Arturia’s October ‘rendez-vous’ event saw the French outfit unveiling four new releases, touching on both hardware and software. Of these, the definite highlight is the MiniFreak, a forthcoming polysynth that takes the digital-meets-analog ideas of the MicroFreak and runs with them.
MiniFreak
Despite its name, the MiniFreak isn’t exactly what we’d call ‘mini’ – in fact, it expands on the form of the MicroFreak considerably and finds room for a 37-note slim, synth action keyboard. Just like the MicroFreak, the Mini pairs a digital oscillator section with a state-variable analog filter and some neat modulation tools.
The upgrades don’t just come down to the size of the hardware though. Whereas the MicroFreak could function as a paraphonic synth to play up-to four notes, the MiniFreak boasts a full six voices of polyphony, making it a solid source of morphing digital pads and chords. In fact, the Mini has several voice modes, allowing it to be used as
