The Minibrute: say yes to sucess

It's 2023... the synthesizer market is SATURATED with analog monophonic synths offering "warmth" and "fatness" and "character". It's arguable that there's never been so many cheap and cheerful new analog synths to pick from and that's not even considering the offerings in Euro land. 

With so many new options, how does one choose? Don't. Instead buy the thing that kicked this all off (new analog monosynths that is, not reissues, a la MS-20) and get on with your life. What is that thing? It's the humble Arturia Minibrute. 

When it was released a lifetime ago a lot of people weren't impressed. It was too gnarly, too aggressive, and not the Moog clone that (apparently) people only ever want. But hindsight has worked out in its favor and I can't think of any other modern analog monosynth that can still hold it's own both in terms of sound but also connectivity. 

No specs review here, simply a Top 8 list of reasons why the MB is still the buzzy bees knees. 

1) It sounds good. Before we talk about the filter, let's talk about the oscillator. There's basically an unconscious agreement that the "hollow" Roland square sound is the best square ever. It's not actually anything special on its own, it's simply a very pure square at 50% pulse width. But that purity is practically responsible for several generations of dance music (acid bass, rude jungle, garage and dubstep wubs, etc). Not all oscillators (e.g., CEM3340) can achieve this type of square sound, but the MB does. The sub-oscillator square nails this perfectly, and the main square waveform can be coaxed to do this if you set it just above 50% (it's analog, innit). The other waveforms are great in their own way but I always come back to this square for rude basses.  

There is also a nice bit of roll-off on the high-end before they hit the filter. When people talk about modern synths having a "sheen" what they are really describing is excessive brightness. Bright oscillators and modernity are not synonymous (the Minimoog's oscs are actually insanely bright, cruising mostly unadulterated into the 20 Khz zone) but it's certainly more common on modern stuff that is likely to be cleaner to begin with. Anyway, the MB rolls off that high-end in an ear-pleasing way that doesn't affect any of its actual bite.

2) The filter is unique. No the Steiner-Parker filter won't be to everyone's liking (it's honestly not even really to my liking, LOL) but it's actually a fairly dynamic IF you hold the oscillator volume back. The aggression really kicks in above about 25% on the volume slider and it's fascinating to watch the harmonics get boosted at that point. And while it may not be practical to keep the levels that low all the time, it can be done. When the aggression does get to be too much, the Brute knob does a very good job of smoothing that out. So it's kind of a balancing act, but one where you will at least have something isn't just the 20 millionth iteration of a Moog, Roland, or Oberheim filter.  

3) The envelopes are hella fast. I have to admit, until exactly yesterday I always thought the MB's envelopes were on the "slow" side of fast. Not sluggish, but also not snappy a la Yamaha or Roland. Well I was wrong. The manual states, and my actual measurement confirms, that the minimum attack time is a pithy 1 millisecond. Just as fast and plucky as the ultra-fast Yamaha CS-5/10/30. The issue as it were, is that the sweet spot for that 'pluck" has a fairly small range on the slider, just a few of millimeters above the base and narrow enough that clumsy synth hands will struggle to find it. But it's there and it plucks with the best. 

4) You have "just enough" features. Again no specs review but trust me when I say that more features does not always equal "better". The MB covers all the basics and then adds just enough spicey feature flavors on top to make it a veritable swiss army knife for sound without ever becoming overwhelming . It's a "just right" Goldilocks synth. What does too many options look like, you ask? The Minibrute 2. 

5) Connectivity out the wazoo. I have to admit that a major part of my MB love is due to the fact that it's also my main controller. And what a great controller it is. REAL MIDI (you know, an actual DIN jack, not any of this mini-adaptor crap), USB, and then handy CV/Gate in/out connections. I have mine hardwired to both the DAW via USB and all my outboard gear via a MIDI splitter. Always works like a charm. 

6) It's built "ok". And by that I mean, it's still functioning 100% with minimum fuss and just the odd issue with the aftertouch cable getting weird but then fixing itself. No crackly pots, sliders are still smooth, all connections are consistent and not flaky. Chassis is solid metal. It's just a good feeling, reliable synth and that goes a long way in a world where it's often easier to replace that repair. 

7) It has fast, light keys. Ok, yeah, it's a monosynth and I don't think that mono world has fallen into the "premium" semi-weighted trap that so many polys are in these days but it's still nice to just be able to WAIL. I am not a player, but light keys make me feel like one. Plus the velocity and aftertouch respond the way you expect them to. Within the DAW, these are perfect for knocking out drums. Dumb, heavy weighted keys don't let you do that. 

8) It's freaking cheap. 

Ok, so there you go. Get reacquainted with an old friend or try one again for the first time.