MicroFreak: Episode 2.5 (Connectivity)

This is a short-ish video, I'm calling it Episode 2.5, in my series about the Arturia MicroFreak. The topic is connectivity - i.e. hooking the MicroFreak to other gear (in this case the Kastle 1.5 from Bastl Instruments), and hooking other gear to the MicroFreak (a MIDI keyboard and a DAW). I'll be back in the next episode to talk about sequencing and modulation sequences on the MicroFreak. Happy Fall (or Spring)!

TIMELINE

00:10 Intro. Just a few minutes to lay out the plan.

04:06 DEMO #1. CV OUT. Here I'm using control voltage (CV) out of the MicroFreak to control the Bastl Kastle 1.5. Nothing fancy: I kept all the MicroFreak CV settings at their defaults, I used a 3.5mm Y-cable to send the MicroFreak CV(pitch) out to the Kastle's Pitch Mod socket and the MicroFreak Pressure voltage out to the Kastle's WaveShape socket, then I sent audio out from both synths into the Bastl Dude mixer, and finally that comes out through the Transmisser reverb pedal from EarthQuaker Devices. It's a little eerie. The MicroFreak preset is below. The most important effect is that Pressure causes the Cycling Envelope to slow down (while the Kastle FM intensifies):

KarplusStrong (43,53,59), Paraphonic OFF, LPF (3kHz, 75%), Cycling Envelope (50ms, 50ms, 50ms, 100%), LFO (sin, 0.17Hz, retrig off), Attack(0), Decay/Release(0), Sustain(100%), filt(0). Modulations are Cycling Envelope | Cutoff (-20), Cycling Envelope | ENV Sustain (-100), LFO | Cutoff (21), and Pressure | C.E. Hold/Sust (2.4).

05:26 DEMO #2. MIDI IN (keyboard). In this demo I'm just using the Casio Privia keyboard to send MIDI into the MicroFreak (this requires a MIDI host box because the Privia has no MIDI ports, only USB). I've used the MicroFreak Utility menu to set the MF key Pressure to detect Velocity - this also makes Pressure routing in the Mod Matrix sensitive to velocity from an external source like the Privia (this particular Privia does not have aftertouch - I also kind of like how this velocity effect handles). So, in this case, I'm causing notes hit softly on the Privia to have LONG attacks on the MicroFreak, allowing some slow swells, but then notes struck firmly on the Privia have short attacks and allow some tighter passages to come out with more articulation. It's also important to see that two of the modulations C.E.|Sustain and ENV|detune are highly influenced by this scheme. i.e. softly hit notes don't start with any detune or tremelo. It's a work in progress, and here are the preset details:

SuperWave (saw,18,50) Paraphonic ON, LPF (2kHz, 20%), C.E. (130,40,0,100%), Attack(10sec), D/R(5sec), Sustain(60%), filt(20%). Modulations are CE | Cutoff(5), CE | ENV Sustain (32), ENV | Timbre[detune](11), Pressure | ENV Attack (-70)

07:16 DEMO #3A. MIDI IN (DAW, first version). No automation from Ableton in this case, so it's just sending notes and making program changes. I wasn't originally going to include this case, but I think it's worth hearing the contrast. I am using clips in Live to select from 4 different MicroFreak presets and play them. The sound is going through my Zoom MultiStomp pedal, set to Plate Reverb (this just gives some cohesion and a common sense of place to this sort of thing - it's not really a "track" or song so much as a sort of sonic poem intended to demonstrate the effects).

Preset 1: Karplus-Strong(0,0,13), Paraphonic off, Attack(0), D/R(0), Sust(100%), filt(0)

Preset 2: BasicWaves(50,50,50), Para off, Arp on, LPF(30Hz, 50%), A(2ms), D/R(3sec),Sust(0%), filt(60%)

Preset 3: SuperWave(sinus, 52,52), BandPassFilter(1.5kHz, 90%), A(200ms), D/R(1sec), Sust(100%), filt(0)

Preset 4: Formant (26,46,50) Para on, LFO(sin,1.07hz,retrig on), C.E.(120ms, 30ms, 0, 8%), A(4sec), D/R(10s), Sust(100%), Filt(0). Modulations LFO|Wave(59), C.E.|cutoff(100).

08:20 DEMO #3B. MIDI IN (DAW, second version). Now this is WITH automation coming from Ableton. It's pretty easy to set up, so drop me a comment if you want more info about how to do it.

Preset 1 Automations: Wave[Bow](linear sweep), Timbre[Position](sine sweep)

Preset 2 Automations: Wave[Morph](linear sweep), Timbre[Sym](linear sweep), ENV Decay(sine sweep)

Preset 3 Automations: Cutoff(linear sweep)

Preset 4 Automations: Cycling Envelope Amount (triangular sweep)

LINKS

www.arturia.com
www.bastlinstruments.com
www.earthquakerdevices.com