Arturia - MicroFreak Synthesizer Keyboard - 25-Key Hybrid Synth with PCB Keyboard, Wavetable & Digital Oscillators, Analog Filters

I was ready to spring for my first Behringer clone...the 2600, when I realized that I was about to pay a lot of money for something that I already had...mono analog synths. I love the old Arp sound, but it is a nuance that I consider nonessential at this point. And, quite frankly, I miss being able to save my sonic creations to memory. Polyphony would be nice too.So, after watching tons of Youtube videos, I decided on the Arturia Microfreak...and I'm glad I did! It has a LOT of sound design potential, and using the Mod Matrix is a joy. The arp and sequencer are very fun and flexible, and the whole design seems catered to evolving and expressive sounds. The capacitance keyboard is odd, but just adds to the quirky expressiveness of the instrument. The firmware updates are awesome and easy to install. And btw...with a little patience, the vocoder works surprisingly well! And yes...besides being a decent four voice polyphonic synth, it now has a powerful unison mode. Thick! No onboard effects though. :(For a great video that covers all the features in detail, I recommend "Loopop" on Youtube. Very informative!I'm very happy with my Microfreak. I love my analogs, but adding a digital synth to my audio arsenal filled that void perfectly and opened up many new avenues of sonic exploration for me. There are literally years of tweaking sounds in this amazing yet inexpensive synth! And it's nice knowing that all my careful crafted sounds can be stashed safely away on my computer for future use...no more use it or lose it programming sessions! Five stars!

Very cool little synth. Took me about an hour to figure everything out. I wish it had a different USB interface for updating, but the synth itself is solid. It's conveniently small, seems to have louder output after the 5.0 update, and it's just fun.

Legendary synthesizer, Arturia knocked it out of the park with this one. It's different enough from Minifreak that I think you should collect both. Fun to explore all the different methods of synthesis it has to offer. It's very portable as well, really phenomenal synth.

First, let me say I own 6 professional synthesizers, so I am able to offer comments with extensive knowlege of how this product measures up against other synths. I've not yet spent much time with the Microfreak, but wanted to share my excitement over it should others be shopping for this type of product for Christmas. I was leary of the touch-sensitive keybed, expecting it to be less satisfying than real keys that move when depressed. To my amazement, these keys are actually amazing. They seem very reliable and functional. I love them. I wasn't crazy about this synth having a mono ouput with no built-in effects, but when I played it through my DAW (Logic Pro X) and added a slight chorus and reverb, I was super impressed with the sound. This synth is the most versitile synth I've seen to date and I've been playing synths for 40 years! The wide array of sounds is creamy and rich. I can't imagine that any synth enthusiast wouldn't love this synth. I'm amazed that it is so affordable. Before this, the Microkorg was THE affordable synth to have. But, this just might be in the same league! I'm happy to say I have both! YAY! I will post an update when I spend more time with it.

A steal for $300, this little synthesizer is limitless.What it has: 14 oscillator settings, including a vocoder, each with its own infinite range of variations and modulations, arpeggiator, sequencer, randomizing elements, a "modular" patch matrix, 160 presets and the ability to craft and save any sound you can imagine. Also outstanding sound quality, paraphony, and multiple interface options.What it doesn't have: onboard effects, a "real" keyboard, although the capacitive touch keyboard is actually pretty nice and intuitive.Excellent choice for beginners, experts and anyone in between. Loads of fun to play or play with.

Why hello there Syntheads!So this little machine packs a lot of sound options. And it's very aesthetically beautiful/ light.I really enjoy it and it pairs great with other instruments. The only flaw is the touch sensitivity can be unpredictable at times. You just have to hope for the best there...but it's worth it for the cost.

This little thing is an incredibly versatile synth. You can do so much with it, and Arturia keeps adding more to it through firmware updates years after its release. It does have a relatively steep learning curve if you are new to hardware synths (as I am, but I have a lot of experience with software synths), but you can always just start with one of the hundreds of presets without knowing anything. The presets are pretty interesting and many are unique. I don't think you could buy a better synth for the money.