Hi, I just got my Minitaur yesterday and I already have a list of serious issues with it. Some are editor software related but there seem to be hardware issues as well…
VCO2 knob is not accurate: both VCOs are tuned equally on the 1 o’clock position (varies slightly). Position jumps.
EG amount knob doesn’t take EG amount all the way up. Stops between about one third to half way up (+ position, 3 o’clock). When turned back slightly it cannot be dialed up again further than the “half past 2 o’clock” position. Moving it back slightly a few times, it even stops at the center position.
This is not only visible in the editor but also audible, even when it is only connected via MIDI.
Turning the knob in the editor, I can get the full EG amount.
When connected via USB the Filter sometimes jumps when turning the knob
Patches in Editor often sound different from before. Sometimes this depends on the patch that was dialed in before.
Minitaur hangs itself from time to time
when connecting Minitaur to a USB-hub I get an annoying hum. Not so when connected to one of my rare USB ports on the iMac directly.
holding Release and turning knob does`t tweak release independently → sometimes release no longer has any effect
… and I haven`t even tried out to route audio into the Minitaur… this all is really disappointing as I generally love the sound and I need it for production.
Does anyone have the the same issues especially with the knobs?
Sounds like it might be worth trying a SYSEX reset and reapplying the firmware update on your Minitaur -
Moog tech support can hook you up.
When using the Editor, make sure it is displaying the firmware version in the “under the hood” window, or you might run into some patch issues.
Some of the tips in another thread I started might help a bit:
many thanks for your reply. I have tried re-installing the firmware and it is always correctly displayed on the “under the hood” page of the editor.
However, the problems have not disappeared. Here’s an exerpt of what I wrote to tech support:
“I have followed all the procedures you have mentioned and also dug into the moog-music forums.
I have re-installed the firmware several times now and have done the pot-calibration a lot of times. The calibration works, but only at first and for a short time.
When I play around with the knobs a while, they loose calibration again and after a short time the corresponding knob on the Editor display goes wild, even when I turn the knobs slowly. This sometimes triggers other knobs as well.
When I power-cycle the unit and reload the Editor-Software calibration is still lost. I have already tried with and without DAW-host, have disconnected every other USB-device and have swapped USB-cables. I also tried with and without DIN-MIDI connection.
It seems to work fairly normal when only connected via DIN-MIDI but this renders the Editor useless.
Is this normal behavior or is there something wrong with my Minitaur?
Apart from that. Another user in the forum experienced that when saving sounds, they get named by the slot below. I can confirm this, too.”
I really begin to think that there might be something wrong with my unit or the USB implementation is poorly programmed.
Bummer -
Might be time for some direct Moog support if the “generic” fix didn’t straighten things out for you.
You seem to be keeping pretty good details about the problems -
Have you tried contacting Moog tech support directly and forwarding the information to them?
yes, I contacted Moog tech support and so far, they only suggested that I should try reinstalling the firmware and that I should re-calibrate the pots.
Which I did. Now I am waiting for their next email. Over the years I have become quite experienced in troubleshooting, that’s why I keep all the details. Although this one is a hard one!
When you connect your Minitaur via USB and look at the editor. Then (“wildly”) turn the knobs back and forth a while (especially EG AMOUNT and VCO2 FEQ)… do they still represent 1:1 the hardware? Don’t they begin to act strangely? This happens especially when my DAW is open. (Logic or Live)
If this doesn’t happen with yours, I’d say mine is somehow flawed.
Have you experimented with the MIDI routing when using the Minitaur’s USB connection?
I was initially getting some very weird behavior with the Editor, especially when trying to use a USB controller with the Minitaur at the same time. I wound up using MIDI-OX on my Windows PC (not sure what the equivalent is for a Mac), and once I figured out a routing, I haven’t had any issues, even when bouncing between making adjustments with the Editor and the front panel knobs. The Editor and knobs seem to be staying in sync. (see the thread I linked to earlier for some routing tips)
I have NOT tried to use the editor directly with a DAW yet (I use Sonar), but maybe something similar to the routing I used my help?
Thanks a lot for your input.
I have now experimented with MIDI-Patchpay and might try OSCulator. Unfortunately there is no MIDI-OX for Mac.
I will keep you informed if anything improves… Need some sleep now!
