Arturia MiniBrute is considered to be one of the best cheap analog synts, recognizable for its rough sound and old school interface with all off the parameters laid out on it. No wonder Arturia decided to build a whole line of products around its successor.
Four products are announced, two variations of the synt, and two Eurorack module racks.
The main product is MiniBrute 2, 2 oscillators analog synt, based on the same technology as its predecessor but with the addition of a 48-point patchbay, that offers a lot more sound design possibilities and moves the device into semi-modular territory. Still has the characteristic rough sound that was a selling point for the original MiniBrute. Basically the patchbay expands the usability of the unit in a way that you now can modulate various parameters with each other in many ways, and also gives you the possibility to integrate it more deeply with your other gear. There is a two octave keyboard with full size keys and aftertouch. It has a higher price tag than the original ($699).
The original MiniBrute was considered a great synt for the beginners to learn about the sound synthesis cause of the low price, great sound and the fact that all the parameters are laid out in front of the user, with no displays and menus. This one will be a little bit expensive for the absolute beginners, but the whole patching thing would maybe be too much for the start anyway. It looks like the users that are somewhat experienced and maybe have some more gear will get the most out of it.
MiniBrute S2 is the same synth, striped of its keyboard and with a step sequencer attached. Obviously its targeting the people that prefer that kind of workflow. The sequencer itself is pretty powerful and I like the fact that every step has a dedicated knob for altering the pitch, gate, velocity or other parameters via patchbay. The patterns can be 64 steps long and there is chaining, so if you like steps, happy programming!
The other two products are RackBrute 3U and RackBrute 6U. As the names are telling us, they are racks for Eurorack module, with standard power slots with up to 800mA on +12V and -12V, the cases have a wide range of angles that they can be set to, thanks to the Arturias Link system (shouldn't be confused with Ableton Link), and both of them can be mounted on MiniBrute 2 or 2S, or on another RackBrute unit. With that said its a lot clearer where is Arturia going with this line of products.
The idea seems to be that you build your own system around MiniBrute by adding various modules to it. Lets see where will it go from here, maybe Arturia is predicting a rise in modular systems popularity and giving you a easy way in.
