Arturia PolyBrute 12 - First Look
The Absolute Flagship Synthesizer!
Just a day before Superbooth 24, Arturia announced their brand new PolyBrute 12! A synth that is the definition of a flagship synthesizer and that takes all the great things about the original PolyBrute and adds even more. The two most exciting new things about this synth are the now 12-voice architecture and the brand new FullTouch® Keyboard that enables polyphonic aftertouch expression across the entire key range.
What stayed the same?
Arturia decided not to change a lot of things from the original PolyBrute since it’s a relatively new synth that’s still one of the best polysynths money can buy. PolyBrute 12 has the same two oscillators, a Steiner Parker Filter & a Ladder Filter, three envelopes, three LFOs, and the incredible Modulation Matrix that’s the heart of this synth’s sound design.
The amazing digital effects are still here alongside the ribbon controller and the Morphée controller that adds a multidimensional level of control. The innovative Morph feature that lets you use two presets and blend between them is also here, so all the sound characteristics of the PolyBrute are pretty much the same on the PolyBrute 12.
What’s new?
First of all, we’ve got to talk about the absolutely stunning design of the PolyBrute 12. Its body has a beautiful cream color that pairs beautifully with the black, teal, and copper-colored knobs and the wooden details on the panels, the Morphée, and the Ribbon. It is a bit bigger compared to the PolyBrute and also has 5 vents on the top part to avoid overheating (but no fans so it’s completely silent). I honestly think it’s the most beautiful-looking synthesizer Arturia ever made and probably one of the most beautiful synths out there.
12 Voices! If 6 voices felt a bit limiting, the PolyBrute 12 has 12 analog voices to play with. For some, this might seem like an overkill but with the level of expression PolyBrute 12 offers, you can create a fully layered synth part just by using a single preset and that’s something you can’t do on most synths. The 12 voices give you the freedom to sequence melodies and also play chords or bass alongside without running out of voices so it’s a very cool update.
FullTouch® Keyboard! The star of this synth is definitely the completely redesigned keyboard. Arturia spent years creating a - now-patented - keybed architecture that captures the exact position and acceleration of the keys across their entire movement range to give musicians total control over their patches and playing. The polyphonic aftertouch works independently for each note and you can of course map it to affect any parameter of the synth giving you limitless options in terms of sound design and expressive playing.
There are three modes of the FullTouch Keyboard that I think it’s worth mentioning. The first mode which is the regular FullTouch, changes the behavior of the keys and triggers the envelopes even with the slightest touch and then the entire key range corresponds to aftertouch. This mode is probably the simplest one with the difference from other keybeds being that it’s very sensitive and you can be very subtle with it.
The second mode is FullTouch + z where you have the same behavior as in mode one but with an added layer of expression when you reach the bottom part of the keys. Once you press a key, at some point you reach a spring and you can further push from there. That last “z“ parameter can be another modulation source so you essentially have two levels of aftertouch on every key.
Lastly, the third mode is called FullTouch Envelope. Here the envelopes are controlled by the speed of your key presses. That means you can physically control with your playing how the envelopes work. A fast press will have a fast attack while a gradual slow press will increase the attack and open up the envelope slowly. This is such an expressive mode that drastically changes the sound as you interact with it. You can, for example, play plucked bass notes with one hand and slow pads with the other hand - all in the same patch!
Conclusion
The PolyBrute 12 is a masterpiece. I think it’s fair to say that it’s one of the best analog synths ever made both because its sound design capabilities are endless and also its updated expressive controls are vast. The original PolyBrute is still an incredible synthesizer in terms of sound design but the PolyBrute 12 added a whole new level of interaction with it and has hands-on control in so many different layers.
The only limitation of this synth is that - like the original PolyBrute - it has only analog oscillators. You won’t find wavetables or any other digital synthesis oscillators but, to be honest, analog synthesis is so broad and deep that if you know how to use it, can get you really far in terms of sonic possibilities. The only actual rival of PolyBrute 12 is the Expressive E’s Osmose which also has the most unique and expressive keyboard but uses digital synthesis and focuses on the expression you can get with it. The PolyBrute 12 merges that level of expression with a beast of an analog synth and that of course comes with a bigger price.
It’s not a synth anyone can afford but it’s also not a synth everyone can fully get advantage of. It requires you to be able to play with it the way it was intended and harness its unlimited power. So, if you’re more of a novice or amateur player, the original PolyBrute would be an incredible synth for you. If you are an intermediate or professional musician, the PolyBrute 12 will definitely become the flagship synth of your studio and will cure every need for an analog synth for years to come. The PolyBrute 12 is not just a synth - it’s an instrument that needs to be played as it is and gives you all the tools you could ever imagine to explore analog synthesis.
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