Arturia MicroFreak Stellar Limited Edition - Analog Synthesizer

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Arturia have also added three brand-new synthesis engines to the MicroFreak’s new edition, all utilising granular synthesis to really make the MicroFreak stand out! The same loveable hybrid beast that’s shaken up the synth world, retrofitted for out-of-this-world sound exploration. What if we told you that you could get virtual analog, wavetable, FM, vocoder sounds and beyond in a single synth? The new firmware adds a huge suite of new features, including a new sampling engine, that will let you process and manipulate existing sounds through the MicroFreak’s filters, envelopes and modulation matrix to warp and shape them. The versatile digital oscillators in the MICROFREAK feature varied modes, so you can create weird and wonderful sounds with ease. Modes like Texturer, Karplus strong, Harmonic OSC, and Superwave give the MICROFREAK a huge range for creating your own interesting soundscapes. If you want an instrument that features an incredibly versatile sound set and don't want to be restrained by other more focused synths, then MICROFREAK's flexible and powerful synthesizer engine is ideal for this and loads of other applications. Plaits by Mutable Instruments

Despite the new look, the MicroFreak Stellar Edition still offers the same great features that musicians have come to love. The touch keyboard with 25 keys and polyphonic aftertouch is still there, along with the orange knobs and small OLED display. The synth still boasts various digital oscillator engines and an analog state variable filter that can be switched between low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass characteristics. The Arturia MICROFREAK Stellar Paraphonic Hybrid Synthesizer blends the strengths of analogue and digital synthesis engines to offer a diverse tonal palette, enabling you to create almost any sound you can imagine. The limited-edition 'Stellar' version builds on the success of the original MicroFreak and comes with an updated finish and several new features. To hook up modulation, spin the Matrix encoder to select a specific crossing point between source and destination, indent it to activate, then turn the knob left or right to apply negative or positive modulation. It’s a fast, intuitive workflow that encourages you to try out multiple mod assignments on the fly. In addition to sample import and granular engines, the firmware update also improves the synth’s envelopes, making them faster and snappier. And with over 300 factory presets and 512 slots for user presets, the MicroFreak Stellar Edition is a synth that will keep musicians inspired for years to come.

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Rewire the MicroFreak Stellar’s architecture with its comprehensive modulation matrix. With up to seven simultaneous destinations, three of which are freely assignable, and five sources, including an ADSR envelope, cycling envelope and 6-shape LFO, you can dive deep into complex sound design and discover an endless array of synth sounds. Inspiring Sequencing For us, though, the USP is the Chords oscillator, which outputs a four-voice chord. The Wave knob is used to choose one of 11 chords, the Timbre knob switches the current inversion, and Shape scans through a host of waveform shapes. On the downside, being a digital synth, a lot of these oscillator types can sound a little… well, digital. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing – when you need a brash, harmonically complex sound that can slice through a mix, MicroFreak can do it in so many different ways. Filter fun MicroFreak Stellar comes with an exclusive selection of presets designed to boldly go where no Freak has gone before. Based on a classic analogue 12db/Oct filter, the MICROFREAK can scream or whisper. This powerful state-variable filter can self-oscillate, giving your sound design new realms to explore. Modulate the cut-off with keyboard pressure or even with the sequencer. The filter offers massive scope for adding that finishing touch to your sound design or for taking the edge off those abrasive wavetable sounds. Expressive and performative

If you haven’t tried granular synthesis before and don’t have a MicroFreak to hand, I’d recommend trying a granular synth plugin to experiment with this unique style. It’s great for soundbeds and unique textures. Sometimes excellent for comforting ambient textures, granular is also great at creating warped or stretched sounds for more ominous moods or some out-there percussive sounds. Lots! The latest update sees the release of three new algorithms, bass, sawX and harm. These also feature in Noise Engineering's flexible Virt Iter module. Thanks to their inclusion you'll be granted access to additive harmonic colour, wavefolding, modulation and so much more. This is the perfect way to push your digital signal into analog extremes. a b Rogerson, Ben (2020-08-25). "Arturia releases MicroFreak Vocoder Edition, and there's a pleasant surprise for owners of the original synth, too". MusicRadar . Retrieved 2022-10-25. Arturia made available user installable firmware updates for the MicroFreak with additional features and improvements in the years after the original release. [8] [9] MicroFreak is a four-voice paraphonic synth – when the Paraphonic button is engaged, you can play up to four voices at once, but all share the same filter, envelope and under-the-hood VCA settings.Digital oscillators with variable modes, with integrated open-source Plaits engine created by Mutable Instruments The MicroFreak is a synthesizer manufactured by French music technology company Arturia and released in 2019. [1] Described as a "Hybrid Experimental Synthesizer", it uses 18 digital sound engines (algorithms) to synthesize raw tones. [2] This digital oscillator is then fed into a multi-mode analog filter, giving the MicroFreak its hybrid sounds. You can even use the keyboard to define and change the pitch of your sounds, or the sequencer to set up full drum beats, slice up synth sounds, or chop vocals!

The next chapter in the Freak story. MicroFreak is the hybrid desktop synth that refuses to stop evolving and continues to inspire with every update.The Arturia MicroFreak Stellar Hybrid Synthesizer is a limited edition, space-age inspired version of the popular MicroFreak. With its distinctive grey exterior and unique cosmic graphics, this desktop synth is not just visually striking, but also features an exciting new firmware with four additional sampling and granular sound engines. Bigger and bolder than ever before. The already expansive nature of the MICROFREAK's preset slots have increased from 256 to a generous 384. This gives you even more freedom to make the synthesizer accommodate your workflow. Thanks to its instantaneous nature, saving and recalling sounds is a breeze. This will prove particularly useful in high-pressure environments such on-stage and in the studio. Building on the success of the original MicroFreak, this limited edition version not only features a brand new look but the updated firmware introduces four powerful engines. The new sampling engine allows you to use manipulate and trigger recorded audio directly from the MicroFreak, allowing you to run your favourite samples through the powerful analog filter and modulation controls. Three new granular engines are also included, comprised of Scan, Cloud and Hit modes allowing you to journey into the depths of granular exploration. Added sample and grain engines, 128 more preset slots, and a sample and hold mode for keybed modulation. The Stellar edition released with this firmware. [3]

Launched alongside MicroFreak Stellar is another free firmware update for all MicroFreak users, introducing user sample import, a Sampler engine and 3 Granular engines. Wavetable – a method of synthesis where the waveform transitions through a table of different waveforms, MicroFreak’s Buchla Easel-style 25-key capacitive keyboard is an interesting addition in both looks and playability, encouraging a different kind of performance. Unlike regular keys, these PCB flat strips are covered in copper dots that respond to the amount of surface your fingers cover, resulting in the output of gate, pitch and pressure (or velocity) data that can be assigned to any parameter via the Matrix. Polyphonic aftertouch is possible, and various responsiveness options can also be adjusted in the Utility menu, too. For note bends, there’s a bipolar Touch Strip that lets you ‘punch in’ and scan specific jumps or slides below and above the current pitch. For more performance possibilities, the synth features an Arpeggiator: engage it with the Arp button, set Rate and Division, set an Octave range between one and four, then hold down a chord to cycle through those notes. There are also two four-voice-paraphonic Sequencers onboard, which run at a global length of between four and 64 steps. Each sequence can store up to four MicroFreak parameters for hands-free parameter automation, and be used as destinations for mod duties. Classic Analogue Filter - MICROFREAK's state-variable filter is based on a classic analogue 12db/Oct filter and can deliver both subtle and aggressive tonal changes. With the ability to self-oscillate, the filter opens up new possibilities for sound design. You can also modulate the cut-off with keyboard pressure or the sequencer, allowing you to create dynamic and expressive soundscapes. Whether you want to add a finishing touch to your sound design or tame harsh wavetable sounds, the filter provides a wide range of options. Sound generation is handled by the single Digital Oscillator, several variations of which implement Mutable Instruments’ open-source designs. 12 modes are available: choose one with the Type knob, and the OLED screen is populated by three parameters, unique for each mode, adjusted with Wave, Timbre and Shape knobs and seen onscreen with little ‘test tube’ meters. Funky.Discover the same loveable hybrid beast that sent the synth world into a spin, but primed for launch and ready for an interplanetary sonic voyage. MicroFreak Stellar features the same inspiring, bonkers sound but embellished with a unique space-age design. Digital, Wavetable, Sampling, Granular…