Arturia MicroBrute, Transparent Red analogue synthesizer

General

The Arturia MicroBrute Transparent Red analogue synthesizer may be compact, but its possibilities are huge. It's a monophonic synth that's slightly smaller and possesses fewer functions than the MiniBrute, also by Arturia. The oscillator set consists of a Sawtooth with Ultra-Saw option, a Block Wave with PWM, a Triangle with Metalizer and a comprehensive Sub-Oscillator. The Ultra-Saw delivers a warm, broad tone while the Metalizer turns the Triangle into a truly penetrating sound. All these options combined add up to a wide array of possibilities and the transparent red housing of this limited edition makes it even more impressive.

Properties of the Arturia MicroBrute

As far as tone colouration goes, you can achieve a lot with these oscillators alone, but the use of an added filter (LP, BP or HP) increases your options even more. The most important rotary knob in this filter section is probably the Brute Factor, which is what enables the MicroBrute to really wail. It allows you to add overtones to your total sound, making this little synth a true master of leads, drones, and other undefinable effects. An envelope, an LFO, and a modest sequencer are the icing on the cake.

Mod Matrix

The real cherry on top of this red synth, however, is the existence of a modulation matrix. Using patch cables, you can adjust the entire architecture of this synth yourself. Connect the envelopes to the aforementioned Metalizer, for instance, and the LFO to the filter, depending on your own personal patching style. Using the CV connection, you can even hook the MicroBrute up to older and/or modular synthesizers. The keyboard is compact, consisting of 25 mini keys, making this synth ideal for mobile applications in particular.

• Please note: highly limited edition.