Moog Music Forum

From a purely sound and tone standpoint (i.e. ignoring interface, immediacy, portability, etc), can any owners of both a Model D and 901 or 921-based system comment on the similarities? Can the modular cover more-or-less all the same ground as the Model D or do you find yourself reaching for the Model D for "that sound" that the modular can't hit?

I've wanted an old-osc Model D ever since I last tried one decades ago, but now that I have a Model 15, I'm wondering if it's worth continuing my search or if I'm just romanticizing and setting myself up for disappointment

Expect to be disappointed. They sound different.

There is not one single Minimoog Model D sound. Each revision sounds a bit different. The reissued Minimoog got the nice Rev 2 VCOs. They sound more brighter than the Rev. 3 ones. The Rev 1 had tuning problems, but did sound more like the 901 VCOs. The Rev 2 are more like the 921 VCO, but not perfectly alike.

noober wrote: ↑Sun Oct 25, 2020 1:48 pm From a purely sound and tone standpoint (i.e. ignoring interface, immediacy, portability, etc), can any owners of both a Model D and 901 or 921-based system comment on the similarities? Can the modular cover more-or-less all the same ground as the Model D or do you find yourself reaching for the Model D for "that sound" that the modular can't hit?

I've wanted an old-osc Model D ever since I last tried one decades ago, but now that I have a Model 15, I'm wondering if it's worth continuing my search or if I'm just romanticizing and setting myself up for disappointment

Noober,
The keyboard control switches on the filter section (that gradually open the filter when playing higher notes) are features that really makes the mini voice very expressive. If your system possesses the ability to achieve this function with your 15 then you will get closer to the sound. Another aspect that is going to get you there will be the way you play. The mini has the benefit of immediacy. Pitch and Mod wheels are right there at your fingertips, so it's far easier to deploy them in real time than it is to reach up there and tweak the panel. Try minimoog phrasing on your 15 and see if that doesn't also get you there.

I listened to a recording that a friend made on a reissue IIIc and it sounded like it was straight out of the 1960s. When I sat down on the Model 10, I couldn't achieve it. Then it occurred to me that his phrasing played just as much of a role in invoking that 60s sound. It's like the guitarist's adage that tone is in the player's fingers. This is going to be true between the 15 and the Mini to certain degrees if you are emulating a minimoog solo from a particular record. At some point though, hardware limitations are going to come into play, but I'm not qualified to render that type of analysis. My '78 mini sounds very close to my Mos-lab 921s. I haven't done an A-B with the Model 10, but that's coming.


You probably won't be satisfied though until you can hear them both side-by-side so you might as well just get one. It would be really nice if the mini was designed with CV outs. If you don't like it you can always sell it.

EricK wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:30 pmYou probably won't be satisfied though until you can hear them both side-by-side so you might as well just get one.

I think that's the way to go.. Guess I'll keep looking for one, maybe also a 901 system, and investigate more. Thanks for the input everyone!