There’s certainly no shortage of synth news with Superbooth 2024 upon us, and Arturia have just made a major announcement in the form of the PolyBrute 12. As its name and numbering suggests, the latest addition to the Brute line-up is a 12-voice polysynth — doubling the count of the PolyBrute — and its headline feature is the inclusion of a FullTouch MPE keyboard that promises to “bring musicians into direct and tactile connection with their sound like never before”.
Expressive Performance
The instrument’s 61-note keybed features Arturia’s new FullTouch technology, which takes polyphonic aftertouch to the next level and offers a huge range of expressive potential. In fact, Arturia are so confident in its abilities that they’ve stated that the PolyBrute 12 is the most expressive polyphonic analogue synthesizer ever made! The FullTouch mode can be used to trigger modulation with the slightest touch, allowing aftertouch data to be generated across each key’s entire movement range; it’s available as a selectable mode, so users who wish to configure the keybed for polyphonic or monophonic aftertouch operation can do so.
The control doesn’t end there: the touch- and pressure-sensitive Morphée controller found to the left of the keybed of the original PolyBrute remains, as does the ribbon controller placed above the keybed, both of which can be assigned to a huge number of modulation destinations. There’s also a set of three pedal inputs for those who want to involve more of their limbs.
As well as doubling the voice count of the original PolyBrute, Arturia have kitted the new instrument out with a FullTouch keybed that promises to offer unparalleled expressive performance possibilities.
Mod Matrix
A 96-point digital patchbay provides intuitive control over the instrument’s modulation system, making quick work of setting up routing between sources and destinations and allowing sources or controllers to manipulate dozens of parameters simultaneously. As with its predecessor, each of the PolyBrute 12’s presets features A and B states that can each be assigned their own unique set of modulation settings, with users able to seamlessly blend between the two to create complex evolving sounds.
To show off what the instrument is capable of, a collection of 480 presets are provided, including a number of exclusive patches created by some of the world’s top sound designers.
Pricing & Availability
The PolyBrute 12 is available to order now, priced at €3999. Shipping dates are yet to be confirmed.
www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/polybrute-12/overview
