Arturia Forums
Hardware Instruments => MicroBrute => MicroBrute - General discussion => Topic started by: Mdal on April 17, 2014, 03:44:16 pm
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Pros
Filter is good and can be modulated internally and externally.
Usb midi for sync to sequencer.
Sounds are good ( after about an hour of fiddling ).
External input of sounds ( drums, voice etc ).
Cons
Sequencer doesnt seem to follow octave shift when entering notes ( is this normal ) !
No external CC data for any knobs ( just pitch, mod and note on/off )
No memory locations
I tested velocity via midi and usb, it didnt work
Knobs are too big and oddly shaped ( should be round )
Sliders are flat ( should have finger curve )
Keyboard is cheap and hard, like a childs toy keyboard.
Paper and pen what decade are we in ?
Verdict
Filter is ok but not very clean, if you want pure sounds then forget it.
Without any form of memory or CC control this is useless in a studio situation.
External sound input is usable but not that usable.
If im sitting in a dark studio and i need to find a quick sound then i wont turn this on.
If im in a live situation how can i find the correct sound, i wont with this synth.
At best this could be used as a filter not a synth.
I was hoping for a reasonably good mono synth but my verdict is 5 out of 10.
Compared to my nord micro modular and novation nova this feels and looks like a toy.
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Verdict: next time you should look at the specifications and try it in a shop before buy something. ;)
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and especially not you buy a guitar because it's worse.
No external CC
No sequencer
No memory locations and more :'(
French humor :D
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Pros
Filter is good and can be modulated internally and externally.
Usb midi for sync to sequencer.
Sounds are good ( after about an hour of fiddling ).
External input of sounds ( drums, voice etc ).
Cons
Sequencer doesnt seem to follow octave shift when entering notes ( is this normal ) !
No external CC data for any knobs ( just pitch, mod and note on/off )
No memory locations
I tested velocity via midi and usb, it didnt work
Knobs are too big and oddly shaped ( should be round )
Sliders are flat ( should have finger curve )
Keyboard is cheap and hard, like a childs toy keyboard.
Paper and pen what decade are we in ?
Verdict
Filter is ok but not very clean, if you want pure sounds then forget it.
Without any form of memory or CC control this is useless in a studio situation.
External sound input is usable but not that usable.
If im sitting in a dark studio and i need to find a quick sound then i wont turn this on.
If im in a live situation how can i find the correct sound, i wont with this synth.
At best this could be used as a filter not a synth.
I was hoping for a reasonably good mono synth but my verdict is 5 out of 10.
Compared to my nord micro modular and novation nova this feels and looks like a toy.
if you think this is a toy then you need to find a new hobby.
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the only thing i wish arturia had done differently with the microbrute is place the octave controls under the pitch and mod wheels even though its unconventional.it would allow for much more dynamic playing on such a small keyboard. something they might hopefully address in a firmware update is the pitch bend.it seems to hate being set to +/- 12
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Without any form of memory or CC control this is useless in a studio situation.
Yep. Just like an electric guitar is useless in a studio situation. Or a drum kit, a bass guitar, a piano, a violin, etc. No wonder there wasn't any music recorded in studios before synthesizers with patch storage and MIDI were invented.
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I have to say I love the MicroBrute. I have many analog synths so I know what I'm looking for... The MicroBrute has proven to be an excellent replacement for my Mg Prodigy (which has a lot of miles on it). The Brute puts out excellent sounds from fat bass to screaming filter sweeps and everything in between. The only sound I can't completely reproduce is oscillator sync but the shift on the sub osc is very close.
I would much rather take this highly portable modern synth to a gig/jam/studio session than move my delicate Prodigy. Considering it is sold solely as an analog synth, it is right on the mark. The lack of memory didn't even occur to me until people started complaining about it. That is just part of playing an analog synth... Also, I look at the included MIDI features as a bonus. Sure beats messing with a DCB converter or other such legacy hardware!
My only complaint is the keyboard is small for my fingers but I knew exactly what I was getting, and I have gotten used to it now. The portability of this synth is a huge part of its charm.
I'd give it a much higher score!
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JayBee,
I agree with everything that you wrote. The portability vs the sound you can get out of the micro is simply amazing.
I too was initially against getting this synth because of the small keys, but I too have gotten used to it. And anyway, you can always MIDI connect this to a larger synth/keyboard if you truly need larger keys.
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Without any form of memory or CC control this is useless in a studio situation.
dang, so i guess this means that my entire modular system and all those vintage analog synths i have here in my studio are really useless - and i never even knew it!
:p
Verdict: next time you should look at the specifications
+1
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Now to a less snarky reply than I gave above...
Yes, MIDI CCs and patch memories are very useful, but they come at a price, in terms of money and in other ways. Patch memories and MIDI CCs would have meant A/D converters for all knobs and sliders, and D/A converters for all parameters, which would have added to the cost. There's no way the Microbrute would have been so inexpensive with those features added. It would also have meant that the knobs and sliders would no longer form part of the sound generating circuits, so that their positions would no longer directly correlate to the actual sound you're playing. Not to mention possible zipper noise, etc. This is actually one of the things that attracted me to this synth in the first place (apart from the sound. And the price; it was the only synth I could afford at the time).
I use my Microbrute for solos and leads when I play live with my band, and for that purpose I only need two or three sounds that are all based on the same basic patch with a few tweaks that I have no problem setting up between songs. For my own music making at home, I tweak it until I get a sound that I like for a certain track, and then record the part into my DAW, doing any filter tweaks or other modulation live while recording. I usually have the notes already recorded as MIDI, so both hands are free to turn knobs on the synth. If I don't like the end result, I can always go back later and record it with a different patch.
I agree that the keyboard is awful, but at this price point, I'm glad to get a keyboard at all. Personally, I see my Microbrute as a module rather than a keyboard equipped synth, with a small keyboard thrown in as a bonus (even though I occasionally use the keyboard, even on gigs).
Regarding the filter, you can get much "purer" sounds if you set the individual waveform volumes below the 12 o'clock position. Beyond this, the oscillator starts to overdrive the filter, making the sound dirtier. Not that this is always a bad thing :-)
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> I tested velocity via midi and usb, it didnt work
I use MicroBrute's USB on a MacBook Pro, into Finale, and it transmits velocity okay. You can set the sensitivity in the connection software, so try that if you're not able to transmit velocity.
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wait... so all my distortion pedals i use are totally useless? ah crap guess i'll have to throw them away and find a mod to create a brute factor knob on my machinedrum
also, i'm nuts, loved that microbrute so much i bought a bigger brother for him to keep him company. the names seem a bit silly now, there's one with the name micro and then a bigger one thats called mini, i'm getting confused.... ;D