Just a day after announcing their new tape emulation plug-in, Arturia have revealed that their popular MiniFreak synthesizer has been treated to a significant firmware update. With the latest version installed, the instrument gains seven new granular synthesis engines as well as a new classic sample-based engine that allows users to play, loop and reverse meticulously crafted synth samples, field recordings and foley sessions.
Alongside the new synthesis capabilities, the firmware update also includes version 3 of the MiniFreak’s factory sound bank, which includes 64 presets that showcase the full potential of its new granular engines. Some improvements have been made to the instrument’s hardware/software communication, too, and a number of known bugs have been fixed.
New Engines
The eight new engines introduced in the version 3.0 firmware, along with Arturia’s descriptions, are as follows:
- Cloud Grains: Textural grain effects for immersive, rich sounds.
- Hit Grains: Create rhythmic stutters or rapid-fire bursts of sound.
- Frozen: Craft ethereal, sustained textures.
- Skan: Stretch samples for infinite time-shaping possibilities.
- Particles: Generate hypnotic layers of random sound particles.
- Lick: Produce fast-paced, percussive rhythmic grooves.
- Raster: From beat repeat effects to hypnotic, randomised rhythmic sequences
- Sample: A sample player with loop and reverse sample features.
The company have also stated that all of the updates also apply to MiniFreak V, the synth’s virtual instrument counterpart.
SOS Reviews
We’ve reviewed the hardware and software versions of MiniFreak, you can take a look at the articles below to find out more.
Availability
The MiniFreak 3.0 update is available now via the Arturia website.
