Nick, you're the best synth reviewer for many reasons, including your sound design talents, but especially because you approach instruments with an excited sense of creative potential, and always communicate that familiar feeling of fun which all of us who like to program synths experience. Thanks for your work.

I'm holding out for a flagship model... MatrixFreak maybe? Or PolyFreak? Nah, it's definitely gotta be SuperFreak.

great review, of all the videos seen on the new Arturia MINIFreak by all the KZfaq review regulars, your's is the one that most makes me want to get one, good job sonicstate!

Thanx for this review Nick, you are absolutely my favourite gear reviewer. And I really enjoy your music as well, thank you for all your work!

Thanks so much for this detailed review. I just got a Minifreak for my birthday last month and am really enjoying it so far.

great review, full of heart and totally different than anybody else. thank you

Excellent review Nick! Great custom sounds as well. With regards to setting up the macros. No need to browse to a free slot, just grab a knob and it will fill the next free slot automagically 🙂

I always value your reviews the most most, Nick. Synth sounds great.

Great review! First and for now only review to show a more in depth of the potential.

Can't wait to play with this! Great video- subscribed!

Awesome upgrade to the microfreak, and an awesome shirt too!

Great thanks a lot Nick & co.!! Had mine on back order from 1st day of announcement …. Right up my ruelle!! Can’t wait, only 2wks to go now😮👍🎹🎵🍻

Great review. This thing is so deep. Could spend months learning all it has to offer. I’m still deciding between this and the microfreak but I’m leaning towards the mini.

This looks incredible. The Microfreak was already hugely popular and for good reason - it sounds great and is so easy to use. With this having an additional oscillator (and modes!) more modulation, larger mod-matrix, and effects while keeping the simple interface and great sound, I think this will be a classic. No doubt Arturia will update it in the future too. The plugin is extremely useful too.

Minor correction since it threw me off too: At 26:30 you say FX1 is different since it doesn't have delay or reverb. But that's only because those effects are already assigned (even if they're deactivated) to FX2 and FX3 by default. Once you reassign FX2/3 to a different effect, delay and/or reverb becomes available in FX1 too.

I got one of these, and I am daunted by how many possibilities lay before me. I love everything about it. Plays well with my Novation Bass Station 2

Thanks for the full review!

Beautiful review of a great synth!

Still waiting for stock in the UK. Can't wait to get it. Great review!

Great review very helpful! Would be awesome if you could do an in depth video of the audio input

That comb filter sounds amazing.

Nick you‘re amazing! Thank you so much for this outstanding review!

Beautiful sounds and playing Sensei Batt 🙏

Awesome! In a Matrix Freak or Mega Freak etc, I'd love to see a few multi-stage envelopes that you could assign to whatever parameters you'd like, maybe a third oscillator section and some sort of percussive pads. Arturia would have to really study up on how to make this intuitive but I really love the way these synths work

What a lovely instrument.

Finally, the first review that actually showed the VSTi... now it looks to me from what I gathered that the VST version is not ready yet for the public, is that correct? I ordered my MiniFreak yesterday and it should be here within a week... very excited, but I also was really looking forward to testing out the V along with the hardware - I hope Arturia will not make us wait too long! ;)

The stepped LFOs and looping envelopes are really nice to have, I really enjoy building patches with them on my Hydrasynth (which has 5 of each). This thing is really cool, some really unique sonic possibilities, lots to explore and experiment with.

This little guy is a beast. I thought it's more expensive and it makes it more impressive for such a small price.

Thank you for this deep review!!!

Superb vid as always. Thanks

GS initiated this will be my Christmas present for myself.

This sounds so good!

The Microfreak does have the Noise Engineering oscillators. They were added in one of the awesome free updates.

Cheers Nick, versatile little fella isn't it.

i own the matrixbrute, but i think the minifreak is actually Arturia´s best synth ever. well done, Arturia & thx for the great review Nick!

Thank you, Nick! Thank you, Arturia!!! 🙌🙌🙌

Cool mate! Be interesting to hear the same patch compared on the hardware and the VST. I'd imagine the analogue filter would make for some difference.

One of the only synths I've ordered this year

Can the rhythmic element of LFO waves be synced to a tap tempo on the fly? That'd make it really useful. Great video as always of course :)

excellent demo waiting for u.k delivery

if I understand correctly paraphonic gives you one filter per 2 voices as there are 6 filters, the limitation would be there (with the single oscillator). each voice has its own digital VCA. I mean on the microfreak there is only one (and the paraphonic mode still has discrete digital VCAs) so that's a big step up.

A Minifreak vs Minilogue xD vid would be great!

Are you satisfied with the level of PWM available on this little beast Nick? 😜

Hello. Thank you for the great walk-through. Can you tell me if the pre-sets you played around the 15 min mark, like Preset 2 Aevus, are part of the default pad set? I'm a synth novice, but love those kind of ethereal sounds and want to explore more of that kind of thing.

I would like to see them do a DRUM FREAK that is multi timbral, with controllable regions that utilize the touch responsive metallic key surfaces for each sound or maybe and an X Y grid, like a Kaoscillator, but made with the metal surface like the Mini Freak. A drum machine with all the different sound engines would be amazing.

This seems really cool. In its price range, it's probably second only to the Hydrasynth Explorer.

This might not be a jupiter, but the simplicity of the design reminds of that a little bit of, but tonally this can go to jupiter and beyond and back again ;) really fine design and musically charged sound toolkit here Arturia!

If one would like to do more generative ambient stuff but you only know basics of synthesis (but want to learn more too), is this a good synth to get? Compared to, say, the Hydrasynth? Peak?

An awesome package, people complain about the keys, easy solution, use another synth to control it and look past something that works anyways. I will be getting one as the sequencer is seriously powerful, it's up there with my Pro 2/3 but has additional features without having to be a massive sized addition. Price, size, sound and features make this an absolute must.

Got mine a few days ago and it really is something unique. I hope Arturia has a lot in store for this thing, there isn't even an official manual up yet nor VST for normies. It will take a while for me to really understand all it can do, where it really shines is making your own patches quickly. I feel like this will become a very personal instrument tailored to your personality. There definitely needs a fav present bank, there are too many to cycle through. As time goes on I think people will stop dismissing the mini, it is already misunderstood. All people complain about pre launch was the key size and no poly after touch (but there is aftertouch) and that was enough to label it as trash before they even tried it lol. We want to compare this to a hydrasynth as did I but they are totally different machines that are both worth having. One isn't necessarily better than the other. The Mini feels experimental, encourages risk taking & exploration while Hydra is the goto for big, classic, traditional analogish tones. As Nick said its missing those pure analog vibes. So don't expect this as your all in one. I will say that weighted keys would have really sent this thing to the moon because it's a hefty piece of kit with a solid metal bottom frame. I don't mind the mini keys at all, but the keystep like keys are a little too stiff/hollow for me but very playable. I don't think the Microfreak touch plates would have been a good choice on this either. The customizable Macros and Mod strips are fun and offer lots of gorgeous expression that PAT in the keys would have provided. So its there just not in the way we wanted lol

8:23 everything was almost in its right place

Anyone else squinting at the shelf behind Nick, looking for goodies?

Hey Nick, I've watched sop many of your fantastic reviews. Thanks so much for these!! if I'm buying my first piece of hardware, and already have Ableton and some soft synths, would you recommend the Minifreak or the Korg Minilogue XD? I just can't bloody decide!! Your reviews rate them both so highly. Seems like there is more menu diving on the Minifreak? What would you recommend?

Can't wait!

What is the program you use for the visual waveforms?

They should do a SuperFreak, could market it with the tagline "can't touch this".

Nick, if you have to choose one between this and the microfreak, which one would you get? Do you think the lack of Poly aftertouch is a minus point for the Minifreak?

I love my microfreak... the big draw for me in this are the on-board effects...and the actual keyboard.

I feel there's a fair amount of menu diving but having the vst linked to the keyboard for downloading and editting allows faster interaction. But as a sound machine it's up the top. Good demo. Gives us a full feel for it. This one will sell loads I guess. Small keys .. urmmmm.. especially poly use

super video!

I love it. Wish it could send chords out of midi and had CV.

Thinking of selling my Microfreak, Minilab 3 and replacing the hole they leave with a Minifreak. Wondering if it will work okay as my DAW master keyboard.

Thanks for review! Are you using a literal foot sustain pedal?

Wondering what happened to the Erebus in the background before the conclusion! It disappeared :)

Certainly on my must have list! Perhaps Arturia will make a MacroFreak with full size keys..? Even better a workstation keyboard using all the best features of the BSP, KSP, Spark, MiniFreak (full 32 voice polyphony please!), even the Fuse! Add a sequencer like the Ensoniq SQ-80 and KeyLab styled controllers and I'd be in sonic heaven.

Thanks

I love my OG freak, its the best synth for the money

i reaaally hope they add the user wave algorithm back in. That one was the algorithm i love on my MicroFreak. It just makes the synth really your own instrument. Also the ragular wavetable algo would be nice now the MiniFreak has got two oscillators.

This is tempting indeed. Does it have a a true analog filter per voice? Even in 12 voice paraphonic mode? If so, wow!

so do i understand right that this thing has an analog filter per voice or is it again just the one on the sum?

What cables are you using for the stereo out?

Regarding shortcuts to presets, for live sessions, can't you just use the Midi Control Center and rearrange the order of the presets so you have the most important ones grouped together in the beginning of the list?

Is there a waveshaping time stamp?

Any idea when the manual will be available? Arturia's site says "Coming soon...". Thanks for the review. Mine is on the way.

Just in case anyone needs the Manual i've just been told by Arturia it will be released tomorrow 23/11/22

I've got a touch of the pigments myself

DEEP!

How does it compare to the Korg XD? I've saved up to buy one and now this arrived and i'm not sure now which to buy. This seems to have a lot more options especially with the VST to accompany it plus 6 voices not just 4 with the XD. Any advice?

🔥🔥🔥

Were can I find that screen?

Is it worth it if you have the MInifreak v?

Watch the next version... be a SuperFreak.

can't wait to score one later edit: 17:11 hot damn

Both the hardware and software is worth having.

Can you imagine the MatrixFreak or PolyFreak?

I hate this review. I'd just completed my first full month of "I don't need another synth". I'd NEARLY wobbled a couple of times but I'd done it. Even my wife believed me. Then this. I now need another synth. Thanks, Nick. My wife wants a word with you.

Nick sports the best short sleeved shirts on KZfaq

For those complaining about the mini keys, the benefit is that it’s basically module-sized, and with some very basic diy skills you can mount it on a swiveling desktop monitor stand so it sits right above a full size keyboard synth or controller.

This minifreak kind of looks like a casio that took LSD which I love… it’s just a shame it’s all digital, and you get that exponential choice hidden under a limited physical interface… you’d have to choose your 3 favourite things and set and forget…or you’d be endlessly delving and maybe not so productively from a music making or performance point of view.

Does it have PWM though?!

Muy bueno

This or the Cobalt 8? Cobalt looks interesting with the v2 firmware update.

always this reverb ahaha :) sometimes I think people demo reverb not synths

What a shame Arturia went with mini-keys. I will buy it anyway, but I would pay more for a version with a decent velocity-sensitive Fatar KB with AT. Honestly, the synth engine is just begging for polyphonic AT. Well, there is always the KB on my Hydrasynth...

Am I correct in saying that nothing was said about how many note polyphony it is?

MacroFreak?

Wish it had Clouds build in

Superpower Sounds are absolutely horrific, terrible ..the sound of dying 8-bit soundblasters, the worst of the worst, they're........ MAGNIFICENT!!!.. 🤩

This feels like a small gripe about the micro, but I can't be the only one... there was no on/off setting for midi stop/start, so if you were using something else as the master, the sequencer would just start right up, you couldn't wait and introduce the sequence later in the piece. So I'm hoping they've fixed that in this one. It was honestly quite annoying on the original.

28:06 >Wow