Microfreak 4.0 Released!

Lil_Stu07

MicroFreak

V 4.0.1
New Features
Added a new “WaveUser” Oscillator with 16 embedded Arturia Wavetables
Reworked “Wavetable” Ocscillator’s audio engine
Load your own wavetables using Midi Control Center
Import any WAV or AIFF file into Wavetables using Midi Control Center
Octave Led Blinking can now be disabled from Utility menu
Oscillator’s encoder speed can be modified from Utility menu
Sequencer can now play with the Chord mode and Unison
Removed “User Preset Erase” feature

https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/overview

celtic_elk

Dammit, this is not helping my Microfreak GAS.

Lil_Stu07

@celtic_elk said:
Dammit, this is not helping my Microfreak GAS.

🤣🤣 Well if it's any consolation it has ZERO on board fx. 👍🏾

setAI

is there a way to update the firmware from my iPad? my pc is a 10 year old dell tablet pc and probably won’t work

celtic_elk

@Lil_Stu07 said:

@celtic_elk said:
Dammit, this is not helping my Microfreak GAS.

🤣🤣 Well if it's any consolation it has ZERO on board fx. 👍🏾

looks at Line 6 HX Stomp, Eventide TimeFactor and Space

...DAMMIT.

gsm909

I really like the Microfreak…very tempted since v1…finding it hard to resist…

Samu

Sounds good on paper but I honestly prefer the Drambo wave-table oscillator and it's 'Analog Filter'...
...and yes I just updated my MicroFreak to 4.0.

Lil_Stu07

@setAI said:
is there a way to update the firmware from my iPad? my pc is a 10 year old dell tablet pc and probably won’t work

AFAIK the only way to update it is through the Midi Control Center desktop application.

@celtic_elk said:

@Lil_Stu07 said:

@celtic_elk said:
Dammit, this is not helping my Microfreak GAS.

🤣🤣 Well if it's any consolation it has ZERO on board fx. 👍🏾

looks at Line 6 HX Stomp, Eventide TimeFactor and Space

...DAMMIT.

Oooooo how's that Line 6? Those look really tasty!

GovernorSilver

I like my HX Stomp XL. I bought it to run Matt Bell's presets. Getting an electric violin to sound good with guitar amps, guitar FX, etc. has always been a challenge for me. An electric violin has excessive midrange with overdrive for example, and this is usually fixed by using EQ.. I figured I'd get a pro rock violinist's presets and study those.

The IR files shipped with his preset pack sound pretty good too.

Just about all FX parameters can be adjusted using only the footswitches if desired. Obviously not the fastest workflow when editing your preset in the comfort of your home/studio, but nice option to have at band rehearsal or at the gig.

celtic_elk

@Lil_Stu07 said:
Oooooo how's that Line 6? Those look really tasty!

I like it, but I have a very specific use case that under-utilizes it: I'm basically using it as a clean headphone amp with a parallel effects loop to run a couple of pedal loopers and the Space for ambient reverb pads. (I also use the Stomp's Shuffling Looper; my patches basically put that looper in different positions in the chain relative to the external loop.) I'm getting my dirt from my existing pedals, run before the Stomp's input.

Eschatone

What app or AUV3 would you use to remap the Microfreak’s velocity and poly-aftertouch data to target specific CC parameters of your AUV3 instruments? Or can you do that in AUM?

Haven’t had my Microfreak for long and mostly used it standalone so far. It was already incredible value, and keeps getting so much better. Probably among most bang-for-the-buck hardware out there.

Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr

@celtic_elk said:
Dammit, this is not helping my Microfreak GAS.

You can get the digital audio engine for free on iOS in the Burns Audio Spectrum bundle.

celtic_elk

@Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr said:

@celtic_elk said:
Dammit, this is not helping my Microfreak GAS.

You can get the digital audio engine for free on iOS in the Burns Audio Spectrum bundle.

Which I already have, but I really like the hardware.

Samu

Spectrum only has few of the engines...
...MicroFreak has a lot more

And well, the Mutable modules are more fully featured in Spectrum compared to the MF.
miRack is another option as well...

Eschatone

@Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr said:

@celtic_elk said:
Dammit, this is not helping my Microfreak GAS.

You can get the digital audio engine for free on iOS in the Burns Audio Spectrum bundle.

Spectrum sounds amazing, though it’s not the easiest interface to work with.
That’s where the Microfreak shines - the mod matrix implementation is one of the quickest to program of any HW I’ve tried. Such a joy to experiment with. Having a buchla easel-like touch plate keyboard is icing on the cake; very responsive and expressive way to play and could be a fun way to control west coast softsynths like Arturia’s Easel emulation.

jebni

So, on that lack on onboard effects (and slightly OT): I recently got a Fender Mustang Micro headphone amp sim thing for playing my guitar out and about, and am also using it on my MicroFreak to add a bit of dirt and reverb on the go, which does wonders for the Freak’s somewhat bone dry tone. (When I’m at home, my analogue octaver is also amazing for it.)

My problem is that something about the MicroFreak’s balanced line out causes the the Mustang Micro to go mute after a few minutes. The MicroFreak’s headphone out still works, so it’s definitely the way the way the (TS) input of the Mustang Micro is interacting with the (TRS) output of the Freak. No signal. The LEDs on the Mustang Micro indicate that it’s still on, but I hear nothing. When I unplug and then replug it, the signal is restored.

I know nothing about how electrical signals make audio stuff work. I also know that the Mustang Micro was designed for guitar pickups, and has even problems with piezos. But the fact that it works for a few minutes at a time with my MicroFreak is tantalising! Can someone explain what’s going on, and any steps I could try to troubleshoot?

Lil_Stu07

@GovernorSilver said:
I like my HX Stomp XL. I bought it to run Matt Bell's presets. Getting an electric violin to sound good with guitar amps, guitar FX, etc. has always been a challenge for me. An electric violin has excessive midrange with overdrive for example, and this is usually fixed by using EQ.. I figured I'd get a pro rock violinist's presets and study those.

The IR files shipped with his preset pack sound pretty good too.

Just about all FX parameters can be adjusted using only the footswitches if desired. Obviously not the fastest workflow when editing your preset in the comfort of your home/studio, but nice option to have at band rehearsal or at the gig.

Nice! I eventually want to get some pedals for my hw, but haven't decided which way to go. Was looking at Microcosm, Line 6, or a combination of Strymon Big Sky/TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2 and Flashback 2. But now that the SP 404 Mk2 is out, thinking I could just use that instead. about the same price as just the Big Sky.

@celtic_elk said:

@Lil_Stu07 said:
Oooooo how's that Line 6? Those look really tasty!

I like it, but I have a very specific use case that under-utilizes it: I'm basically using it as a clean headphone amp with a parallel effects loop to run a couple of pedal loopers and the Space for ambient reverb pads. (I also use the Stomp's Shuffling Looper; my patches basically put that looper in different positions in the chain relative to the external loop.) I'm getting my dirt from my existing pedals, run before the Stomp's input.

Nice! It's awesome how you can really customize the chain. Are you using a mixer or running your synths/guitars straight through your fx chain?

Lil_Stu07

@jebni said:
So, on that lack on onboard effects (and slightly OT): I recently got a Fender Mustang Micro headphone amp sim thing for playing my guitar out and about, and am also using it on my MicroFreak to add a bit of dirt and reverb on the go, which does wonders for the Freak’s somewhat bone dry tone. (When I’m at home, my analogue octaver is also amazing for it.)

My problem is that something about the MicroFreak’s balanced line out causes the the Mustang Micro to go mute after a few minutes. The MicroFreak’s headphone out still works, so it’s definitely the way the way the (TS) input of the Mustang Micro is interacting with the (TRS) output of the Freak. No signal. The LEDs on the Mustang Micro indicate that it’s still on, but I hear nothing. When I unplug and then replug it, the signal is restored.

I know nothing about how electrical signals make audio stuff work. I also know that the Mustang Micro was designed for guitar pickups, and has even problems with piezos. But the fact that it works for a few minutes at a time with my MicroFreak is tantalising! Can someone explain what’s going on, and any steps I could try to troubleshoot?

Are you using TS or TRS cable? You can use either with the MF. It is a mono synth but can send 2 equal signals over TRS, but that may be overloading your unbalanced input on your Mustang Micro. Not sure, just an idea. Also, are you powering the MF by usb or by dedicated power? You can power by USB but they recommend using the included DC adapter.

rs2000

@jebni Hard to say, try reducing the output level of the Microfreak and see what happens.

GovernorSilver

@Lil_Stu07 said:

@GovernorSilver said:
I like my HX Stomp XL. I bought it to run Matt Bell's presets. Getting an electric violin to sound good with guitar amps,

Nice! I eventually want to get some pedals for my hw, but haven't decided which way to go. Was looking at Microcosm, Line 6, or a combination of Strymon Big Sky/TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2 and Flashback 2. But now that the SP 404 Mk2 is out, thinking I could just use that instead. about the same price as just the Big Sky.

I've heard of peeps wanting the new SP-404 because of the FX. Apparently the rap on all the 404s is that they have a particular sound - for better or worse, you know it's a 404.

Microcosm has some satisfied customers and some who aren't. I haven't followed discussions on it too closely though.

Neunaber has a sale right now - don't have their pedals myself but peeps seem to love their time-based FX:
https://neunaber.net/collections/all-products

TimRussell

Nice! I eventually want to get some pedals for my hw, but haven't decided which way to go. Was looking at Microcosm, Line 6, or a combination of Strymon Big Sky/TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2 and Flashback 2. But now that the SP 404 Mk2 is out, thinking I could just use that instead. about the same price as just the Big Sky.

If you’re just looking for FX I’d have a look at the Line6 HX Effects. You will not get better quality without spending many £££ more on multiple pedals.
If you want the ability to mimic amps, cabs/IRs as well then the HX Stomp had all the same FX as well as those additional functions although has fewer footswitches.
A cheaper, but equally awesome-sounding alternative, is the POD Go. It excludes a handful of the more DSP intensive FX from the other 2 units but has all the amps/cabs etc and includes an expression pedal.

celtic_elk

@celtic_elk said:

@Lil_Stu07 said:
Oooooo how's that Line 6? Those look really tasty!

I like it, but I have a very specific use case that under-utilizes it: I'm basically using it as a clean headphone amp with a parallel effects loop to run a couple of pedal loopers and the Space for ambient reverb pads. (I also use the Stomp's Shuffling Looper; my patches basically put that looper in different positions in the chain relative to the external loop.) I'm getting my dirt from my existing pedals, run before the Stomp's input.

Nice! It's awesome how you can really customize the chain. Are you using a mixer or running your synths/guitars straight through your fx chain?

Guitar -> Dirt pedals -> HX Stomp -> Headphones

Stomp send -> TimeFactor -> Space -> Looperlative LP2 -> Stomp return

dvi

Haven’t gotten around to updating mine (in part because of a couple of new toys taking space on the desk) but I’m very happy they decided to “open” the wavetable oscillator (there’s an alternative firmware around that allows for custom wavetables but I never dared to try it; maybe that was a motivation for Arturia to implement it themselves).

I never got far with the previous wavetable osc which I’m not sure is the same as in Plaits/Spectrum/NTS-1. In fact, none of the shared algorithms sound anything alike to my ears, in part because Plaits has an internal LPG and Spectrum true 8 voice polyphony. Each has its own interesting sound, I believe. I’m excited to see what this opens up.

For a while I’ve been running the MF through an EQ to boost the 200-300Hz range and it makes a huge difference in mitigating some of that cheap-o sound that you hear often in the demos. That was a big breakthrough and I’m very happy with the little thing especially as an entry level device. The custom wavetables give it a chance of lasting a long time without turning same-y. I hope next in the list of updates is allowing for the external mic to be mixed internally with the other algos, so that the NTS-1 or anything can be used as a second osc.

That guy is my least favorite of the synthfluencers around. There’s a nicer (IMO) video by oscillator sink out as well.

dvi

I will be delving into this thread and others for source material. Also excited to see how the algorithm for making wavetables out of any wav will work.

Lil_Stu07

@TimRussell said:

Nice! I eventually want to get some pedals for my hw, but haven't decided which way to go. Was looking at Microcosm, Line 6, or a combination of Strymon Big Sky/TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2 and Flashback 2. But now that the SP 404 Mk2 is out, thinking I could just use that instead. about the same price as just the Big Sky.

If you’re just looking for FX I’d have a look at the Line6 HX Effects. You will not get better quality without spending many £££ more on multiple pedals.
If you want the ability to mimic amps, cabs/IRs as well then the HX Stomp had all the same FX as well as those additional functions although has fewer footswitches.
A cheaper, but equally awesome-sounding alternative, is the POD Go. It excludes a handful of the more DSP intensive FX from the other 2 units but has all the amps/cabs etc and includes an expression pedal.

Thanks for the suggestions! It's not an immediate need so I have time to decide but I like options. The Empress ZOIA is also on the list of possibilities. Really just looking for FX as I can use my iPad as an amp/cab and route it into my main interface. But I have a handful of hw synths that could do well with some really nice external FX. Line 6 is pricey but that comes with a reason. I was initially looking at getting the Eventide H9 Max, but after looking at several videos, its just very rigid and I could get more flexibility out of the apps. It'll be sometime next year when I bite the bullet, so maybe something else with stand out.

@celtic_elk said:

@celtic_elk said:

@Lil_Stu07 said:
Oooooo how's that Line 6? Those look really tasty!

I like it, but I have a very specific use case that under-utilizes it: I'm basically using it as a clean headphone amp with a parallel effects loop to run a couple of pedal loopers and the Space for ambient reverb pads. (I also use the Stomp's Shuffling Looper; my patches basically put that looper in different positions in the chain relative to the external loop.) I'm getting my dirt from my existing pedals, run before the Stomp's input.

Nice! It's awesome how you can really customize the chain. Are you using a mixer or running your synths/guitars straight through your fx chain?

Guitar -> Dirt pedals -> HX Stomp -> Headphones

Stomp send -> TimeFactor -> Space -> Looperlative LP2 -> Stomp return

Sweet! I bet that sounds marvelous!

@dvi said:
Haven’t gotten around to updating mine (in part because of a couple of new toys taking space on the desk) but I’m very happy they decided to “open” the wavetable oscillator (there’s an alternative firmware around that allows for custom wavetables but I never dared to try it; maybe that was a motivation for Arturia to implement it themselves).

I never got far with the previous wavetable osc which I’m not sure is the same as in Plaits/Spectrum/NTS-1. In fact, none of the shared algorithms sound anything alike to my ears, in part because Plaits has an internal LPG and Spectrum true 8 voice polyphony. Each has its own interesting sound, I believe. I’m excited to see what this opens up.

For a while I’ve been running the MF through an EQ to boost the 200-300Khz range and it makes a huge difference in mitigating some of that cheap-o sound that you hear often in the demos. That was a big breakthrough and I’m very happy with the little thing especially as an entry level device. The custom wavetables give it a chance of lasting a long time without turning same-y. I hope next in the list of updates is allowing for the external mic to be mixed internally with the other algos, so that the NTS-1 or anything can be used as a second osc.

That guy is my least favorite of the synthfluencers around. There’s a nicer (IMO) video by oscillator sink out as well.

I really started watching Gabe because he's one of the few creators that post quite a bit of content on the MC-101, which I really love. He also makes similar music to me so it's nice to see other's process when it comes to hardware because it's much different than software, and just getting a loopop overview just doesn't seem to help me actually make music.

hes

I can't imagine using the Microfreak without effects. I thought it was sort of a given that the $99 Korg NTS-1 was the perfect pairing to add effects to the Microfreak. The reverb sounds really good; I use it with my Volcas, too.

dvi

@Lil_Stu07 said:

I really started watching Gabe because he's one of the few creators that post quite a bit of content on the MC-101, which I really love. He also makes similar music to me so it's nice to see other's process when it comes to hardware because it's much different than software, and just getting a loopop overview just doesn't seem to help me actually make music.

Yes, the type of music they make certainly is a factor. I like OS’s calm and deep voice and the ambient-spacey thing he does so that’s why I gravitate towards him.

@hes said:
I can't imagine using the Microfreak without effects. I thought it was sort of a given that the $99 Korg NTS-1 was the perfect pairing to add effects to the Microfreak. The reverb sounds really good; I use it with my Volcas, too.

+1

waka_x

is there a good editor/converter of wavetables for v.4 ?!
( mac or pc) !? thnx

tahiche

@TimRussell said:

Nice! I eventually want to get some pedals for my hw, but haven't decided which way to go. Was looking at Microcosm, Line 6, or a combination of Strymon Big Sky/TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2 and Flashback 2. But now that the SP 404 Mk2 is out, thinking I could just use that instead. about the same price as just the Big Sky.

If you’re just looking for FX I’d have a look at the Line6 HX Effects. You will not get better quality without spending many £££ more on multiple pedals.
If you want the ability to mimic amps, cabs/IRs as well then the HX Stomp had all the same FX as well as those additional functions although has fewer footswitches.
A cheaper, but equally awesome-sounding alternative, is the POD Go. It excludes a handful of the more DSP intensive FX from the other 2 units but has all the amps/cabs etc and includes an expression pedal.

For a tight budget these cheapo Zoom pedals are not bad at all… I have the bass version (B1on) and it’s very usable. You can chain effects, of which it has plenty.

krassmann

AFAIK there is nothing really good for wavetables on the iPad. Fir single cycle waveforms you can use this online editor http://scw.sheetsofsound.com/

knewspeak

@tahiche said:

@TimRussell said:

Nice! I eventually want to get some pedals for my hw, but haven't decided which way to go. Was looking at Microcosm, Line 6, or a combination of Strymon Big Sky/TC Electronics Hall of Fame 2 and Flashback 2. But now that the SP 404 Mk2 is out, thinking I could just use that instead. about the same price as just the Big Sky.

If you’re just looking for FX I’d have a look at the Line6 HX Effects. You will not get better quality without spending many £££ more on multiple pedals.
If you want the ability to mimic amps, cabs/IRs as well then the HX Stomp had all the same FX as well as those additional functions although has fewer footswitches.
A cheaper, but equally awesome-sounding alternative, is the POD Go. It excludes a handful of the more DSP intensive FX from the other 2 units but has all the amps/cabs etc and includes an expression pedal.

For a tight budget these cheapo Zoom pedals are not bad at all… I have the bass version (B1on) and it’s very usable. You can chain effects, of which it has plenty.

You can also flash the OS on the these and the CDR stomp pedals, gives you access to all the effects from that range.