Moog Music Forum

I feel guilty for the conversation I had with a couple of people involved in this project where I insisted that real keyboard players would not complain about the two-octave keyboard. I really honestly thought that the adage would be something along these lines: "A real keyboard player can make do with any amount of keys." I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry.

We "not real keyboard players" will have to muddle through with our TOTALLY USELESS two-octave keyboards.
Come to think of it, I don't know how anyone can take themselves seriously without a 88-key velocity-sensitive poly-aftertouch cascade-action keyboard. I mean, that's what the pros use. What the hell were they thinking with the Minimoog? How am I supposed to play Chopin or Elton John or Henry Cowell with that keyboard? And ONE NOTE AT A TIME? Were they SERIOUS? Obviously, the Minimoog is simply not a professional tool.

Upon further reflection... only ONE MANUAL?

museslave wrote:I feel guilty for the conversation I had with a couple of people involved in this project where I insisted that real keyboard players would not complain about the two-octave keyboard. I really honestly thought that the adage would be something along these lines: "A real keyboard player can make do with any amount of keys." I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry.

We "not real keyboard players" will have to muddle through with our TOTALLY USELESS two-octave keyboards.
Come to think of it, I don't know how anyone can take themselves seriously without a 88-key velocity-sensitive poly-aftertouch cascade-action keyboard. I mean, that's what the pros use. What the hell were they thinking with the Minimoog? How am I supposed to play Chopin or Elton John or Henry Cowell with that keyboard? And ONE NOTE AT A TIME? Were they SERIOUS? Obviously, the Minimoog is simply not a professional tool.

Upon further reflection... only ONE MANUAL?

LOL! But, no. I understand that a 25 key keyboard will suit some people. Too quote a classic movie, "if you build it, they will come," However, I think that most of us will agree that 25 keys is simply not enough for anything beyond noodling. Even the Micromoog had more than 25 keys, and less features than this...thing. Which isn't to say that I wouldn't like one. It can, after all, make different types of sounds than my LP and Taurus can with the sub osc and LFO routings. That keyboard is a huge limitation, however.

Voltor, you said 'noodling' but don't forget about 'doodling'! (It's 12:03am on the east cost so I just had to get moving on my two doodle use quota) besides, I'm skiing tomorrow and may not get back on until late at ight.

In all seriousness, I'm constantly running out of key real estate at the top end of my Phatty. Somehow, no matter what, runs are going to send you to where the keyboard ends. I'm pretty good and being able to switch octaves on the fly but I think the point is that if it's your 2nd keyboard, you might not have that free hand.

Then again, as somebody else wrote, the limitation may actually corner you into doing something a bit more creative. I really do think the number of people that feel they can squeeze this into their rig or into a bag outweighs the people that WON'T buy it because it doesn't have an additional x # of keys. Brute sold thousands and thousands, Akai's MPK and Novation's SL25 sold plenty also so ...

And guess what; nothing is stopping Moog from seizing an opportunity and producing a s-t-r-e-t-c-h version later that is 37 keys if they think people will love it. Call it the Sub Phatty Stage II and have a range like this: http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... CC0Q8gIwAA#

One step at a time...

thealien666 wrote:
Just listen to this example from a one minute Minimoog D lead I've played (from 1:27 to 2:27) and I can tell you that I couldn't have played this on a 2 octave keyboard only, even with octave switching.

http://soundcloud.com/thealien666/night ... io-moroder

Good job! Nice reminder of why I got a (Minimoog) Voyager in the first place.

Kenneth wrote:I Can't do that with a Voyager, or even a Little Phatty.

I know what you mean. Yes, the Voyager and the Little Phatty are "portable" in the sense you can carry either of them into your car and drive it somewhere, but can anyone seriously stuff either of them into a backpack???

museslave wrote:I feel guilty for the conversation I had with a couple of people involved in this project where I insisted that real keyboard players would not complain about the two-octave keyboard. I really honestly thought that the adage would be something along these lines: "A real keyboard player can make do with any amount of keys." I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry.

On Internet forums, "real keyboard player" = "guy who plays in a cover band".

A truly great musician can make music with anything. If JS Bach were alive today, he'd find a way to make music with a Minibrute.

Exactly!

Ahem.

Yes.

But...

...speaking for myself only...

I'm not Johann Sebastian Bach.

Yet I consider myself as a real keyboard player.

Even if I don't play covers

I certainly don't want to be that "real good musician who will make music with anything". I want to be that guy that is enjoying playing music on instruments that stimulate his creaticity and expressivity.

It's a matter of sensitivity and practice style. I agree some limitations can be stimulating, really. However, again speaking for myself, even if I certainly don't need a 88 keys board, the keyboard size is a limitation I cannot see myself stimulated by.


Museslave, about the SubPhatty's 25 keys, I'd say this: the instrument has much more to offer than two octaves. And as said before, I think few people will renounce to get it because of this with respect to the number of people who'll get it because it's a cool instrument. I would bet one of the first batch actually

Well...If I was 17 again - with limited cash, and if Moog make this small synth at a reachable price,I'd buy it!
maybe plastic moulded case - no reason what so ever that it wont be as stylish as the previous moogs, dont know who their designer is? but they come up with some phantastic phatty designs!
Just because its cheap ( and short ) does'nt mean its bad.

Think Moog are going to ensnare the younger guys/gals with this one - and there's nothing wrong with that!
and with MIDI, just hook it up to your master keyboard!

moogsaurus wrote: Think Moog are going to ensnare the younger guys/gals with this one - and there's nothing wrong with that!
and with MIDI, just hook it up to your master keyboard!

Hate to be that guy, but "younger guys/gals" could be shortened to "younger guys". Don't know of any female humans who give two @%#$!s about synthesizers. That would be too good to be true.

Kenneth wrote:

moogsaurus wrote: Think Moog are going to ensnare the younger guys/gals with this one - and there's nothing wrong with that!
and with MIDI, just hook it up to your master keyboard!

Hate to be that guy, but "younger guys/gals" could be shortened to "younger guys". Don't know of any female humans who give two @%#$!s about synthesizers. That would be too good to be true.

With electronic music breaking through into the mainstream with the kids the past couple of years, there are more and more girls into it.

lots of synth girls here in Austin Also, there's xombieplox here on the forums. . .

I agree with Kenneth, though, insofar as there is always room for more ladies

stiiiiiiive wrote: Yet I consider myself as a real keyboard player.

Even if I don't play covers

I certainly don't want to be that "real good musician who will make music with anything". I want to be that guy that is enjoying playing music on instruments that stimulate his creaticity and expressivity.

I was just having a little fun with the "real player" thing, which is a historically loaded term.

True, any keyboard player can make music with a $100 Casio from Target, but would he/she actually want to if given a choice? I suspect most would not, but there would be the oddball out there would grab a super cheap keyboard like that (preferably from a thrift store) to circuit-bend, or just run through guitar pedals or whatever.

I put in my share of time working on some (easy) classical pieces on the piano, but I'm more of a "hold a note while twisting knobs" type synth player (my more "serious" playing is on the viola), so for me a Minibrute or this Sub Phatty (if its designed for 1.0 V/octave) would be sufficient - if I didn't already have a Voyager.

No true Scotsman...