The guitar center on halsted in chicago has a minimoog, so I made a trip out there today to play it. They had it locked up in a special room. My pulse actually raced a little bit as I saw it through the glass, I have never seen one in person. And I have to say I had pretty high expectations of this synth and it blew them away. Never have I come into contact with such a fine peice of equipment. Everything about it was perfect and amazing. When I hit the first note I thought my head would explode! And then I realized there was only ONE oscillator on omg. If you have never played one, let me tell you know youtube demo in any resolution, no album on cd, vinyl, or tape can ever matched the sound and feeling of one in person. Some day we will meet again minimoog… Some day
Thanks for letting me share my joy here, anyone else have a recollection of their first minimoog experience?
It was $4200 with out tax…so probably about $4700. It was in better shape than most of their new stuff on the floor. Not a single crackle or pop, no dead or misfiring keys, super smooth pots. it was probably in a studio most of its life, if not all. Just a couple small surface scratches on the wood, which other wise still had a very rich color to it.
What is it about the Mini that makes it sound so good? If you take a Voyager and strip off all of the extras, you basically have a VOS (Old School). If you take a VOS and break down the components of each, where do the differences come in?
Obviously, the Mini has more discreet components and they are aged, which adds to character I think, but what else?
Looking for an answer from somebody they has played both or owns a Mini preferably.
I can’t give a technical explanation on the difference but there definitely is. Granted ive only played either of them for relatively short periods of time in music stores and I love both voyager and minimoog, but there is just something more aggressive sounding but not harsh, about the mini. Where the voyager seemed more smooth and buttery. Even just the keys and knobs were such hi quality. I never felt keys play that nice!
You know I really thought about taking video our pictures, but once I got in the room with it I kinda forgot about everything else for a while…
Including my friend I was with … I really don’t even know how long I was playing with it. 15 minutes? An hour?
The model D is just one of those great “accidents” that transcends the design. I think most of the audio circuitry like in the mixer is antiquated, and would be considered lo-fi by today’s standards. But if there were a modern ic based mixer or audio path in it, it would not sound anywhere near as good. I have tested audio running through the ext input with the filter open, and it does not sound clean or clear. So it’s not exactly a miracle of technology, it is a work of art. There is a large psychological component to it, as most think of it as the holy grail of synths and thus there is a lot of hype. But in my opinion, the hype and historical significance are actually surpassed by the instrument’s sound, but I am biased.
I actually had one of the longest sessions on it last night, spent about 4 hours straight playing it. I kept thinking, “I am tired of this I need to stop” but couldn’t get up, it sucked me in and wouldn’t let go.
I’m at work, but if I wasn’t, I would find the YouTube video that compared the waveforms of a Voyager and Minimoog D on an O-scope. The waveforms are drastically different, reversed in some cases.
I may have been the first to mention the “V” word in this thread. I wasn’t asking for opinions on which was better or justification on having one over the other, just curious if somebody with real experience with both could characterize the diff.
I’m getting ready drop about $1,500 on a MOS-LAB ‘voice’ for my modular. The demo just blew me away and I’ve corresponded with a few owners (primarily based in Europe) on it’s merits. I also just picked up a STG Mixer and many agree that it’s design is so much like original Moog modular that it colors (for the better) anything you put into it in the same way that an Allen & Heath high end board will make a recorded MP3 sound wonderful. Except in this case, it’s a slight analog distortion that broadens the sound.
The same must apply to the Mini. Apologies if I hurt anyone’s feelings.
… I really don’t even know how long I was playing with it. 15 minutes? An hour?