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MicroFreak

Chapter 10

Scales & paraphony

Lock the keyboard to a scale, play four voices, or stack them in unison.

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In this chapter · 4
  1. 10.1Playing in a scale
  2. 10.2The scale root
  3. 10.3Paraphonic mode and chord mode
  4. 10.4Unison
10.1BasicsManual §15 p.111, §15.1 p.112, §14.1.1 p.95, §14.1.2 p.97

Playing in a scale

The Scale setting works like a filter on the keyboard: pick a scale and every key plays a note from it, so there are no wrong notes. It applies to what you play by hand and to the arpeggiator and sequencer too. With Scale set to off, the keyboard plays all twelve chromatic notes.

Two places to set it

  • Preset — Utility > Preset > Scale changes the scale for the current preset only, and is saved with it.
  • Global — the global Scale setting puts everything you play, every arpeggio and every sequence into that scale. The preset setting’s list also includes global.

Choose a scale for this preset

  1. Press UTILITY.
  2. Turn PRESET to scroll and press it to open Preset, then go to Scale.
  3. Press PRESET to edit the setting.
  4. Turn PRESET to pick a scale, and play.
  5. Save the preset to keep the change (Saving presets).

The scales

ScaleIn the menuNotes, with the root on C
MajormajorC D E F G A B
MinorminorC D E♭ F G A B♭ B
Harmonic minorharmominorC D E F G A♭ B
DoriandorianC D E♭ F G A B♭
MixolydianmixolydianC D E F G A B♭
BluesbluesC D E♭ F G♭ G A♭ A B♭
PentatonicpentaC D E G A

Keys outside the scale are pulled into it. With the major scale on a C root, the black keys each drop a semitone — the key that normally plays C♯ plays C.

Hear the difference

  1. Load a simple sound — the manual suggests template preset 131, keys 2.
  2. Set Utility > Preset > Scale to major and play both white and black keys.
  3. Press ARP | SEQ for the arpeggiator and hold the first, third and fifth notes of the scale from C — a C major chord.
  4. With the Scale menu still open, turn PRESET through the other scales. The third changes as you reach minor, dorian and blues.

From the community

MicroFreak - Firmware Update 2.0 | ARTURIA

Arturia

Official walkthrough of the free firmware 2 update, which added the Noise engine, Chord mode and scale quantisation.

Great Microfreak Feature for Beginners (Scale Mode)

Free Beat

Beginner-friendly look at scale quantisation and root note in the preset settings.

10.2BasicsManual §15.2 p.113, §14.1.1 p.95

The scale root

The root sets which note the scale starts on. Arturia calls it an intelligent transpose: the scale’s pattern of tones and semitones stays the same, so the scale keeps its character in the new key. Move the major scale’s root from C to D and you get D, E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯.

Preset or global

  • Utility > Preset > Root Note changes the root for the current preset only.
  • The global Root Note changes the root for everything you play, arpeggiate or sequence. The scales chapter writes its path as Utility > Misc > Root.
SettingOptions
Root NoteC, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B

From the community

Great Microfreak Feature for Beginners (Scale Mode)

Free Beat

Beginner-friendly look at scale quantisation and root note in the preset settings.

10.3IntermediateManual §3.1.1.2 p.10, §16 p.114, §4.2 p.25

Paraphonic mode and chord mode

The MicroFreak has four voices. Press PARAPHONIC and you can play them independently — chords, or overlapping notes. Every voice goes through the same analog filter, so they share a sound, but unlike most paraphonic synths each voice can have its own volume.

How the voices work

  • Hidden per-voice VCA envelopes shape each voice’s volume together with the main envelope — Arturia calls this extended paraphony.
  • Those voice envelopes are also available in the matrix when the destination is polyphonic, such as the oscillator parameters.
  • The main envelope, pressure, the keyboard and the arpeggiator are polyphonic sources. Route them to Type, Wave, Timbre or Shape and each voice gets its own modulation (The matrix).

Key combinations

PARAPHONIC
Switches paraphonic four-voice playing on or off.
Hold PARAPHONIC + play a chord
Stores the chord and enters chord mode, so each key plays that chord shape.
PARAPHONIC
Leaves chord mode.Chord mode

Play chords from single keys

  1. Press PARAPHONIC; it blinks to show paraphonic mode.
  2. Hold PARAPHONIC and play a chord.
  3. Lift your fingers from the keyboard.
  4. Release PARAPHONIC. It stays on and blinks slowly to confirm chord mode.
  5. Play single keys: each one plays your chord’s interval structure starting from the key you press — play a minor chord in step 2 and every key plays a minor chord.
  6. Press PARAPHONIC again to leave chord mode.

The MicroFreak analyses the intervals of the chord you hold and rebuilds them on each key, so a minor seventh stays a minor seventh wherever you play it. Run it through the arpeggiator for very fast, intricate arpeggios that stay in the current scale (The arpeggiator, Playing in a scale).

From the community

Introduction & Panel Overview | Arturia MicroFreak Tutorial 01

Synth Codex

Despite the title, this upload covers paraphony (shared filter and VCA) and Unison spread, including modulating the spread.

Paraphony & Polyphonic Aftertouch on MicroFreak

Chalk Walk Music

Explains what paraphony means on MicroFreak and how polyphonic pressure works per voice.

10.4IntermediateManual §16.1 p.114, §16.2 p.115, §16.3 p.115, §14.1.1 p.94

Unison

In unison mode the voices play every note together, tuned slightly apart, which makes a much fatter sound. It works with every oscillator type. You set how far apart they are with the spread, from 0.001 up to 12.000 — a full octave.

Key combinations

SHIFT + PARAPHONIC
Switches unison mode on; PARAPHONIC blinks.
Hold PARAPHONIC + turn PRESET
Sets the unison spread, shown on the display from 0.001 to 12.000.Right after SHIFT + PARAPHONIC, with SHIFT released
PARAPHONIC
Switches unison mode off.Unison mode
Hold ASSIGN 1, ASSIGN 2 or ASSIGN 3 + PARAPHONIC
Makes Unison Spread the destination of that Assign column in the matrix.

Switch unison on

  1. Hold SHIFT and press PARAPHONIC.
  2. Let go of SHIFT but keep holding PARAPHONIC.
  3. Turn PRESET to set the spread.
  4. Press HOLD if you want both hands free while you tweak (Key hold).
  5. Press PARAPHONIC to leave unison mode.

Default unison settings, saved with the preset

SettingRangeWhat it does
Utility > Preset > Unison Count2–4How many voices play in unison. All four are used by default; with three, one voice is left free so you can play duophonically.
Utility > Preset > Unison Spread0.001–12.000The preset’s default spread between the voices.

Modulate the spread with the cycling envelope

  1. Load a preset and press SHIFT + PARAPHONIC for unison.
  2. Hold ASSIGN 2 and press PARAPHONIC to make Unison Spread the Assign 2 destination.
  3. Turn MATRIX to the point where the Cycling Env row crosses the Assign 2 column.
  4. Press MATRIX and set the amount to 90.
  5. Press MODE to set the cycling envelope to Env.
  6. Set RISE to 2.5 s, FALL to 150 ms and HOLD/SUSTAIN to 0 ms.
  7. Play, and turn AMOUNT to change how strongly the spread moves.

In Env mode the cycling envelope restarts on every key press and on every arpeggiator or sequencer step, so the detune swells with each note (The cycling envelope).

From the community

  • Once Unison Spread is a matrix destination (hold an Assign button and press PARAPHONIC), route the LFO or Press to it to animate the detune. via SoulBrix on YouTube (18:43)

Livestream | Making music with MicroFreak firmware V3

Arturia

Arturia livestream making music with the firmware 3 additions.

Introduction & Panel Overview | Arturia MicroFreak Tutorial 01

Synth Codex

Despite the title, this upload covers paraphony (shared filter and VCA) and Unison spread, including modulating the spread.