Arturia Microfreak Vocoder Update (setting things up, exploring the sounds, vocoding drum machines!) 

I see what you did there 😉

Everybody will be dancing ... judging from my memory or my RAM

;) I’m so glad I picked one up on a whim and I’m kicking myself for not picking one up sooner!

Sneaky Arturia!

@@OscillatorSink absolutely the best kind of sneaky, and this fella was already so fun

ADSR ASMR basically

That's my brand.

Companies that continue to improve their products over their lifetime are the best.

Welcome to the channel!

Thanks, I hope you enjoy it if you pick on up!

Lol ! Vocoder is not an innovation, similarly analog synth is not a new invention.

Lambert Lambert its a digital synth

@@edrosa3485 I know ! I was referring to Mini and MicroBrute when speaking about analog synth.

I'm really glad to help and I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying your new synth!

@@OscillatorSink Yes, although I feel a lot of the sounds are a bit sharp for my ears, almost hurts a bit, so these videos really help understand what I can do for them to sound more to my liking. I think I might need to get another kind of synth to combine it with, it has some really nice sounds and features and I think I will appriciate it even more in the future when I also hav something with a more soft harmonious sound to go with it :D

The Microfreak really shines with some effects as well - a nice reverb or delay goes a long way towards making it sound more "complete" in my opinion - another thing to consider!

@@OscillatorSink I'm def getting that for my next buy. I have been seeing some combining the MF with only the zoom ms-70cdr for example and think it sounds amazing. Only thing stopping me is the color ha ha, so silly I have to laugh at myself. I haven't looked around much but I just get the sense that it's one of the best you can get for that price and works well to create this void ambient vibe that I really like! I did look a bit at the korg NTS-1 (mainly cause I think it looks better) andi t sounds really good too. If you do have some tips here I'm totally open for it. I really like ambient, dreamy, wet sounds. wet sounds sounds so funny!

@@magical.frequencies honestly, for the money, the Zoom is amazing if you can live with the colour - and a great way to experiment with learning what you like given the range of effects. The NTS-1 is great too and you get a genuinely useful synth engine to boot - the ergonomics of tweaking the effects is a little less good though. Or, you know, just buy a Zoia, Ventris or Nightsky! The GAS will catch up with you at some point, you may as well get it out of the way!!

Do you mind answering a few things, please. I'm in the same boat total newbie, I had a used yamaha psr175 (or very similar) upon which I learned 3 pieces using synthesia. I really struggled with two handed synchronization. Can you actually play the keyboard or piano? What devices do you own or have you used? How is the sequencers overall ease to make simple tracks? Do you use any software/daws? Which drum machine do you use or can you do without it? I've been really looking at the mf combined with a volca sample, the mf can't sample can it? Or a volca sample + ik uno & a midi controller. The latter kinda cost just a tad less but the mf seems to be packed with features. I was looking at the korg monologue but without a daw it sounds off, clipping or omitting full notes on a simple sequence. I guess the name should give a clue but the volca sample sounds better playing complex multi songs. Thank you.

@@Gunzee I'm not OP, but I'll try to answer some things for you: -Can you actually play the keyboard or piano? *Nope, I know my intervals for major C and Minor C and figure it out from there. Anything more exotic I just do by ear. It's not really a chord playing type of synth anyway. It can do polyphony (paraphony actually) but I hardly use it personally. As for the playability of the touch keyboard itself: I freaking LOVE it. I can imagine someone who's an actual pianist would maybe hate it, I dunno. -What devices do you own or have you used? *I use it as an input for a BOSS RC-505 and I use the sequencer parallel tot the 505 as well sometimes. Synched through the clock gate. "But the RC-505 doesn't have clock gate?!" I hear you say. Well, no, but the Volca Sample does! Which brings me to one of your other questions. I use the Volca Sample as a drumcomputer parallel to the 505. The Sample is syched with the 505 through MIDI and the MF is sycnched with the Sample through clock gate. So: RC-505 is master->Volca Sample->Microfreak. I also have an Alesis Sample Pad Pro as input to the 505. And a guitar. And a mic. Samplepad+Microfreak+Volca Sample+guitar+mic all go to a cheap Behringer mixer with a send return for each channel. The RC-505 is in the effects loop of the mixer, so the "effect" I'm applying to the channels is that I'm looping the everloving fuck out of them. -How is the sequencers overall ease to make simple tracks? *It's a 64 step sequencer, which is more than most. It's only quantized though, so it's not perfect, but it'll get you a long way. The interface of the sequencer feels a tad weird at first, but once you get the hang of it it's pretty quick to lay down a groove. -Do you use any software/daws? *I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that. I kid off course, but no, not my thing . I click a mouse for work all day already, that's more than my fill. -Which drum machine do you use or can you do without it? *Volca Sample, obviously. But I'm seriously eyeing the TR-8S tbh. The Sample isn't bad at all, and it's very good value for money, but it's a bit finicky to switch up rhytms on the fly in a live situation. It also can't do fills or rolls or anything like that. I assume a Beatstep Pro would go a long way in that regard already as well. And yes, you definitely need a drum computer. And a Sample is imho not a bad idea for beginners like us. Although I hear the new(-ish) Volca Drum is quite good too. Don't get the Volca Beats tho, it's very meh. My 2 cents.

Thank you!

I hadn't thought of that connection! I think it's peacocks on the original one.

I had the original sat next to the white one and I can't decide which one I like the look of more...I guess I can just colour-coordinate with my outfit now?

I guess to avoid blowing things out if you plug in something that's line level - but it agree its a weird default given that most people will be using a microphone.

@@OscillatorSink modular synths signals

Run, don't walk!

They will be apparently.

It’s available for preorder from B&H and Sweetwater. $29 😊

The GAS is real!

You will not be disappointed. Going to run the Subharmonicon through the Freak tomorrow.

@@pfmmodule5144 I must resist!

Really loved the freak as a midi Controller too as it fits perfectly on my desk.

Any PC mic should work.

They are, but any microphone with a TRRS connector, or a microphone plugged into a TRRS adaptor (like I show in this video) will work too. Here's a link to the only shop I can find listing the official microphone at the moment (there'll be more I'm sure as stock gets out there): www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1583720-REG/arturia_570101_mic_gooseneck_microphone_for_microfreak.html

This is the only place I can find it mentioned at the moment - I'm sure there'll be more soon : www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1583720-REG/arturia_570101_mic_gooseneck_microphone_for_microfreak.html

All the normal modulation of the Wave Shape and Timbre controls still work just the same way.

Glad to help!

If you are using an envelope with sustain level you can modulate that and get a similar effect.

This is a good tip - and you can always delegate your filter envelope to the cycling env if you still want a nice smooth filter sweep.

If the 3.5 mm TRRS jack on your headset is wired according to CTIA/AHJ (bit.ly/3hIxtvp) it should work. I updated my black Microfreak to Firmware v2.1.3 today and I've got my Logitech G332 gaming headset plugged into the headphone jack. The vocoder is working fine. Do you have a microphone mute switch? If so,unmute your mic.

Same issue here!

I've not encountered any bugs so far - or certainly nothing I've noticed that's bad enough to need a restart. Have you got anything hooked up to it over USB or midi that could be flooding it with midi messages or creating a loop back?

@@OscillatorSink No changes from my prev setup. Clock from the TR8s is the only midi in. And nothing coming back into the TR8s, Not over USB either, using the power supply. works fine if I roll back to the previous version

I believe you can still control the MF over MIDI while using the Vocoder.

Oscillator Sink oh? word? c’mon over then we gon make some heat

Correct.

The headphone output has always secretly also been an input.

Oh My... Love Arturia. Thanks for the answer!

@Oscillator Sink They clearly planned this, good job Arturia.

2.1.3

You need to have a TRRS cable going in to the MF so I think you'd need to add in the adapter I show in the video.

Oscillator Sink thank You. Will it works with this adapter: www.digitec.ch/it/s1/product/contrik-da-xlr-f-a-mini-plug-a-3-poli-050m-midrange-xlr-connettore-da-35-mm-cavi-audio-6052679

@@amnesiaSa that just looks like a TRS to me. You need a TRRS (one extra stripe).

Oscillator Sink ok! Thank You!! ❤️

Oscillator Sink Hello! With this adapter now works very well! en-us.sennheiser.com/ka-600i

Now you can co-ordinate with your outfit. And no, it's not, the new one features swans!

Peacocks 4ever

Oscillator Sink “graceful swans of never topple to the Earth” great chance to do be inspired and do a SM cover :)

I find the pressure very responsive... So I guess you either had a defective one or maybe if you were powering it over USB with a poor ground? I know that messes with the touch response as well?

They're kinda completely different things... Unless you mean the VP-03? I'm which case... Still pretty different, but not as completely different as the VT-03

@@OscillatorSink yes i meant the vt-03, we have it now on sale, im looking to achieve the vitalic vocoder sounds for example the male robot in this track ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SigSbRow6JM.html

I absolutely love the white. It looks incredible. But unfortunately, I have to get the black one because I'm a mechanic and no matter how much I scrub after work, anything white I own is at risk to get smudges on it haha

It's already available - both the firmware update and the vocoder editor.

Oscillator Sink I don’t see it for sale anywhere. Still on preorder with no ship date

@@moviecellar1639 you maybe missed the first shipments at retailers? People have them out in the wild. Remember though that the original one works with vocoder update too though.

Oscillator Sink you think the hardware is the same?

@@moviecellar1639 it's exactly the same. The only difference is the colour and the fact that it comes with a microphone. The vocoder is all firmware update.

This piece is not a GAS thing. It's affordable, flexible synth. GAS is about collecting, and this is a workhorse on a budget.

@@foxholeartist I'm a collector of affordable workhorse synths :-p

@@Musikkeller-Innsider ok, that makes sense, lol

Dooooo eeeeeeeet :-) You won't regret it, it's completely insane, both in what kind of sounds you can make with this thing and in how useable it actually is. And affordable as well. It can get kinda fucky at times, but I haven't encountered bugs that a simple reboot didn't fix.

@@Budukhong Thanks, I'm seriously considering it, maybe it will be a nice christmas present :-)

But at least he mentions the new menu options... thanks man. I wonder how long ago these were shipped for review?

@@chrisliddiard725 That caused the two minutes I guess :D

Chris Liddiard what new menu options?

Just search for images of TRRS adaptors. or go directly to Amazon.

Crafty buggers were hiding an input right under our noses this whole time... Seems a waste there isn't an option to pass through the dry audio for filtering of external audio or increasing the intelligibility of vocoder parts though.

I'm still holding out hope that they'll implement the resonator input on the Karplus and Modal oscillators. That'd be amazing.

@@OscillatorSink Oh, you mean use external audio as the exciter? Given the way Karplus Strong works that should actually be pretty simple! I don't know much about how the modal resonator works but it seems like it should be possible. If Arturia are sending you synths you've clearly got their attention, ask for all these things! And custom scales!

@@eyeball226 I don't think I have all that much pull! But yeah the Mutable Instrument modules that those oscillators are based on allow for external excitation. It'd be good fun!

Sorry I didn't create the exact video you wanted. Here's a sound demo: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FCR5v_9YJSA.html

And here's another good one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dQw4w9WgXcQ.html