Arturia extends the sound spectrum of its MicroFreak in firmware 3.0 yet again with three new razor-sharp, harmonic-rich oscillators from Noise Engineering
Arturia’s MicroFreak is probably one of the most successful experimental synthesizers ever developed. The built-in oscillator models invite musicians on an almost infinite, deep digital sound journey. Coupled with a juicy analog filter and a unique touch keyboard makes all this the MF a very unique instrument in many aspects. And that doesn’t cost a lot. For less than 300 €, you can dive into this bizarre, experimental sonic world.
The success also lies in the great support from the developer. New features, new oscillator models (vocoder, noise …), etc. make the device constantly better. For the virtual NAMM 2021, there is the free MicroFreak update 3.0, which was developed in collaboration with the LA-based modular manufacturer Noise Engineering. Where NE is on it, it gets nasty, dirty, and experimental.
MicroFreak’s mad taltents continue to evolve with every free update. Introducing MicroFreak firmware 3.0, designed in collaboration with Noise Engineering to push MicroFreak’s sound further into the experimental digital realm. 3 razor-sharp new oscillators modes and a number of enhancements bring gritty digital character, workflow flexibility, and even more creative value to this wild hybrid synth.
Arturia MicroFreak 3.0
MicroFreak 3.0 intros three new experimental oscillator models including Bass, SawX and Harm. The algorithms are ports from the Noise Engineering Virt Iter module that offers additive harmonic color, wavefolding, phase modulation and more. These are now available in MF and opens up a new dirty, gritty sound world.
Then, the unison mode got a major makeover. Up to 4-voice unison is now available for all oscillator types, with unison spread of up to 12 semitones that can also be used as a modulation destination. This is very handy for bigger and more massive sounds especially basses. Also, the preset manager got an upgrade. It now has 384 preset slots instead of 256, giving you more freedom of creating own sounds. It also comes with 96 more ready-to-use factory presets with which you can start making noise right away out of the box
Last but not least, the developers also improved the preset load and saving functionality. It loads now the last saved preset upon restart, and always retains the chord mode’s most recent chord within your saved preset.
An extremely nice update in my opinion. I am happy to see two companies working together and realizing innovative ideas. The new oscillators are beautiful additions that adds a new level of craziness to the synth.
Arturia MicroFreak 3.0 is a free update for existing customers. MicroFreak is available now for 266€.
More information here: Arturia
This is fantastic!