Arturia is expanding its Freak line of digital synthesizers with the MiniFreak 49, a version aimed at more professional users. According to The Verge, the instrument is nearly identical under the hood to the existing MiniFreak, but it swaps the 37 minikeys for 49 full-sized semi-weighted keys and replaces touchstrips with proper aluminum pitch and mod wheels. The Verge notes the keys only support mono aftertouch, not polyphonic aftertouch, which may disappoint some players.
The new model also brings interface upgrades: a larger LCD, dedicated controls for its two sound engines, and a new XYZ touchpad that speeds up preset browsing and adds performance features. It retains the MiniFreak's 30-plus digital oscillator types and analog filters, while adding audio-rate filter FM and 256MB of storage for user samples and wavetables. The original MiniFreak received sample and wavetable support via a firmware update last month, but the 49 builds it in.
Priced at $849 MSRP, the MiniFreak 49 sits above the existing MiniFreak and MicroFreak, signaling Arturia's push to make its experimental line more attractive to working musicians. The Verge says the street price is likely to be lower, but the positioning is clear: this is a more serious, performance-oriented take on a deliberately quirky synth family.