Building upon the success of the original Minibrute, the special edition Arturia MiniBrute 2 Noir is a semi-modular monophonic analog synthesizer with a 48-point patchbay and full Eurorack compatibility. Updated features include a second VCO, a second LFO, and VCO and filter frequency-modulation possibilities, as well as modifier-related modulation destinations and a loopable AD envelope. The Noir edition features a polished black design and is limited in number.

The MiniBrute 2 features a 100% analog signal path and a familiar voice architecture with two independent VCOs. VCO 1 allows for waveform mixing and includes level faders for sawtooth, square, and triangle waveforms, as well as white noise and an external audio input. VCO 2 also includes a level fader and offers a selector with sine, sawtooth, and square wave selections, a tuning knob, and three tuning range selections including Fine, All, and LFO.

Like the original, the MiniBrute 2 includes the classic Steiner-Parker multimode filter with LP, BP, HP, and notch selections, as well as the Brute Factor overdrive. There are dedicated knobs for frequency modulation of the filter and resonance modulation via LFO1 by default. Two envelope generators are included and feature a classic ADSR and AD with multiple modes including looping, allowing for a wide variety of sonic possibilities. No synthesizer would be complete without an LFO and the MiniBrute 2 offers two, each with six waveform selections and the ability to run free or sync to the on-board sequencer/arpeggiator.

The 25-note keyboard responds to velocity and aftertouch, while the modulation and pitch-bend wheels offer additional hands-on performance controls. The integrated sequencer holds up to eight 64-step sequences, or can act as an advanced arpeggiator providing 8 modes of operation. The arp/sequencer can sync to USB MIDI and standard MIDI inputs.

With its user-friendly control interface, classic aesthetic, and potential for endless exploration and tonal tinkering, the MiniBrute 2 definitely encourages creativity. You can experiment with rewiring the instrument’s internal architecture or further expand and explore its sonic capabilities by interfacing with Eurorack modules. The rugged aluminum enclosure features wooden sides for vintage synthesizer appeal and is also compatible with the RackBrute link system, allowing for a 3 or 6 RU Eurorack enclosure to be connected for creating a customized setup with a variety of positioning options. The Arturia MiniBrute 2 ships with a power supply, eight patch cables, and a cook book with recipes for creating a wide variety of tones and patches.

• Analog synthesizer
• 2 analog VCOs
  • VCO1 : Saw + UltraSaw, Square + Pulse width, Triangle + Metalizer (waveform mixing)
  • VCO2 : Sine, Saw, Square waveforms (three tuning ranges)
  • VCO 2>1 Hard Sync, VCO1 linear and exponential FM
• White-noise generator
• External audio in
• Steiner-Parker filter (12dB per octave): Notch, Low-, High-, Band-pass
• 2 LFOs with Sync: Sine, Tri, Saw, Square, Random, Slew Random
• 1 ADSR envelope
• 1 AD envelope
  • Trig, gate modes
  • One shot or loop
  • Attack and decay times CV controllable
• 48-point CV and gate patchbay
  • Inputs and outputs for the voice and sequencer
  • Utility Modules: Inverter, attenuators, VCA
• 25-key velocity and pressure sensitive keyboard
• Arpeggiator Types: Up, down, inclusive, exclusive, random, note order, double up, double-down modes
• Sequencer Mode:
  • 8 step-sequences with rest, tie, and legato note entry
  • Each sequence can have up to 64 steps
• MIDI and USB I/O
• Includes 8 patch cables
• Cook Book: Jam-packed full of sonic recipes put together by some of the most illustrious synth-chefs around