same sounds for $99 why buying the hardware?

[samarturia]

Hi, maybe I'm missing something but from what i read, the VST can duplicate everything the hardware does. what is the added value of having the hardware besides the keybed and the knobs?

Why Arturia wasn't transparent from the beginning about their plan for the VST (especially with that price). I would have bought the Mk2 61 midi controller with Minifreak VST. because I don't have a decent keyboard and the Minifreak has small and not enough keys.

It's a nice synth but it feels too expensive when you can have the same sounds with that price.

what are your thoughts about this?

sam
 

[UglyMule]

Tell us all about your controller.

[DrJustice]

...
Hi, maybe I'm missing something but from what i read, the VST can duplicate everything the hardware does. what is the added value of having the hardware besides the keybed and the knobs?
...
what are your thoughts about this?
...

Besides a custom controller surface, a keyboard and performance controls, it comes with the processor and memory needed to run "the VST" (the firmware...) and a "sound card". All this in a tidy, self contained, easy to use instrument. Unless it somehow breaks, it'll potentially last for several decennia without the need for any reinstalls, upgrades or further spending to keep it running. Oh yeah, and it comes with MiniFreak V as well

It's also simply nice

[Edouard_Arturia]

Hello.
It's like playing a racing game and driving the actually car.
Hardware is all about the pleasure to work on the machine itself.
The software counterpart is an additional effort from us to bridge the gap between your hardware sound design / play sessions, and your projects.

[MajorFubar]

Because one is a real hardware hybrid-synthesizer with real analog filters, and the other is 100% a software simulation.
Besides which, if you're talking about just the price-factor alone, you've neglected to include the cost of a computer to run the VST, which is presumably already a sunk cost for you, but it still has to be factored-in.

[samarturia]

thank you for sharing your feedback on this. I totally agree about the fact that the hardware contains also the host to run the engine and sounds, and the price of the Minifreak is really good considering what is available in the market.
I guess priority are different for each of us depending on what we already own and preferences, it would have been nice from Arturia to tell us about this plan from the beginning, so that we can decide what to chose. Knowing that putting the VST online, to buy without the hardware, took maybe 1.5 months from the release of the hardware. That's the point i mentioned first.

thanks.

[DrJustice]

Yes, we all have different preferences and priorities. Personally, I'm a bit old school and partial to hardware, but I absolutely get the preference for software. Luckily, the MiniFreak caters for both.

Regarding the MiniFreak V, I'm not sure if it was originally planned to be available separately - the Arturia CEO said in the launch live stream 3 months ago:
"...minifreak v will be only available to mini freak users for the time being..."
I.e. it may have been uncertain if/when it would be made available separately. I think it's a first for a hard/soft -ware pairing like this, so there was no precedent for how to handle it. In a later video stream, the MnF product manager, said it was likely to be released separately soon. In the end it made sense I guess, and there was demand for it, and so here it is. I don't think there was any lack of transparency.

Hopefully you'll come to enjoy your hard and soft -ware pairing - using both where they make the most sense and fun