Arturia Introduces the MiniFreak 49

Check with dealers on the right on pricing and availability.

Playlist:

1. MiniFreak 49 | Explore the unconventional | ARTURIA
2. MiniFreak 49 | Playthrough | ARTURIA
3. MiniFreak 49 | Overview | ARTURIA
4. Arturia MINIFREAK 49 is an Absolute BEAST! Sound Demo |No Talking| ⁨@ArturiaOfficial⁩ - Davide Puxeddu and Arturia
5. Arturia MiniFreak 49 - More Control - SonicLAB Presentation - sonicstate
6. MiniFreak 49 vs MiniFreak // There’s nothing mini about it // Review & tutorial - loopop
7. I Called the MiniFreak Synth of the Year in 2023. It Just Grew Up. - Vulture Culture
8. Arturia MINIFREAK 49 — An Almost Perfect Synthesizer - BoBeats
9. The not so Minifreak // Arturia Minifreak 49 - Starsky Carr
10. Arturia MINIFREAK 49 | MUSIC DEMO (No Talking) | Spontaneous SYNTH Patches played by Jalvac 🎹🔥 - FutureMusic.es
11. Arturia MiniFreak 49 Review: Still a Game Changer? - Sineway
12. The New Minifreak 49 Goes Hard! Exploring What Makes it Special - The Midlife Synthesist

Press release follows:

49 full-size semi-weighted keys, expanded panel controls, and a pressure-sensitive XYZ touch matrix bring a new physical dimension to the Freak architecture, while Audio-rate Filter FM and Voice Panning extend its sonic reach - making shaping a patch and playing it feel like the same act.

_Explore the unconventional

Two digital engines. Analog Filters and VCAs per voice. A restless appetite for experimentation. MiniFreak 49 puts the familiar and the unruly within reach, from rich polyphonic textures to fractured rhythms and abrasive harmonics. Play a chord, reach for a control, press into the matrix. Playing a patch is only the beginning.

_Touch, press, transform

The new XYZ touch matrix brings performance, modulation, and navigation onto one surface.

Assign modulation with direct, color-coded feedback, swipe through presets, or watch reactive visualizers follow your playing.

Switch to Freak Control and put the sound under your fingers.

Push a Macro further, tighten the Gate, or use Spice to introduce variation.

Bipolar and vector layouts let you move between contrasting settings and blend across four corners, with pressure adding a third dimension of expression.

_That's not all

Room to play

49 full-size semi-weighted keys with velocity and mono aftertouch give chords, melodic lines, and two-handed performances room to breathe. Aluminum pitch and modulation wheels keep expression under your left hand.

Push every sound further

Audio-rate Filter FM from either engine adds harmonics, grit, and vocal-like textures. Dedicated Type, Wave, Timbre, and Shape controls, plus three selection shortcuts per oscillator, make sound shaping more immediate.

Six voices in stereo

Voice Panning spreads individual voices across the stereo field, adding width to chords and spatial movement to sequences.

MiniFreak 49

Three FX slots, each with a dedicated access button and 13 algorithms, cover everything from chorus and reverb to distortion and vocoder processing.

The Freak architecture

Two digital engines offer 30+ oscillator modes, with algorithms from Arturia, Mutable Instruments and Noise Engineering. Blend their sounds or use Engine 2 to process Engine 1, then shape each voice through its own resonant analog filter.

Shape every step

A 64-step sequencer and four modulation lanes keep notes and timbres in motion. Long-press a step to adjust its length and velocity on the touch matrix. Add arpeggiator ratchets and repeats, or introduce fresh variations with Spice & Dice.

Your Freak in the DAW

Included MiniFreak V brings the hardware’s sound and architecture into your DAW, with preset management and bidirectional control. The MiniFreak 49-compatible version is exclusive to registered MiniFreak 49 hardware owners.

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23 Engines, 407 Sounds! Clipper 1.0 for the M-VAVE FM-1

video upload by PhilipsKnobs

You can find the M-VAVE FM-1 on Amazon. "The creators of SLOOP are back with another custom firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1! CLIPPER 1.0, an experimental firmware that turns the FM-1 into a much deeper polyphonic synthesizer.

With 23 synthesis engines and 407 sounds, Clipper covers everything from classic FM and analogue-style synths to wavetable, vector synthesis, physical modelling, granular sounds, chiptune and much more.

In this video, I'm taking a first look at Clipper, playing some sound demos and having a quick look at the browser-based editor. There's a lot to explore, so this is just a basic overview of what it can do.

CLIPPER 1.0 is experimental. The developer warns that it has had limited testing on the actual FM-1, so expect possible bugs, audio clicks, CPU load issues or storage problems. Back up your projects and sounds before installing, follow the instructions carefully, and proceed at your own risk.

CLIPPER INSTALLATION:
https://isod89.github.io/clipper-fm1/

CLIPPER WEB EDITOR:
https://isod89.github.io/clipper-fm1/..."

The Vector Synth You've Never Heard Of

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"(* I found absolutely no proof for that claim which is repeated throughout a couple of internet synthesizer databases nonetheless.)

Table of contents:

00:00 Demo
02:05 Hi, what's this?
02:36 Technical overview
04:37 Browsing patches
11:57 Mooer Meta FX?
14:50 Accompaniment function
16:19 8-track sequencer
17:59 The vector synth
23:48 Conclusion"

HÄLP ZIS CHANNEL
https://www.patreon.com/floyd_steinberg
https://floydsteinberg.gumroad.com/
https://floydsteinberg.bandcamp.com/"

The Yamaha PSS-790

RMS Custom Synth from the Boston School of Electronic Music - Demo

video upload by Phil Cirocco

"This one-of-a-kind custom made synth was designed and built for the Boston School of Electronic Music by Ron Rivera of ARP Instruments & Aries Synthesizers. We restored this machine to full functionality here at CMS/Discrete Synthesizers. This video has somewhat poor sound, so I was reticent to publish it and I apologize, however I thought it possibly significant that viewers could hear what this incredible machine sounds like. It's huge, one piece front panel is somewhat similar to the 2600 using .141" jacks. It is painted in Blue Marvin blue with a custom silk screen in black. All the circuitry is mounted on vector boards that plug into the back. The Poly-Soloist sits on top."

Terrain Synth: Conductive Labs - Knobcon 2026

video upload by sonicstate

"Since the last coverage, the Terrain Synth now includes a developed patch set, a Favourite section and expanded effects routing. The effects menu offers multiple topologies; previously, the four effects slots ran only in series. The synth also includes FM-style sounds, harmonic and inharmonic processing, overdrive and distortion in some patches, plus a built-in vector synth that sweeps through four voices.

The Terrain engine works like a table-based oscillator, but the sound is traced by complex paths rather than a single wavetable line. Parameters are modulatable, with an LFO and envelope available per parameter. The graphics show the terrain, vector movement and harmonic behaviour directly.

The Kickstarter price is $999 for around six to eight weeks, then retail pricing moves to $1199. Shipping is expected in about six weeks.

More Info:
https://conductivelabs.com
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/..."

THE SYNTH FROM ANOTHER WORLD

video upload by Blush Response

Beetlecrab Vector

Phaseburn One sound demo: everything you hear is one synth [Open Beta]

video upload by Phaseburn Music

"Phaseburn One is a synthesizer built around a phase-locked loop: the main oscillator tracks a reference signal, and whatever you patch into that reference becomes part of the sound. Everything you hear is the plugin on its own, nothing else added.

In the video: the PLL lab, the morphing oscillator and its fold, four step sequencers and four LFOs, the probability sequencer, the mixer and patchbay.

VST3, CLAP, AU and standalone, macOS and Windows, instrument or effect. Free open beta until 15 October 2026.

https://phaseburn.music"

The following is some additional info directly in via Phaseburn Music:

"I want to introduce Phaseburn One, a synthesizer we have been working on for several years, which is now in open beta and free for everyone until 15 October.

The sound is built on a phase-locked loop. One oscillator listens to another and keeps trying to match it, and the interesting part starts where it fails. When it tracks accurately the tone comes out clear and strangely alive, and when the loop is loosened you hear the chase itself: the oscillator catches up with the target, overshoots, breaks off, finds the frequency again, sometimes clinging to a harmonic instead of the note you played. PLLs are not new, they have appeared before as modules and effects, but as far as we can tell nobody has built a whole instrument around one. Four macro dials open the loop by ear, so none of the theory is needed to land somewhere usable.

Three more oscillators sit beside it: Morph, which sweeps between waveform families, a Vector shaping oscillator and a Sub. A transient module can add a click, noise or a metallic edge, or build a kick out of a sine. Around the loop there is a modular patchbay where you draw the cables yourself, a rack of seven effects and a mixer, and almost everything can be modulated from a dedicated section of LFOs and modulation sequencers.

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Korg Wavestation SR Vector Synthesizer Sound Module SN 005674

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this listing

Additional Perfect Circuit listings

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VECTOR does INDUSTRIAL differently

video upload by Tonepusher

"In this video, I explore the Beetlecrab Vector, vector synthesis and why this unusual synth is so interesting for industrial music and sound design. From the Prophet VS and Korg Wavestation to Trent Reznor, Skinny Puppy, and Front 242, we’ll look at the history of Vector Synthesis and see what makes the Vector such a different way to create sounds. If you’re into synthesizers, industrial music, experimental sound design and weird synths...this one’s for you!"

Synth Presets & Samples►https://www.tonepusher.com/

Jeannie 2 Synthesizer - Wavetable MAP

video upload by Rolf Degen

"Jeannie 2 Synthesizer - Wavetable MAP

DIY blog: https://www.sequencer.de/synthesizer/..."

A few things stood out to me:

1. This is a great view of all 256 waveforms in a given wavetable.
2. It's a great view of scanning the waveforms in a given wavetable.
3. And most importantly, what surprised me was the ability to scan along all four axes in any direction. It was always my impression that scanning a wavetable was linear/bidirectional only. This is essentially Vector blended with Wavetable synthesis. Imagine traversing it with a rolling ball or a joystick controler like on the Yamaha TG33.

Hartmann Neuron VS Nuke

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

Additional SYNTH CITY Listings

"A bit of a bizarre piece of history, this Hartmann Nuke brings vector synthesis to a whole new level."

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Unusable Engineering Slot Sequencers | How They Work

video upload by Unusable Engineering

"A walkthrough of the shared slot sequencer system added to all Unusable Engineering effects in version 1.3.0.

Depending on the plugin, the sequencer has four or eight slots. Each slot stores a different set of effect parameters, and the plugin can step or slew between those settings manually, using an internal clock, or in sync with the host.

This video covers:
editing and selecting slots
manual movement between settings
internal and host-clock stepping
Slew in free and clocked modes
copying and pasting slots
randomization
enabling and disabling slots
differences between individual plugins
and a bit of the philosophy behind it"

"Curves & Membranes has also gained a new oscillator mode called Node Mode.

The normal oscillator uses Bézier handles to shape its single-cycle waveform. In Node Mode those handles are replaced by vector points, which changes how the synth sounds and allows much deeper wave folding.

It gives the synth a noticeably more modern and aggressive side while still using the same one-oscillator architecture. Curves & Membranes also got a new Vel->Radius option, where incoming velocity can multiply the radius of its orbital modulators by up to 5x. That makes harder notes introduce more movement rather than just changing level or filter response.

There is also now a preset browser across the full lineup, along with some starting-point presets, version checking and a few smaller workflow and stability improvements.

The updates are free for existing owners and available through the account page: https://www.unusable.net/account/

The two freebies (Binaural Modulator and Cavitation Fractures) have also gotten updated with slot-sequencer, preset-system and some bug fixes.
Product pages and press images are here:
https://www.unusable.net/
https://www.unusable.net/press/

Moog Messenge: 64 Retro Leads. No Talk Sound Demo. Live Jam

video upload by Anton Anru

"'Vintage Solo' is a collection of 64 Lead Patches for Moog Messenger.
The bank of presets includes different colors of lead timbres: soft and punchy, dark and bright, clean and noisy/detuned/lo-fi.
🧬 All sounds are very dynamic: they have Velocity, ModWheel, and Aftertouch assignments.
And, of course, you should play with Envelopes, Oscillators and Filter Parameters to get the best experience of the presets.

📦 The download link: https://antonanru.sellfy.store/p/mess...

🧿 The soundset is universal, these leads are suitable for all genres of electronic music, including Synth-Pop, Retrowave, Electronica, Lounge, Downtempo, Funk, Disco, Pop, IDM, Drum'n'Bass, Breaks, Electro, Ambient, and others.

Performed by Pavel Mikaelyan.

💡 Make sure you are using the latest firmware version.
I added drums and pads to the demos to place
the patches in a musical context.
They are not included in the soundset.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Yamaha SY-22 / TG-33 / SY-35 Expansion Voice Cards

video upload by General Midi Guy ⚡

"These expansion cards are official Yamaha ROM Voice Cards released for the Dynamic Vector Synthesis lineup (SY-22 keyboard, TG-33 desktop module, and SY-35 keyboard). They fit into the front panel DATA CARD slot and expand the internal patch library without requiring external waveform/PCM samples (they utilize the synth’s internal AWM + FM engines).

Stage VC2251W
Vector 1: Stage Selection
64 Voices / 16 Multis
Performance-oriented patches designed for live gigs, punchy leads, brass, bass, and classic synth tones.

Studio VC2252W
Vector 2: Studio Selection
64 Voices / 16 Multis
Atmospheric, studio-oriented textures, ambient moving pads, evolving vector soundscapes, and intricate layers.

Shofuku VC2253W
Vector 3: Shofuku (生福)
64 Voices / 16 Multis
Traditional Japanese instrument simulations, organic soundscapes, experimental vector textures, and ambient layers.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Synapse Audio Proxima 64 Retro Atmospheric Presets Live Demo

video upload by Anton Anru

📻 “VHS Memories” is a collection of 64 atmospheric cinematic presets for Synapse Audio Proxima.
🗂 It includes: 11 Keys, 8 Pads, 11 Strings, 12 Synths, 8 Drones, and 14 Textures.

📺 The soundset draws inspiration from sci-fi movies, retro electronica, cinematic soundtracks, dystopian worlds, urban landscapes, noise ambient albums, experimental modern art, and contemporary sound design.

📦 The download link: https://antonanru.sellfy.store/p/prox...

📼 Built around the concept of imperfection, the collection blends gritty, lo-fi textures with constantly shifting timbres shaped through deep modulations.

💾 The timbral range is wide and diverse, covering dark, noisy, lo-fi, warm, deep, retro/vintage, melancholic, atmospheric, detuned, cold, distant, dull, massive, epic, bright, distorted, metallic, tense, atonal, non-harmonic, FX-like, evolving, and sweeping textures.

🎛 All presets respond to Velocity, affecting volume and brightness.
ModWheel adds expression to the sound through filter opening, detuning, vibrato, or additional movement.

🧿 These patches are versatile and can be used in any genre where a dark atmosphere is essential, such as techno, ambient, IDM, industrial, drum and bass, and others. This collection is also an invaluable resource for soundtrack composers, game developers, audiobook producers, video creators, advertisers, and social media content creators.

💡 Ensure that you are using the latest software version.
To add presets to the collection, open the plugin Browser, click Menu in the upper left corner, then select Import Folder, and specify the folder on your computer.

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Korg Kronos X 88 SN 101459

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

Additional SYNTH CITY Listings

"This Kronos is the perfect tool for live and studio use, with a 16 track sequencer, 9 sound engines and vector synthesis, what more could you ask for? Comes with gator soft case."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Korg Wavestation | Vector Synthesizer | Demo Songs & Sounds

video upload by RetroSound

"Experience the legendary sounds of the Korg Wavestation, one of the most innovative synthesizers ever created. In this video, we take a look of the iconic wave sequencing, vector synthesis, evolving pads, atmospheric textures, and unique digital soundscapes that made the Wavestation a milestone in synthesizer history.

Originally released in the early 1990s, the Korg Wavestation introduced groundbreaking synthesis technology that continues to inspire musicians, producers, and sound designers today. From lush ambient pads and cinematic soundtracks to electronic music and experimental textures, the Wavestation remains a powerful source of inspiration.

In this video, you'll hear a selection of the factory demo tracks, evolving soundscapes, motion textures and classic Wavestation patches that showcase why this synthesizer has become a cult favorite among keyboardists and synthesizer enthusiasts worldwide.

0:06 Demo1
1:02 Demo2
2:30 Demo3
3:29 Demo4
5:00 Demo5
6:04 Demo6


The Korg Wavestation is widely used in ambient music, film scoring, new age, electronic music, synthwave, and progressive rock productions. Its unique ability to create continuously evolving sounds makes it one of the most distinctive digital synthesizers ever produced."

Korg USA Mourns the Passing of Jack Hotop, Legendary Sound Designer and Innovator

Some sad news in via Korg.

You can find posts on MATRIXSYNTH featuring Jack Hotop here for a look back on his influence in the synthesizer community. The first post was a simple pic back in 2006.

Press release from Korg follows:

Over a 40-Year Career, the Influential Synthesist and Accomplished Touring Keyboardist Shaped the Sonic Architecture of More Than 100 Landmark Instruments, Including the Historic M1 Workstation

MELVILLE, N.Y. - Korg USA announces with deep sadness the passing of longtime employee, celebrated sound designer, and musical instrument industry icon Jack Hotop. Joining Korg USA (then Unicord) in 1983, Hotop started as Senior Voicing Manager and spent over four decades driving the development, sound design, programming, voicing, and product demonstrations for more than 100 Korg products. As a pioneering engineer and exceptionally skilled performer, his extensive contributions helped guide the evolution of synthesizers and digital workstations from the early 1980s through the modern era, leaving an indelible imprint on instruments used by musicians around the world and for generations to come.

Hotop’s foundational expertise was anchored in a rigorous musical and technical background. Raised in a musical family, he began piano lessons at age seven, inspired by his father, a musician featured on several Broadway cast recordings, and numerous pianists on his mother’s side. By age 14, he was actively performing in local bands on a Gibson 101 organ. He pursued formal training at the Berklee College of Music, majoring in arranging, composition, and accompaniment, before expanding into emerging music technology at the Boston School of Electronic Music under Roger Powell. It was there that Hotop established his core synthesis fundamentals using early hardware including the ARP Odyssey, 2600, 2500, and EMS Synthi, building a deep understanding of waveforms, envelopes, low-frequency oscillators, and modulators.

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introducing splines

video upload by Þ

"A first tour of the new splines eurorack module by thorn.audio out now.
For more information please visit the manual page at:
://thorn.audio/splines"

This one was sent my way via Meska.

"Splines is a visual vector curve generator in Eurorack format, with a wide frequency range and a built in quantizer, cv scope and cv processing capability.

It can be used in ways similar to a wavetable VCO, LFO, step sequencer or envelope generator.

Onboard quantizer scales, backups and firmware updates are managed as you would use an external USB drive.

It’s a small, shallow, multifaceted addition to any setup, and for touring rigs it can fill many roles in exchange for little space and weight.

in depth.
In the technical sense "splines" are most commonly used in 3d modelling, animation and vector graphics. It's essentially just a way of creating a curved path from one point to another.

In this module, you have up to sixteen user configurable points or nodes which function much like a step sequencer, where the X axis represents time and the Y axis represents voltage.

When the phase(time) reaches the X position of a node, the 1v/oct output changes to the Y position value of that node.

Each of the sixteen nodes also has a configurable trigger setting, determining if the gate output goes high when the phase crosses the X position of the node.

The nodes are connected by a spline and the shape of this spline is determined by three parameters; Tension, Continuity and Bias. The spline output gives you a voltage following this curve.

Tension changes how extreme the curve between the nodes is.

Continuity sets the angle of the spline at the node.

CLICK FOR MORE »

RYK TimeSlice Looper Module New Firmware V1.2 - sound demos and technique tutorials

video upload by RYK Modular

"The New V1.2 Time Slice firmware unleashes some super cool new features including Polyphonic sample playback, Autoslice + Slice marker editing, Morphagene Reels support, and some funky quantised trigger input and output options amongst others . . .

NEW FEATURES LIST:

CLICK FOR MORE »