it live to changing (e.g) an aggressive bass to a soft pad in 5m, sounding great all the way is easy and recommendable. Also, going from a init patch to something weird and nice takes not much effort AND its fun. And the mod system is easy to get to a grip on, and the pressure already in the keyboard makes it wild and… hum… freaky.
And finally, if you don’t want to mess to much with sound design and most knobs, you cant get plenty of mileage out of preset packs (plenty available, free and paid) and just twiddle the last 3 orange knobs, cutoff and resonance. A 5 knob journey to the stars, or the gutter, or wherever you fancy.
he shows a video of someone unboxing one of these 
) basses and pads its excellent. As many state, It does sound a bit weak on its own, so a bit of reverb and/or delay are really needed. I understand this is a no-no for some people, but I pair it with the OG ms-70cdr and never look back. And yes it does sound digital for the most part, but again I really like how it sounds.