Exit Interview: Arturia MiniBrute 2s

After five years, I have parted ways with my Arturia MiniBrute 2s. Despite my general affection for it, its unique sound, and its undeniable power, I let it go. I still think it’s a great synth – maybe even an all-timer – so why did I cut it loose? Let me explain, in this exit interview review.

What Is It?

The Arturia MiniBrute 2s is a two oscillator, semimodular monosynth with a powerful built in sequencer. The second iteration of the MiniBrute line, it upgraded the original design in nearly every way, with a few compromises. It offers two full-featured “Brute” oscillators, with the first offering individual output for every waveshape into the mixer. There’s also a noise source and external input. Those pass thru a Steiner-Parker filter that offers the standard lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and notch modes, plus the dedicated Brute Factor (which feeds the output of the synth back into the filter). Finally there’s an amp stage, and then the sound is out into the world.

To control all of this, the 2s model attaches a powerful, multipart sequencer that can output not just pitch CV and gates, but two additional channels of CV control that can be routed to various destinations. The sequencer offers up to 64-step patterns, various playback options, scales, clocking options, and there’s even an arpeggiator in there somewhere. For modulation there are two tempo-syncable multimode LFOs (which include random/S&H options), and two envelopes: one ADSR, one  loopable ASR envelope. 

Topping it off are 48 patch points that can break the internal normalling and access additional features such as oscillator sync, and/or interface the system with a larger modular rig, other semimodular systems, or both.

Also: wooden side panels.

What Did I Like?

I liked almost everything about this synth! Some things I liked more and some I liked less, but it is mostly varying shades of good and great. It offers an incredible, distinctive sound – it’ll cut thru (if not straight up overpower) any mix. It’s an aggressive, biting synth, and while it can certainly purr when you need it to, it’s at its best when it is snarling, spitting, and screaming. 

The sequencer was powerful and relatively simple to use, and I often used it in my music-making process. The pads were solid and useable as well, for playing the synth when you weren’t sequencing it. The patchbay really opened the possibilities of the synth and I probably used it in 90% or more of my patches to some degree – often just one or two cables, even if it was just adding some external effects to the internal mix.

It does standout work as a lead or bass sound, and does a surprisingly good job in support roles – effects patches, ear candy, and weird transition noises, for example. I used it directly in plenty of tracks, but I also sampled it often – it provided great material for later processing and use. I believe some day this will be considered an iconic, if extremely divisive synth. It really has its own sound and it’s not for everyone!

What Didn’t I Like?

I don’t have a major complaint, but there are several small issues that nagged at me during my time with it. Things like the way it interacted with my Eurorack gear – using 0-5v for pitch while most of my oscillators do -5v to 5v, for example. I’m talking less about showstopping problems and more about small things I had to work around. Even those were pretty mild and not all that common, but for my workflow, there were a few, including a weird MIDI bug that only seemed to happen with my MPC’s autosample function… I’d call them quirks more than problems. I don’t know that I had a real problem with it!

The single standout issue in my mind? It’s big. Like, too big to work comfortably in almost any setup I’ve had. But even then, it’s not enormous. It’s just kind of a chonky boy. 

Other Factors?

The real reason this synth left my collection is my studio philosophy and desire not to hold on to things I don’t use frequently. In the time since I bought this synth, I have added two other, different semimodular analog synths (the 0-Coast and Strega), plus another two-oscillator analog synth with a powerful sequencer that can easily control my modular (the Novation Circuit MonoStation). 

My “issues” aren’t so much issues as that I simply have other gear that covers the same territory in a way that suits my workflow better. Despite my initial logic for buying the synth, I never really used it to sequence the modular, and the MonoStation’s superior (for my taste) workflow means I never will. I’ve sampled the thing extensively. And there’s a pretty solid MiniBrute emulation in the Arturia V Collection, if I do need to revisit the core sound in a way my sample library doesn’t cover.

Conclusion

This is an excellent synthesizer and I’d be happy to keep it but for one thing: I just don’t use this synth enough to justify owning it. If I had more of a synth collector mentality, this would absolutely have earned a spot in my permanent collection. Instead, as someone who can easily fall prey to option paralysis, and who hates to see good gear languish unused, it was a pretty easy decision to let it go. Luckily, it’s been successful enough that if I change my mind, I can pick one up without too much hassle. 

Will that happen? Well, I let it go 90 days ago and haven’t missed it. That was the big issue, after all – I just wasn’t using it enough even when I had it. I have been using, and appreciating the gear that took its place in my studio, so from my perspective, I made the right call.

Should you buy an Arturia MiniBrute 2s? Well, if you want a monster monosynth with a sequencer to match, like its distinctive sound, and have the desk space, hell yeah you should!