Arturia MiniBrute 2S Review & Hands-On Demo

Here’s a hands-on review of the new Arturia MiniBrute 2S, the keyboardless version of the new MiniBrute 2.

The MiniBrute 2S offers the same dual-oscillator analog synth engine as the MiniBrute 2, but replaces the keyboard with a ‘triple-layered’ step sequencer and arpeggiator section.

This video, via loopop, offers a full overview of the MiniBrute 2S’s patchbay and sequencer, and audio demos of the features of this semi-modular analog synth.

The second video, below, compares the MiniBrute 2 vs the MiniBrute 2S:

Update: Here’s another look at the new new MiniBrute 2S, via BoBeats:

Check out the videos and share your thoughts on the Arturia MiniBrute 2S in the comments!

 

21 thoughts on “Arturia MiniBrute 2S Review & Hands-On Demo

  1. BWAHAHAHA! once again, NO DISPLAY!!! so just like with the circuit and the aira range companies like arturia, novation and roland give a sh*t about user friendliness. i´m sick and tired of it. thanks, korg, for implementing decent sreens into the electribe 2 and 2s.

    1. Huh? I get the complaint about the Circuit because it’s a sampler, but I don’t particularly understand why a synth needs a display?

      Also, just for fun, a list of Korgs with no display:

      Volca FM
      Volca Beats
      Volca Kick
      Volca Sample
      Volca Keys
      Volca Bass
      Minilogue
      Monologue
      MS-20
      Arp Odyssey
      Microkorg (Does the LCD number display count? Since the Minibrute also has one??)

    2. Well, I’ll take a good MIDI implementation allowing to automatize everything from external devices over an internal display at any time. With a good MIDI implementation, you can drive the synthesizer, and reflect its current state on an external display (eg. an iPad), but also, this can evolve easily in the future, and by third parties. Then you’re not bound to the limited user interface and limited display size and readability usually implemented by the synthesizer builder. An important part of it, being that you need different capabilities to make a good hardware or even firmware (it’s done by electronic engineers), and to make a good user interface software (it’s done by software engineers).

      So embedded displays are nice, but I find them and the user interface implemented by the synthesizer builder, rather defective in general. The smart one just go the iPad route from the start (but then you would want to avoid them if they use _undocumented_ interfaces or MIDI Sysex).

    3. Umm. It’s an analog synthesizer with an analog signal path. Unlike digital synths, there are no analog-to-digital chips decoding the value of the knobs. A side-effect is that it’s simply not possible to have a pretty OLED touch display that shows the value of every parameter.

      The lack of digital control also means there’s no patch storage and it’s monophonic.

    4. Wut? The deal with the Minibrute & Microbrute range is that every dial & slider tells you about the sound you’re making. as you’re making it. A screen wouldn’t add anything.

      You’re sick & tired of companies giving shits about user friendliness? Ha! I’ll assume you left out a ‘not’. The purpose of the screens on Electribes is to display info that the dials don’t display (ie- patch name, waveform/sample).

      That and well trolled, volkhard!

  2. Sound demos like this sell it for me, but need more of them to be likely to purchase: https://www.instagram.com/p/BeAwmWXAzU1/

    I was going to comment on the Minibrute 2, saying a desktop module would be nice (don’t care about full-size keys — limited desk space), so this is a welcome announcement. I would still like one without the sequencer if it cut the cost much, though it probably wouldn’t shave that much off considering the cost of the keystep and beatstep.

  3. Excellent unit. But here comes the rant: terrible design choices regarding the color scheme! LOL there’s always something haha Maybe they’ll make a more smooth version (like the colored ‘brutes) Definitely on my list this thang (bad color scheme or not).

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