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MyChooz has prepared a review of the recording kit Arturia MiniFuse Recording Pack talking about the main pros and cons of the model. And we made a convenient selection on the topic in rating format. Ratings are compiled based on ratings from reviews, all pros and cons are taken into account, even minor ones. We have chosen the most important points for you, and with full review You can find out by clicking on the link or watching the video attached below.
Sound Quality: 8/10
Arturia MiniFuse 2 sound card
In short, Arturia MiniFuse 2 is a budget sound card from Arturia with excellent ADC and DAC for its class. The mic preamps have -129 dB noise floor equivalent, and 56 dB of gain is enough to open up most microphones.
CIRRUS LOGIC CS4272 is used as converters. It doesn't sound bad and has a dynamic range of 114 dB. The card itself is built on the XMOS XU-208 processor.
Arturia developed this card for beginner and amateur musicians and producers. The company itself wanted to do the following:
- Optimize performance for minimal latency. The minimum latency in the card is 0.2 ms with a buffer of 8 samples on the Asio driver and 0.3 ms with 16 samples on the Mac.
- Incorporate a microphone preamp for crisp, clean recording of vocals and instruments.
- Jack 6.3 inputs with high impedance for high-quality recording of bass or guitars.
- High-quality monitor outputs and headphone output.
- Possibility of direct monitoring without any delay.
On my own behalf, I’ll say that I’m completely satisfied with the card game, and if you take its individual cost of only $200, it’s generally super. Design, sound, characteristics are all at a decent level. I've already worked with her, and this time when she came for a review, I was still delighted.
Microphone Arturia CM-1
Arturia CM-1 condenser microphone, budget. Don't expect it to sound like the Neumann TLM 103. The microphone capsule is electret, 16 mm. with cardioid pattern. The microphone is made on the basis of modern SMD components, the inside and the microphone board itself look neat. Good quality. The manufacturer announced a sensitivity of -36 dB, and the stated maximum sound pressure that the microphone is capable of transmitting is 130 dB. This microphone requires 48V phantom power to operate.
I liked the microphone. You can record vocals and instruments in it. If you know how to work with sound in post-production, you can achieve good sound. Don't forget that the microphone comes with a spider holder and a pop filter. These are important things to record with a condenser microphone. The spider holder is made of plastic, the vibration suspension is made of rubber bands. The microphone is attached using a clamp in the form of a threaded ring. The microphone sits firmly in the spider; the spider-holder performs its function well. Pop filter — metal. Attached to a spider holder. It only works if it is at a distance of more than 15 cm from the microphone; if closer, it will miss explosives (B, P, V.). The pop filter looks nice, following the design concept of the entire Arturia Studio Pack.
The microphone pleasantly surprised me. This is the best bundled microphone I've heard so far. The UAD Volt Recording Pack or Presonus bundled microphones are terrible. They really do sound “cheap”. The Arturia CM-1 microphone is budget, but sounds extremely good. This microphone can be used to record not just demo recordings, but also be used for your first tracks or for recording voices for YouTube videos, conducting podcasts, etc.
Arturia EF-1 Headphones
Arturia EF-1 are closed dynamic headphones with an impedance of 32 Ohms, so they do not require an amplifier, they can even be used with a smartphone or laptop. The length of the headphone wire is 3 m. This is good for comfortable recording. The headband of the headphones is soft, the headband backing is made of foam rubber. On the upper part there is an embossed inscription Arturia.
The ear pads of the headphones are soft and completely cover the ear. They fit surprisingly comfortably. Arturia EF-1 are lightweight headphones, you can spend hours flying in them and not get tired of the pressure on your head. They are comfortable for recording. While I was testing them, I gave these headphones to my clients for vocal recording and everyone was happy. Previously, I gave clients Audio-Technica M40X.
The headphone height can be adjusted. There is a retractable mechanism for this. Although there is a numbering of the steps of the extension cord, the adjustment itself is not step-by-step. The bowls have a slight play for a comfortable fit.
In terms of sound, I thought that they would remind me of the Audio-Technica M20X, but this is not the case. Arturia EF-1 have a bass sound with a slightly emphasized lower mids. High frequencies are pronounced here, but not bright like the Audio-Technica M20X. The sound is tolerable for the money. I liked them more than the headphones that came with the UAD Volt Studio Pack.
Appearance and build quality: 10/10
Arturia MiniFuse Recording Pack has an attractive appearance. I received the white version. There is also a revision in black version. The design of the sound card is excellent, it is attractive and minimalistic. The headphones and microphone look good. There are neat company inscriptions and logo, both on the headphones and microphone.
Assembly of the entire set is good. The sound card is excellent. The body is made of metal and the regulators are made of silicone. Plastic buttons with backlight. The microphone is metal, the assembly inspires confidence. The microphone is protected by a metal grill, like expensive microphones. The headphones are made of plastic, but do not feel cheap.
The design is excellent, the assembly is good. For $330 we get a package that sounds good and looks great. I did not have any complaints about the assembly or quality of materials. For its price — This is one of the best recording kits on the market.
Supply set: 10/10
The package, like all similar recording kits, includes:
- MiniFuse 2 sound card
- USB-C connection cable
- XLR cable for microphone
- Spider holder
- Metal pop filter
- Microphone Arturia CM-1
- Arturia EF-1 headphones and 6.3 mm adapter
- Software activation voucher
Included with the Arturia MiniFuse Recording Pack will be a voucher for activating the software. This is a set of plugins that will help with music writing, mixing and mastering. The bare minimum that will help in production. The quality of Arturia plugins is top notch. You can find emulations of vintage instruments and a set of modern synthesizers or effects.
- 3-month subscription to Splice — library of sound samples.
- 3-month subscription to Auto-Tune — software for changing pitch.
- Ableton Live Lite and Analog Lab Intro — popular DAW and sound library
- Guitar Rig 6 LE — This is a multi-effect rack and amplifier simulator for quickly creating and experimenting with sound.
- Delay TAPE-201 — This is a tape delay emulation with a rather warm retro coloration.
- Reverb PLATE-140 — This is an emulation of the legendary EMT 140, if anyone has not tried it, I recommend it for vocals or snare drum.
- Chorus JUN-6 — I can’t really say anything since I don’t use this plugin very often, but it sounds pretty good.
- Pre-1973 — this is an emulation of the legendary NEVE 1073, a preamp that makes the signal warm and rich in harmonics, I consider it the most useful among all the plugins that I have listed.
Arturia has never disappointed me with its set of plugins. It doesn’t matter if you buy a budget sound card (Arturia MiniFuse 2) or a MIDI keyboard (Arturia MiniLab 3). The plugin package will be great. These are the plugins that I really recommend using. Just look at Analog Lab V with its huge pack of sounds and emulations, such as: MiniMoog, JUN-6, JUPITER-8, etc.
Bottom line: pros and cons
Arturia MiniFuse Recording Pack is an excellent choice for aspiring musicians, vocalists, bloggers and producers. This set will cover your needs for recording vocals, instruments, podcasts or recording videos on YouTube. A good sound card with high-quality preamps and converters, a microphone with good sound transmission and comfortable headphones for monitoring. All this will be in one set. After using this kit, I did not have any difficulties with connections or drivers. Everything worked stably.
Pros
- Good sound card with high-quality preamps and converters
- Microphone with good sound transmission
- Closed-type headphones with a comfortable fit and normal sound
- The kit includes everything: connection cables and a spider holder with a pop filter
- Great design
- Good assembly and quality of materials
Cons
- The box looks worse than the UAD Volt Studio Pack
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