I have seen it on at least 5 or 6 channels time 4 grand + shipping + they pay these creators. Cheaper than TV advertising but still considerable money ;)
Was thinking that I might be short of hands fingers . Waiting what Alex Ball and mylardmelidies will do and well there is Jay Hoskins who makes fantastic melodies and wll don't forget about Nick from sonicstate and Ben hmmm many mooore... Ok let's enjoy.@valdir7426
Unbelievable - I was all in when I thought all they added were 6 voices and polyat. This is so much more - most exciting synth in ages. I already had my order in, now I know why. 😆
You ought to. PB12 is quatruple the fun than PB6, it feels limitless except for a real FM synthesis, but that‘s a different story. In analog, it‘s a great compromise with so many features and possibilities to recreate all your favourite 70‘s and 80‘s sounds and propel them into 2025.
@@gretareinarsson7461Yes it is. It has the same sound engine, the same hardware controls and all modulation capabilities. If you‘re okay with six voices and mono aftertouch, it‘s a good compromise and rewarding synth.
Wow. Dream synth. Love the vintage cream color. It’s giving everything I wish Tom Oberheim would have done over the entirety of the synth resurgence. Well done Arturia and great review as always. I may just sell a ton of gear just to get this.
I hope they incorporate this keybed into their premium 88-key controller or perhaps a new controller altogether. Edit -- Ha! I just heard you say the same thing at the end of the video.
This synth produces sounds which I haven't heard from an analog subtractive synth before and I have more than 35 years of experience with analog synths. For me it's definitely worth to be considered to be a future owner. But it would be the most expensive synth in my collection. Thanks Loopop for this excellent review!
I'm looking at this as someone who primarily plays string instruments, and it really feels like the keybed makes it an entirely different instrument to any synth I've seen up to this point. The expressive movements I instinctively try to do on a keyboard, that obviously never work, are finally possible on this. I am so excited to try one of these in person.
Finally a synth that is in the league of the Roland Jupiter 8 I regrettably sold many years ago and ironically is exactly the same price! I'm back in love!! 😎
TBC, Robert's referring to Astrolab, where you have to buy software in order to edit patches (and potentially, many different individual software instruments, if you want to edit all of the presets). The Osmose keyboard, another competitor, requires software in order to edit or create presets, but it's free software, at least.
But like most of all other hardware synths, all knobs and faders are never on the right position when you load a patch. But the Software shows everything correct.
This might be now the most expressive synth ever. Morphe touch controller, touch strip, the amazing MPE keyboard and all the other amazing features. For me the synth already has the best sequencer ever in a synth, great effects, is super intuitive to use, has knobs for everything, its morphing feature is very unique for an analog synth, it has modulation recording, an amazing interactive, innovative arpeggiator und a great modulation matrix. The only feature I’m missing for the most perfect synth ever, is a digital oscillator from Minifreak (that includes all the engines from Mutable Instruments Plaits). That would also make it more comparable to the Osmose and its engine. - Except that it isn't that portable for travelling and clearly a studio synth. Arturia keeps innovating. For me they are one of the leading synth company when it's about innovation and user interface. Their synths nail the UI, they are the Apple of synths. :) They not only build on the legacy of synthesiser, but innovative new UI elements like the display knob in the Astrolab. Many don't know, but all their synths include interactive tutorials in their plugins that you can connect to the hardware. You learn all the features and how a synth works interactively. Not only that: They produce awesome video tutorials. - I know only Ableton that takes so much care about teaching electronic music production. - And they keep updating their synths with major updates all the time for years.
PB6 Is already great looking and sounding, but got to admit: love this new look! Great review as usual @loopop - informative but goes kinda deep as well - kudos!
this is just plain cray-cree!! wow!! & no wonder we haven't seen the loopop polyend tracker+ vid yet. hotdang!! thanks, ziv. I sure do wish I was rich. well... I should say "money rich," because I'm rich in spirit, & very much blessed. I mean... any of us watching this vid should be able to say so. wouldn't y'all agree?
I freaking love the color scheme... original polybrute was amazing but my eyes where on matrix from the begining so i got it instead, then polybrute was next but man im happy i didnt get the original, wait was so worth it
I like the look of the original much better. Would have liked to see the white with some brushed nickel or even colored stain of the wood. I have a Noir Matrixbrute, and I'm a little jealoud of the originals.
Fantastic move by Arturia. I absolutely loved the expressive keyboard on the Osmose, but disliked the sound engine. This looks incredibly fun and expressive on top of a really great synth...just not sure about the colour, though it kind of reminds me of the old Oberheim SEM look. Great video as usual mate! What would we do without you?
Do you still have it Pat or did you sell it? I have been searching for an MPE/PAT keybed for ages, but there is nothing that doesn't cost an arm an leg so I opted for an Explorer for the time being. It gets me by but if Arturia just released this as a MIDI stand alone, they would make a ton of people happy.
@@dankeplace I sold mine. I loved the keybed/expressivity but the engine is a big let down, since it's almost impossible to program your own patches, and that's a no go for me. I don't really know another good option for you to be honest. Maybe Arturia will make a MPE standalone controller like this one day! Maybe ROLI? I don't really like their squishy controllers, but you might.
@@stateazure wow never knew you sold it. I will just wait, I am patient enough, I have enough sequencers to keep me going, but if Arturia does a stand alone, I will be all over that for sure. I have to pop in to your live streams soonish, just the time differences are a killer.
My next synth purchase, have the Matrixbrute Noir and Polybrute Noir, I love them both,,this beast will be a welcome addition, now to find the space 😂😂😂
I've been a Korg fan for years, but for quite a few years they started making plastic toys instead of musical instruments. I'm glad someone finally thought about professionals. Looks like I'm becoming an Arturia fan now.
Just shows you how far Ensoniq was ahead of the curve one it came to poly aftertouch... 36 years ago..... (besides the CS80....) It was in all their synths and samplers since the late 80's. Must admit.. This is the new standard... Taking osmosis on... and being soooooo much better.... in a way thats balanced... EDIT: Thank goodness ive been saving for a 6.... Now I need to keep going! Love it!
My savings goal for a Polybrute has just turned into a stretch goal. I just really love the sound of this synth and judging from the polyAT of my Hydrasynth I can only imsgine the evolvin and resposive pads onecan make with this lovely synth. Hope Santa has started to hit the weights.
Hi Martin. Try to link velocity to attack time in the mod matrix of your Hydrasynth and you get your desired evolvin' and responsive/plucky pads..........sort of 😉
You can do that velocity-sensitive transient thing on any synth which lets you modulate the envelope attack with the imverse of the velocity, like a Hydrasynth (which can also modulate the envelope release from the key release velocity, so you can control how quickly the notes shut off just from your playing). The new Polybrute sounds magnificent though, you demo it so well.
@@milosmilosmilos @lb2696 yup, fair point. I was thinking more in a conventional style synth and key bed but it does already exist. And I didn’t realise this didn’t even offer side to side expression. Man I got too excited.
If a person had this and Waldorf Irridium Keyboard version that would cover almost any synth sound you would want to make. Great video and very appealing synth. I would definitely like one of these.
I do feel the lack of the vibrato/bend per key that the Osmose has. And of course a very different synth engine - but I do like this for your more standard synth sounds, and the Osmose physical modelling is really quite lovely. If you had an unlimited budget, I think there's plenty of reason to have both in a studio, honestly. That and this is twice the cost of the Osmose - but I don't think this is overpriced at all. It has some serious chops and its ease of patching is huge. I think this is a fantastic instrument!
@@MrRostislove Hawken Matrix is probably one of the worst interfaces on the planet. "Programmable" is exactly how I would describe it, definitely not "design".
@@LagoLhn if you are dedicated, you can create and edit patches through its computer editor, which is *extremely* powerful and complicated but so much so to its detriment for any but serious developers. The knobs are purely macros, but you are allowed under the hood but you need a lot of tutorial time to patch anything worth patching.
Wow, I really like the implementation of FullTouch - I hope they put this keybed on a full sized 12-voice digital w/ analog filters ‘SuperFreak’… as well as some of their controllers.
If I could make one suggestion to the Arturia firmware team it would be to add a control for Poly AT slew amount and/or an attack/release control for it. No one has done this before, as far as I know. Aftertouch often feels jumpy--applying or removing pressure can sound abrupt. But adding a way to slew the pressure signal would open up a lot of nuanced sound design capability. Just my $0.02!
1:24 Man, I was getting serious Kraftwerk vibes! Reminded me of about 3/4 of the way through Autobahn. Sigh, too bad I'm broke, or this would have been a day 1 purchase! Great video as always!
I'm with you on the key bed. It's a new generation thing just as aftertouch was in the 80s. They obviously have an interest in the future of midi implementations so I think the midi controller with this standard of key bed must come.
Finally, the breakdown of the historicity of Keybedz in this Video is TOP-NOTCH, DOCUMENTARY WORTHY!! 👑👑 You’re a Wizard LOOPOP and I can only COMPARE to the greatest as in BOB ROSS, MR. RODGERS, AND YES LOOPOP!! TOP-NOTCH!! 😇
👏🏼great video explanation. So much modulation key bed initiated innovation. Glad to see Arturia pushing analogue technology on. £3500 not unexpected. Cons: quite a competitive Polysynth market…for space, time and cash.
@loopop Ziv, can you compare the keyboard feel to the Quantum Mark 2 or the Prophet 10 or the MOOG One? Or does the PB12 have the.. same feel as the regular PB ?
Yeah, the feel of Arturia's synth actions have always felt a bit cheap compared to other flagship synths, which is a shame as the rest of the hardware looks and feels really premium. Well, the rubber coated knobs could be nicer too, but those are easily swapped out. You can also see in this video that the keys are also slightly crooked (vertically), which isn't a good look on a brand new flagship... you never see that on a Yamaha or Fatar action...
I don't have the Quantum or Prophet. I don't think the keys here or on the original feel cheap, but that's perhaps a matter of personal opinion I guess - they're not on the heavy side. The Moog One keys feel "more premium" with a kind of wood finish on the black keys, but if the only thing guiding my decision-making was the keybed functionality, personally, I'd take Arturia FullTouch - this is the one to beat IMHO.
@@JimDanekerhey Jim, I have the OGPB and my only gripe are the keys. They are in the same range as the Roland System 8 but maybe a little bit thinner feeling. At first touch the Andromeda A6 suffered the same sort of keyboard feeling which to me was a letdown right away. (worse than the PB) I might take a trip in the next couple of days over to Perfect Circuit audio and give the PB 12 a test run. However the sound and features of the PB 12 look really intriguing. I was wanting to put my PB on the market anyway. 😮
@@loopop thank you for the response . The Moog one uses a premium Fatar keybed, after the Rev 2 all Sequential keys are Fatar but they are one level under the premium which is in the Virus KB / TI as well.(as the Moog one and the nonlinear labs.) I have the OGPB and I use it even though the keys aren't my favorite.. I have a number of synthesizers that use the Fatar TP9S and the TP8S for key beds. So I have a workaround personally. The difference between the TP 8 and the TP 9 are the woodgrain of the black keys and the length of the white keys. The more premium Fatar has the woodgrain and the longer keys. I think it is safe to say that the Fatar is the industry standard benchmark for a premium keypad for a flagship synthesizer. Now there are some other synth companies that make proprietary keybeds, however after years and years of research and hands-on experience I say the Fatar is the industry standard which all synthesizers should be judged against. Thank you very much for all of your videos.
Excellent! Agree on your last point about the keybed being part of a controller - a full sized Keystep Pro Pro is long overdue and would be an instant buy (for me at least). Even just a full sized 61 key KSP with poly aftertouch would do it for me.
This is one of my "win the lottery" synths. I love the way it sounds, love the polyat improvement. I think its super ugly in the white compared to the original arturia blue, though. As a hobbyist I can't justify the price of this synth, though. Maybe this means an original polybrute will drop in price enough to make it possible.
Agreed... I didn't want to "rain on the parade" of this tremendous sounding synth. But the beige isn't working for me. So I'll happily wait until the "noir" version comes out!
Agreed. It is a wonderful synth, but I can buy a few other items for the same price. As for the color, there is limited dark edition. I too dislike to light color.
Thanks for the excellent review per usual. I own a six voice Polybrute and an Osmose. Given that the new 12 voice has almost identical voice architecture do you think Arturia will be able to update the original PB to respond to MPE over midi?
Great video once again. I just bought the Polybrute 6 last month in April and then this drops. You’re not working on a new Ocktatrack MKIII video by any chance? Because I’m about to take the plunge and buy the OT MKII. I would be heart broken if my wallet took another insta devalue hit on a piece of gear that’s about to be updated. Can you let me know, I’ll tell no one 🤓💔
I actually saw that as I was editing and became concerned - it wipes off thankfully - I should’ve taken another shot later .I guess, without the scratch.
Just a small correction where you said “then came Aftertouch, first Mono Aftertouch” at around the 6:48 mark: in reality, the Yamaha CS-80 in the mid to late 1970s had Poly Aftertouch (which was the second synth I ever played in 1978.) In the late 1980s almost all of the Ensoniq synths had Poly Aftertouch (I had most of them.) And when they went under, for some reason, the entire industry went to Mono Aftertouch instead for almost two decades!
@@tebi1kurieudidon172 that was never commercially produced though. We are obviously talking about mass-produced commercial synths. And I was just stating that Poly Aftertouch was actually a thing for decades before the industry killed it and went mostly to Mono Aftertouch.
@@jopjopjop the ARP Pro Soloist was a Mono Timbral synth, so of course it was only Mono Aftertouch. We are specifically talking about Poly Synths that either had Mono Aftertouch or Poly Aftertouch, and I was simply stating that Poly Aftertouch was actually a thing for decades before the industry killed it and went mostly to Mono Aftertouch.
I think that at the price of just about any Pro-wind instrument 🎷 particularly thinking of the Saxophone, Arturia has finally gave it a run for the money. In My mind the Saxophone is like the ultimate in expression for both the subtle and the futile; which as great as synthesis is, the ability to have an A to Z non-linear approach was just not happening. Now, with this I SEE iT HAPPENING, where you’re not trying to re-invent the wheel 🛞 for some bit-of the shadow of emulation, and again, I’m not referring to matching sounds but the abilities of expressiveness!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Nice video. It sounds really nice. The biggest con for me on the original Polybrute 12 was the keybed felt super cheap. How much better does the MPE FullTouch keybed feel compared to higher end Fatar keybeds ?
Great overview and review. The original PolyBrute is totally underrated with just a few minor issues, one of which was a rather underwhelming keybed. This new revision seems to address all my issues. But I must ask: Why is the pitch a semi-tone sharp? You're playing a C and it's a C#. Did you do this on purpose?
Thanks! No, I didn't do it on purpose to mess with the perfect pitch folks, and I don't recall changing the settings. I wish I was by it to test but I'm at superbooth
@@loopop have fun at superbooth. The preset demos at the end are in the right key. Not sure why the earlier demonstrations concerning aftertouch and such are a half step off. Thanks for the vids!
This has existed for a century or more with "tracking organs" and I wondered back in the 80s why synths don't have it. This would also help make the best Hammond organ simulations, which actually have 8 individual contact strips per key that close one by one as you press a key, each turning on a separate drawbar's tone.
Ziv: any chance of you filming a deep-dive (doesn't need to be humongously long) into the software editor for the Polybrute 12 that Arturia offers for download? Caveats, advantages, difficulties....
hmmm probably not... I covered the software in my main OG PB video, and for me personally while it's nice to see the presets on screen and as a librarian and it was useful when explaining how morph works, I don't use it when exploring the synth - the reason I love these hands on synths is because you don't really need the software for them. Is there any reason in particular you think it's interesting to use the software instead of using the synth? Maybe I'm missing something!
I know the Osmose has an extremely advanced engine so it'd be difficult to program with a standard "knows and sliders" front panel, but I really like the combination of MPE and conventional controls. Looking at other instruments like the Seaboard/Continuum/Linnstrument I think I would miss the standard controls for programming. This looks like a nice compromise.
Great review! Good to see more instruments exploring MPE. Also the way they set out the parameters makes me curious how a physical programmer for the Eagan Matrix could work. Are you going to do a video on Noisy 2?
As an owner of a hydrasynth deluxe and a poly brute six, I’m actually not too excited about this. Sure, more voices is great and the keyboard is cool, but I really wanted a flip up control panel like the Matrixbrute. I always find the poly brute to be uncomfortable on long sessions programming. A flip up panel would’ve been dope.
Thanks! If you mean per voice modulation then yes; LFOs can be per voice, and there are some audio rate x mods as well (check out my PB6 video for all the details, for just have a look at the panel as they're not hidden in menus)
transient control with fulltouch plus eg velocity is unreal and we need it on every synth. incredible work arturia
Arturia marketing: how much to spend on advertising?
Arturia: just send it to loopop.
😂😂😂
💯
to loopop and a dozen other synth youtubers; yeah that's pretty much how they do a lot of their marketing.
I have seen it on at least 5 or 6 channels time 4 grand + shipping + they pay these creators. Cheaper than TV advertising but still considerable money ;)
Was thinking that I might be short of hands fingers . Waiting what Alex Ball and mylardmelidies will do and well there is Jay Hoskins who makes fantastic melodies and wll don't forget about Nick from sonicstate and Ben hmmm many mooore...
Ok let's enjoy.@valdir7426
For years I’ve dreamed of a synth like this. Now I get to dream of actually being able to afford one!
😂 exactly my thoughts
Wonderful review! Very comprehensive and compelling. This is the synth actually delivers on the hoopla they built up around Astrolab.
Unbelievable - I was all in when I thought all they added were 6 voices and polyat. This is so much more - most exciting synth in ages. I already had my order in, now I know why. 😆
Warm-sounding synth and a barbecue grill in one. I want.
Arturia, if you want to make a good thing even better, send one to this man right now
😆🤣😅👍👍👍
Holy hell, it's Jexus..the man, the myth!
Jexus Maria, a ja myślałem, że bogowie nie komentują na innych kanałach. 😂
I believe I could make quality jerky with this thing
I'll be buying this and I'm 30 seconds in... I own a Polybrute and love it
You ought to. PB12 is quatruple the fun than PB6, it feels limitless except for a real FM synthesis, but that‘s a different story. In analog, it‘s a great compromise with so many features and possibilities to recreate all your favourite 70‘s and 80‘s sounds and propel them into 2025.
You got 4 G's? 😅
Isn’t the Polybrute 6 great? Im thinking about buying one.
@@gretareinarsson7461Yes it is. It has the same sound engine, the same hardware controls and all modulation capabilities. If you‘re okay with six voices and mono aftertouch, it‘s a good compromise and rewarding synth.
Wow. Dream synth. Love the vintage cream color. It’s giving everything I wish Tom Oberheim would have done over the entirety of the synth resurgence. Well done Arturia and great review as always. I may just sell a ton of gear just to get this.
I hope they incorporate this keybed into their premium 88-key controller or perhaps a new controller altogether. Edit -- Ha! I just heard you say the same thing at the end of the video.
Seriously. It would be amazing if this were the beginning of a new KeyLab FT family and a FullTouch-enabled Pigments 6.
Yeah I'm amazed they just released another board that didn't have this tech built into that one. Wth?
This is the only Time I’ve ever wanted to see the same video back to back; exciting times INDEED!! 😇
Jeez mate, 3 videos in a row - you spoil us too much ❤
My pleasure! No more for today but you never know perhaps one more is coming…
@@loopopnew oberheim for example 😀
His schedule is determined by embargos 😉
@@loopopooo hope it’s that TEO 5
@@Peetronius new leaked semimodular moog ;)
This looks like a modern Matrix 12 to me! Thanks a lot for your review.
New Age CS-80. Well done Arturia and Loopop.
This synth produces sounds which I haven't heard from an analog subtractive synth before and I have more than 35 years of experience with analog synths. For me it's definitely worth to be considered to be a future owner. But it would be the most expensive synth in my collection. Thanks Loopop for this excellent review!
Always love your videos, even when it's for something I'm never going to buy!
Stellar overview as always! This channel is my comfort space
🙌🏻🙏🏻 ❤
I'm looking at this as someone who primarily plays string instruments, and it really feels like the keybed makes it an entirely different instrument to any synth I've seen up to this point. The expressive movements I instinctively try to do on a keyboard, that obviously never work, are finally possible on this. I am so excited to try one of these in person.
Finally a synth that is in the league of the Roland Jupiter 8 I regrettably sold many years ago and ironically is exactly the same price! I'm back in love!! 😎
I have lots of MPE controllers already but I had a nice nap while vibing to these great synth sounds
This is an insane synth. The best part is you don't need to buy software to edit patches.
TBC, Robert's referring to Astrolab, where you have to buy software in order to edit patches (and potentially, many different individual software instruments, if you want to edit all of the presets). The Osmose keyboard, another competitor, requires software in order to edit or create presets, but it's free software, at least.
@@GizzyDillespee Thanks for clarifying, I would not want Osmose to catch a stray.
Good thing, since you won't have any money left after buying one.
But like most of all other hardware synths, all knobs and faders are never on the right position when you load a patch. But the Software shows everything correct.
@@Cynshetthere’s trade off for both put I prefer normal pots vs endless pots.
It seems that there is no point in clicking “Like” 50 times :-) Always the greatest and most meaningful reviews on your channel!
This might be now the most expressive synth ever. Morphe touch controller, touch strip, the amazing MPE keyboard and all the other amazing features.
For me the synth already has the best sequencer ever in a synth, great effects, is super intuitive to use, has knobs for everything, its morphing feature is very unique for an analog synth, it has modulation recording, an amazing interactive, innovative arpeggiator und a great modulation matrix.
The only feature I’m missing for the most perfect synth ever, is a digital oscillator from Minifreak (that includes all the engines from Mutable Instruments Plaits). That would also make it more comparable to the Osmose and its engine. - Except that it isn't that portable for travelling and clearly a studio synth.
Arturia keeps innovating. For me they are one of the leading synth company when it's about innovation and user interface. Their synths nail the UI, they are the Apple of synths. :) They not only build on the legacy of synthesiser, but innovative new UI elements like the display knob in the Astrolab.
Many don't know, but all their synths include interactive tutorials in their plugins that you can connect to the hardware. You learn all the features and how a synth works interactively. Not only that: They produce awesome video tutorials. - I know only Ableton that takes so much care about teaching electronic music production. - And they keep updating their synths with major updates all the time for years.
Nailed it!
Akia
Well said mate.
Looking good and fixes the main issue for me with the original, which was only six voices. Great work from Arturia there.
Busy day mate, fair play!! Of the three videos today, this is the one that interests me the most! The GAS is real!
PB6 Is already great looking and sounding, but got to admit: love this new look! Great review as usual @loopop - informative but goes kinda deep as well - kudos!
this is just plain cray-cree!! wow!! & no wonder we haven't seen the loopop polyend tracker+ vid yet. hotdang!! thanks, ziv.
I sure do wish I was rich. well... I should say "money rich," because I'm rich in spirit, & very much blessed. I mean... any of us watching this vid should be able to say so. wouldn't y'all agree?
The send effects are well adjusted in the presets at the end. Thanks for playing them!
I WANT IT ;) - Great video!! Thanks! You're fast..... seems the news just broke an hour ago and you already have a review video going? NIce!
Thanks - I wish! there’s no way I can make a video like this in an hour - I had early access
Sounds Great! love the expression in that keybed, this is one I may think of getting my hands on! :)
@scottmcauleysounds I would love to hear what you could do with this! such an amazing sound designer!
The unison sound puts big smiles on my face 😁😁😁😁
I pre-ordered this. Can't wait to get her next to my matrix and poly
This is the best sounding synth ever
They really did a great job with the MPE controls using the sliders, excellent adaptability and not difficult to understand.
Very cool breakdown of the polyphonic aftertouch and motion keys!👍👍👍
What a synth!
I freaking love the color scheme... original polybrute was amazing but my eyes where on matrix from the begining so i got it instead, then polybrute was next but man im happy i didnt get the original, wait was so worth it
I like the look of the original much better. Would have liked to see the white with some brushed nickel or even colored stain of the wood. I have a Noir Matrixbrute, and I'm a little jealoud of the originals.
Big day in the synth world
Seriously!
Isn’t it?? :D
I think the last 10 years really. It’s a renaissance or golden age 😮
You can run your Polybrute 12's left output into Spectravox, and right output into NTS-3. Now I have to go look - what else was introduced today?
Oh shizz, Voltage Lab 2...
Some really great presets on this board. Nice job Arturia.
Arturias synths really are forward thinking.. Im always impressed with how different they are and chock full of new stuff.. This thing is a beast !!
Well done Arturia!👏
Fantastic move by Arturia. I absolutely loved the expressive keyboard on the Osmose, but disliked the sound engine. This looks incredibly fun and expressive on top of a really great synth...just not sure about the colour, though it kind of reminds me of the old Oberheim SEM look. Great video as usual mate! What would we do without you?
Noir edition I'm thinking?
Do you still have it Pat or did you sell it?
I have been searching for an MPE/PAT keybed for ages, but there is nothing that doesn't cost an arm an leg so I opted for an Explorer for the time being.
It gets me by but if Arturia just released this as a MIDI stand alone, they would make a ton of people happy.
@@maydaygoingdown5602 I think that could be a while off yet...too bad they didn't start with a Noir version though!
@@dankeplace I sold mine. I loved the keybed/expressivity but the engine is a big let down, since it's almost impossible to program your own patches, and that's a no go for me. I don't really know another good option for you to be honest. Maybe Arturia will make a MPE standalone controller like this one day! Maybe ROLI? I don't really like their squishy controllers, but you might.
@@stateazure wow never knew you sold it. I will just wait, I am patient enough, I have enough sequencers to keep me going, but if Arturia does a stand alone, I will be all over that for sure.
I have to pop in to your live streams soonish, just the time differences are a killer.
Can’t wait for the Midi Controller version of this keybed!
They should have put this in that other new board they just released
My next synth purchase, have the Matrixbrute Noir and Polybrute Noir, I love them both,,this beast will be a welcome addition, now to find the space 😂😂😂
I've been a Korg fan for years, but for quite a few years they started making plastic toys instead of musical instruments. I'm glad someone finally thought about professionals. Looks like I'm becoming an Arturia fan now.
Just shows you how far Ensoniq was ahead of the curve one it came to poly aftertouch... 36 years ago..... (besides the CS80....) It was in all their synths and samplers since the late 80's.
Must admit.. This is the new standard... Taking osmosis on... and being soooooo much better.... in a way thats balanced...
EDIT: Thank goodness ive been saving for a 6.... Now I need to keep going!
Love it!
was looking for a new poly analog and was thinking of waiting for the moog muse. Now this has me second guessing.
My savings goal for a Polybrute has just turned into a stretch goal. I just really love the sound of this synth and judging from the polyAT of my Hydrasynth I can only imsgine the evolvin and resposive pads onecan make with this lovely synth. Hope Santa has started to hit the weights.
Hi Martin. Try to link velocity to attack time in the mod matrix of your Hydrasynth and you get your desired evolvin' and responsive/plucky pads..........sort of 😉
Wow. They really did it. That is glorious.
Here is hoping for these features in the new keylab... Along with the knob encoders with the LED bars (customizable rgb please) from the astrolab.
Holy moly. I wish I could afford this monster. Amazing machine!
Sweetwater is a little over 100/month 36 months
This is .. something else! i thought the original PB was cool, but this is on another level :) Hmm I need space though.. and financial means.
Your synth collection must be pretty insane at this point from all the demo gear!
most the time they send em back or have to pay for em. Arturia doesn't just send free gifts everywhere.
You can do that velocity-sensitive transient thing on any synth which lets you modulate the envelope attack with the imverse of the velocity, like a Hydrasynth (which can also modulate the envelope release from the key release velocity, so you can control how quickly the notes shut off just from your playing). The new Polybrute sounds magnificent though, you demo it so well.
...Or an Arturia Microfreak :)
Finally someone has designed a key bed that provides expression when you automatically wobble your finger on keys expecting vibrato for some reason!
You should look at the Expressive E Osmose if you haven't yet !
Osmose Xpressive did it a year or two ago.
Except polybrute 12 does not have side to side expression on the keys. Osmose does.
You've been able to do this since the 90's. Poly AT ain't new
@@milosmilosmilos @lb2696 yup, fair point. I was thinking more in a conventional style synth and key bed but it does already exist. And I didn’t realise this didn’t even offer side to side expression. Man I got too excited.
If a person had this and Waldorf Irridium Keyboard version that would cover almost any synth sound you would want to make. Great video and very appealing synth. I would definitely like one of these.
A programmable Osmose. Solid.
Osmos as well as Haken audio has the deepest possible programmable synth engine
I do feel the lack of the vibrato/bend per key that the Osmose has. And of course a very different synth engine - but I do like this for your more standard synth sounds, and the Osmose physical modelling is really quite lovely. If you had an unlimited budget, I think there's plenty of reason to have both in a studio, honestly. That and this is twice the cost of the Osmose - but I don't think this is overpriced at all. It has some serious chops and its ease of patching is huge.
I think this is a fantastic instrument!
@@MrRostislove I have an Osmose. It is nice- but let’s be honest about its on-panel programmability.
@@MrRostislove Hawken Matrix is probably one of the worst interfaces on the planet. "Programmable" is exactly how I would describe it, definitely not "design".
@@LagoLhn if you are dedicated, you can create and edit patches through its computer editor, which is *extremely* powerful and complicated but so much so to its detriment for any but serious developers. The knobs are purely macros, but you are allowed under the hood but you need a lot of tutorial time to patch anything worth patching.
Wow, I really like the implementation of FullTouch - I hope they put this keybed on a full sized 12-voice digital w/ analog filters ‘SuperFreak’… as well as some of their controllers.
That SOUND at 20:31 🫠
Great stuff! Let's just hope that they bring FullTouch(tm) to the next KeyLabs Pro controller!
If I could make one suggestion to the Arturia firmware team it would be to add a control for Poly AT slew amount and/or an attack/release control for it. No one has done this before, as far as I know. Aftertouch often feels jumpy--applying or removing pressure can sound abrupt. But adding a way to slew the pressure signal would open up a lot of nuanced sound design capability. Just my $0.02!
You should try the FullTouch Envelope mode; This is exactly that, with separate rise / fall slew, and a release control. Very, very fun to use !!
How do you add that? buy separately? or in the synth program is included…??
1:24 Man, I was getting serious Kraftwerk vibes! Reminded me of about 3/4 of the way through Autobahn. Sigh, too bad I'm broke, or this would have been a day 1 purchase! Great video as always!
Keystep 37mkII with fulltouch... yes, that was literally my first thought when I understood what this feature was capable of.
I'm with you on the key bed. It's a new generation thing just as aftertouch was in the 80s.
They obviously have an interest in the future of midi implementations so I think the midi controller with this standard of key bed must come.
Finally, the breakdown of the historicity of Keybedz in this Video is TOP-NOTCH, DOCUMENTARY WORTHY!! 👑👑 You’re a Wizard LOOPOP and I can only COMPARE to the greatest as in BOB ROSS, MR. RODGERS, AND YES LOOPOP!! TOP-NOTCH!! 😇
👏🏼great video explanation. So much modulation key bed initiated innovation. Glad to see Arturia pushing analogue technology on. £3500 not unexpected. Cons: quite a competitive Polysynth market…for space, time and cash.
@loopop
Ziv, can you compare the keyboard feel to the Quantum Mark 2 or the Prophet 10 or the MOOG One?
Or does the PB12 have the.. same feel as the regular PB ?
Yeah, the feel of Arturia's synth actions have always felt a bit cheap compared to other flagship synths, which is a shame as the rest of the hardware looks and feels really premium. Well, the rubber coated knobs could be nicer too, but those are easily swapped out. You can also see in this video that the keys are also slightly crooked (vertically), which isn't a good look on a brand new flagship... you never see that on a Yamaha or Fatar action...
I don't have the Quantum or Prophet. I don't think the keys here or on the original feel cheap, but that's perhaps a matter of personal opinion I guess - they're not on the heavy side. The Moog One keys feel "more premium" with a kind of wood finish on the black keys, but if the only thing guiding my decision-making was the keybed functionality, personally, I'd take Arturia FullTouch - this is the one to beat IMHO.
@@loopop thanks for the details. Looking forward to trying one!
@@JimDanekerhey Jim, I have the OGPB and my only gripe are the keys. They are in the same range as the Roland System 8 but maybe a little bit thinner feeling. At first touch the Andromeda A6 suffered the same sort of keyboard feeling which to me was a letdown right away. (worse than the PB)
I might take a trip in the next couple of days over to Perfect Circuit audio and give the PB 12 a test run.
However the sound and features of the PB 12 look really intriguing. I was wanting to put my PB on the market anyway. 😮
@@loopop thank you for the response . The Moog one uses a premium Fatar keybed, after the Rev 2 all Sequential keys are Fatar but they are one level under the premium which is in the Virus KB / TI as well.(as the Moog one and the nonlinear labs.)
I have the OGPB and I use it even though the keys aren't my favorite.. I have a number of synthesizers that use the Fatar TP9S and the TP8S for key beds. So I have a workaround personally.
The difference between the TP 8 and the TP 9 are the woodgrain of the black keys and the length of the white keys. The more premium Fatar has the woodgrain and the longer keys.
I think it is safe to say that the Fatar is the industry standard benchmark for a premium keypad for a flagship synthesizer. Now there are some other synth companies that make proprietary keybeds, however after years and years of research and hands-on experience I say the Fatar is the industry standard which all synthesizers should be judged against.
Thank you very much for all of your videos.
Finally just bought the OG Polybrute too haha
I think this just dethroned Moog 1 as my dream synth.
Excellent! Agree on your last point about the keybed being part of a controller - a full sized Keystep Pro Pro is long overdue and would be an instant buy (for me at least). Even just a full sized 61 key KSP with poly aftertouch would do it for me.
I didn’t want to care about this synth, but this review is _really_ compelling!
This is one of my "win the lottery" synths. I love the way it sounds, love the polyat improvement. I think its super ugly in the white compared to the original arturia blue, though.
As a hobbyist I can't justify the price of this synth, though. Maybe this means an original polybrute will drop in price enough to make it possible.
Agreed... I didn't want to "rain on the parade" of this tremendous sounding synth. But the beige isn't working for me. So I'll happily wait until the "noir" version comes out!
Agreed. It is a wonderful synth, but I can buy a few other items for the same price. As for the color, there is limited dark edition. I too dislike to light color.
Thanks for the excellent review per usual. I own a six voice Polybrute and an Osmose. Given that the new 12 voice has almost identical voice architecture do you think Arturia will be able to update the original PB to respond to MPE over midi?
Great video once again.
I just bought the Polybrute 6 last month in April and then this drops.
You’re not working on a new Ocktatrack MKIII video by any chance?
Because I’m about to take the plunge and buy the OT MKII.
I would be heart broken if my wallet took another insta devalue hit on a piece of gear that’s about to be updated.
Can you let me know, I’ll tell no one 🤓💔
Thanks! You see, it works the other way around - you need to buy the OT MKII, only then does a review unit land on my doorstep!
@@loopop im jinxed. Sods law. 🤓
Favourite moment in the video - the part where the scratched surface around the USB-B connector is shown :D
I actually saw that as I was editing and became concerned - it wipes off thankfully - I should’ve taken another shot later .I guess, without the scratch.
@@loopop I mean, it's a cultural reference and historical record of one of the major struggles of our generation :)
Just a small correction where you said “then came Aftertouch, first Mono Aftertouch” at around the 6:48 mark: in reality, the Yamaha CS-80 in the mid to late 1970s had Poly Aftertouch (which was the second synth I ever played in 1978.) In the late 1980s almost all of the Ensoniq synths had Poly Aftertouch (I had most of them.) And when they went under, for some reason, the entire industry went to Mono Aftertouch instead for almost two decades!
And the Electronic Sackbut before that in 1945 but hey, who's counting?
Bisous
True, but the Arp Pro Soloist (and DGX) had mono aftertouch and predates the Yamaha.
@@tebi1kurieudidon172 that was never commercially produced though. We are obviously talking about mass-produced commercial synths. And I was just stating that Poly Aftertouch was actually a thing for decades before the industry killed it and went mostly to Mono Aftertouch.
@@jopjopjop the ARP Pro Soloist was a Mono Timbral synth, so of course it was only Mono Aftertouch. We are specifically talking about Poly Synths that either had Mono Aftertouch or Poly Aftertouch, and I was simply stating that Poly Aftertouch was actually a thing for decades before the industry killed it and went mostly to Mono Aftertouch.
I think that at the price of just about any Pro-wind instrument 🎷 particularly thinking of the Saxophone, Arturia has finally gave it a run for the money. In My mind the Saxophone is like the ultimate in expression for both the subtle and the futile; which as great as synthesis is, the ability to have an A to Z non-linear approach was just not happening. Now, with this I SEE iT HAPPENING, where you’re not trying to re-invent the wheel 🛞 for some bit-of the shadow of emulation, and again, I’m not referring to matching sounds but the abilities of expressiveness!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Nice video. It sounds really nice. The biggest con for me on the original Polybrute 12 was the keybed felt super cheap. How much better does the MPE FullTouch keybed feel compared to higher end Fatar keybeds ?
This thing is a beauty box.
CS 80 / Andromeda level pedigree but Polybrute 12 is so much MORE and of course one will work well and grow with you.
27:15 definitely want a MIDI controller version of this key-bed
They should include a dust cover for those vents!
Good idea putting the vents on the top, but, dust falls.
Great overview and review. The original PolyBrute is totally underrated with just a few minor issues, one of which was a rather underwhelming keybed. This new revision seems to address all my issues. But I must ask: Why is the pitch a semi-tone sharp? You're playing a C and it's a C#. Did you do this on purpose?
Thanks! No, I didn't do it on purpose to mess with the perfect pitch folks, and I don't recall changing the settings. I wish I was by it to test but I'm at superbooth
@@loopop have fun at superbooth. The preset demos at the end are in the right key. Not sure why the earlier demonstrations concerning aftertouch and such are a half step off. Thanks for the vids!
starting to see the broader impact of the osmose on the synth world
This has existed for a century or more with "tracking organs" and I wondered back in the 80s why synths don't have it. This would also help make the best Hammond organ simulations, which actually have 8 individual contact strips per key that close one by one as you press a key, each turning on a separate drawbar's tone.
Lovely sounds
Awesome tech. Awesome design. Still not a fan of the sound of the filters and oscillators. I wish they would have made some changes there.
Wow - 35:50 - Vangelis Beaubourg vibes! ❤
Bravo sir
Ziv: any chance of you filming a deep-dive (doesn't need to be humongously long) into the software editor for the Polybrute 12 that Arturia offers for download? Caveats, advantages, difficulties....
hmmm probably not... I covered the software in my main OG PB video, and for me personally while it's nice to see the presets on screen and as a librarian and it was useful when explaining how morph works, I don't use it when exploring the synth - the reason I love these hands on synths is because you don't really need the software for them. Is there any reason in particular you think it's interesting to use the software instead of using the synth? Maybe I'm missing something!
Hmm, instantly like the sound of this one more than the previous one.
fantastic review..! is layer creation and split keyboard still applicable in this advanced machine?....
Thanks and yes!
I know the Osmose has an extremely advanced engine so it'd be difficult to program with a standard "knows and sliders" front panel, but I really like the combination of MPE and conventional controls. Looking at other instruments like the Seaboard/Continuum/Linnstrument I think I would miss the standard controls for programming. This looks like a nice compromise.
"I can do this all day-which I actually did" 😂
Amazing Synth!
I enjoyed your dune playing on this synth❤
The son of the mighty CS80!
Great review! Good to see more instruments exploring MPE. Also the way they set out the parameters makes me curious how a physical programmer for the Eagan Matrix could work. Are you going to do a video on Noisy 2?
Thanks! No, probably no video on Noisy 2 for now
That Dune moment in the beginning, tasty!
Can we please have the Keybed 49 Pro MIDI controller based on the PB12? We'll forgive you for the odious Astrloab.
As an owner of a hydrasynth deluxe and a poly brute six, I’m actually not too excited about this. Sure, more voices is great and the keyboard is cool, but I really wanted a flip up control panel like the Matrixbrute. I always find the poly brute to be uncomfortable on long sessions programming. A flip up panel would’ve been dope.
Great video as always. One question, can the PB 12 do polymods ?
Thanks! If you mean per voice modulation then yes; LFOs can be per voice, and there are some audio rate x mods as well (check out my PB6 video for all the details, for just have a look at the panel as they're not hidden in menus)
@@loopop Thanks. I'm sure I saw your video on the PB 6, but it's a little fuzzy in my mind. I'll take another look.
Absolutely Phenomenal. x