Analogue Monosynth
Arturia have broken away from their soft-synth
roots with the MiniBrute, a 100 percent analogue monosynth. We put it to
the test in our world-exclusive review.
If you’re a keyboard
player of a certain age, the release of a new analogue monosynth —
especially if it has a keyboard sticking out of the front of it — is
something to get excited about. Sometimes that excitement is justified,
and sometimes it isn’t. However, there seems to be something a bit
special about the Arturia MiniBrute. Obviously, it’s not the name, which
sounds like an aftershave for 14-year-olds. It’s the company’s
statement that they have gambled that the MiniBrute will be a commercial
success and have geared up production accordingly, producing it in
volume and passing the economies of scale on to the end user.
Consequently, the MiniBrute lies bang in the middle of the price band
that includes second-hand Roland SH09s and SH101s, as well as ARP Axxes
and Explorers, and it’s cheaper than a second-hand Roland SH1, ARP
ProSoloist, or even something as modest as a Korg MS10. The fact that it
hails from a plug-in manufacturer moving into analogue hardware (rather
than the other way around) just adds to the intrigue. Are you excited
yet?
Architecture
Arturia
have never released an analogue product before this, and are very aware
that, in their own words, “reproducing analogue circuitry [using DSPs]
is not the same as designing great-sounding analogue circuits”. In
developing the MiniBrute, therefore, they have entered into
a partnership with Yves Usson of YuSynth, whom they call their analogue
synthesizer guru. So maybe the second question to ask of this review is:
does the MiniBrute suggest that the company is feeling its way into
a strange new market, or have they come up with a mature analogue
synthesizer at the first attempt?
Even before
news of the MiniBrute was leaked on the day before the NAMM show began,
a production prototype had arrived at the SOS office. The unit was
complete except for a few final calibration tweaks, and near enough
finished to conduct this review.
The first
thing that I noticed about the MiniBrute was its size. It’s tiny.
Nonetheless, it feels solid and robust, the battleship-grey coating on
the aluminium chassis looks professional, and the selection of knobs for
most functions but sliders where sliders are more appropriate has
allowed Arturia to cram a lot of features into the small space without
anything feeling cramped or fiddly. Internally, it boasts a signal path
in which a single analogue voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) feeds
a voltage-controlled multi-mode filter (VCF) and amplifier (VCA), with
two analogue contour generators and two analogue modulators. However, it
isn’t entirely devoid of digital wotsits. There’s a software-controlled
arpeggiator, and the MiniBrute sends and receives MIDI as well as
control voltage and gate signals.
Sound Sources
The
MiniBrute’s back panel includes CV and Gate I/O on 3.5mm jack sockets,
headphone out, audio out and audio in on quarter-inch jack sockets,
a Gate Source switch, MIDI I/O ports, a USB port and an input for the
external 12V power supply.
I chose the vintage synths listed in the introduction
because they all share one important attribute with the MiniBrute:
a single oscillator. However, the MiniBrute’s may be the most advanced
analogue oscillator that I have ever seen on a non-modular monosynth.
Firstly,
every waveform — sawtooth, pulse, triangle and white noise — is
available simultaneously, and you can control the contribution of each
of these in the six-channel Oscillator Mixer, together with... ah, but
that would be telling. We’ll come to that in a moment.
Secondly,
each of the three cyclic waveforms has a dedicated waveshaper. For the
sawtooth, this is called Ultrasaw, and it adds two phase-shifted copies
of the sawtooth wave into the signal. The first copy is modulated at
a constant frequency of 1Hz, while you can control the modulation depth
and rate (generated by a dedicated LFO, from 0.05Hz to 50Hz) of the
second, resulting in anything from a gentle chorus to wild wibbliness.
For the pulse wave, the waveshaping is in the form of pulse-width
modulation (PWM), which can be applied from either the filter envelope
with positive or negative polarity, or from the main LFO (low-frequency
oscillator), or from both at the same time. For the triangle wave, the
waveshaper is called the Metalizer. At low values, this introduces
higher harmonics to create some unusual timbres. Then, as you increase
the amount of warp, the timbre becomes harsher and brighter, and at high
settings can even sound reminiscent of early, low-word-length digital
synthesizers. Again, you can control the amount of waveshaping using the
filter envelope and/or the main LFO, which makes it possible to produce
sounds that recall the character of oscillator sync, but using just
a single oscillator.
Thirdly, there’s
a sub-oscillator. This offers square or sine waves, one or two octaves
below the oscillator pitch, as you choose. You may think, ‘Yeah,
a sub-oscillator. So what?’ but adding a foundation below the other
waveforms allows you to create solid timbres with a bit (or a lot) of
waveshaped mayhem on top. This greatly extends the possibilities, and is
superb for creating bass sounds aggressive enough to be arrested for
GBH.
The final source is an audio input that
allows the MiniBrute to process signals from external devices, adding
anything from a bit of analogue warmth to extreme effects to any sounds
that you present to it. The Gate Source switch on the rear panel allows
you to pass the sound through the synth continuously (Hold), or use the
keyboard to trigger the contour generators (KBD) for dynamic effects.
A third position (Audio In), triggers the contour generators when the
signal exceeds a user-defined level that you will be able to set when
the MiniBrute software (see box) arrives.
Filter
Although
the MiniBrute is very compact (its main panel measuring just 325 by
390mm) it still manages to cram a lot of controls into the space
available.
The multi-mode filter offers a 12dB/octave low-pass
mode, and 6dB/octave high-pass, band-pass and notch modes. It has a wide
range of cutoff values (claimed to be from below 20Hz to approximately
18kHz), is resonant and will self-oscillate at high values of Q.
I tested this and found that, without any help from other facilities on
the synth, the waveform generated by the filter has a lowest frequency
of around 260Hz and is clean up to 10kHz or thereabouts, after which it
degenerates into noise.
As for control of the
cutoff frequency, there’s no lack of this; it can be affected by its
dedicated ADSR contour generator with positive or negative polarity, by
the LFO, by key tracking between zero and 200 percent, by the mod wheel,
and by aftertouch. There’s even a switch to choose between a snappy
contour response (quoted as 1ms to 1s) and a slower one (10ms to 10s)
that allows you to create sounds with gentler sweeps.
It’s
an excellent package of facilities, but I find a 12dB/octave filter to
be a strange choice for a synth of this nature. The world cries out for
24dB/octave filters that have the M-word at the front of them, and if
Arturia had wanted to avoid these, other alternatives might have
included emulations of ARP’s 4012 and 4075 filters, or even something
based on the SSM or CEM filters used in all manner of highly respected
synths. However, flying in the face of all expectation, the MiniBrute’s
filter is a development of Nyle Steiner’s
Synthacon filter.
My
concern with this is that the Synthacon is now deemed desirable not
because it was a wonderful synth, but because it’s rare. And the reason
that it’s rare is that Steiner-Parker didn’t sell many. And part of the
reason that they didn’t sell many is because, while it was great for
off-the-wall noises, strange tones and sound effects, its ability to
produce conventional synth sounds and acoustic emulations was,
umm... iffy.
I asked Arturia why they had made
this decision and they told me, “We asked ourselves, ‘How can we get the
maximum range of sonic possibilities using the fewest functions, and
how can we make the best of each function implemented?’ We had to choose
just one filter, and it seemed clear that this should be a multi-mode
design.
We could have created one from scratch, but it seemed more
reasonable to adopt an existing design, so we looked at the filters used
in other synthesizers and divided them into two groups. The first
included the well-controlled 24dB/octave filters used by many American
and Japanese manufacturers; the second included the less stable ones
designed by the Russians, the English, and some other lesser-known
manufacturers. We found that many of these tended to be 12dB/octave
designs, were rather more aggressive than the first group, and less
linear in their responses. Of course, many players want the Moog sound,
but this seemed too safe a route. We also rejected the Russian and
English filters because they are too characteristic of the original
synths. Other filters also fell by the wayside for one reason or another
until what we had left was the Steiner-Parker filter, which embodies
a good compromise between versatility and savagery. The fact that it’s
not implemented in any other modern synth also meant that the MiniBrute
would not sound like other synthesizers available today. But we didn’t
leave it at that, and the addition of the Brute Factor has taken the
Synthacon filter into whole new areas, from gentle tone shaping to
a storm of sound, with all the possible shades between the two.”
The what? The Brute Factor?
The
end of the signal path is occupied, as it usually is, by a VCA
controlled by a dedicated contour generator. Long ago, Minimoog
aficionados discovered that they could take the output signal from the
VCA (ie. the audio ‘out’) and route it back into the synth via the
external signal input to create effects ranging from a mild thickening
of the sound up to uncontrolled chaos, depending upon the gain of the
external signal channel. Today, the MiniBrute provides this loop without
patch cables, and the Brute Factor knob controls the gain. As you would
imagine, this combination of the Steiner-Parker filter and this
Moog-like characteristic is unique to the MiniBrute.
Modulation & Effects
The
amount of modulation available on the MiniBrute is exceptional for
a synth in this class. I have already mentioned the dedicated Ultrasaw
LFO and the main, programmable LFO, but the MiniBrute also boasts
a third LFO dedicated to vibrato effects. This generates three
waveforms: a sine wave centred on zero, and a square wave that can
generate trills of up to about four semitones above or below the played
pitch. You can control the amplitude of the resulting effects using
either the mod wheel, or aftertouch, or both, which can be very
expressive.
Returning now for a closer look at
the programmable LFO, this generates six waveforms (including sample
& hold) and, as well as controlling the PWM and Metalizer effects,
it can be routed to the oscillator pitch (for vibrato), the filter
cutoff frequency (for growl) and the audio amplifier (for tremolo). Its
internal clock generates frequencies of between (approximately) 0.1Hz
and 100Hz (which is high enough to create frequency modulation, ring
modulation and amplitude modulation-type effects), but it can also be
synchronised to the arpeggiator clock, so that you can lock modulation
effects to the timing of your arpeggios, which is always welcome.
Ah
yes, the arpeggiator. This was unfinished on the prototype, but enough
worked to demonstrate what we can soon expect. With Up, Down, Up/Down
and Random modes, a range of one to four octaves, key sequencing for
recreating tracks such as ‘On The Run’ and ‘Karn Evil 9’, MIDI sync
(which, therefore, will also make MIDI-sync’ed modulation possible), six
step ratios, six ‘swing’ settings, and ‘tap’ tempo, it will offer
a remarkable range of features for such a small synth.
Now,
I’ve just mentioned that aftertouch can be routed to vibrato amount,
but it can also be routed to the filter cutoff frequency (although not
both simultaneously). Likewise, the mod wheel can also determine the LFO
amount (thus controlling things such as PWM and the Metalizer) or the
cutoff frequency. As you might imagine, these take the MiniBrute far
beyond most vintage synths in terms of expression. Consider brass sounds
as an example: you can program ‘rip’ using the LFO controlled by the
mod wheel, and add vibrato using the vibrato LFO controlled by
aftertouch. Add pitch-bend of up to ±12 semitones and portamento, and
you have a performance patch that would grace any stage or recording.
In Use
The MiniBrute is powered by an external 12VDC power
supply of the ‘snake that swallowed a badger’ variety. I am not a fan of
these, but the case would probably have had to be larger to accommodate
an internal PSU, so I’ll not criticise on this occasion. However, it
would have been good to see a stress-relief thingy on the back panel
alongside the power socket.
Arturia recommend
that, once switched on, the MiniBrute should be allowed to enjoy
a five-minute warm-up period. They’re right, because it’s unplayable for
the first few minutes, and requires a few more before everything locks
into tune. But once it has settled, it stays tuned and scaled, so all is
well.
So what does it sound like? At first,
I struggled to get the sounds that I wanted from it. The filter seemed
rather too flaccid for my hardened 36dB/octave tastes, and the shape of
the contours didn’t quite work for me. But as time passed, things
started to drop into place, and I found myself generating some sounds
that I really liked.
The first was a deep,
growling bass-pedal patch. This used just the sawtooth wave with maximum
Ultrasaw at a slow rate, to create a unison/detuned dual-oscillator
timbre. I was then able to sculpt this using the LPF with its contour
set to Slow. No other modulation or control was needed and, with the
Octave switch set to -2, the result was a deep, speaker-shredding bass
that was more buffalo than bull. I loved it.
Once
I had made friends with the MiniBrute, other great sounds started to
pour forth. Orchestral imitations came in the form of trumpets, tubas
and flutes, and then (changing course in mid-flow) I created some
powerful lead-synth sounds that, courtesy of the Ultrasaw and the
sub-oscillator together, sounded nothing like a single-oscillator synth.
These then morphed into a range of snappy, cutting bass sounds.
Next,
I experimented with the pulse wave, extracting some superb Selmer
Claviolines by using the filter envelope to narrow the duty cycle
further than could be achieved using the PW knob alone. Then I came to
the triangle wave with its Metalizer. Crikey... the things you can do
with this! One patch I tried used the Metalized triangle wave responding
to an AD filter envelope and slow LFO modulation, with the filter at
high Q also following the contour, and the Brute Factor at about half
power. When arpeggiated, this raised the dead from under my 250-year-old
house, and I’m still trying to get them to get back under the basement
floor. More sensibly, you can coax anything from long, sweeping timbral
changes to brittle and glassy timbres and, had I had the time, I’d have
liked to see what I could have created by sampling some of my
‘metalized’ patches and playing them polyphonically. I suspect that they
would have been delicious.
All this, and
I hadn’t even started mixing waveforms yet! Of course, not everything
was rosy, and I had to remind myself occasionally that this was
a prototype, and that the deficiencies I uncovered — for example, the
modulation depths a bit high, the filter tracking rather non-linear —
should be corrected before you lay hands on the MiniBrute. There was
also an effect that sounded like phase cancellation when mixing the
sawtooth and pulse waveforms at certain values, but I understand that
this is inherent in the design, and won’t be addressed. Of course, there
were some genuine limitations too, such as the lack of a delay or any
other dynamic control of the main LFO but, even so, these points were
small when compared with the possibilities on offer. Playing with the
MiniBrute, I started to remember how much fun synthesis was before punk
rock turned keyboard players into dweebs.
Nonetheless,
there is one thing that I have to get off my chest. For an old fart
like me, the keyboard — which, thank the stars, has full-sized keys — is
too narrow. Keeping it to two octaves makes the synth compact and will
appeal to some users, but it won’t be sufficient for others, so I’m
already looking forward to a 37-key version (the MidiBrute?) and
a 49-key version (the MaxiBrute?) with the pitch-bend and modulation
wheels to the left of the keyboard itself. Come on Arturia, you know it
makes sense!
In the meantime, we can use the
MiniBrute as part of a modular system or as a MIDI sound module. When
played from one of Arturia’s own 49-note MIDI controllers, it responded
perfectly to note on/off, octave shift, pitch-bend and aftertouch, and
the extended keyboard turned the MiniBrute into a fab soloing
instrument.
Conclusions
The
MiniBrute has no presets, no menus, and none of the other paraphernalia
that goes with a microprocessor-controlled operating system. In short,
it’s an analogue synthesizer of the old school. Happily, it offers
a surprising array of features for such a small and affordable unit, and
it sounds like an analogue synth should, lending itself to raw, edgy
sounds as well as many standard synth patches. You have to applaud
Arturia for avoiding the temptation to build yet another low-cost ‘bass
synth’ (or, as I think of them, synths with limited capabilities that
just happen to play low notes) and instead measure the MiniBrute against
the company’s claim that it built the MiniBrute with four goals:
peerless analogue sound, intuitive operation, realistic cost and no
compromises. I can’t comment on whether any compromises were made but,
even on this prototype, I can confirm that it has a ‘real’ analogue
sound, it’s easy to use and, at just $499, it’s
not expensive. In truth, if I were considering buying a second-hand
SH101, Axxe or MS10 for the same price as a MiniBrute then, after
agonising about the width of its keyboard, I would choose the MiniBrute.
It has a much wider sonic palette, it offers far greater performance
capabilities, and it has greater connectivity. So, to conclude, I can
now answer my own questions: yes, you should be excited, and yes, this
is a mature synthesizer. I suspect that Arturia’s confidence may be
justified. The MiniBrute could be a very successful product indeed.
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