Should i buy a Sub phatty or a Minitaur

[Nooomy]

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.

So please Moog forum help me!

[EMwhite]

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...

[Nooomy]

Thank you for the long and nice answer!

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?

[jsumners]

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'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.

And the sound is great. It can produce some very full basses all the way through to some decidely not bass sounds -- https://soundcloud.com/jsumners/sp-filter-bleeping

[monokit]

Thank you for the long and nice answer!

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?

Yes there is. The Sub Phatty Osc are derived from the Minitaur. The Little Phatty Osc derived from the Voyager.

The filter of the Minitaur is always slightly overdriven, the Sub Phatty filter can be overdriven with multidrive or/and feedback gain additionally.

Oh and btw. soundcloud and YT have a really f****d soundquality. Please try to test these synths in person.

[Nooomy]

I ended buying a Slim phatty and i i love the sound! its so nice i would also in the future buy more and poly chain them. I

heard some videos with the slim phatty in polychain and it sounds sooo fat! It reminds abit of the fattness that comes from the oberheims

What is your guys opinion of phattys in polychain, is it worth it? Or should i focus on buying another poly synth?

[jsumners]

I ended buying a Slim phatty and i i love the sound! its so nice i would also in the future buy more and poly chain them. I

heard some videos with the slim phatty in polychain and it sounds sooo fat! It reminds abit of the fattness that comes from the oberheims

What is your guys opinion of phattys in polychain, is it worth it? Or should i focus on buying another poly synth?

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.

[MRNUTTY]

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.

[Nooomy]

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.

Oh cool! I would love to have a OB-8 but they are extremely expensive! Of the few videos i have seen and heard it just sounds amazingly nice!

Could you recommend or even record some samples of you using the polychain phatty?

i haven't been able to find any HQ recordings

[blakestree]

I've been wrestling with this decision for the past month. I love the sound of the Minitaur, but it is quite limited. I just purchased the Sub Phatty for only $275 more. For that little difference in price it is hard to argue for the Minitaur. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Moog-Sub-Phatty ... 1068474011 Only eight hours left!

BUT, if Little Phatty is your thing, there are amazing deals on them, right now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Moog-Little-Pha ... 055wt_1183

[MRNUTTY]

@nooomy - this is the youtube video that sold me on the sound (firechild.se). It's even more amazing that this sounds in person

http://youtu.be/Exmrb1ce7aM

[blakestree]

Nooomy, Did you see this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlKTyMnxlq0


Also, there is a good sound comparison between the Sub Phatty and Minitaur, down the page, here.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron ... st10124026

[Nooomy]

Yeah i have seen that video and its amazing But i would like to hear a more detailed demo. Like just one sound and some knob tweaks