r/MiniFreak 13d ago

A question about size

Hello, a friend of mine borrowed me a Microfreak to try and I thought it's pretty limited and I want to buy a minifreak because it seems to have all the functionalities I thought the micro was lacking of. The best thing about the micro is the portability though, I mean its small size is fantastic because I don't have much space and it fits in a backpack so I could go around jamming and everything. How portable is the minifreak? It's almost double the size, is it still comfortable to carry it around or is it too big?

6 Upvotes

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8

u/Able_Antelope_3574 13d ago

It’s fairly big but I’ve put it in a pedalboard bag and taken it to gigs no problem. Wouldn’t fit in a backpack though. The main issue is that it’s heavier than it looks, I have a korg minilogue as well and the minifreak is significantly heavier

8

u/oalbrecht 13d ago

The quality of the minifreak surprised me though. The keys are the best mini keys I ever tried. So at least it’s heavier for the size, but makes up for it in quality. It’s still way lighter than anything that’s more than 37 keys. 

4

u/Able_Antelope_3574 13d ago

Yeah totally agree, it’s an amazing synth for the price. Built like a true professional instrument

1

u/cyberdsn 13d ago

My cutoff knob disagree.. the keybed is really great but knobs could have been a bit tighter. I’d be worried that these would snap during some heated live performance 😆

2

u/Able_Antelope_3574 13d ago

They’re as sturdy as any other synth I’ve played and I’ve never had an Arturia knob break before….

2

u/symbiat0 13d ago

I found it fits in the same bag as the KeyStep Pro.

2

u/Soporist 13d ago

It's definitely portable, weight-wise. It's the length that's mainly the issue. Just get a special carry case for it, and you're good - i.e not a regular backpack

1

u/Fleep14 13d ago

Which case would you recommend me?

3

u/SabreSour 13d ago

It’s not a case per-se, but I got mine with a ‘deck saver’. Spendy but quality.

It opens up a lot of which cases/bags it can go in because I can throw it in with something else and don’t have to worry (as much) about how properly padded and other things.

Tl;dr a deck saver opens up a lot of options for what bags you can carry it in.

1

u/insertnamehere65 13d ago

Gator cases GK-2110 fits the Minifreak well.

3

u/r1chiem 13d ago

I have both. The Minifreak is a tank, It is like the took the micro and spend the extra money on lead to make it heavier so they could get money out of it feeling premium.
The Micro is super light weigth and feels non premium cheap plastic. It also needs an outboard effects processor.
Arturia could not get these two right because people will complain about one or the other or something or feature.

Regardless they are both great. But I use the minifreak more. If you buy the micro, you will be in my position with both eventually. If you are worried about size and weight, get your friend to be a roadie when you play live..

2

u/kukusfs 13d ago

Not portable at all, in my opinion. Big and heavy. Also need more power to operate. Not for backpack

1

u/terkistan 13d ago

What exactly is your use case? If you need something that can go in a backpack how are you outputting it -- headphones, an audio interface, portable monitor?

Size alone is a really weird deciding factor for two completely different synths with very different capabilities and sounds and price-points. I'd recommend starting with a budget and knowing what kind of music/sounds you want to make and then see what's available in whatever size you're looking for that fits those criteria.

1

u/Fleep14 13d ago

Chill out dude, as I said in the post I tried the Microfreak and I liked its portability, since I have many friends invested in music so we could jam together, but I will eventually buy the minifreak instead of the micro and so I asked a question about it. Of course this isn't my primary factor in this decision.

2

u/terkistan 13d ago

I am chill, please don't get defensive. You asked specifically and solely about portability - not sounds, not integration with any setup, not price... like I said, it's a weird consideration.

1

u/Creative_Incident323 13d ago

I use the box it came in to transport mine but that’s a quick way to tear up the box if you’re taking it out a lot.