Recording February 2022 - 50

REVIEW
Arturia MicroFreak
Vocoder Edition
A freaky, fun and chaotic synth, now with a new voice!
REVIEW BY DAVID BLASCOE
I
n 2019, Arturia launched the MicroFreak, a completely original take
on the portable synthesizer, thus deepening its already impressive
niche in the world of hardware synths. Now we have the MicroFreak
Vocoder Edition.
Gettin' freaky
The MicroFreak is a 25-key paraphonic
hybrid synth with a built-in arpeggiator and
64-step sequencers. It boasts a true analog
filter which can be switched between lowpass,
highpass and bandpass modes.
The MicroFreak forgoes traditional
keys for an off-center and interesting flat,
force-sensitive etched touch plate with
full polyphonic aftertouch. I'm used to
playing soft synths on an iPad screen, so
the design of the MicroFreak keyboard
felt natural to me, although I could see
some people needing time to get used
to it. If you wish, you can attach a MIDI
controller to it and trigger it with that.
The back panel has a headphone jack
that doubles as the mic input, a 1
output, 1/8
/4
" mono
" CV and gate outs, analog
clock I/O, 5-pin MIDI I/O, a USB type
B connecter, power switch, and the 12V
jack for the included power supply.
50 RECORDING February 2022
What's new?
The MicroFreak Vocoder Edition
comes with a detachable gooseneck
mic and is currently available in a limited-run
white edition. A MicroFreak firmware
update adds a 16-band vocoder
engine to the existing 18 synth engine
lineup; the update is available free to all
MicroFreak owners who buy the Arturia
mic, but know that any 1
/8
" equipped
mic will work, including those on gaming
headsets and even mic-equipped
ear pods.
The modulation matrix provides
semi-modular programmability with
clear signal routing pathways. The small
black and white screen offers playful
animations and visual feedback as you
adjust parameters.
Turn it up
Before using the vocoder, you need
to menu dive and set the mic input gain,
and then the fun begins! Starting with the
16 new vocoder presets, you can call up
classic Daft Punk and Beastie Boys-esque
patches, as well as some new and fresh
sounds, my personal favorite being the
Arp Sing preset, which takes your voice
and creates an arpeggio of whatever
chord you are holding down. I spent
hours lost in the vocoder capabilities. I
occasionally needed to over-enunciate to
get definitive words to shine through for
a classic vocoder sound.
Sound off
How does the MicroFreak synthesizer
sound? Not an easy question-eighteen
onboard sound engines make it practically
eighteen different synthesizers in one.
Synth styles range from wavetable (with
the ability to load your own WAV and
AIF files) to analog modeling. The unique
Karplus Strong synth engine mimics
the behavior of real-world instruments.
Flipping through the 300 factory presets,
I found quirky analog-like sounds that
reminded me of a Sega Genesis, as well
as lush detuned pads that brought to mind
classic Juno-type sounds. Programming it
Recording February 2022

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