Monophonic vs Polyphonic

[mbaseman]

Is there a way of "converting" the MiniBrute to a polyphonic device, using hardware/software or both?

[dog01]

hi mbaseman the easiest way with hardware that i can think of would be  korg micro sampler ($500) optional mixer ($200) using key sample option, audio out of minibrute in line of korg micro sampler .  software native instruments Kontact  there also a sampler in logic. sample tank (free)  UVI workstation (free)  and i am sure there plenty of other options in all the other Daws

the last option in hardware that i can think  of cost the most future retro  Mondovox ($300) plus a minibrute for each voice want 3 voice $500x3=$1500 or (900 if you use mircobrutes)   you would need a mixer too ($200) so this option is  not cost effective i would go with korg micro sampler or any other hardware sampler that is easy to use

hope that helps and have fun making music

[Koshdukai]

Is there a way of "converting" the MiniBrute to a polyphonic device, using hardware/software or both?

the simplest solution (like dog01 said) is to sample whatever sound patch you did on MiniBrute and then play it through the sampler, polyphonically. That's why I keep the headphones output of the MiniBrute connected to my TE OP-1 to quickly sample some sounds that would sound great as poly (usually pads)

This being the easiest to understand, setup and probably cheapest (there are free sampler VSTs) it's really not the most flexible and respectful of the sound patch because there's a lot of real-time playability that you loose by sampling a "static" sound.

The other solution is to buy as many MiniBrutes as voices you need, and find a MIDI "distributor" that sends each note of your MIDI controller to the respective MiniBrute acting as 1 voice of the multi-voice/synth setup.

One example is to connect them all to a computer running Propellerhead Reason 6.5 or 7.1.1 and have your MIDI controller "play" into a rack extension called Distributor (there's also Charlotte or A-Series 2) then connect each of their virtual CV Gate/Note cables into an EMI (External MIDI Instrument) rack device that would then send them out as MIDI notes to each respective MiniBute's MIDI port.

Quite an apparently convoluted solution but that would allow you to build your own multi voice MiniBrute setup, just like a multi-voice SEM system.

I'm sure there must be an equivalent CV or MIDI "distributor" solution in the hardware modular world, but I'm not aware of it

Edit: oh, dog01 already reference an hardware solution with Mondovox, eh

[ziggyzipgun]

Naturally the Microsampler comes up when people are talking about sampling a small monosynth to create polyphonic sounds, but is there an even more basic sampler, without filters and envelopes, that would be suitable for sampling a fairly neutral oscillator sound, running it into the Audio In, and controlling with the Minibrute's keyboard?  I'm surprised that neither Arturia nor Korg have put out such a thing by now.  Also, maybe those MegaBrute mod instructions include an output taken from the waveform mixer before it reaches the filters and envelopes...could be useful here.

Or, if I'd just be sampling the raw oscillator output anyway, would it be more practical to pick up a polyphonic digital oscillator/waveform whatever from Doepfer (they make something like that, right?) and run that into the Audio In, playing it with the keyboard?

[Koshdukai]

Polyphonic raw (unfiltered) OSC audio into Minibrute would sound almost like a paraphonic synth (regarding the Filter) and not a fully polyphonic one, because you'd only have 1 unique filter (and 1 global  envelope) for all "voices" coming into the Audio In.

And I say "almost paraphonic" assuming you'd have Amp Envelopes per voice from the sampler.

If that's the sound you're after, then yeah, it's also a "solution" to consider