Arturia MatrixBrute Analog Synthesizer

I purchased the MB approximately 41/2 years ago. Up until now, I have been very happy with it and gave it 4 stars when I first reviewed it. Now when I put it in PANEL mode, all three oscillators drift up, down, and back up again by about a quarter step every 2.5 seconds. Factory presets as well those I created myself work fine, telling me the analog circuitry is working. They only drift in PANEL mode Unfortunately, there is NO customer support. You cannot call anyone, and IF you even get a response to your email, it will take several days. After a month of meaningless replies, they today sent me an email saying, since the ticket has been open for over 20 days, the problem must be solved. Really?

I use for Electronic music but it can be used for other music as well.

I play piano and I've been using virtual instruments (VST) for a few years. I wanted to buy an analogue synth that had a "knob per function" and no menu-diving. I looked at a lot of different synths and at first I decided on the Minibrute. I took it hope and really liked it but I wanted more capabilities and functions, so I upgraded to the Matrixbrute. All I can say is this this is AWESOME. It's very easy to navigate and program, and the sound is awesome. I feel like I get the benefits of having a modular synth in a well-built package, but with the ability to save presets and not have to bother with patch cables. The paraphonic mode and the duo mode extend the functionality enough that I can play chords and splits even. So it really is just everything I could possibly want in my first synth. I can't recommend it highly enough!

I'm 65 years old and was highly influenced by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I also learned of and was involved with synthesizers from the very beginning. I built an early PAIA system, own a Mini-Korg, and ultimately acquired an ARP 2600 (very nice) which I regrettably sold. Ever since, I have been longing for another modular synthesizer. When the Matrixbrute came along, I was highly skeptical. However, I was intrigued because it claimed to have a Moog-style "ladder" filter. This was instrumental in giving Emerson's Moog the huge - fat - sound that I loved and wanted. (The ARP did not have this quality) The Matrixbrute also claimed to have the same kind of routing, or "patching", capability as a truly modular system. When I was finally able to lay my hands on one, I quickly learned that their claims were correct. First and foremost, I wanted to be able to duplicate all of the sounds and textures that I had heard from ELP, and so far this instrument has not disappointed. It does take some getting used to and lots of tweaking, but the sounds ands effects are there. The only peculiarity is that it uses digital circuitry to control analog circuitry. However, this is what allows you to save any sound that you have built so, even though it's a little squirrely, it's acceptable. BTW, to save a patch, you must first turn off the PROTECT switch on the back of the unit. And this brings me to my only complaint: the lack of support. I followed the instructions in the manual to save a preset, and it wouldn't accept it. When I got on line, I discovered there was no contact phone number. I had to fill out a lengthy and cumbersome email form. They came back a couple of days later essentially parroting what the manual said. I replied that that had worked, but got no response. A couple of days later I sent yet another email. Finally, someone provided me with the aforementioned tidbit, and I was able to save my patch (Lucky Man) to a preset. Have fun.

I've had mine for about a month now, and I have to say that this is one of the most versatile and intuitive synthesizers on the market right now. The build quality is stellar on it, including all the knobs, faders, chassis and key bed. The Mod Matrix is one of the coolest innovations to hit the monosynth industry, it's super easy to use and makes modulation really easy and clean. Plus the assignable modulation destinations allow for even more customization. Also, the sequencer is also one of the greatest features on this thing. 64 steps is way more than enough and the ability to add modulation to each step is pretty awesome as well. My only two gripes about this synth are: the analog effect section leaves a little to be desired, and the oscillators don't have a sine wave. Good thing is both of these issue are easily bypassed as the sub-oscillators can produce a sine wave, which can be tuned up using VCO coarse tuning, and the output stage features a mono output so that you can run your own effects separate from the synth. All in all, the Matrixbrute is the one to beat. It can do everything and sound like anything. And for almost $2000 less than anything that could be compared to it, it is frankly a no brainier.

This synth is really great. I pre-ordered it nearly a year ago and I've had it for about a month now. I see a lot of comments regarding build quality and I'd like to dispel those. This thing is a brick. This is my first Arturia hardware product, and while I've heard not so great things about their previous products, the build quality is actually quite good. None of the knobs are wobbly -- the are extremely solid. The faders are very slightly wobbly sometimes may appear crooked, but it does not affect their feel much at all. They do not feel like they would break very easily, but they do indeed feel lesser than the knobs. But don't let that discourage you! They work very nicely. The sounds this synth can produce are quite great. Brute Factor is my favorite feature so far. Adding just a hint of it spices up any sound and gives it an amazing character. I use a tiny bit of Brute Factor in almost every sound I make. Too much and it sounds gnarly and distorted, and beyond that, quite unpleasing. But a hint of it makes any sound much better. Another great feature is the effects section. The analog effects can go from subtle and harmonious to alien and out of this world. I very often run sound from my DAW into the synth to add Brute Factor and the analog effects, and then rerecord it back into my DAW. The presets included with this are very good, although I rarely find myself using them because I have so much fun creating my own sounds. I have not yet used the MIDI software extensively, but it seems pretty good so far. It makes it very easy to manage your presets. I am very big on saving every sound I ever use in a song so I can later modify it, so being able to keep everything safe on your computer and recalling it whenever necessary is great! If you are considering moving from the software world into the hardware world, this is a great synth to break the ice. It can create sounds you simply cannot on a PC. I highly recommend this!