Yeah, I'm sort of just starting to dip my toe into the synth waters, and MOST demo/review videos seem to be that way! I'm hoping it's like people always say about OTHER foreign languages, and I'll just learn faster by immersion! :P lol
The Microbrute is just one of those pieces of gear that everyone needs to have. The mini patchbay is going to give this thing a long second life as a controller for modular setups such as this. It will be hard for Arturia to top themselves.
See 10:00 where Nick connects an external oscillator from his modular rack. To get a noise oscillator you could connect an AM/FM radio tuned in between two stations..
This was my first synth when it came out. Still love it. I went from exploring effects pedals with electric guitar to getting this and now I play more synth than guitar.
@@ashtonvati1649 It's nice, but the Bass Station II might be more practical since it can recall patches. Regardless, all of these are great options: (listed with the current price for a brand new item) - Microbrute: $300 - Microfreak: $300 - Bass Station II: $400 - Minibrute 2: $450
Sonic State just keep pushing the boundaries with every review I see. Cheers for all the work you are putting into each video review you do, its great to see people genuinely pushing the standard up!
8 years later and it still looks like a sweet synth at a bargain price. Definitely a gateway into modular. I've been wondering about getting a KeyStep 'cos I want a MIDI keyboard that also has CV out for a Moog Werkstatt I might buy one day. A MicroBrute gives me CV out and a synth as well.
5 years later. Just bought one of these second hand and LOVE it. There is one thing though that not only I had an issue with and it's that the rotary knobs start exuding a sticky substance of some sort, so all the knobs become sticky, even after cleaning them. The good thing is, that you can just order cheapo 6mm knobs from China for cheap :) They might look differently but work just fine. You might even prefer differently looking knobs. Also the resonance, you learn not to move it to full 100% but 90% max...unless you want to go to crazy town.
My first hardware analog too, and I don't think I could ever sell it. It's so much fun! I'd probably have been better off getting a BSII instead, because patch recall makes it a lot more practical ... but I've enjoyed the Microbrute regardless. I just hate only being able to keep one sound at a time, and never being able to get the same sound ever again. So when I finally got something nicer, I may have gone a little overboard... I got a Pro 3. Oops. The Microbrute was like having a sweet playground, but now with a flagship monosynth I have an entire world to explore.
I own both the Mini and Micro and on balance, I prefer the Micro. The little patch bay works a treat, and the sequencer is much needed on the Mini. The Sub Osc has a way better sound on the Micro (despite being set to one waveform) and the whole thing is way wilder and dirtier. So if you have the choice, I'd go Micro. But look at the demos and decide for yourself (but ignore them and buy the Micro).
Though, had they added a function so it could slave to a MiniBrute working as a 2nd playable voice (kinda like DSI's daisy-chaining), or as a 2nd. oscillator with adjustable detune/semitone, they'd make even more of a killing off it. Think they missed a trick there... Thanks for doing an awesome job (as always) Nick! And i'm so very jealous you get payed to play with these great machines, and even get sneak previews like this :-)
Nick, i was thinking about the MIDI capabilities of the BRUTE...Does it send poly MIDI? And would be possible to use that Volca Keys as a source of three voices plus the Brute voice to play chords, and using both filters to make it more interesting?
lol got mine almost 4 years ago and still use it regularly. Was my first synth bought with my first paycheck at my first job XD...I kinda want another one :)
Ever since purchasing my MicroBrute I just can't put it down. The sound out of this beauty, especially when linked up with a decent effects unit are utterly breath taking. I am seriously contemplating on expanding with oscillator unit, etc like in this review. Well worth a look at believe me :)
Hi, I'm new too synths and I'm thinking of getting one of these but i was wondering, does it have built in speakers or do you have to buy them yourself?
@@finhj179 you have your headphones or can connect a speaker but a good synth don't bring speakers these are more toys like volcas they are amazing battery using but no comparison 😉 this is a brutal cool small and good price real analog synthesizer 100% recommend even now 2021🤘🏻✌🏻👍🏻💪🏻😉🤗
I love how you worked it in with the modular and the Volca. Everyone wants to see ways they can actually use a product, but very few show this. Pleased to see the mod section and sequencing on it. They left nothing out on this baby.
I think that, with the volume of MS20mini's Korg have produced and shipped, inevitably quality control issues will appear to be relatively more common. My MS20mini has functioned flawlessly with no output problems or "wobbly knobs". I am just grateful that Korg, Arturia and Novation are giving us mere mortals the chance to purchase analog synths without having to sell our kids or remortgage houses in order to buy vintage kit that costs an arm and a leg to keep running.
I just love that they are acutally making analogue synths again and that every parameter has a knob I just hated going trough all those Shift menu shits just plain buzzkill im glad these are out and i need to get my hand on one of these micro synths
If i may suggest. As he shows in the video the MicroBrute can sync to the volcas, so you can always add more to the setup later. Just start with whatever is the most useful to begin with. Also the Volcas you can get sooner, the MicroBrute may very well incur waiting. Have fun (and upload when you make something cool) ;-)
Blimey, 36 hours after my first read of this and I come back and Marc the darc is still going on about build quality on the MS-20 mini. Mine has been great. No dodgy knobs, everything holding together just fine. But is this the place to launch a sustained attack on it? Can't we keep the conversation about this rather lovely looking little beast?
Checking out some reviews to inform a potential purchase... I always go to the Sonic State page to check out the reviews/overviews first, thanks for the great content!
@sonicstate You may have covered it, but the one envelope can be toggled to effect the VCA and VCF? Love the sequencer, the one thing missing from the MiniBrute
Obviously your argument is equally valid. I fully respect that and hope for the sake of all synth fans that the issues you have had are addressed as production costs fall.
Furthermore, the "quality" of the MS-20 is on par or above that of the Minibrute. Both are awesome synths and amazing values. You sound like fanboy, a hater, or both.
I don't have a Mopho no, I dont get to hang on to all of this stuff you know! I would add this to my setup yes, it interfaces very well with the modular stuff
Got this one for about 140 bucks as my first synth, and I'm still blown away from all of the possibilities, this instrument offers. But I still miss some good demos, everyone I've seen on youtube so far uses it for some techno/dirtier repetitive stuff... Is there also anyone, who is going to play some more funky/electropop music on these?
Nick, do you find that the attack in the envelope on the micro is faster than the minibrute? Does the LFO go higher into the audio range as well in the micro? Thanks very very much!
Nice Review ! Many thanks for all of your reviews ! Just two questions: -Would you please prepare us a review about the Pulse 2 from DSI ? -What is the synth in your back at 12'54" ? Thanks again and keep doing it !
hi. i got a microbrute and a volca keys. now how do i sync the volca keys sequencer to the microbrutes internal sequencer? or even further, is it possible to use e.g. ableton as master having microbrute connected via usb (actually this method gives me the best sync) and forward the sync signal to e.g. volca keys? thanks (im such a noob with those things...)
With all the compact desktop analog synths of the last few years, do you have a fav/top 5? From Arturia, Waldorf, Doepfer, MFB, Macbeth, Moog, Studio Electronics, Korg, Eowave, Mutable Insts, T.Oberheim, Novation, maybe Analog Solns, FutureRetro ...?
help.i bought this because i hate computers, turns out i need the software to run the sequencer with other gear via cv gate and midi (god knows why).in the manual it says information is in a seprate manual which i dont seem to have and i cant find where to download it on arturias site.any ideas.
I wonder if the Microbrute sequencer can drive the internal oscillators on output to cv simultaneously so that you could have a duophonic sequence running with a Minibrute or modular kit via CV in?
I agree that the Minibrute looks "compressed". In the flesh it's well proportioned,solidly built and astonishingly versatile (as the Microbrute appears to be). I have found the Minibrute to be one of the most characterful synths in my collection. It complements my MS20mini, DSI MEK and Mokeys/Tetra 5 voice combo and, more importantly, interfaces seamlessly with my modular kit. Great review from Nick as always. I refuse to buy any new product these days unless it has been reviewed by Sonicstate.
Is anybody missing some sine waves for the lfo wavetable ? And for the oscillator, it's what's bothers me to buy this... (and since when is a square and a sub the same, i use sinewaves tbh..) I ain't no pro, but i'd like some advice. :) ty
Hey sonicstate, great review as always. I'm definitely going to get this before the nd of the year. but i have a slightly unrelated queston, What are you using as an oscilloscope? is it software or hardware?
Thanks for the review! How would you compare the sound of the raw oscillators to the BassStation II ones? (for me the ones in MiniBrute were decent compared to the digital Novations, but lacked when compared to the more limited MiniTaur)
The overtone oscillator sounds like oscillator sync. Very cool addition, though the original had the sine wave which is also quite nice for clean bass punch.
The microbrute doesn't have a separate envelope for the filter and amp, they are linked, but you can switch off the envelope for either one, so it's capable of controlling either, or both at the same time. Also, the Microbrute doesn't have a noise source or a 2 octave down switch or wave select for the sub. Also, yes, the waveforms are using knobs instead of faders.
I know this may not be answered, but is this a midi only synth, im trying to acquire one but i already have an akai mpk mini so it would just be dumb to have two midi controllers
I just wish more of the time was spent displaying the sound of each waveshape in the "lead" range, and with "lead" type melodies. There's so much more to a synth's melodic capability than bass sounds and the arpeggiator. It's not his fault. He does an amazingly good job. It's just that I'm one of those weirdos who primarily thinks of a synth for its leads, rather than for what it can do to a "dance mix".
@11:30 - not meaning to be pedantic, but this confused me. I'm pretty sure Nick said "A-115". I went back a few times trying to work out what he meant. An A-115 is an audio divider - sub octaves and so on. Eventually, I managed to stop it at just the right point to read the label on the module, which is an A-111-5 Mini Synthesizer Voice. I still don't get where the gate came from though.
I have a Volca Modular and a Microbrute...could anyone run me through exactly how I can synch these two up? I think its CV out on the Brute to the input of the Modular (but where exactly? synch in? or just audio or cv in?) and then out from the Volca Modular back into the external audio input of the Brute) Could anyone confirm this or point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance...
Ah, fair enough, i've been there ^^ Then it boils down to what other gear you have/use. Because there's no doubt you get a broader more flexible setup with the Volcas if you have no other gear. But if you already have some gear, like a computer with soundcard and DAW, or something else that will allow you to complete the setup, then i think the MicroBrute will give you deeper and more flexible sounds.
I'm hoping someone can help me. I'm trying to figure out what device I would need to connect my Microbrute, and 3 Pocket Operators to a laptop to use with a DAW (FL Studio).
Is it possible to take the CV out on the back and run that into the Filter in on the matrix to automate the filter with the sequencer? I'm thinking about using this as my gateway into the world of modular and am curious to see how this sort of thing works.
Just as the MiniBrute was the most important new synth 2012, this may very well turn out to be the most important new synth of 2013. It seems like a good strategy financially for Arturia with the increasing demand for smaller and cheaper synths. But compare this to the MiniBrute, and they may very well be stealing their own thunder. It loses so few features, and gains a few of its own, it's even smaller and cheaper - as a lover of the MiniBrute, i think this could be THE best value synth around.
very wise suggestions, thanks! Unfortunately i'm on a student budget (which shouldn't really include analogue synths fullstop!) but as a first time analogue buyer, I feel privileged to have such great choices at amazing value. But it'll have to be one or the other for now.
