The updated MicroFreak benefits from countless new features introduced since the launch of the original model. Greg Scarth finds out what makes this limited-edition version special.
We loved the original MicroFreak when it was released back in 2019, but over the intervening four years, the synth has become even better thanks to Arturia’s regular firmware updates. The Arturia MicroFreak Stellar represents the latest evolution of the instrument, packing all the added features along with a limited-edition space-age finish. The MicroFreak is a quirky instrument but at just under £300 it’s also exceptionally good value as a first hardware synth or a characterful addition to a studio setup.
The basic MicroFreak formula remains the same as it was back in its original form, with a hybrid synth architecture based on digital oscillators and an analogue filter. The MicroFreak is a paraphonic synth, meaning it can play up to four notes at once, but all notes pass through a single multi-mode filter circuit. The filter is inspired by the classic Oberheim SEM, giving you plenty of character and the option to use low-pass, high-pass and band-pass modes. The setup of the synth is generally pretty simple, with an amp envelope and LFO/cycling envelope for modulation, built-in arpeggiator/modulator and assignable modulation matrix to help add movement to sounds. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the MicroFreak is its 25-note touch-sensitive ‘keyboard’ which doesn’t require you to push keys but uses the conductivity of your fingertips to trigger notes. Applying extra pressure to a ‘key’ while playing a note allows you to modulate sounds using a pressure signal, with the rare advantage of something known as polyphonic aftertouch, meaning that you can manipulate each note independently, for example when holding down a chord you might choose to apply aftertouch to a single note. There’s also a touch-sensitive ribbon strip which can be used to manipulate sounds, including controlling the Spice and Dice randomisation features for the arpeggiator.
New features added with the latest firmware update include snappier envelope settings and 64 new presets, but the biggest and most significant change is the introduction of four new sample-based sound engines in addition to the 17 which were found in previous iterations of the MicroFreak. These sound engines are officially known as ‘oscillator types’ according to Arturia, but that’s a bit simplistic. You’ve got virtual analogue engines, wavetable synthesis, FM, additive synthesis, physical modelling, and wave shaping. You’ve got more obscure techniques like modal resonators and vocal-style formant modelling, plus three excellent engines created by California Eurorack savants Noise Engineering.
In simple terms, that means you’ve got access to most of the classic synth types in some form or another. The new sample modes – with built-in samples plus the option to import your own – allow you to use recorded sounds as the basis for synthesis. The basic Sample engine is best for simple playback of sounds, while the three granular synthesis engines – Scan Grains, Cloud Grains and Hit Grains – are a little more complex and probably more interesting, effectively allowing you to capture the timbre of a fragment of sample and use it as the basis for sounds. Hit Grains is the most unusual of the three, creating some glitchy, unorthodox synth sounds which would work nicely for techier production styles. It’s worth pointing out that all of these new features, including the vocoder functionality added in last year’s Vocoder Edition, can be used on older versions of the MicroFreak, simply by updating the firmware (the Stellar doesn’t include a microphone for the vocoder, but you can purchase that separately). That also means that future firmware updates are almost certain to work with all previous MicroFreaks.
The strengths of the MicroFreak are very much the same as they always have been – huge versatility, hands-on playability and genuinely high quality sound – but there’s more depth than ever. The new features might be the main talking points here, but it’s worth reiterating some of the strengths of the MicroFreak which carry over from previous models. Despite the potential complexity of having so many different synth modes on offer, the MicroFreak makes things surprisingly easy to use. Key parameters of the digital oscillators are controlled using Type, Wave, Timbre, and Shape controls. The last three of these address different aspects of the sound depending on which oscillator type is selected, but it makes for a simple, intuitive way to dial in sounds and tweak presets into new territory.
Modulation is also a strong point. You can route various modulation signals to a huge range of destinations, but the modulation matrix in the top left-hand corner makes it especially quick and easy to route the envelopes, LFO, pressure and key-triggered modulation sources to Wave, Timbre and filter cutoff frequency. The first two are particularly interesting in terms of the keyboard pressure (the paraphonic filter means that filter modulation isn’t quite as effective). The printed keyboard is unusual, but you quickly get used to it and it’s brilliantly expressive once you get the hang of applying pressure to the contact pads.
With the Stellar edition, the MicroFreak is better than ever. We loved the original version, but the way this synth has evolved and grown over the years makes it even more of a bargain. It’s easy to use but supremely powerful, affordable but high quality, quirky but accessible… At under £300, it’s hard to think of a synth which can do so many different things, from simple-but-effective virtual analogue sounds to futuristic sci-fi weirdness and everything in between. You could go for an analogue monosynth like the Korg Monologue instead, or dip your toe into modular synthesis with the Moog Mavis, but neither are really in the same ballpark as the original MicroFreak, let alone the fully developed version you see here. How much further can Arturia go with it? Who knows. But even in the unlikely event that we’re reaching the limits of the hardware platform, the MicroFreak has evolved from a good synth to a great synth.
Greg Scarth
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