Arturia MicroBrute

Description

The MicroBrute from Arturia is an aptly named analog synthesizer known for its distinctly abrasive sound, affordability, and small size. The single oscillator uses knobs to mix in varying amounts of sawtooth, square, or triangle waves. The sound can be further thickened by way of a sub octave and fifth note generator, an ‘Ultrasaw’ knob for super wide sawtooth, and a ‘Metalizer’ knob that adds some harmonic saturation.

Sound shaping continues through the Steiner-Parker multimode filter, capable of low pass, high pass, and bandpass modes. In addition to knobs for envelope modulation and keyboard tracking, the filter section also includes a ‘Brute Factor’ knob (possibly the most fun part of this synth) which drives the filter into harmonic saturation and really fattens up the sound.

A glide knob, three wave LFO section, and ADSR envelope sliders round out the control interface, with a modular cable routing patch bay on the upper right of the keyboard that gives users the ability to change the routing of the envelope and LFO or even be triggered by other devices. In addition, the MicroBruite includes a 25-key velocity sensitive mini keyboard and large, comfortable mod and pitch wheels. The filter cutoff can be routed to the mod wheel for more expressive performing, and a 64-step on board sequencer can hold 8 sequences at a time, rounding out an impressive list of features considering the $300 price tag.

The MicroBrute is certainly an impressive synth with a very distinct sound. It’s capable of delivering some very abrasive, screaming patches that will delight many, but may be too rough sounding even at its gentlest limits for others.

Technical Specifications

Arturia MicroBrute