53 thoughts on “Arturia MicroBrute Specifications, Pricing & Availability”

1. I was first thinking no because of the mini keys, but I’m starting to think different. For 300 bucks I’ll take one. Maybe this thing will help me get over my hate of mini keys.

   1. This thing is looking like the gateway drug to modular….

   2. I own it….I ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT. I’m building some MOTM modules to go along with it. It almost doesn’t even need them, but I HAVE to find a use for all the CV outs! This machine is amazing. And it makes some great sub bass rumble. I have been using it in nearly every session I do in my studio and my collaborative work with my friend James Johnson (as The Fallen). The Midi over USB is fantastic as well, there’s a bunch of flexibility and sound design capability with this very simple unit…for $300 list???? Come on! And the mini keys aren’t that bad…and I wear a size 12 ring.

2. A lil overprice imho….Just found a Novation bass station II (new) in the same price. Which one you choose if you have to?

   1. The BSII has a wider sonic range. Very nice machine. Big filters, big oscillators, bells and whistles galore. Can’t go wrong.

      But the MicroBrute will be treasured for a long time after you’ve bought and sold your Bass Station II. While more limited and more specific a tone, the Brute series just has that super analog, direct knob feel. Lots of little nooks and sweet spots. Very fun with a 1:1 control to function ratio.

      1. Agree with you…kind of a “moral” dilemma…you know,,,,brain vs soul

      2. I agree, but the real question is, MiniBrute or MicroBrute, which machine makes more sense in the big picture?

         1. If you hesitate, take both 🙂

   2. How is $300 overpriced for a semi-modular analog synth? And where did you find a Bass Station 2 for $300?!?

      1. NJ store…they are flying off the shelves.

         1. Which store in NJ?

            1. Imaginary Music Store in Never Existed Mall in Full Of It NJ, perhaps? Seriously, why claim they are going for $300 when there is no way any store would sell them below list price?

               1. Yeah, I’ll order one this second from NJ for $300- post a link!

   3. The MicroBrute is more appealing to people with modular systems. From a modular perspective, you get an LFO, envelope generator, and CV sequencer for around the same amount you would pay for those modules individually, so it’s pretty sweet.

      1. Oh and you get a very unique oscillator and a good filter… so it’s a real bargain in terms of how it fits into a modular rig.

   4. Overpriced? 300 euro, for an analogue synth with a built in USB-CV convertor. Are you mad?

   5. Overpriced? I remember the days when, speaking of affordable monos, among first you’d mention was slim phatty, and that thing had like, 4 knobs, no keys, and cost $849!

      Now you can have microbrute (which is an actual sound-making machine) for way less than some, dare I say, MIDI controllers (which do nothing), and you are still unhappy? That’s just…fascinating.

3. I never really liked the sound, look or feel of the MiniBrute, but the Micro has some really great features and I find the sound more appealing. Volca Keys suddenly doesn’t look like the no-brainer purchase in comparison to this.

   1. I’m right there with you. I was a bit disappointed when I played with the MiniBrute, but this has me raising my eyebrow. And like the first commenter, I have a *serious* distaste for mini keys, and it somehow doesn’t even register as a issue for me with the MicroBrute. This is like a real no-brainer.

4. The truly great thing about all of these new machines is that “the kids” can easily find and afford them. That means the old squares(including myself) will have to work hard to maintain their position by making good stuff. I would have saved so much time and money if these things were readily available in 1993! Awesome!

5. if you don’t need the cv… $350 + tax… you might want to look @ a novation bass station 2 instead for a little more money.

6. It almost seems like this is some kind of elaborate prank. Like, there is NO WAY they can sell this crazy device for only $300. Stop messing with me, Arturia!

7. Microburuto! Great 😛

8. I would rather have a minibrute with the CV/modular shit in it than the micro, but now they have made 2 synths just different enough to convince people to buy 2 of their things. Functionality might be sweet, but I don’t agree that this has more soul than a bass station II at all. My BS2 is one of the best monosynths I’ve ever purchased and it’s sounds are radical. The whole 1:1 knob thing is something people always talk about, but if this synth was the exact same as it is now, but with added toggle switched for second oscillator section and other secondary functionality i do not see how that would make it less awesome

   1. This one actually looks better for modulars, IMO. The patch bay makes it easier to interface with than the MiniBrute was.

   2. Thank you!!!

9. I am looking for reasons that i need one, because i want one.
   Using the Vermona Mono Lancet right now which is like THE best cheap mono synth in my oppinion. Super-creamy and ballsy. But the brute can do stuff this baby can’t. Hell i even could hook them up via CV! I think i found a reason i need one. Damn.

10. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151966865585797&set=a.491687530796.302014.127727240796&type=1&theater

11. For me it’s all about direction- they are making the single osc cheaper, which is what we need for cheaper 2 or 3 osc synths or even Polly. With this type of movement we could see the next synth being a 3 osc semi modular to rival moogs for under 800 bucks or a 4 note poly for under 1000.

12. I really wasn’t excited about this machine, even after watching the Sonic State review, especially after watching the really boring presentation of the Arturia guys.

    But those Japanese guys, damn they are funny and they know their stuff.
    I’d love to see both of them in a live performance.

    1. Ha – those Japanese guys are the best! So much synth-face going on! I definitely have to look them up!

       1. On YouTube, check the “musictrackjp” channel for tons of great synth demos by Katsunorie Ujiie (the second guy, in the hat and scarf). They are all in Japanese, but many have English subtitles.

13. I’m a mini brute owner and fan…this is a curious move – am I the only one looking at this and saying wasn’t the polybrute as obvious to arturia as it is to me? A four voice brute with a mono/poly option would be awesome!

    1. No, your not the only one who thought of it, its a plain as day, but why would a company who had never made a hardware analogue synth until last year risk coming out with a Poly that might bomb? They are being cleverly careful, and like Korg and Moog, they are getting bang for their development buck by reusing the MiniBrute technology. In time we might see a poly, but for now Arturia will tread carefully.

       1. It’s a lot easier to figure out that people want cheap analog polysynths than it is to be able to build them. Arturia and Korg are both being very methodical about stepping into the analog synth space – they’ll make synth modules and polysynths if the market is there.

          I’d be very surprised if we don’t see a new analog polysynth introduced at NAMM this year.

    2. One other thing to consider is that the synth architecture that makes sense for a monosynth doesn’t necessarily make sense for a polysynth.

       Take a look at the Roland Alpha Junos, for example. They have an extremely simple voice architecture, but are amazing sounding polysynths.

       1. A 4-voice analog is certainly possible, if you aren’t a purist. It would have to be like the DCOs in the Juno-1 and -2, or a MonoPoly: still under microprocessor control. If you want analog polyphony, you have to accept at least one of several digital options because of the routing demands per voice. Don’t think it as a loss or a drawback. Think of it in the same general area as a guitarist who owns 4 guitars because each has a unique tone. Same with synths. Analog synthesis will always be best expressed monophonically.

          1. Agreed, but I’m still surprised that the DSI Tetra is never mentioned in most of the “I want an analog-polysynth” posts related to this announcement. The Tetra is short on knobs but big on everything else, and can be had for around $600 second hand.

             1. Yeah! A Tetra is an excellent example of what a poly analog needs to be in order to give you the bulk of that realm in a usable, affordable shape. Check out its editor and tell me its not prominent in its weight class. Don’t fuss over filters; tweak and effect them. They’ll speak up.

                I say “Needs to be” with caution, because I play pianistically from one keyboard and build my work track by track in Logic. From one angle, I’m jazzed to see people pile a table with sci-fi goods; its no different than the old Moog/Korg//ARP/Paia stack and noisy Effectron delays a pal and I assembled at one time.

                OTOH, I think many are so dazzled by the gloss that they miss that next layer down where the real fun starts. To me, a modular should mostly mean “I have some ideas I can’t shape any other way.” Its almost shabby to use them for mere bass lines and 8-stage sequences. I’m a note guy far more than a
                ground-up sound designer, so I have to ask: Why do you want a modular at all? Is it the beef, the joy of patching, the great accidents? Since I went elsewhere, I’m honestly interested in people’s mindsets about it. Sometimes, an outside observation can undo a mental knot.

             2. Because like with all things DSI, they are harsh, hard to include in a mix, and lacking a real CUTOFF! I’ve had 3 DSI synths, sold them all, never looked back

14. “Extreme triangle harmonics”
    I’m sold.

15. 329 euro is too much!
    You have another mopho for that or 2 volcas or a second han mininova

    1. Suggesting a module (mopho) as an alternative to 1-knob-per-function synth with a keyboard doesn’t look much different than saying a V8 engine is better deal than a car.

16. The Brute Family definitely has it going on. No doubts there. I am blown away by what they are doing to the competition too! Now everybody else gets to try and figure out how to make something just as affordable, just as mean sounding, and just as fun to play with that has all the bells and whistles like CV, lots of knobs, and the creativity of these 100% ANALOG brothers. I’m no fortune cookie but I see good things in Arturia’s future.

    PROs: SOUND, PRICE, AND CONNECTIVITY

    CONs: SILLY MINIATURE KEYS THAT DRIVE ME NUTS. I’M NOT WILLOW! GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN PLAY!!! 🙂

17. Along with a porno DVD that violates pretty much any standard of “common decency,” a MicroBrute would make a great stocking stuffer. A couple of friends and I once added money to the kitty so we could get a fourth pal’s son a better starter synth for Christmas. You could have heard the SQUEEE of Joy in Alberta. Make sure you add some cords, usable headphones and power doodads. You must always feed The Octopus.

18. Damn, I almost bought the Waldorf Rocket for the same price, and when Waldorf told me that the Rocket Osc was Digital not even a DCO I was hell no.

    1. Wow, you really dodged a bullet there! Imagine a synthesizer without a “real” analog oscillator!?! 😉

       You really have to look past the spec sheet, in my opinion. Personally, I had a MiniBrute but sold it because I just didn’t care for the sound, analog or not. And I won’t be buying the MicroBrute, either, cheap price or not.

       The Waldorf Rocket on the other hand is a keeper, it’s a fantastic synthesizer regardless of the oscillator type, and it sounds utterly f***ing amazing for the task of actually making music! I think it’s worth every penny and is greater than the sum of its parts, which are numerous, by the way.

       And one final thought, the $50 Korg Monotron has an analog oscillator but I can assure you that the Rocket stomps all over it. 🙂

19. Poly next? Arturia, are u listening? Yes yes? Whooo!!

20. Still holding out for a Pulse 2 to sit nicely next to my Blofeld, but I can definitely see me picking one of these up eventually as a starting point for building a modular.

    I wonder if the Micro/Mini prefixes mean Arturia have intended all along to release an affordable Polybrute down the line. Hell, you could sellotape 3 or 4 Microbrutes together for less money than most analogue polysynths. Hurry up NAMM!

21. Oh gosh darnit. When the day comes arturia releases a polybrute i can die and will play analog chords in heaven

22. another even cheaper monosynth… zzzzzzzzzzzz

23. Well, that settles it. I’m gonna need a Microbrute, a Vermona Mono Lancet and a BassStation II. 🙂

24. i think that one of the most cheap & nice modular system is the pittsburg modular cell48 …it cost 600 euro ( 4 patches ….synthetizer( vco,vcf,vca) …a double cv signal splitter with midi in,and a mixer & audio output) …MICROBRUTOOO has all of this plus a keyboard and a step sequencer ….all with 350euro…this is for sure a great way to start a modular world… U can save 300 euro …and create a little mini modular effects box 🙂