Arturia

wheel – also included here – they’re
excellent additions that are likely to
have even seasoned synth players
expressing themselves in new ways.
There are a few I/O differences
between the Matrix and PolyBrute
too. Here we get master stereo
outputs plus a headphone output,
along with MIDI in, out and through,
USB MIDI, analogue pulse sync in
and out and three pedal inputs
(sustain and two expression). Unlike
on the MatrixBrute, there’s no CV
connectivity here though, and no
audio input either, so there’s no way
to run external sounds through those
dual fi lters or the effects.
The PolyBrute is a six-voice
instrument so it’s far from the most
polyphonic synth in its price range. It
is multitimbral though, with the
ability to set up two distinct sounds at
once (labelled A and B). With a few
exceptions, every synth parameter can
be assigned separate A and B states
and, rather than simply switching
between the two, the PolyBrute uses
a rotary to allow gradual blends of the
two setups. In its standard Morph
but any position between the two
means that edits are made to each
state proportionally, with the dead
centre position adjusting both equally.
This can occasionally make setting up
sounds a little confusing – it’s easy to
get carried away tweaking osc or fi lter
settings without remembering to
check on the position of your morph
dial fi rst. Fortunately, Arturia have
included a number of smart tools to
speed up assigning A and B sounds,
including options to swap or duplicate
sounds, to assign the current settings
to slot A or B, regardless of Morph
rotary position. While each PolyBrute
preset includes both A and B states
within the patch, you can mix-and-
match states from multiple presets,
mode, rather than simply switching or
fading between two static sounds, the
synth will smoothly transition each
affected parameter from its A state to
its B state. So if you have an
oscillator tuned to -12 semitones in
state A and +12 semitones in state B,
rather than hearing the lower pitched
sound blend with the higher one,
morphing from A to B will result in an
audible rise in pitch as the osc moves
from one state to the other.
Since the PolyBrute uses a rotary
rather than a switch to fl ip between A
and B states, editing sounds isn’t
simply a case of selecting one sound
or the other. With the rotary hard over
to side A or B, parameter adjustments
will only affect the selected sound,
MATRIX RELOADED
The MatrixBrute’s titular button matrix makes a return here, in a more compact, 12x8
form. Functionally, it fulfi ls the same roles, acting as a handy preset browser, a controller
for the multi-lane sequencer and, most usefully, a digital patchbay for assigning and
editing modulation routings. For the PolyBrute, 12 modulation sources are fi xed down the
left-hand side of the grid, and up to 32 modulation routings can be freely assigned across
four banks along the top
row. Editing modulation
patches is a simple case
of holding the relative grid
button and twisting a
knob to apply the required
depth. While modulation
routings themselves are
fi xed for both A and B
states of each patch, the
depth of each can be
morphed so, combined
with the ability to assign
up to 64 modulation
patches for each sound,
you can morph between
two entirely different
modulation setups within
a single patch.
THE ALTERNATIVES
Sequential
OB-6 £2,399
Incorporating a
similar voice count
and continuous
morphing oscillators,
this Dave Smith/Tom
Oberheim
collaboration nails a
broadly similar
sonic spectrum
sequential.com
Novation
Summit
£1,800
Novation’s 16-voice
synth similarly
combines elements
of analogue and
digital to create
something unique
and characterful
novation.com
Arturia
MatrixBrute
£1,800
Arturia’s mono/
paraphonic synth
uses the same
excellent modulation
matrix and similar
engine design, but
has a grittier, more
aggressive character
arturia.com
The PolyBrute leans towards
complex, evolving sounds full
of subtle timbral shifts
Reviews | Arturia PolyBrute
76
FMU362.rev_arturia.indd 76 07/09/2020 10:44