Arturia MiniBrute 2s Alternative?

[MrWriter]

Are you really planning to do that without a keyboard?!

Yup. I have a Nord Lead A1 and an Arturia Keylab MKII already. I don't want a keyboard for the sound design stuff as I plan on popping down a sequence and looping it while doing the knob twiddling.

[MrWriter]

you’re going to need a keyboard of some sort, if you want a module.

I have a Nord Lead A1 and an Arturia Keylab MKII already.

[MrWriter]

Well, I thought I was shooting from the hip, but I did at least read MrWriter’s posts:

Logic and a Nord Lead A1 synth are my main tools

He has a keyboard, he wants a module

Actually, since you say you want something on your knee to build bass, lead and pads, I’ll throw in the Roland JD-Xi. Yes, a mini keyboard, but it might as well be a module. I wouldn’t say Moog-style basses, but a very competent synth sound set. The sequences can be up to 128 notes (4x32 steps) and it has some limitations (especially in detailed sound editing without a MIDI controller or patch editor) but a competent all-round ideas machine - if you like time signatures that can only be divided by 4!

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/roland-jdxi

Since the review, it has had a useful firmware update including ‘interactive chord’ and transpose functions. Got mine a week ago and I’m liking it very much.

That would almost have done it, but if I was to get something with keys built in it would definitely have to be full size synth keys as I can't stand those micro size keys. A desktop version of this – yes please

[MrWriter]

Leaning towards the Roland SH-4d, not sure the Hydrasynth desktop has a good enough built-in sequencer as I don’t see the usual 16 buttons on it so there might be something there, but stripped back.

[BillB]

SH4D is probably more competent, sonically. JDXi is relatively simple and immediate. If you are prepared to consider programming sequences with buttons, you could equally consider the mini keys to be buttons with velocity - that’s pretty much what they are.

Quite a few of us here would like to see a 37 full key knobby multi-timbral workstation… it has never existed and seems like a fairly obvious form factor for people on the go or on the sofa!

[MrWriter]

SH4D is probably more competent, sonically. JDXi is relatively simple and immediate. If you are prepared to consider programming sequences with buttons, you could equally consider the mini keys to be buttons with velocity - that’s pretty much what they are.

Quite a few of us here would like to see a 37 full key knobby multi-timbral workstation… it has never existed and seems like a fairly obvious form factor for people on the go or on the sofa!

That makes sense, however, the Roland JDXi is still limited to 4/4 for sequences, and basis sequences from what I understand on here?

[adrian_k]

…..

That makes sense, however, the Roland JDXi is still limited to 4/4 for sequences, and basis sequences from what I understand on here?

I’m not sure that’s true, I have one of these and I thought I had seen a menu option to switch to 3/4, but I’m a guitarist so what do I know. Not able to check until the weekend unfortunately.

(Edit) Ignore me, I just looked at the manual, I think I was thinking of using triplets, which you can do.

[merlyn]

Three bars of 4/4 is twelve beats which is the same as four bars of 3/4. So 3/4 could be done by working in blocks of three bars of 4/4. The bar numbers wouldn't apply, which may be a pain.

[Arpangel]

Arturia are offering a deal on their stuff right now, I’m sure a tablet or a small laptop would give you all you need, you can choose from many sequencers, plus you’ve got the Moog Mini V3
Just thought I'd mention it.

https://www.arturia.com/company/press/ ... imitedtime

[MrWriter]

Arturia are offering a deal on their stuff right now, I’m sure a tablet or a small laptop would give you all you need, you can choose from many sequencers, plus you’ve got the Moog Mini V3
Just thought I'd mention it.

https://www.arturia.com/company/press/ ... imitedtime

True. Ok, the situation is I already have an Apple laptop with Arturia Analog Lab and I have a load of their software synths too, including the Mini V3, and I have an Arturia Keylab MK2.

The reason I want a small desktop synth is to compose basslines and cool synth lead riffs etc while just sitting on the couch with a cup of tea hence I don't want a laptop and midi keyboard as it is too much to just dump on my lap and have a mess about with. Then if I come up with cool stuff I'll take desktop synth to my music room and USB it up to Logic and transfer sequences across onto tracks.

It's all about the portability for creative purposes while getting another synth to add more sounds to my creative process.

[sonics]

Why not use a tablet PC or iPad?

[MrWriter]

Why not use a tablet PC or iPad?

I want traditional tactile knobs and sliders – just feels better and more organic. Call me old-fashioned

[sonics]

Understood, old-fashioned!

You could plug a controller into an iPad. It would be a really nice portable setup...

[ajay_m]

And one of these to go with the tablet https://www.juno.co.uk/products/keith-m ... 858056-01/
It has a sequencer built in. They are neat little keyboards, really tiny but support polyphonic aftertouch.

[BillB]

…..

That makes sense, however, the Roland JDXi is still limited to 4/4 for sequences, and basis sequences from what I understand on here?

I’m not sure that’s true, I have one of these and I thought I had seen a menu option to switch to 3/4, but I’m a guitarist so what do I know. Not able to check until the weekend unfortunately.

(Edit) Ignore me, I just looked at the manual, I think I was thinking of using triplets, which you can do.

There can be 1,2, or 4 Measures of 8th note triplets, 16th notes, or 32nd notes. So no funky synth versions of ‘Take 5’ here!

I did give this limitation some thought before buying, but decided to embrace its simplicity. If I want more complex time signatures, there is always the DAW.

[MrWriter]

…..

That makes sense, however, the Roland JDXi is still limited to 4/4 for sequences, and basis sequences from what I understand on here?

I’m not sure that’s true, I have one of these and I thought I had seen a menu option to switch to 3/4, but I’m a guitarist so what do I know. Not able to check until the weekend unfortunately.

(Edit) Ignore me, I just looked at the manual, I think I was thinking of using triplets, which you can do.

There can be 1,2, or 4 Measures of 8th note triplets, 16th notes, or 32nd notes. So no funky synth versions of ‘Take 5’ here!

I did give this limitation some thought before buying, but decided to embrace its simplicity. If I want more complex time signatures, there is always the DAW.

Ok, I looked into the Roland JDXi a bit more and it won't work for me as there are no ADSR controls on it. I need traditional synth tactile controls.

Like some folk have mentioned already on here, there's a gap in the market for what I want

[Arpangel]

A small multitimbral analogue style sound module with a decent sequencer? What? in this age of "anything is possible" and "equipment isn’t the barrier to creativity" it's actually quite unfathomable that you cant get what you you want.
If you wanted a box that made sounds that no one in the known universe had heard, played using aerials made out of Egyptian gold from a mummy’s tomb, complete with built in AI, you’d have no problem.

[BillB]

Ok, I looked into the Roland JDXi a bit more and it won't work for me as there are no ADSR controls on it. I need traditional synth tactile controls.

Agreed, that is its single biggest weakness as a synth. ADSR is in the menu or available by CC (to some extent), NRPN or Sysex, but not on the front panel. A typical (of late) Roland weird decision. They could even have improved it with, say, Shift + Envelope knob = Attack, but no, one knob to rule them all, rather badly. I still think it’s a great package, but with some odd limitations.

[ajay_m]

Well there *is* the Seqtrak of course. I have one. It's a quirky but surprisingly powerful little box with two AWM instrument tracks and a 4 op DX synth built in (so definitely multi-timbral, and the sound library is actually quite remarkably good, with something like a couple of thousand patches if I recall). Then the remaining tracks are dedicated to the rhythm parts, each of which can be pulled from one of the AWM sounds or a user-defined sample (or indeed a sample from a substantial number of free Yamaha expansion kits you can download for it)

It does support weird and wacky polyrhythms so each sequencer track can be a different length, with probability and racheting as well.
BUT
Controlling it via its inbuilt buttons and knobs and whatnot takes a bit of practice. It does come with trainer wheels though in the shape of an app for Android, iOS and Windows, that lets you control it from a proper UI.

It also bristles with effects, and as I recall you can in fact put an entirely different effect (reverb, distortion etc etc) on every track so there is a heck of a lot of horsepower inside it. The three touch slider controls are fully remappable too so there is quite a bit of 'hands on' realtime control available. (I count 17 rotary encoders, three sliders, 20 odd momentary action buttons and a further 24 little (non-velocity sensitive) trigger keyswitches).

With a built-in mic and battery you could just sit it on your lap and play with it, it is a fun little device. Some quirks but Yamaha have received quite a lot of constructive comments on their forum and appear to actually pass them to engineering, so who knows what we might see in a future firmware update; there's already been one since the device was released, which is encouraging.

[MrWriter]

Well there *is* the Seqtrak of course.

No good, no ADSR controls, no physical controls etc. I need all the traditional synth buttons, physically laid out LFO, VCO, FILTERS, ADSR, VCO 2 etc.

[sonics]

Did you already discount the Korg modwave and wavestate? The Modal Argon or Cobalts?

[MrWriter]

Did you already discount the Korg modwave and wavestate? The Modal Argon or Cobalts?

Yes. I'd prefer no keyboard and if it has to have keys they have to be full size synth keys, not the slim or micro ones. Also has to have decent sequencer and be polyphonic.

[sonics]

Did you already discount the Korg modwave and wavestate? The Modal Argon or Cobalts?

Yes. I'd prefer no keyboard and if it has to have keys they have to be full size synth keys, not the slim or micro ones. Also has to have decent sequencer and be polyphonic.

You mean you've discounted them all for other reasons? All four module versions have no keyboard. All four 3-octave versions have full-size keys. They are all polyphonic and have sequencers. What have I missed?

[BillB]

Did you already discount the Korg modwave and wavestate? The Modal Argon or Cobalts?

Yes. I'd prefer no keyboard and if it has to have keys they have to be full size synth keys, not the slim or micro ones. Also has to have decent sequencer and be polyphonic.

You mean you've discounted them all for other reasons? All four module versions have no keyboard. All four 3-octave versions have full-size keys. They are all polyphonic and have sequencers. What have I missed?

MrWriter said pretty early on, he was looking for a multi-timbral unit - do any of the Korgs fit that definition?

[sonics]

The OP started by mentioning the MiniBrute 2S, which isn't even polyphonic!
So...
The Korg modwave has 32-voice polyphony, with over 200 wavetables, each having up to 64 waveforms. Programs have two oscillators and a sub, and can be layered.
The Korg wavestate has 64 stereo voices, and 4 layers.
The Argon8 is 8-voice polyphonic, with 4 oscillators per voice.
The Cobalt8 is 8-voice polyphonic, with up to 8 oscillators per voice, with a nice analog-style filter or two (31, actually)!

These are all really powerful synths, available in either of the formats that the OP is interested in, and quite capable of creating the sounds that the OP wants, I think, namely:

Must be able to do ‘Moog-like’ bass lines, synth leads, pads etc.

and

Also, would probably prefer a digital model rather than analogue for the multi-timbral and polyphony etc.

Hence my vote would be for the Cobalt, or the modwave. They go places the MiniBrute 2S can only dream about...