Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Tips and techniques for Minimoog Analog Synthesizers
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nealkaiser
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Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Post by nealkaiser » Thu Apr 13, 2023 10:08 am

I'm considering doing this to my Mini. I can't find too much online about this. Does anyone have any links to details, if they've done it? Thanks.

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VCO
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Re: Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Post by VCO » Fri Apr 14, 2023 9:38 am

What is a Deadband Modification?

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Herr Mosa
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Re: Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Post by Herr Mosa » Fri Apr 14, 2023 10:54 am

I think this refers to a common pitch wheel modification:
It gives the pitch wheel an electronic "dead spot" in the zero position - a small range that causes no change in pitch despite little movement of the wheel.

Virtual Music in Austria had offered this
https://www.virtual-music.at/de/moog/
mod d 2017 muse, sub37, minitaur, mf101, mf102, mf103

nealkaiser
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Re: Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Post by nealkaiser » Fri Apr 14, 2023 4:09 pm

Yes, someone just share this with me:

http://www.synthzone.com/midi/moog/mini ... R1Uj7rn_gM

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VCO
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Re: Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Post by VCO » Fri Apr 14, 2023 4:54 pm

I see. I had read before about pitch wheels being problematic and not returning correctly on the most recent Minimoog RI. I believe they are spring loaded in the current reissue . Not sure if the pitch wheel was spring loaded in the 2016 Minimoog or not . I have a voyager and its pitch wheel is spring loaded. It would be very different to have a pitch wheel
That wasn’t spring loaded. I would think pitch bending would be very different.

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VCO
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Re: Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Post by VCO » Fri Apr 14, 2023 5:14 pm

I would assume some people might prefer one type of pitch wheel over the other. I would think there would be pros and cons to each in relation to performance. I have a pitch wheel on a keyboard that I use as a midi controller and it’s the best pitch wheel I’ve ever come across. My pitch bending on it gives me best performance of any other pitch wheel I have on my other synths and the keyboard isn’t even a synth. Its pitch wheel is spring loaded. It’s a Yamaha keyboard.
I wish my voyagers pitch wheel performed as well . I guess I could midi the Yamaha and use it as the master and controll the voyager with it . I’ve never tried that. I would assume those 70s minimoogs never implemented a spring loaded pitch wheel even near the end of the production run although I’m not familiar with all the changes that moog might have made. I know some things were changed over the years. I’ve seen comparisons on utube. I don’t recall anything with the pitch wheel. I believe cosmetically they changed the color of the mod and pitch wheels from clear to white or vice versa.
Not too many vintage minimoogs left . You have the holy grail of mono synths.

sdwillingham
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Re: Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoog

Post by sdwillingham » Sat Apr 15, 2023 11:52 am

In the new Moog biography, “Switched On”, Bill Hemsath is quoted as saying that they developed a spring returned pitch wheel in the first Mini prototypes. I wonder what happened in production, or maybe some early minis had sprung wheels? Anyway, according to this source, the idea of a sprung wheel was there from the very beginning.

BTW, Bob Moog also wanted the original Minis to have aftertouch.

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VCO
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Re: Deadband Mod on 70's Minimoogthose

Post by VCO » Sat Apr 15, 2023 5:36 pm

I read that the recent Minimoog RI has a spring loaded pitch wheel and deadband if I’m remembering right.
Not sure about the 2016 Minimoog Reissue. Hope modifications can be implemented easily and cost effectively.
I would think maintenance would be imperative for a Minimoog that old. I have a 43 year old grand piano I just recently
Had serviced and it plays better than it ever has. Fortunately it wasn’t used in a manner that would hasten its aging. I would hope the same for that 70s minimoog. Nothing like the real thing. They don’t make them like that anymore. Something special.

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