MIDI, CV & sync

The three outputs

• Pitch — a control voltage for external oscillators. By default it follows 1 V per octave: play an octave and the module plays an octave.
• Gate — triggers external envelopes and other devices.
• Pressure — sends either pressure or velocity, depending on Utility > Preset > Press mode.
• Play the keyboard in paraphonic mode while a sequence runs and the keys take priority at the outputs.

Play a modular system

1. 1Patch Pitch to an oscillator’s pitch input and Gate to an envelope’s gate input.
2. 2Check the voltage standards your gear expects and set Utility > CV/Gate > Pitch format and Gate format to match.
3. 3Play the keyboard or start a sequence (The sequencer).

CV/Gate settings (global)

Pitch formats

1V/Oct

One volt per octave, over 0–10 V. The default, and the most widely used standard — Eurorack and many others.

Hz/V

For systems where one volt changes the pitch by a fixed number of hertz rather than by a fixed musical interval.

1.2V/Oct

The Buchla standard.

Sync settings (global)

Sources and formats

• USB is the MicroFreak’s built-in MIDI interface, for a computer; MIDI is the MIDI input on its 5-pin DIN adapter.
• The clock jacks handle 24 pulses per quarter note, 48 ppq, 2 ppq, or a single pulse per step (One step).
• In the MIDI Control Center the source is called MIDI clock source, with the options USB, MIDI and Sync (MIDI Control Center).

Typical set-ups

• To play a drum machine that listens on channel 10, set Output chan to 10.
• To respond only to a controller such as a BeatStep Pro sending on channel 2, set Input chan to 2.
• For a DAW, match the MIDI track’s channel to the MicroFreak — for example, Input chan 1 to play back the DAW’s track and Output chan 2 to record what you play.
• The MicroFreak is a USB class-compliant controller, so a plain USB cable connects it to a computer. Gear with 5-pin MIDI connects through the grey TRS-to-DIN adapters.
• Eurorack modules can be played over MIDI through a module that converts MIDI to pitch and gate.

Tutorial: control Arturia’s MINI V

1. 1Set Utility > MIDI > Output chan to 4.
2. 2Connect the MicroFreak to the computer by USB and open the MINI V, standalone or in your DAW.
3. 3In the MINI V, set the MIDI channel at the bottom right to 4 (V Collection instruments receive on all channels by default).
4. 4Open the Arturia menu at the top left, choose Audio MIDI settings and select the Arturia MicroFreak under MIDI devices.
5. 5Click the MIDI symbol at the top right; the MINI V’s knobs turn red or purple.
6. 6Click the MINI V’s Cutoff Frequency knob, then turn CUTOFF on the MicroFreak — the MINI V’s cutoff follows.

Tutorial: play VCV Rack

1. 1Connect the MicroFreak to the computer by USB and open VCV Rack — its demo patch is all you need.
2. 2In the MIDI-CV module in the first position, change computer keyboard to Core MIDI and no device to Arturia MicroFreak.
3. 3In the Audio-8 module, change no device to your system’s audio output.
4. 4Play: the MicroFreak’s keyboard, arpeggiator and sequencer now drive VCV Rack’s oscillator, and velocity drives its envelope.

With local control off

• The keyboard and panel controls are still sent over MIDI, but they no longer affect the sound engine — on its own, the MicroFreak seems dead.
• There is no double triggering, or “MIDI echo”: notes you play reach the engine once, after a round trip through the sequencer.
• In a DAW you hear the MicroFreak while its track is selected, because the DAW sends the MIDI back. Select another track and you can play that instrument from the MicroFreak without it playing along.
• The MicroFreak can play back recorded MIDI while you play other instruments from its keyboard and controls.

What you can do with it

• Control the parameters of MIDI-only synths from the MicroFreak’s panel, as well as playing their notes.
• Link the MicroFreak’s knobs to plug-in knobs with MIDI learn — every Arturia V Collection instrument has it — even several plug-ins at once.
• Control the MicroFreak from a modular system through a CV-to-MIDI module such as the Befaco VCMC.
• Select Speech oscillator words remotely (Speech oscillator words and CCs).

Tutorial: drive a VCV Rack envelope from the cycling envelope

1. 1Set up VCV Rack as in the second tutorial in MIDI channels and computers, so the MicroFreak plays its oscillator and ADSR.
2. 2Click an empty space in the rack, type midi in the module browser and add the MIDI-CC module.
3. 3Change its no device to Arturia MicroFreak. The module has 16 CC fields, numbered 0–15, each with a patch output below.
4. 4Click the first field — the 0 turns into a dash — and turn RISE. The field learns the CC that RISE sends.
5. 5Do the same with FALL, HOLD/SUSTAIN and AMOUNT in the next three fields.
6. 6Patch outputs one to four to the ADSR’s Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release CV inputs.
7. 7Press ARP | SEQ, play a chord and turn the cycling envelope’s knobs — the ADSR follows (The cycling envelope).

• The arpeggiator/sequencer rate and the LFO rate each have two CCs: one for the free rate and one for the synced rate.
• CC 64 toggles keyboard hold (Key hold).
• Knobs only send CCs while Utility > MIDI > Knob send CCs is on.
• On the Speech oscillator, CCs 10, 12 and 13 pick categories, timbre and words (Speech oscillator words and CCs).