Microfreak/UG/10 Keyboard

• 10 The Keyboard Section

  • One of the first capacitive keyboards appeared on the EMS Synthi AKS. In 1972, Don Buchla introduced the Buchla Easel, whose touch-sensitive keys did not move and could produce accurate pressure and voltage-controlled portamento. The capacitive keyboard became a hallmark of the Easel, though few people could afford one. Decades later, the Arturia MicroFreak brought the capacitive keyboard back.
  • The MicroFreak has 25 capacitive keys. Hundreds of copper-colored dots on the surface register touch as either aftertouch or velocity, according to the Utility setting at Preset → Press.
  • The Touch Capacitive Keyboard
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  • A Key in Close-Up
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  • A capacitive keyboard makes the player part of its electrical circuit. Changing how much skin touches a key changes its resistance and the pressure signal it sends. Finger contact alone can reach about 30% of the pressure range; pressing more of the finger onto the key can reach 100%. This touch response helps make the MicroFreak a performance instrument.

  • Note/Info Very dry skin can make the keyboard respond poorly. Moisturizer or staying hydrated may help. Never put liquid on the MicroFreak.
    

  • The keyboard sends gate, pitch, and pressure signals. The Matrix can route these signals to any destination in its top row, and the outputs are also available on the back of the MicroFreak for modular gear or another synthesizer with voltage inputs.
  • Tip: Clean the keyboard occasionally with a soft, damp cloth. Avoid abrasives that could damage its surface. A dirty keyboard may produce unexpected musical results.
  • Microfreak/UG/10 Keyboard/01 Gates and Triggers

    • 10.1 Another Look at Gates and Triggers

      • The envelope section introduced gates and triggers. These signals also matter when playing the keyboard, which is the MicroFreak's primary source of gates.
      • Touching and holding a key produces a gate. The gate ends when the finger lifts. When the Envelope's Amp | Mod button is off, the internal amplifier listens for a key press and turns on abruptly. This is an on/off response, but other settings can change how it feels.
  • Microfreak/UG/10 Keyboard/02 Keyboard Responsiveness

    • 10.2 Keyboard Responsiveness

      • Set the keyboard to send aftertouch or velocity at Utility → Preset → Press Mode. This choice changes how the keyboard responds to touch.
      • Utility → Preset → Velo Amp Mod sets how strongly velocity affects the patch volume, from 0 to 10.

      • Note/Info Assign Press as the Matrix source and the Envelope's Sustain knob as a modulation target to experiment with keyboard and volume effects.
        

      • Hearing is more sensitive to pitch changes than to volume changes, so pitch can help when adjusting keyboard responsiveness. On an empty preset, assign pressure to pitch in the Matrix at the maximum amount. Hold one finger at a 90° angle against the upper edge of a key, then lower it so more skin touches the key. The increased contact sends more pressure and raises the pitch.
      • Pressing hard while keeping the finger at 90° will not reach maximum pressure because of the touch-plate design.

      • Note/Info Velocity, Aftertouch, and Velo Amp Mod settings are saved with each preset. Two presets with the same sound can use different Velo Amp Mod values, such as 5 and 10, for different keyboard volume response.
        

      • Microfreak/UG/10 Keyboard/02 Keyboard Responsiveness/01 Using Responsiveness

        • 10.2.1 Using Keyboard Responsiveness

          • The small variations of a capacitive keyboard make timbre and pitch useful modulation targets. Modulating the Cycling Envelope's rise and fall times can also produce interesting results.
          • The Matrix Assign buttons open up several options:
            • Modulate Oscillator Type with pressure.
            • Modulate Wave, Timbre, and Shape together with pressure to make abrupt timbre changes.
            • Modulate Glide with pressure or velocity.
            • Modulate envelope attack and decay times with pressure for a natural response.
          • Keyboard Pressure or Velocity can control modular gear. Set the keyboard's output voltage at Utility → CV/Gate → Pressure Range, from 0V to 10V. The signal is available at the MicroFreak's rear Pressure output and can open an external filter, change a sequencer's speed, or alter a resonator's damping.

          • Note/Warning Some Eurorack modules cannot accept 10V input and may clip above their maximum input voltage.
            

  • Microfreak/UG/10 Keyboard/03 Glide

    • 10.3 Glide

      • The Glide knob controls how quickly pitch moves between notes. It smooths the abrupt pitch change from one key to another, with a time from off to about 10 seconds.
      • The Glide Knob
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      • Glide appears in musical styles around the world. Indian vocal phrases and sitar string bends use it; in Western music, this kind of phrasing is called melisma.

      • Note/Info Utility settings can make the Glide knob use a fixed time, a beat-synced value, or a rate tied to the Arp/Seq rate.
        

      • In Time mode, glide ranges from zero to 10 seconds. Synced mode offers 1/32T, 1/32, 1/16T, 1/16, 1/8T, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/4, 1/2T, 1/2, and 1/1. In Rate mode, the time to glide within an octave ranges from immediate at 0 ms to more gradual at 10 ms.
      • Pressure can modulate Glide: set Glide as a Matrix destination and Pressure as the source, then adjust the Matrix attenuator. Different LFO waveforms produce different glide intensity and slope. With LFO Sync on, each note gets a different glide shape; changing the LFO rate changes the synchronized rate and the glide speed.
      • Tip: The Sequencer's modulation tracks can also control Glide:
        • 1. Turn on the Sequencer with Shift + Arp | Seq.
        • 2. Select sequencer A or B.
        • 3. Press Record and step-record a melody. Recording stops automatically at the end of the sequence.
        • 4. Press Record again, then move the Glide knob where you want a glide effect in the sequence.
  • Microfreak/UG/10 Keyboard/04 Octave Buttons

    • 10.4 Octave Buttons

      • The Octave buttons transpose the keyboard's output up or down by octaves.
      • The Octave Buttons
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      • The buttons shift the pitch by up to three octaves in either direction. They blink faster as the shift moves farther from zero, reaching their fastest rate at -3 and +3 octaves. The two-octave keyboard can therefore cover an eight-octave pitch range.

      • Note/Info The octave shift is saved with the preset.
        

  • Microfreak/UG/10 Keyboard/05 LFO Speed Tutorial

    • 10.5 Tutorial: Modulating LFO Speed

      • Use keyboard pressure to control the LFO rate. More finger contact sends more pressure; less contact sends less.
      • Set an Assignable Matrix destination to LFO Rate and connect keyboard Pressure as its source.