Arturia MicroBrute

Cousin of the Arturia MiniBrute

The Arturia MicroBrute is such a small analogue ball of rage that really shines when it comes to powerful, aggressive, gut-punching sounds. Given its simplicity and modest dimensions, at first it is hard to believe that this kid can really be so brutal. However, nothing surprising, given that his forefather is the Arturia MiniBrute. Its signature complex oscillator with Metalizer and Overtone parameters, and a sharp filter with an unusual Brute Factor parameter give character to its sound. Together they create a real paradise for distortion lovers.

Ball of Fury

The synthesizer turned out to be very compact. The MicroBrute is about the size of a 13 inch laptop. It is equipped with 25 miniature keys without aftertouch, as an alternative to playing by hand, there is a seemingly simple but powerful sequencer. MicroBrute circuitry is moderately simple — a complex oscillator, filter, envelope and LFO. To add variability to it, the company's engineers used a simple patch matrix that allows you to make friends with other modular and semi-modular synthesizers and effects. Considering how interesting the modulation of the Metalizer and Brute Factor parameters sounds, the MicroBrute sound palette is greatly expanded. A separate bow to the company's engineers for adding an audio input, which allows, for example, to pass a drum machine through it, giving it weight and brutality. It turns out a great alternative to guitar distortion pedals.

One of the most affordable analogue synthesizers on the market

In general, Arturia MicroBrute is beautiful in that it simultaneously answers several requests at once. On the one hand, this is a very easy to understand, compact and affordable analogue synthesizer that can sound like classics from Moog and Korg. On the other hand, MicroBrute has its own unique character. Play around with the Metalizer and Brute Factor settings and get a real rave machine. If you want a more refined and lightweight sound, then it is better to look for other options. It also doesn't have a preset bank. Instead, old-school stencil papers, on which the positions of each regulator are marked.