Moog Music Forum

I'm playing bass in a cover band and I would like to be able to have the ''moog minitaur sound'' on my bass. I know I could just use a keyboard with my minitaur but it looks better live. Did anyone tried playing guitar or bass with the Roland GK line pickups? I heard they were only compatible with their own product... Or is there other alternatives?

Thank you!

You'll need to learn how to play the pickups and adjust your timing, but it will work.
Sonuus has the cheapest mono solution, but you'll really have to play carefully http://www.sonuus.com/products_b2m.html
Sonuus also has an iphone/ipad app as a converter so you can try it out.
Fishman Tripleplay is supposed to be good, but is not available for bass yet.
The Roland system is good, but you still need to go from the 13pin output to MIDI using a GR55, VB99 or GI-20. There are other solutions too.
Graphtech makes great saddle replacement pickups http://www.graphtech.com/products/brand ... ups---bass

I would recommend trying it out before going too far. For me personally, playing synthesizer on keyboards feels much better than triggering from a bass.

You could try running your bass into the audio-in of the Minitaur, then your bass would at least get processed by the Minitaur filter. You'll need something to send a MIDI Note On message to activate the filter. Here's a video of somebody doing this - with a guitar instead of a bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0JW2kTDKa4

Geddy Lee got that sound the old-school way - stepping on the pedals of a Moog Taurus. I've seen somebody using a KMI 12 Step to trigger a Minitaur - maybe you could combine that with the bass-into-audio in thing.

You can open the minitaur gate by sending +5V to the tip of a jack plugged into the gate. Luckily the ring of the the other CV jacks sends out +5V. Plug one end of a TS cable all the way into the gate and halfway into pitch, vol, or filter cutoff.

Sir Nose wrote:You can open the minitaur gate by sending +5V to the tip of a jack plugged into the gate. Luckily the ring of the the other CV jacks sends out +5V. Plug one end of a TS cable all the way into the gate and halfway into pitch, vol, or filter cutoff.

Genius! Though should we worry about patching an input into another input? (even if it's only halfway)
Here I was using the CP-251 Mixer Offset to keep the Minitaur's Gate open..

David.
NZ

David Smyth wrote:
Genius! Though should we worry about patching an input into another input? (even if it's only halfway)
Here I was using the CP-251 Mixer Offset to keep the Minitaur's Gate open..

David.
NZ

The best way to do it is to make a cable where the ring on the TRS end goes to the tip on the TS end.

Ok thanks for the suggestions!

I'm still a bit new to the ''scientific'' terms and use of Voltage on synth. How do you ''add'' 5V to a jack?

So to be able to plug my bass in my minitaur I have to plug it in the audio in and plug one side of another jack in the GATE and the other side in one of the CV imputs?

I'll get it eventually

marc1634 wrote:Ok thanks for the suggestions!

I'm still a bit new to the ''scientific'' terms and use of Voltage on synth. How do you ''add'' 5V to a jack?

So to be able to plug my bass in my minitaur I have to plug it in the audio in and plug one side of another jack in the GATE and the other side in one of the CV imputs?

I'll get it eventually

On a custom cable, put the TRS side into Pitch, Vol. or Filter. Put the TS side into Gate. Put the bass guitar into Audio In.

marc1634 wrote:How do you ''add'' 5V to a jack?

When thinking in a modular manner, something like what I do works well. I have some Moog CP-251's, which are useful for a bunch of voltage processing techniques. The mixer section has a voltage offset knob which, when turned all the way clockwise, offsets the output's voltage by +5V (modern Moogs work with voltages of +/-5V typically). Then I simply run the positive output from the mixer into the gate jack of the Minitaur and that voltage holds the gate open.

However as Sir Nose said, conveniently, the Minitaur's own other CV input jacks provide the +5V required (despite them being 'inputs'), ruling out the need for other gear. Because this comes from the 'ring' part of these jacks (google "TRS cable"), you either stick that end of the cable half-way in, or wire up a specific cable as Voltor07 suggested..

It makes sense to me now actually - the ring of the Minitaur's CV inputs puts out +5V to power any expression pedals (such as the Moog EP-2) that might be used.

Sorry if this has hijacked the thread a bit from it's original topic..

David.
NZ