Welcome to Week 7 of Tonal Drop Thursdays!

This week, we’re taking the weirdest synth in the lineup—the Arturia MicroFreak—and forcing it to act like a vintage analog monster.

The MicroFreak is famous for digital chaos, but it possesses a secret weapon: a genuine, 12dB SEM-style Analog Filter. Our free patch, "Analog Behemoth," uses the "BasicWaves" oscillator engine to generate thick, classic analog waveforms, and then drives them hard into that analog filter to create a massive, aggressive lead tone perfect for driving arpeggiators.

Patch 7: Analog Behemoth (Vintage Style Arp Lead)

Note: Start from an Initialized Patch (Hold SHIFT and press the Preset Knob).

1. The Oscillator (Digital Heart, Analog Soul)

We are using the "BasicWaves" engine, which is designed to emulate classic analog shapes. We'll set up a thick Sawtooth with a sub-oscillator for weight.

• Type Knob: Turn until you select BasicWaves.

• Wave Knob: Set to roughly 50%. This morphs the wave into a rich Sawtooth.

• Timbre Knob: Set to 30%. On this engine, this adds thick pulse width modulation texture.

• Shape Knob: Set to 50%. This brings in a sub-oscillator one octave down for massive low-end weight.

2. The Filter (The Real Analog Path)

This is where the magic happens. We are going to overdrive the analog SEM filter.

• Cutoff: Set to 40% (roughly 10 o'clock). We want it somewhat dark so the envelope can open it up.

• Resonance: Set to 30% (roughly 11 o'clock) for that classic analog squelch.

• Filter Mode: Ensure it is set to LP (Low Pass).

3. Envelopes (The Pluck)

We need a snappy envelope to make the arpeggiator cut through the mix.

• Cycling Envelope (Used as Filter Env):

  • Make sure the Mode is set to Env (not Run or Loop).

  • Rise (Attack): 0% (Instant).

  • Fall (Decay): 30% (Short and snappy).

  • Hold/Sustain: 0%.

• Main Envelope (Amp Env):

  • Attack: 5% (Just enough to avoid clicking).

  • Decay/Release: 50% (A nice medium tail).

  • Sustain: 80% (Loud held notes).

4. Modulation (The Matrix)

We need to connect the envelope to the filter for the pluck, and add some "vintage drift" to the pitch.

• Routing 1 (The Filter Snap):

  • Turn the Matrix knob to intersect CycEnv row and Cutoff column.

  • Press the knob and set the amount to +50.

• Routing 2 (The Vintage Drift):

  • We need to make the tuning unstable. Turn the Matrix knob to the LFO row, and an empty assignable column (e.g., Col 1). Press and hold the Assign 1 button, then turn the Pitch knob to assign it.

  • Set the matrix amount to a very subtle +3 or +4.

  • LFO Settings: Set LFO Rate to Slow and Wave to Sine. This creates a slow, subtle detune effect.

5. The Arpeggiator (The Engine)

This sound is built to move.

• Press the Arp button so it is LIT.

• Mode: Up/Down (Press Shift + Arp to access settings if needed).

• Octave Range: 2 or 3 octaves.

• Rate: around 120 BPM.

Your Turn: Perform the Patch

The MicroFreak’s touch keyboard is incredibly sensitive. Use the "Spice" and "Dice" functions while the arpeggiator is running to instantly remix the pattern and add variation to your lead line.

Record your massive analog riffs, tag @sonalsystem, and use #AnalogBehemoth!