The art
of sound design
Each emulation is a feat of analog circuit modeling, but that's not all. Each synth and keyboard is faithfully brought to life with the incredible work and imagination of our sound designers.
Drawing upon expertise from the most talented musicians, producers, and sound designers around, the original sounds of MiniBrute have been resurrected and recast with expanded polyphony and FX options in mind - both honoring its raw monosynth DNA and pushing the envelope of what's possible.
On this page, we pay tribute to the amazing sound designers who helped create the signature sounds of MiniBrute V, and give you an insight into their creative process.
Creamy Lead
Davide Puxeddu
My favorite preset is Creamy Lead as it is characterized by an extremely warm and creamy but at the same time very effective sound. It can be used to create interesting riffs but also for a great solo, where the only protagonist is the person who performs it. I find it really a sound that fully reflects the peculiar characteristics of the Minibrute! Fat and Ultra Powerful.
Davide Puxeddu - on MiniBrute V
Finding the sound of the Minibrute, one of my most trusted synthesizers, but in a virtual format, is a significant plus for my way of working. In fact, I often work while traveling, on trains, on planes and so on. And always having the opportunity to use the wickedness of the Minibrute for my work, but in a steroid format and with additional functions is truly fantastic!
Basically I don't have a standardized method when I do sound design work. I typically follow the instinct and sensations that the instrument I'm working on gives me. It's really a matter of emotions and inspiration. Naturally then I try to make the most of the possibilities and potential of the instrument to achieve what I have in mind. Another important thing is that being a musician, I always keep in mind that everything I create in terms of sound design has to be playable. I believe this is an essential characteristic in my work. Another case is if I have a specific target to follow. In this case, the goal is always to create fantastic sounds but which fit, for example, into a certain musical genre. Here too, however, many of the choices I make are dictated by sensations.
Do You Even PWM
Diego Tejeida
Do You Even PWM is one of my favorite presets on the MiniBrute V. It exposes how powerful its PWM is; there's no way to hear this sound and not be mesmerized by the depth and musicality of it!
Diego Tejeida - on MiniBrute V
As a MatrixBrute power user, I can attest that the MiniBrute V truly captured the character, behavior, and versatility of the VCOs. The analog version has a very responsive sound that produces dramatically different results by changing the waveform levels on the mixer settings in combination with the Brute Factor. The MiniBrute V captured this feature perfectly. Additionally, the PWM and Ultrasaw modulation sound like no other instrument out there. As a whole, the simplicity of its architecture and GUI lets you focus and explore all the details that make a big difference.
As I mentioned, the simplicity of its GUI and architecture invite you to explore in-depth all the features this instrument has. I came up with organic, moving sounds that have loads of character. These sounds were made by exploring all of the possibilities its straight-to-the-point architecture offers.
Small Reflection
Simon Gallifet
This bass preset was inspired by a Clark soundtrack. I think it brings out the fatness of the filter when the Brute Factor is engaged.
Simon Gallifet - on MiniBrute V
Like the hardware version, the Minibrute is an excellent synth for beginners in subtractive synthesis. It's easy to get to grips with. from the addition of 4 Fx slots, the functionalities are those of the original hardware, with no superfluous features. This allows you to explore the synthesizer in depth, exploiting the vast majority of its features. The plug-in version provides an ideal rendering of the unique metalizer sound quality and the typical MiniBrute filter color.
I have two different approaches in sound design: On the one hand, I work on the reproduction of existing track presets, so that I'm never short of ideas. I am also sure that the presets are inspiring and can be used in tracks. On the other hand, I build a preset using a specific feature to explore the synth's specificities and bring out its sonic uniqueness. This type of preset also appeals to users wishing to learn by deconstructing the sound - with an understanding of all its subtleties.
Ocean Trips
Solidtrax
Ocean Trips is the one that sparked me to create a demo and makes use of the beauty of the MiniBrute's digital counterpart: polyphony!
Solidtrax - on MiniBrute V
To me, the strength of this instrument lies in its clear layout. It's truly a case of less is more. The Brute Factor, the poly settings, and the effects make it easy and great fun to create really interesting textures.
When Arturia asked me to work on a virtual counterpart of the MiniBrute I remembered playing with the silver SE version that got displayed at the Musik Messe in Frankfurt. My goal was to craft a well-balanced set of sounds, featuring smooth and gritty sounds. I've tried to create interesting poly sounds that you wouldn't get out of the original hardware without sampling it. To be honest, most sounds were created by just having fun with it!
Miami Palms
NPTN
My favorite preset is also one of the simplest. Miami Palms is a detuned saw with long release a tiny drop of sub square wave, a bit of resonance, and lots of reverb and delay. When I'm listening to this sound, I can feel the warmth of the sun, the reflects on the sea and the shadows of the palms running on the car along the beach.
NPTN - on MiniBrute V
The MiniBrute V allows you to rediscover the raw and powerful character of the original analog synthesizer, while taking advantage of the breadth of digital possibilities, easily adding effects and recalling your favorite patches. It's one of the best synths for learning subtractive synthesis, and it's a go-to for quick analog as it's keeping its model simplicity.
I often start with a particular idea of a sound in mind that I try to recreate. During creation, there are always happy accidents that give new ideas, new perspectives. Being a fan of long and lush atmospheres, I always start with a simple sound, which I complexify with modulation and effects, until I got the desired atmosphere.
My Friend Jupiter
Torcrafter
Having gone through all the presets, my favorite is My Friend Jupiter. It's versatile, sits well in the mix and with other sounds, but also stands on its own two feet as the centrepiece of a breakdown section.
Torcrafter - on MiniBrute V
The Minibrute feels like it has only sweet spots. You can turn knobs at random and still end up with a powerful, usable sound. The Steiner-Parker filter imparts its own timbre that you cannot get with other instruments, and the Brute Factor transforms the sound from subtle bass boost to full-on screaming tones. It's deceptively simple, which makes it very approchable and fun to play with.
For the presets, it really came down to letting myself be transported wherever the synth would take me. Even without inspiration you're just a few knobs away from getting something inspiring that you can turn into a finished sound, and those sounds then inspired me to make more sounds, and more music.
Daydream Fields
Goncalo Bernardo
Daydream Fields is a bloom for minimal music, triggering bubble - like sounds through filtering. I believe it’s perfect for introverted artists who love bright drone music, or punctual atmospheric / ambient compositions into and out of random stepped modulations - which can be used for any sound design purposes. As the name states, it puts the listener into a dreamy electronic ambient field of sonic punctuations.
Goncalo Bernardo - on MiniBrute V
I’d consider MiniBrute V a great candidate for textural explorations, thanks to the auditory strength of the Brute Factor. The possibilities for “beautiful mistakes” and character changes are quite extensive, and the intuitive workflow allows for impressive textural inconveniences. Having developed it with an amazing team helps me understand it’s in fact a very faithful recreation of an iconic piece of hardware.
When mapping out my array of sounds, I wanted to make sure I explored the sharp filter envelopes and Brute Factor, testing the boundaries of the plugin with a high resonance. The LFO minimally modulates both metalizer and filter, creating some variety in texture, with each cycle. Finally, pairing the patch with some post-FX processing and fine-tuning, and the results become quite unforeseen.
Brute Pad
Karotz
Brute Pad, my first preset ever
Karotz - on MiniBrute V
I've always loved the sound of the MiniBrute and the textures you can create by using the Brute Factor. By simply mapping the keyboard to the filter cutoff and turning the Brute Factor toward its maximum, you have easily access to the noise library. Just increase the level of the triangle metalized wave and you're done.
The objective of this sound is to reproduce to the noisy character of the MiniBrute. I decided to create a pad with a slow envelope applied to the cutoff and to the vca, in a way that both the filter and the distortion raised slowly, for a cinematic drone ambient sound.