I was in guitar center playing with a little phatty today. Being that I am a first time moog owner with the subphatty, I noticed a substantial difference in the sound between the two. I am a fairly descent sound programmer but have not been able to come close to the sound of the little phatty. Is this because of the difference in the two different oscillators used between the two? THe little phatty seems to have more of a “true analog” sound to it, im wondering was that intentional on behalf of moog? Looking at the two, although I didnt dive deeply into the specs of the little phatty, I should be able to create those sounds or come pretty close. Can someone explain why these two instruments sound completely different?
I don’t think they can sound exactly the same… the oscillators aren’t the same, neither is the filter. They can achieve very similar sounds, but one can’t sound like the other. That’s why I’m waiting for my Sub Phatty!
Yea I don’t think they sound too similar. I think they may be good compliment pieces. The subphatty is a nice piece extremely loud, it doesn’t sound very analogue too me. The filters of course and certain elements. I would be interested to see how they both sound side by side. Found a little phatty for 700, I may be finding out pretty soon
What do you mean by more of a “true analog” sound exactly? I’m interested in the Sub Phatty as my first Moog synth as well so I’m interested to know what you mean by that since it seems like a red flag to me!
The filter is much beefier in the Sub than the Little. The overdrive section was redesigned for the Sub Phatty, and the oscillators were modeled after the Minitaur’s osc’s. The LP has oscillators that aren’t as stable as the Sub’s, and a slightly weaker filter. Also, the LP does not have a sub oscillator. As the happy owner of an LP, I am drawn to the Sub Phatty, because it does have a different sound as well as knob per function. I do not like the 25 key keyboard, but if they ever build a rack module out of it, I would get one. 
I believe that the stable oscillator is mainly what I’m referring to when I say it doesnt sound as warm Nd analog as the LP. The SP is loud and has a very pointed sound as with the LP it is much Warmer IMO. I don’t think there are any synths comparable to the sound of the SP and it is a great piece but I prefer the sound of the LP.
As a former LP owner, and foolishly selling before finishing two songs, I am in a similar predicament when it comes to recreating LP sounds. More specifically though, my problem lies with presets. I do not so much miss the filter or the sound of the oscillators at all; I just don’t have the faintest where to start with recreating these presets. Crafting them by ear isn’t an option because of one run-through workflow. Basically, I record each arrangement in one take, effects and all - minimizing the in-the-box experience as much as possible.
The presets being Pulsar Bass and Bitcrusher. A real shame, really as this is stifling two rather significant tracks. I’m able to get fairly close to the Taurus sound, but there is something missing there as well.
@mico
If you want to, I can record sounds of these two presets for sharing with you.
I don’t think they’ll sound exactly like them, but you can get it to sound very close to the original… after all, the Sub Phatty is a Moog!
I don’t mind the stable oscillator, but it looks like the SP’s architecture is geared towards an aggressive sound. Which is useful, but I would like plenty of soft sounds as well. Probably more so than the aggressive. I think I’d be happier with the LP but I never did gel with the interface at all when I played it. I need those knobs!
The subphatty has very stable oscillators which give it almost a perfect/ digital sound..I spent 3 hours in guitar center playing with a LP they had trying to makie similar sounds I made on the SP. The LP sounds a lot warmer as the SP sounds warm in some instances but sounds more aggressive. If you want aggressive Dubbstep type bass then the SP Is for you. When its processed it really sounds big, but I prefer the warmer lead sounds I can make with the LP. It sounds like how you would want your analog synth to sound. Ideally you would probably want both having the SP for the bass and the LP for leads. It comes down to preference and workflow.
If you want some drift in your Sub Phatty sounds, tinker with the Beat Frequency of Osc. 2 in Shift mode. This hidden parameter allows you to dial in the amount of drift you want. Another precaution you can take as to avoid the “digital” sound is minimize your utilization of other hidden parameters of the ‘reset’ sort, especially Oscillator Gate Reset and LFO Gate Reset.
If you want more “warmth”, make sure are crafting sounds with the filter set to 4-pole/24dB per octave.
I’ve owned the LP SE II and the only thing I truly miss is the arpeggiator. Which I do miss dearly.
Those are great tips! I tried it today and it made a big difference in the way my sound was coming out. Definitely not a voyager or voyager-esque but it has its own sound which I’m starting to come to terms with. I believe this piece was designed for Dubbstep in mind. It seems to be its strongest fit. I created some really nice gritty dubb basses today with some interesting tones that would definitely be perfect for Dubbstep. No one should expect this piece to be a little phatty or a voyager but explore the capabilities of this synth for its own unique attributes.
Calling the new synthesizer “sub phatty” was a mistake in my opinion. It gives the illusion that it is more similar to the other phatties than it actually is. They should have come up with an original name and look.
I’m glad to be of service, mate. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Shift mode and toying with each hidden parameter. I look forward to post-release firmware update that fixes the Delay and Hold parameters scale properly and addresses a startup bug.
I’m will have to beg to differ in regards to your conclusion about the Sub Phatty’s application. I spend most of my time synthesizing rather vicious sounds, sure, but the Sub Phatty is not so limited as being not only a specialty instrument, but a specialty instrument fitted for only to one genre niche.
Sure, it can serve that genre well, but I would not say that is its strong suit. The unit is more than capable in the higher registry of the sonic palette. Yet again, another reason why I think its name is a detriment to its rather unique voice.
I agree. While I have no qualms with its UI, form factor, and aesthetic, I feel the synthesizer is worthy of its own legacy.
I would love to hear some of the sounds created by users in the higher registry, I have created some descent sounds but nothing I would consider usable to my standard of liking. If anyone was willing to share their creations or how they created it, it may help sell to potential consumers and help others such as myself.
I have to say I agree with the statement that the sub phatty sounds a bit more aggressive, and while it still sounds warmer than DCO’s, it still isn’t quite the same oscillator wise. Another major component is the overdrive/distortion on the filter. I personally like my LP’s “Overload” better than the sub phatty’s although that could just be because I’ve spent far more time using the LP and know what I like when it comes to it’s overload feature - and still need to find the sweet spots so to speak on the Sub Phatty. I suppose for bass, specifically, I like the Sub Phatty better, and would prefer it over the minitaur. It’s oscillators and filter in many ways outdo my mopho, but only for bass (It’s important to note that there are sub oscillators on the Mopho. Also if I were to need a heavily modulated bass I’d actually go for the Mopho though. I don’t really like the short keyboard either - most of the time it’s fine, and it makes up for the short keyboard by it being easier to switch octaves in real time than the LP, but when it comes to using glide, I still very much prefer my LP. Same with leads as well. Also if I were to do a Paraphonic bassline (I intend to, but I need some more cables first), I’d be looking to use the Sub Phatty with the Mopho rather than the LP, but if I were to do the same for a paraphonic lead, I’d rather go with my LP and the Mopho before I went with the LP and the Sub Phatty. I think the Sub Phatty would be awesome to set up paraphonically with a Minitaur (I suppose I’ll have to wait until I buy a couple more synths and am in the market for a desktop unit or until a friend has one). On the Sub Phatty, there is also something worth noting. One knob per function. That is huge, but only because on the LP the cutoff and resonance are dedicated to the same knob, making it impossible to adjust both at the same time. This isn’t a huge deal while playing the synth, as you only have one hand available for knob twiddling, but if I were using a Slim Phatty or sequencing the part for the LP, it would and is hugely missed. Personally if I were producing dubstep, I might prefer the sub phatty. Since that’s a genre I don’t do, the advantages for that genre are lost on me. If I could only have one, I’d choose the little phatty. If I were setting the second hand prices for these synths I would make the price for the LP a little higher than that of the Sub Phatty, as I tend to use it more, and the size of the keyboard makes up for the loss of one knob per function. I love moog, but I would have rather they produced a slim phatty with one knob per function, or a Little Phatty with sub oscillators and a separate knob for cutoff and resonance, or better yet a 3 osc version of the LP. Also, the patch storage really is limited on the sub phatty. That being said, I really like the Sub Phatty, I love the sound of it, just as I love the sound of the Little Phatty. Without expectations of what an analog from Moog should sound like, both are awesome synths. I guess it’s kind of like expecting a Prophet '08 to sound like a Prophet 5, or a Mopho to sound like a Pro-One. Both synths are well worth their costs, are huge, especially in comparison to DCO synths (although I really like my mopho anyway, and am considering getting a Prophet '08 even though both have DCO’s - really the bigger issue with those synths are it’s filters, not their oscillators), I do prefer the LP’s filter for leads, although not for bass. I also want to point out that parts are going to be available if these synths break down, that there is tech support from the company, that we have access to new analog synths, and that we are very lucky that we have a Moog (and DSI for that matter), and that they are still making analogs. I’m much happier with all of moog’s offerings and all of DSI’s offerings than the VA stuff out there, certainly far more than Roland’s attempt at rebranding their digital synths as Juno’s and Jupiters (I think they could rerelease the Jupiter 8 and it would be far better than their Jupiter 80, and probably end up being cheaper, and that these synths are at least designed and assembled in America. If your really worried about the differences in the oscillators and filters between these two synths, that perhaps you should put together a Eurorack modular with all the components you like, buy a vintage and pray it never breaks down on you, or seek out some of the boutique synths out there. God Bless Moog and God Bless America. USA! USA! USA!
I can’t make the same sounds on Sub as I do on Slim/LP. Their distortions are completely different. Very apparently so in the lower regions. It has been said before by Marc Doty ( 
) The LP has a “more pointed sound” than the Sub Phatty. Now in mi own words, is in its own way, more aggressive. I do have both, and I am not experiencing a deal of overlap in sounds/timbres.
Wait, you mean the LP is more aggressive than the SubP?
I don’t know, the Sub Phatty so far in my experience can get quite aggressive. I think it’s best to think of it as different flavors of aggression.
Overall it’s far more flexible than I thought it would be tone wise. It’s capable of a purity of tone reminiscent of the Voyager oscillators. I was floored by this as I have never owned an electronic instrument capable of that. There’s also something more immediately organic and animated in the sounds I conjure with it, than what I get with the Little Phatty. Little Phatty is immediately darker, lusher, smudgier, and this character remains even in its overdriven tones.
Between the two synths, the choice of colors on offer are wonderful.
not in my experience ~ they are both lovely but I don’t think the SubPhatty is any less “aggressive” than my SLIM they will both knock it out of the park~ neither of them sounds exactly a Voyager or Minitaur/Taurus either — all the MOOGS sound grrrreat (moogerfoogers and etherwave too!) but each one of them has their own very distinct personality ~ and you really need to spend time with EACH one to get to know it’s potential i am really loving the sub phatty now at the moment