A new leak on their website confirms the upcoming Arturia DrumFreak, a drum machine with samples and with the Freak DNA.
Arturia’s Freak Synthesizer series is very popular. The MicroFreak is a paraphonic hybrid synth, and the MiniFreak is a six-voice hybrid polysynth, available in hardware and software. We want more Freaks! There are frequent calls for a PolyFreak or MaxiFreak.
Some also want a DrumFreak, a drum machine with Freak DNA. This wish seems to be coming true. There was a leak on the official Arturia website about an upcoming DrumFreak.
Leak: Arturia DrumFreak
We can now put the DrumFreak on the agenda. According to this leak, the Arturia DrumFreak is in the pipeline. The question that naturally arises with such an event: was this intentional and meant as a reaction test from the team, or was it an accident?
In today’s world, many things are possible. I can’t say what happened behind the scenes here. Not because I’m under embargo, simply because I don’t know.
The leak occurred on the official website, not at a retailer as is often the case. This is different. The DrumFreak section was spotted among the other “Freaks” on the website, but without an image of the hardware.
Furthermore, a “sample baseline” text and a price of $1 are displayed. Arturia, pack me 100 units for $1 each; I’ll pick them up tomorrow.
What We Can Maybe Expect From A Freak Drum Machine?
Since the product includes Freak, it is likely a hybrid device. Possibly a mix of digital algorithms, the Freak component, and samples, or just digital. Update: The “sample baseline” appears to be a placeholder.
Both of these would certainly be a first for Arturia, as they have previously designed hardware drum machines exclusively on an analog basis. A hybrid approach with digital oscillators, possibly based on VA, FM, physical modeling, etc., would be very appealing.
Such a concept could cover a much broader sound spectrum, from classic to absolute madness. It also has the major advantage that Arturia can constantly reinvent DrumFreak with new algorithms, just like they do with MiniFreak and MicroFreak.
Samples would also be interesting. We’d have to see how they’ve implemented it. Either classic sample playback or the ability to manipulate the samples within the device using interesting processors.
The latter would suit a DrumFreak better. Colorful filters, a playful sequencer with per-step modifiers, etc., are of course also mandatory in such a device. But since this is only a leak on the Arturia website so far, it’s all just wishful thinking and speculation anyway.
One thing is for sure: the DrumFreak is definitely a hot topic now. I’m curious to see when we’ll officially see the device from Arturia. Stay tuned.
Source: Reddit
Very interesting. I like the idea of a DrumFreak (and who knows a SuperFreak…)
Quick note: “sample baseline” typically refers to placeholder text or starter code used during website development.
As someone named Sam confirmed on Gearnews: “Nope, ‘sample baseline’ is just their placeholder text for a product tagline or subtitle – like how AstroLab 37 has ‘Avant-garde Stage Keyboard’. No hints here. Source: have done copywriting work for Arturia in the past!”
Arturia releases are often around 5pm GMT on Tuesdays, so I’ll guess we’ll be waiting for announcements hopefully this month, otherwise after the summer
Hopefully it’s more of a groovebox, with synth elements, rather than just a drum machine. Gotta have more groovebox!
If it has a fun immediate workflow like the Drumbrute Impact (yes, I love that thing: cheap, fast, fun and sound good) count me in.
Hopefully something engineered with an intention for possible innovation in the sound design department. There are plenty of these new old analog drum machines; that territory is well and truly covered I think. It will continue to be covered.
Give me something that inspires futuristic aesthetics that aren’t existing tropes.
Kinda shitty they didn’t present any of their new stuff at Superbooth.
Not that I’m really interested. Bought their astrolab a month ago and returned it within 30 minutes. Probably worst product I bought in decades.
There’s a lot to love about the Astrolab 37.
I just wish it had a little bit more power to avert voice stealing, even if it meant 50-100e more (pure lofi is great but unusable I. Standalone on it). But overall a brilliant design otherwise.
Mark my words. Next Tuesday at 5pm (or 6pm French time), you ll see the DrumFreak being released.
I wonder do they have an associated software for it like the MiniFreak, a Drum V program. It would be cool and would complete their range, also making V Collection upgrades later this year appealing to many as all their new releases this year software wise have been excellent.
This is what the Freak ecosystem really needed, and I’m here for it. You dial up a great perc track, all weird and freaky, and then thrown some more Freak on top of that. And please, for gawed sake, include some digital delay.