Freakier Firmware

The Utility menu: where everything hides

A map of the settings menu, and a change of Press mode so the Press source follows velocity.

Do it in the simulator ↗Lesson 26 · 5 min

The Utility menu is where the MicroFreak keeps its settings. It has two halves: Preset, settings saved with each sound, and Global, settings for the whole synth. Learning where things are saves a lot of searching.

  • The two halves of the menu: per-sound Preset settings and Global settings
  • Where the settings people look for are
  • How to change a value and leave
The steps4 steps
  1. Open Utility and go into Preset, then scroll to Modulations and press to go in.
    Stuck?

    Press Utility, press the Preset knob, scroll to Modulations, press again.

  2. Scroll to the setting named Press mode. It decides whether the matrix's Press row (the pressure source) follows aftertouch or velocity. Press the Preset knob to edit it.
    Stuck?

    Scroll down to Press mode, then click.

  3. Turn it to Velocity. The Press source now follows the velocity of the key.
    Stuck?

    One step clockwise.

  4. Press Utility to leave. Remember the map: Preset for per-sound settings, Global for MIDI, sync, CV/Gate, controls, tuning and mic.
    Stuck?

    Press the Utility button.

Preset holds per-sound settings (voice, modulation, volume, scale, arp and sequencer, vocoder). Global holds MIDI, sync, CV/Gate, controls, global scale, tuning, mic settings and miscellaneous options.

On the real MicroFreak

Preset: Voice (Bend Range, Glide mode of Time, Sync or Rate, Unison Spread, Unison Count); Modulations (Envelope Legato, Envelope Snap, LFO retrig, Press mode, Key/Arp Mode, Velo Amp Mod); Preset Volume from -12 to +12; Scale and Root Note; Seq/Arp (Seq Length, Default gate length, Smooth for each of four tracks); Vocoder (Hiss Mode and Volume). Global: MIDI (channels, output destination, Local, Thru, knob CC sending, merge); Sync (source, clock format, Global Tempo); CV/Gate (pitch, gate and pressure formats); Controls (Knob catch, Click to load, Osc Knob Speed, keyboard sensitivity, curves, Relative Bend); Global Scale; Master tuning; Mic Setting; Misc (Mem protect, Oct LED Blink, Reset setting). Reset setting erases Utility changes and presets, so use it with care. The Preset settings are Utility-only; the Global settings are also in MIDI Control Center.

Questions2

Why does Save not work in the Utility menu?

You cannot save while Utility is open. Leave the menu first.

What does Reset setting do?

It is a factory reset: it erases Utility changes and presets. Do not touch it without a backup.