Learn the MicroFreak

A few minutes on the model to see how the MicroFreak works, with nothing to read first.

Try it first

• 01Try a MicroFreak in five minutesPlay it, browse sounds, swap the oscillator, open the filter and start the arpeggiator: a first taste of the instrument.5 min
• 02A tour of the panelThe main sections of the MicroFreak's panel in order, with what each control does. No tasks: just rings on the model.4 min

Power on, find sounds, shape them, save them, and make your first modulation.

First sounds

• 03Power on and playHow the MicroFreak makes sound, how its touch keyboard works, and the octave buttons and volume knob.3 min
• 04Find a sound: presets and categoriesBrowse sounds with the Preset knob, why a tweak vanishes when you move on, and the triple-press that clears a sound to Init.3 min
• 05Oscillator types: Type, Wave, Timbre and ShapePick one of the MicroFreak's engines with Type, then use the three knobs that change meaning with each one.5 min
• 06The analog filter: Cutoff, Resonance and TypeOpen and close the filter, sharpen it with Resonance, and switch between low-pass, band-pass and high-pass.4 min
• 07The envelope: Attack, Decay, Sustain and Amp ModShape how each note starts, falls and ends, and how far it opens the filter.5 min
• 08Glide, Hold and four voicesSlide between notes, keep a note ringing without your finger, and switch from one voice to four.4 min
• 09Save your soundStore a sound in a slot with a category and a name, and what the screen says along the way.4 min
• 10Your first modulation: the matrixRead the 5 by 7 grid and make your first connection: the LFO wobbling the filter.5 min

The mod matrix in depth, arpeggiator and sequencer, samples and grains, tuning, and wiring it into a setup.

Modulation

• 11The LFO: shape, rate and syncA slow oscillator that moves other controls. Pick one of six shapes, set its speed, and lock it to the tempo.4 min
• 12The mod matrix in depthAll five sources, how connections add up, the built-in Envelope to Cutoff link, and how to wipe the whole matrix.7 min
• 13Assign: send a source to any knobPoint an Assign column at the filter, resonance or almost any other parameter, then route a source to it.5 min
• 14The cycling envelope: Env, Run and LoopA second envelope that can repeat: one-shot, free-running or restarting with each note.5 min

Arpeggiator and sequencer

• 15The arpeggiatorTurn held notes into a pattern: four modes, octave range, rate, tempo sync, swing, and Hold to free your hands.5 min
• 16Spice and DiceTwo touch-strip functions that bend the arpeggiator's rhythm: Spice drifts it, Dice rolls new ones.4 min
• 17Record a sequence step by stepSwitch to the sequencer, record notes and rests one step at a time, and play them back.6 min
• 18Patterns A and B, length, copy and eraseTwo patterns per sound, switching between them live, and how to copy, reload and clear them.4 min
• 19Record knob movements: modulation tracksHow the sequencer records your knob turns, up to four per pattern. Read only, because the model does not record them.4 min

Samples and grains

• 20Samples on the MicroFreak: what you getThe four sample engines added in firmware 5, where samples come from, how to pick one, and what to back up first.4 min
• 21The Sample engine: Start, Length and LoopChoose where a sample starts, how much of it plays and which way, and where it loops.5 min
• 22Grains: Scan, Cloud and HitThe three granular engines: scan through a sample, scatter it into a cloud, or fire it as percussive hits.6 min

Voices and tuning

• 23Unison and the Chords engineStack the voices into one fat note with Unison, or play a whole chord from one key with the Chords engine.5 min
• 24Scales: keep every note in keyUse the Utility menu to lock the keyboard, arp and sequences to a scale and a root note.4 min
• 25The touch strip: BendBend the pitch with a finger, and set how far it goes in the Utility menu.4 min
• 26The Utility menu: where everything hidesA map of the settings menu, and a change of Press mode so the Press source follows velocity.5 min

Gear and setup

• 27MIDI, clock and CV: connecting it to other gearThe connections on the back, the MIDI and sync settings in Utility, and what the CV outputs send.5 min
• 28The vocoder engineTalk through the synth with a microphone on the headphone socket. The model uses its sample as the voice.4 min
• 29Firmware 5 and keeping it up to dateWhat firmware 5 added, and how to update safely with MIDI Control Center. Read only.3 min

• ·What it does, and what it doesn'tWhat is in it, what it is built for, where it stops.
• ·Cheat sheetThe Shift combinations and where the common settings live.
• ·GlossaryParaphonic, cutoff, LFO, grains and the other words.