New MiniBrute Videos; Supply issues are "nearly solved"

It appears that Arturia has finally cracked the supply issue that's left so many preorders unmet.  Apparently the cause of so many of the delays was a move to a new plant-- so hopefully this is the end of the incredibly long waiting times.  Years from now, there will be eBay auctions for "original factory" MiniBrutes, or "later edition"...

Also, check out new videos they've released above and below.  The above shows some inspiring looping, and the cool drum sounds possible with the MiniBrute.


Here's Arturia's official note:

Korg to announce a new product on 9/4. Will it be a MiniBrute competitor?

Via Matrixsynth

While the above are only renders, Korg is set to announce a new product on September 4th.  Because the MiniBrute is selling so well and no retailer can keep it in stock, could Korg be finally stepping in to capitalize on some fans who are tired of waiting?

Roland is also set to announce a new instrument tomorrow, but due to the company's track record with new analogs, it seems unlikely.  But again, perhaps the temptation of seeing companies do well will open their mind.

The above renders are an unlikely but awesome reality, so let's hope we get something close to that.

Pro Tools Expert's Review of the Arturia MiniBrute

"Russ gets his hands on the Arturia analogue synth and takes it for a spin.

See and hear what he thinks of this little baby."

Here's a lengthy review of the new MiniBrute.

Minibrute Jam 7/28/12

Here's a video that shows off some great sounds of the Arturia MiniBrute courtesy of Keith Handy on Vimeo.  Check it out!

MiniBrutes hit consumer's hands, Finally

After months of desperate questioning of Arturia and local music shops, synth heads are finally plugging in their new Arturia MiniBrutes this past week (at least, in the USA).  Various posts from around the web confirm the excitement, and people seem to be impressed.  There's also been a fair collection of new YouTube videos being uploaded.  A few are below.

Well, was it worth the wait?  Are people happy?  Early reports seem to be a resounding "yes".  Future Music recently ran a review claiming it was well worth the price.  The few complaints I've seen on the net seem to be the external power supply is shoddy, it has a few missing buttons for features (that can only be accessed by computers) and that there are slight issues with software, but nothing that seems to deal breaker for anyone.

Check out the videos below, and be on the lookout for more posts on the MiniBrute.

 

Artist & ARTURIA #17 - Jean-Benoît Dunckel (AIR) meets the Arturia MiniB...

"We had the great pleasure to meet Jean-Benoit Dunckel, one half on the talented french electronic duo AIR and early fan of MiniBrute, for a live improvisation and a video interview !"
via Arturia on YouTube

Arturia MiniBrute Waveforms

Here's a nice little demo from Audio Central Magazine demonstrating what the waveforms of the Arturia Minibrute look like on a oscilloscope.  It offers a nice demonstration of what the features like the metalizer, super saw, and brute factor do exactly.  At this point, this synth seems like it could be a big hit for every producer, not only for its unique features, but also its low price of $500 USD.

Sweetwater shows off the Arturia Minibrute

A nice demo by Sweetwater Sound of the Arturia Minibrute.  I haven't heard that anyone has received theirs yet, but it sounds like this thing is going to be a hit.

Is 2012 the start of the Analog Synthesizer Renaissance?

This has been on my mind for a few weeks, and I've wanted to post on it.  With all the recent announcements of newer and cheaper analog synths like the Waldorf Pulse 2, Moog Minitaur, and Arturia MiniBrute, analog synths are once again widely available and musicians have a diverse selection.  Korg also notably released a Facebook mini-survey asking what users liked most about the Monotribe (Korg, if it isn't obvious, it's the fact that it's cheap, great sounding analog equipment!)  This definitely hints that more is planned from the analog realm for them.  Before this year, there wasn't quite as great of a selection.  Not to discredit the Dave Smith Mopho and Moog Little Phatty, but those synths pretty much gave two options: a cheap, few knob module, or an expensive (albeit more affordable than, say, a Voyager) proper mono keyboard, at least until the Mopho Keyboard was released.  While these are both outstanding pieces of hardware, the lack of variety was a bit of a downer considering every music company had a signature analog synth 20 years ago.  Anyone new to the synth world would have to put down quite a bundle to properly learn analog synthesis, or take a gamble on a retro keyboard from a shady eBayer that may not last.

4 Reason Why Synths Without Memory are a Good Thing

A recent trend set forth by two of the new analogs from NAMM is the lack of presets.  Presets, as you know, are when a synthesizer is able to store specific settings to make a sound digitally.  Presets and memory have been pretty standard since the 80s, yet these two brand new synths are bucking the classic trend for a cheaper price tag.  The Arturia Minibrute and Moog Minitaur sport menu and memory free interfaces with knob-per-function sound creation.  I know you'll miss calling on your old favorite presets, but here's 4 reasons why memory-free synths are good for our generation.

The MiniBrute: Has Arturia stolen the NAMM 2012 show already?