The Arturia MiniBrute is a

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

manufactured by

Arturia Arturia is a French electronics company founded in 1999 and based in Grenoble, France. The company designs and manufactures audio interfaces and electronic musical instruments, including software synthesizers, drum machines, analog synthesizers ...

. Although the MiniBrute was the first piece of hardware created by Arturia—which had previously exclusively marketed

software synthesizer A software synthesizer or softsynth is a computer program that generates digital audio, usually for music. Computer software that can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed now allow softsynths to accomplish the sam ...

s—it generated strong sales. The MiniBrute takes some cues from vintage monophonic synthesizers, such as the Roland SH-101 and

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

. However, it also incorporates modern technology to increase its versatility, stability and depth of sound. The synthesizer uses a single, highly shapeable

oscillator Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...

, which can be processed through a multimode Steiner-Parker filter and multiple LFOs.

Background

Before releasing the MiniBrute,

was known for its affordable

software synthesizers A software synthesizer or softsynth is a computer program that generates digital audio, usually for music. Computer software that can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed now allow softsynths to accomplish the sa ...

. These were generally faithful software emulations of classic analog synthesizers, such as the Moog 3C and Moog 55. The MiniBrute was the first piece of hardware manufactured by Arturia. Following the 2010 NAMM Show, Arturia CEO Frédéric Brun began to receive word that American customers were interested in small, low-cost analog synthesizers, which were not available at the time. In June 2010, Arturia reached out to synthesizer designer Yves Usson of YuSynth in order to gain insight into the production of analog hardware. Usson designed schematics for the circuitry of the MiniBrute and helped troubleshoot technical problems. The release of the MiniBrute was first announced at the 2012 NAMM Show. There was some uncertainty about whether or not a

monophonic Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

synthesizer would sell well compared to contemporary digital and analog competitors, which were mostly polyphonic. New analog monosynths were not common at the time. Despite this, Arturia invested resources in the unit's build quality and produced a fairly large first run.

Design influences

The MiniBrute uses a single oscillator, which is reminiscent of synthesizers such as the ARP Axxe of the 1970s or Roland SH-101 of the 1980s. Also like the SH-101, the MiniBrute gives the option to mix pure analog waveforms to generate unique shapes. However, at the insistence of hardware designer Yves Usson, Arturia chose to depart somewhat from these vintage synthesizers by using a modern modification of a 12 dB/octave Steiner-Parker multimode filter—like those found in rare

Steiner-Parker Synthacon The Steiner-Parker Synthacon is a monophonic analog synthesizer that was built between 1975 and 1979 by Steiner-Parker, a Salt Lake City-based synthesizer manufacturer. It was introduced as a competitor to other analog synthesizers, like the Mini ...

s—rather than emulating those used in more popular machines, which were often 24 dB/octave to produce a "beefier" effect. The MiniBrute's filter also eliminates the technical limitations of more common filters, which tend to have a single mode. Usson had also considered emulating the

Korg MS-20 The Korg MS-20 is a patchable semi-modular monophonic analog synthesizer which Korg released in 1978 and which was in production until 1983. It was part of Korg's MS series of instruments, which also included the single oscillator MS-10, the ke ...

filter and various others, but ultimately elected to use a filter that was not already widely available in other machines. Usson is known for his DIY work with synthesizers, especially modular synthesizers. This is reflected in some design elements of the MiniBrute. For example, the MiniBrute includes an effect called Brute Factor, which is a form of

overdrive Overdrive may refer to: Organizations * OverDrive, Inc., a digital distributor of entertainment media ** OverDrive Media Console, a media player developed by OverDrive, Inc. * Overdrive PC, a subsidiary of Velocity Micro Technology * Overdrive ...

. It is inspired by the technique of rerouting the

voltage-controlled amplifier A variable-gain (VGA) or voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) is an electronic amplifier that varies its gain depending on a control voltage (often abbreviated CV). VCAs have many applications, including audio level compression, synthesizers and ...

(VCA) output on a Moog Minimoog to be processed through the synthesizer again. However, Brute Factor does not require any patching, as it is built into the MiniBrute. Additionally, Usson has made technical diagrams for the MiniBrute's circuitry available on his website, HackABrute, to encourage users to modify their machines. He has also included proposed modifications that have been tested. However, making modifications to the internal system, including those listed on the site, voids Arturia's product warranty.

Synthesis model

The MiniBrute's single oscillator can be set to sawtooth, pulse (modulatable width),

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, an ...

white noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines, ...

, or any combination of these. The three waveforms each have options for additional wave shaping. Although pulse-width modulation is common for analog synthesizers, the shaping options for the sawtooth and triangle are unique to the MiniBrute. The MiniBrute also includes a sub-oscillator and external signal processing. The oscillator is processed through a multimode 12 dB/octave Steiner-Parker filter. The user can select a low-pass filter, high-pass filter, band-pass filter, or notch filter. Although this filter made the MiniBrute more versatile than its vintage predecessors, Gordon Reid of ''

Sound on Sound ''Sound on Sound'' is an independently owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, a ...

'' was critical of the choice not to emulate a more popular Moog filter. The filter has its own dedicated ADSR envelope generator and can also be modulated by LFO or the modulation wheel. The filter was designed by Usson. The MiniBrute's LFO can be routed to wave shape modulation, filter cutoff, pitch, and amplitude. Various wave shapes are available for the LFO. It can also be synced to the MiniBrute's arpeggiator. The audio output can be reprocessed through the synthesizer using the Brute Factor to achieve an

effect.

Impact

The MiniBrute reintroduced the analog monophonic format for newly produced synthesizers. Although its release posed a risk for Arturia in an uncertain market, the units sold well due to their low price point and relatively high quality. Prior to the release of the MiniBrute, analog synthesizers tended to retail for or more; the MiniBrute entered the market at around , making it more accessible to new users. Nick Batt of Sonic State called the MiniBrute "one of the first of this...new breed of nouveau analog", citing the Korg MS-20 Mini, Korg Volca series, and Novation Bass Station II as others following the trend. Arturia later issued an updated edition of the MiniBrute, the MiniBrute SE, which used an updated design and included a step sequencer.

MicroBrute

Following the success of the MiniBrute, Arturia released the MicroBrute, a smaller analog monosynth, in 2014. The MicroBrute lacks the MiniBrute's velocity and aftertouch and does use a single-knob-per-function model, but adds an analog step sequencer and a small patch bay. Arturia later released an updated edition of the MicroBrute, the MicroBrute SE, which featured an updated Sub-Oscillator and step sequencer design .

MatrixBrute

At the 2016 winter NAMM show, Arturia announced the MatrixBrute, a 3 VCO analog synthesizer based on the MiniBrute. The MatrixBrute includes a Moog-style ladder filter in addition to the Steiner-Parker filter found on the MiniBrute and MicroBrute. Unlike its predecessors, the MatrixBrute is modular; however, it uses a matrix of backlit buttons to represent patches instead of cables.

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite interview, url=http://www.musicradar.com/us/news/tech/meet-the-programmers-arturia-613652 , publisher=MusicRadar , first=Adrien , last=Courdavault , title=Meet the programmers: Arturia , date=19 January 2015 , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/arturia.html , publisher=Bonedo , title=Arturia – Musical Instruments Herstellerprofil , accessdate=6 August 2015 , language=German {{cite web, url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar12/articles/arturia-minibrute.htm , work=

, first=Gordon , last=Reid , title=Arturia MiniBrute: Analog Monosynth , date=March 2012 , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/namm-2012-arturia-minibrute-analogue-synth-announced-524500/ , publisher=MusicRadar , first=Ben , last=Rogerson , date=19 January 2012 , title=NAMM 2012: Arturia Minibrute analogue synth announced , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web , url=http://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/1183/arturia-minibrute/29037 , work=

Keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, title=Arturia MiniBrute , date=18 January 2013 , first=Francis , last=Preve , accessdate=6 August 2015 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801080830/http://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/1183/arturia-minibrute/29037 , archive-date=1 August 2015 , url-status=dead {{cite interview , url=http://www.arturia.com/company/news/artist/interview-yvesusson , publisher=

, first=Yves , last=Usson , interviewer=Arturia , title=Yves Usson Interview , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/minibrute.php , publisher=Vintage Synth Explorer , title=Arturia MiniBrute , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7943bYSdVc , publisher=Sonic State , work=Sonic LAB , title=Arturia MiniBrute Synthesizer- Sonic LAB Review , first=Nick , last=Batt , date=2 July 2012 , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web , url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb14/articles/arturia-microbrute.htm , work=

, title=Arturia MicroBrute , first=Gordon , last=Reid , date=February 2014 , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web , url=http://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/1183/arturia-microbrute-reviewed/29586 , work=

, title=Arturia MicroBrute reviewed , date=15 January 2014 , accessdate=6 August 2015 {{cite web , url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/musikmesse-2014-video-arturia-minibrute-se-analogue-synth-unveiled-595973 , publisher=Music Radar , title=Musikmesse 2014 video: Arturia MiniBrute SE analogue synth unveiled , first=Ben , last=Rogerson , date=12 March 2014 , accessdate=6 August 2015

External links

MiniBrute overview
from Arturia
MiniBrute SE overview
from Arturia
MiniBrute Test Report - GreatSynthesizers
Analog synthesizers Monophonic synthesizers Synthesizers Products introduced in 2012