hey im looking to buy my first Moog synth and i have a question about the differences between Sub phatty and Minitaur.
I understand that you can make way more complex sounds with the sub phatty but its not that kind of sound im after. Im more after that simple George Clinton Flashlight fat miniMoog 70’s bass. From the videos and samples i heard i feels like the minitaur have a easier time and sounds fatter than the Sub phatty, but at the same time i might be wrong, because i have not been able to try them out in person.
Both have a plethora of under-ca-hood controls that you’ll want to have access to, unless you want it to perform with in which case you’ll just have 4 or so presets (like a working musician I know).
If you already have a very good Midi keyboard with the ability to configure sliders/knobs/buttons for sending Midi CC in order to toggle some of those hidden features AND you are ok with serving the lower register ONLY, then Minitaur might be a better choice. SubPhatty is 300+ more.
But you should have a good hard look at the Minitaur’s LFO section (waveforms) and some of the other features that might not be there that might get in the way of producing a wider palette of sound. Like no noise and fairly simple envelopes.
If I were going to buy something now, and wanted something Moog’ey that could do good bass, it would probably be a SlimPhatty… it does most things very well and has enough of the controls up front for hands on.
I always recommend to buy used, especially with high priced gear like the Moog stuff because a) people tend to take good care of it and b) the new car thing… you lose $100+ instantly so may as well get it at a decent price and if you get bored, you can sell / swap without too much of a loss.
OR… maybe buy all three from Sweetwater then return the two you don’t favor : )
If you’ll disclose your location, maybe there is somebody nearby that will offer to have you over to try…
I think the main thing that worries me is on some soundcloud and youtube videos i have felt that the phattys sounds abit “blurry” in its lower freq while the minitaur sounded more distinct and clear maybe even more detailed? Is that just my imagination or is there a real differences between the OSC and filter?
I’ll second that. Love my Slim Phatty. Despite the limited space of the form factor, pretty much every control is readily accessible without having to dig through a menu. When you do have to touch the menu system, it’s really straight forward and easy.
I really like the LEDs that indicate the value of the parameter. For example, the filter knob controls either the cutoff or the resonance. When you toggle between the two the LED ring surrounding the knob shows the value of the parameter you just switched to without having to move the knob until the sound changes (e.g. the Voyager XL).
I also really love the response of the knobs. It is possible to completely change the timbre of a sound by rotating the knob ever so slightly that the LED indicator doesn’t even move.
I haven’t had a chance to try that out, myself. Maybe some day I’ll pick up another (or two ) off eBay or something. But for now, I’ll settle for a single SP and a Sub 37 when it gets in.
I have four SP’s and a LP, and the polyphony is literally succulent Seriously, I have an Andromeda A6, Prophet08 and many VA’s and they’re not as phat as the Phatty’s. It reminds me of the lush sound I used to getout of the OB-8. recommended !!
On topic, I like the growl of the Sub Phatty but the Minitaur has a great sound too.
