Is the Arturia MiniFreak Good for Classic Style Synth Sounds?

Just a question for you. I have a Behringer DM12 and I’m a guitar player learning synths. Because that synth doesn’t have many extra wave options, do you think the MF would be a better choice for an all around type of synth to learn on? While I enjoy the DM12 it is a lot of menu diving and that part always hinders me from wanting to learn cause I’m a hands on learner. Just wondering your thoughts!

I've watched this video around 10 times already and I know I'll be studying it a lot more when I finally get a MF.
Great quality of info, music and communication approach.
Dude, you are talented. And already cooler than most of reviewers/pusher. Thanks for your inspiration and help!

What would you recommend if I'm not a synth noob but looking forward to buy muy first own hardware?
Minilogue xd + minifreak VST?
Or go freak all the way buying only the minifreak hardware?

I started this video thinking ; wow this guy's full of hot takes, but yea that was pretty good overall, thank you. new perspectives are always good to listen to.. anyway cheers

Love this review, and the versatility of this humble synth. Yep, mine arrives tomorrow.

Great vid and music! How is the Minifreak with voice stealing? Are there any clicks or pops? Are there mode options, like using a new voice to play a note that was just played, to avoid chopping its release? Thanks.

But can it BOC

Earned a sub just for that intro tune. ;)

Can you explain cycling envelopes like I’m 5? Hah

how does this freak compare to the hydrasynth, soundwise?

That's it. I'm going to buy one. That's what I needed to see. I've watched every MiniFreak video I can find and I think yours is the most eloquent. Others have told me how great the MiniFreak is, but you've shown me.

Thabk you for the beautifully put together video. Im currently looking at getting a new synth and the MiniFreak is a candidate. So is the Hydrasynth Explorer - you dismissed it in this video as having cumbersome interface and lacking analog character. Could you please elaborate a bit?

Love my Minifreak - awesome Maschine

What's that oscilloscope box you have next to the keyboard? Is it available anywhere?

Ha ha Brad Fiedel Terminator !

Hey, nice video thank you. Just a question, what is the osciloscope do you use ?

wheeeeere can i get that oscilloscope? 😍

I kinda wish they made a desktop/no-keyboard sound module version of this. I have a KeyStep Pro and an Akai MPC Live II, I can't imagine spending much time with the keys/arps/chords/etc. on this, but the sounds are killer.

You’ve sold me 🎉

Well done! Such a good walkthough/review. I so much wish for the macros to control the modulation depths as well, I hope Arturia will listen to this :) What a performative monster it will be

Boards of Canada section was spot on

Best $599 you can spend on a synth. Imo.

This is great content. Sharing the patches is also brilliant. Thanks. I'll give you four exploding frogs!!

theres a reason he doesn't show you the full oscillator scope

great review… you literally pushed me to make finak decision - was on the fence for long time but now going to
buy it …

oh and excellent sound design at the end of video, respect !

is the Minifreak's chassis made of metal? or plastic like the Microfreak?

Surprised to hear that you believe the Hydrasynth lacks analogue character. I was legitimately surprised to find it was a digital synth after hearing a bunch of demos. Interesting. I had actually been completely obsessing over the Minifreak and had waited until today (bonus day) to finally order one. Ultimately I ended up going for an Explorer because for some reason it just seems to sound fuller than the Minifreak in every demo I hear (even with the Minifreak having the analogue filter). I still would love a Minifreak though. Great vid still, certainly not saying your opinion is wrong :)

no.

What's that oscilloscope you're using?

in short - this machine brings back a whole LOT of memories from my youth.
Never knew it was a Behringer product.

Very well done video. Much work went into that and answered all my questions as another video almost spoiled the fun. Thank you very much, just like I imagined this instrument and a perfect presentation. Thank you sir! I´ll happily donate for such excellent work anytime. That was like a workshop... also great tunes, great voice and wonderful camera shots. Pro Level. Bravo!

BOARDS OF CANADA

You need to be in the cool club. Exceptionally music and use ability focussed demo. I didn’t here one cliche, (E.g. girth, form factor, etc)

When you got to the architecture part thats when I hit the thumbs up and subscribe buttons. Best description of this synth in my humble opinion. I have been considering pulling the trigger on a Microfreak as I like to take sonic adventures frequently and feel it would be a worthy partner to journey with......
Great demonstrative review. Showing us viewers how to go about getting the best sounds from it. Well Done and Thanks.

you'd be much happier with a Sequential Take-5. 1 less voice, but everything else is WAY better. namely, the ultra RICH timbre. if you like pure saw waves, you cannot get a better pure vco sound through a prophet 5 rev 4 analog filter. but, it's also deeper than any analog polysynth around. because it has prophet 12-style linear and exponential fm. you can use osc2 as a "carrier"/mod source in the mod matrix, you have analog sine waves which are rare and great for analog fm. you have plenty of very unique and deep modulation options like looping envelopes at audio/function generator rates, audio out/filter out/dc offset/polyphonic voice spread/audio rate mono and poly lfos which can be recursively modulated for exponential or logarithmic shaping (same for envelopes), modulate any envelope stage (when looping them, modulating decay is incredible). there is also lfo slew and "smoothing". there is filter drive to compensate for low frequencies with high vcf resonance. master overdrive. best sequential fx so far, which are actually useful for a change such as a flanger that at slow rates can make it sound like a shallow water pedal by fairfield circuitry and a distortion that can act as a sort of eq, 3 or 4 delays, 2nd fixed effect slot with a very nice reverb. all fx can be modulated. oscillator sync keeps your oscillators in tune while you fm them. you can modulate anything with oscillator 2, just like on the p12, including the continuously morphing waveshapes on both oscillators (for analog wavetable-style wave scanning. a ton of "slop" or vintage control even outside of the mod matrix.

but apart from all of the unprecedented depth for an affordable analog polysynth, the big deal here is really what you focused on in your video: the sound is unbelievably good. that init patch with one or two saw waves is seriously mind blowing. you will not get a better sound from any other synth. you really have to sit down with one in person to understand how incredible this thing is. so even before you realize that its an updated (almost) fully analog version of the prophet 12 combined with a prophet 5 and prophet 6, you will fall in love with it's pure core physical electric tone. it is a severely underrated machine. but people are finally discovering it. it definitely does not get the attention it deserves though. seriously, for the reasons you highlight here, do yourself a favor and try it out. i truly doubt that you will not love the sound, feel, and versatility. it feels like you're operating a machine

So, to answer your question in the title of the video - NO.
You said you wouldn’t make freaky sounds, but that was all I heard.

“Menu divey hassle”, “cumbersome interfaces”

Looks over at my Deepmind and Hydrasynth, yep that’s about it lol

As a MiniFreak owner and experimentalist; I can without a doubt say that yes, it is good for analog synthesis, as well as digital synthesis. Most of the presets that come with the MiniFreak are more geared towards analog sounding drivers. DXIT, and Neon Turbo are prime examples of this. However, it also does as it says, and goes a bit "freaky" with the ability to create harsh but subtle tones, much like whats used by trent reznor and atticus ross of Nine Inch Nails, So much that there's a dedicated patch for those Ghosts I-IV tones called "Trent's PNO". In summation, the Minifreak is a VERY strong contender for best modern powersynths, next to the PolyBrute, and the MicroFreak.

Outstanding review - style, delivery, pace and focus. Extremely useful too. Well done. Could do with a dedicated manual for just this perspective! I do find myself wondering if it could just do a straight piano when I need a quick melodic idea test. Is this possible?

Thank you for this video! I rely mostly on analogue sounding patches then use the more esoteric sounds as spice, I'm glad to hear the analogiue sounds this synth can make are very good for a digital synth.

There's a very good chance I'll be choosing this as my smaller synth. Just wish it wasn't grey! 🤔

As a traditional synths geek, this review is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

Nice examples of tasteful use of randomizing functions. Makes it more real-world.

As a person who just started learning about synths. I’m so lost with all these terminologies lol. But I’ll learn

really love its design and functionality. Great little synth for sure. Personally I can't do the small keys. If they came out with this with regular sized keys I'd get one.....