Pining for a MiniBrute

[Kenneth]

Hey guys,

I've really been lusting after that MiniBrute from Arturia and I'd love to hear some pros and cons from those of you on the forum who already own one, or have spent a good amount of time with one. The main two reasons I want it are: MIDI compatibility so I can send MIDI notes to it from my DAW, and also to have a smaller, less expensive alternative to my Voyager so I don't have to haul thousands of dollars worth of synthesizer gear around just to play a gig at a coffee shop. Let's hear your thoughts.

[thealien666]

From what I read on other music forums, there seems to be a waiting list for getting one. There's even a member on a French analog synths forum who've decided to buy a Minitaur until a Minibrute is available for shipment. Maybe that's not a problem here in the states ?

EDIT: the problem seems limited to Europe for now, according to Arturia's site:
(Due to overwhelming demand and limited supply, you may be unable to find a MiniBrute in every store. At this point, US, Japanese and Australian dealers already received units and additional supply will arrive in Europe starting September. We apologize for the wait and understand your potential frustration. Be sure that we are doing our best to deliver while keeping quality up to your requirements.)


As for my opinion on it, I'll reserve that until I've actually played on one. Maybe Marc Doty (aka museslave) could help you out ? I know he has played with one extensively, even doing interesting and detailed video demos of it on his YT channel named automaticgainsay.

Here's the link to part 1 (of 4):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1DCxaTE0mg

[Kenneth]

Thanks for chiming in, Alain. I appreciate the video link, I was not aware that Marc had done a demo of the MiniBrute. I'll have to check that out when I get home. His demonstrations are fantastic. If demand for it is that outrageous in Europe it must be quite a force to be reckoned with. I'm definitely 75%< sure that I'm going to buy one, I just need to save up a few more dollars before I order mine. I just can't wait and I felt as though hearing others' opinions on the synth would be a tantalizing read.

[filtered]

I have one Kenneth- Here's my pros and cons list, but of course, this is just MY take on this instrument- another owner could have an opposite opinion, so I'd trust your OWN ears more than anyone else's... ANYway:
pros:
warms up quickly
easy to haul around, and doesn't take up much stage space for those smaller venues
the sawtooth is superb
the noise is wonderfully "there", moreso than the Voyager's
the modulation options are intuitively laid out and give you plenty of choices
the separate vibrato feature is handy
the "brute factor" is nice to dirty up the filter with
the filter itself sounds great!
the highpass and notch options on the filter are nice to have
the metal casing gives it a solid feel
after its firmware upgrade, the arpeggiator locks in nicely with my old drum machine, and the modulation locks in as well!
the sub osc is great; with triangle under a saw, you have a great new wave bass tone, and when switched to square under triangle, your lead pops out!
all in all, it sounds analog, and stands out in a mix, as it should!

cons:
the switches feel a bit cheap and make me nervous for the future
the power supply is also a source of cheap build anxiety
the square wave could sound more square
the PWM of said square wave doesn't seem to make a big difference in its sound
the keyboard feels cheap
the aftertouch is too sensitive, unless you're a light keyer...

SO, for 500$, the pro list definitely negates the cons, and when you want to feel that unmatched build quality, shift over to your Voyager!

and once again, before someone jumps on my list, these are only MY opinions, and are worth just as much as YOURS (unless you're a Mothersbaugh, etc... )

[thealien666]

There's also a detailed review, by the always excellent Gordon Reid (old timer of the analog synth world) who is never afraid of telling it like it is, in the english SoundOnSound magazine.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar12/a ... ibrute.htm

[Kenneth]

Thanks for the list, Filtered. The list of pros does certainly seem to outweigh the cons. I like that.
Alain, I actually have read that review a few times through now, which was what originally piqued my interest in the MiniBrute. SoundOnSound is always a great source for reliable opinions.

[jimtheswede]

I have one Kenneth- Here's my pros and cons list, but of course, this is just MY take on this instrument- another owner could have an opposite opinion, so I'd trust your OWN ears more than anyone else's... ANYway:
pros:
warms up quickly
easy to haul around, and doesn't take up much stage space for those smaller venues
the sawtooth is superb
the noise is wonderfully "there", moreso than the Voyager's
the modulation options are intuitively laid out and give you plenty of choices
the separate vibrato feature is handy
the "brute factor" is nice to dirty up the filter with
the filter itself sounds great!
the highpass and notch options on the filter are nice to have
the metal casing gives it a solid feel
after its firmware upgrade, the arpeggiator locks in nicely with my old drum machine, and the modulation locks in as well!
the sub osc is great; with triangle under a saw, you have a great new wave bass tone, and when switched to square under triangle, your lead pops out!
all in all, it sounds analog, and stands out in a mix, as it should!

cons:
the switches feel a bit cheap and make me nervous for the future
the power supply is also a source of cheap build anxiety
the square wave could sound more square
the PWM of said square wave doesn't seem to make a big difference in its sound
the keyboard feels cheap
the aftertouch is too sensitive, unless you're a light keyer...

SO, for 500$, the pro list definitely negates the cons, and when you want to feel that unmatched build quality, shift over to your Voyager!

and once again, before someone jumps on my list, these are only MY opinions, and are worth just as much as YOURS (unless you're a Mothersbaugh, etc... )

Well, I have one and it prompted me to get a CP-251 for using the MB along with my Dark Energy. I do not agree with a few of filtered "cons" however. I love the aftertouch and the keyboard! I think the build quality (including the switches) is excellent (especially given the price)! I really haven't any complaints at all with mine. It is capable of mellower sounds than what you hear in some of the reviews on YT, and it can get quite gnarly if you want it to. Again, I am using it CV'd to the CP-251 and DE, so there are many possiblities using it as a modular controller and I am just beginning to explore! It's a very cool synth, bottom line. BTW - I also have other analogs (including a Slim Phatty) but am keeping them seperate for now.

[filtered]

I think my cons list is the way it is because for the past 11 months, my only synth has been the Voyager, which isn't really fair to compare with the Minibrute, build-quality wise- sure the Minibrute's built well, but I wouldn't say it's industrial-strength, which is how the hardware feels on the Moog- with that scale of price difference, that's of course the case- but still, when I first pulled the Minibrute out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised that the build quality was as good as it is! if I weren't so rough on instruments, it would be no issue...

[museslave]

Well, I don't know about all y'all, but I've owned a number of vintage Korgs. In comparison, the MiniBrute fares quite well as far as knob/slider quality.

[jimtheswede]

I think my cons list is the way it is because for the past 11 months, my only synth has been the Voyager, which isn't really fair to compare with the Minibrute, build-quality wise- sure the Minibrute's built well, but I wouldn't say it's industrial-strength, which is how the hardware feels on the Moog- with that scale of price difference, that's of course the case- but still, when I first pulled the Minibrute out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised that the build quality was as good as it is! if I weren't so rough on instruments, it would be no issue...

Hey "filtered" - you don't like the MB keyboard or aftertouch? For the price, I think it's great! I don't know, maybe just me, but really I think this is one great synth - the UI, keyboard, sound, etc. I've certainly play much worse boards (regarding keyboard & UI) for twice the price!

And no, I don't think it could be compared to a Voyager (although I don't have one), Moog knows how to build them and hope they take some hints from Arturia!

[starkaudio]

The aftertouch curve is adjustable via the editor. I find the default curve is too exponential (nothing nothing nothing *bam* full on) but after setting it to a more linear variant I find the aftertouch is very responsive.

The three position selector switches do feel a bit light, but for the money I'm happy with them.

The square wave sounds very squarey to me, but you have to get the pulse width knob set *just so* in the middle to get it there.

I feed the CV pitch and gate out of the MB, into my modular and run the modular back into the audio in on the MB to be filtered etc.

One thing that bugs me is that the glide knob (which is great) has zero effect on the pitch CV going out. So if you layer as I mentioned, you'll need an external slew limiter or whatever to glide your external CV. Not a huge problem though.

[Khatru2U]

WHY are we talking about the MinBrute on the Moog forum? WHY, WHY, WHY!!!???!!!

[CZ Rider]

WHY are we talking about the MinBrute on the Moog forum? WHY, WHY, WHY!!!???!!!

Guess we need a Moog/Minibrute pic?
Two words for the Minibrute.."Instant Classic"!

[thealien666]

WHY are we talking about the MinBrute on the Moog forum? WHY, WHY, WHY!!!???!!!

Because the MB and the Minitaur actually complement each other very well !

[Khatru2U]

Ok then, let's talk about my new Virus. Absolutely compliments my Voyager. Beautiful instrument, rich, deep and complex.