i recently bought a mini… which i want to love, but it goes out of tune at the drop of a hat, -the 2nd oscillator especially. playing it live with the band in a humid practice space, it will go out of tune within two or 3 minutes. i can’t even finish a song without having to adjust it half way through. my question is, is this something that can be fixed? can i have some kind of procedure done that will keep it in tune?
thanks!
Yeah it can be fixed but there are too many probable causes to describe over the internet. If it’s going out of tune this bad, it needs professional help.
[quote=“Keith collins”]i recently bought a mini… which i want to love, but it goes out of tune at the drop of a hat, -the 2nd oscillator especially. playing it live with the band in a humid practice space, it will go out of tune within two or 3 minutes. i can’t even finish a song without having to adjust it half way through. my question is, is this something that can be fixed? can i have some kind of procedure done that will keep it in tune?
thanks!
[/Oliver]You can can find the source service manual here:
http://oldschoolsound5.free.fr/manuels/Source_Service.pdf
The document include the calibration procedure and the full schematics.
hope it will be handy,
Oliver
If your techy than you can take a shot with the service manual, but the Mini moog is such a delicate instrument… I will never open up my mini again..
I’ll rip my prodigy or MG1 to shreds put em all back together, both still working no problemo.. The Model D is a different can of beans… There are 4 cards inside that connect to these fragile old edge connectors and even the slightest mis-alignment can really make things act funny. And thats just one of hundreds of senarios..
Kevin Lightner could fix your mini and make you love it like you say you want to… He did this for me , and I am very greatful..
Oliver, he asked for tuning of his Minimoog, and not the Moog Source. The Link you gave is pointing to the Moog Source service manual.
In this great Yahoo group
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Lords_of_the_Mini/
you will find the needed Minimoog service manual at this link:
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/wHG4QhE9ewIFUD038-eRb8Uai8Yr3WzFY7Z42e24tPlqFzcxOTiZ86ZWxgZyH8Pqgclc2jMmARNu3vNSdiByCM-t6YPB_RpYNd_ou5Kx5g/Minimoog%20Technical%20Service%20Manual.pdf
Maybe you got an old Mini without the buffer board?
Or something needs a fixing by an experienced Minimoog tech.
Yes, this unit sounds like it needs some TLC from a service person. You would be surprised how many former Moog warranty technicians are still around in a larger town. Start checking with your local music store and see if they can give you a lead or two.
Kevin Lightner (find him at www.synthfool.com) is widely considered to be one of the top synth techs in the world. Because of this, however, he is very busy. I was just checking out his site to find range and scale directions for my Mini (lots of great info on his site–Moog and others) and noted that he is booked through 2005. Lucky for us, he still has time every now and then to contribute to this forum.
Find yourself a good local tech and become his best friend!!
wow,
thanks everyone!
Thanks for the kind words and my apologies for my own shortcomings with repairs.
These units are taking an inordinate amount of time to “get right” nowadays.
They’re all getting older, aging, wearing out, etc.
So, i’m getting slower and prices are going up as well. 
One bit of advice on techs- you want a tech experienced in the repair and restoration of older units, not an older tech with experience in units when they were new. The synths (and his memory) have aged and present entirely different problems nowadays. The cures for most mini woes are not found in the schematics. They’re a very helpful guide, but won’t tell you why many things are going wrong or what to do to fix them. So, find a tech who has been a tech for a long time, has their stuff down, correct tools, etc.
just out of curiousity,
how many hear gig with their mini’s?
i can see the minimoog being great for studio use, but i want to be able to gig and tour with it. is that an unrealistic expectation?
Does your Model D have the original oscillator boards produced at the start of the Mini’s production run?? If it does, you may need to have them replaced. I forgot the name of the specific ones they started using in the mid-to-late 70’s, but they were assertained to hold pinpoint tuning.
Check your Mini’s serial number. If it’s below #10175, chances are you have the original tone generators. According to Dr. Moog, all the Model D’s after the above number were fitted with the improved oscillators.
i have serial #2283
i’ve been told the older ones sound “fatter” than the upgraded ones. is there any truth to that?
i really don’t want to have to ship it in order to get it fixed, but i can’t seem to find anyone local(seattle) who has substancial experience with old moogs like this. this little moog has all of a sudden become remarkably expensive.
2200’s huh… Nice !
Does it have a metal plate on the control panel ? Clear Wheels? Musoinic’s or RA Moog ??? Or just Moog ? That things gonna be worth even more of a fortune than it already is. Shipping it out might not seem like an option, but if you sent it to Kevin (if he’d even take it, since he’s super busy) you would be so happy when you got it back. He even guarantees his work for 90 days (I think).. You will not find that with any other tech… No one is gonna take a chance like that.. But Kevin knows his shit so well that he can do that, and with confidence !!
I gig with my mini all the time. For a while it was twice a week, without a case … It just started to show signs of needing a few easy adjustments (well easy for Kevin) and I’ve had it back from his shop for over a year now… YES.. You can gig with a mini model D… People did it for years.. Wakeman had like 8 minis on stage…
Hope thats some help to you..
Nick
Volt per Octaves
The best things in life may be free - but, it’s the tools that get the best things that set back your wallet. 
okay, so…
sell it and get back the money i spent on it… or spend a lot more money to get it to work properly.
decisions, decisions.
That’s the price of admission for owning analog.
No different than owning a vintage model T.