Moog Minimoog
Released in 1971, the Minimoog has forever changed the course of electronic instruments. Prior to the Minimoog synthesizers were huge modular beasts thatwere built one at a time for recording studios and electronic music labs that had a few hundred square feet to kill. They were expensive as well. After the Minimoog, synthesizers were mass-produced, much cheaper, and could be found piled up on top of a piano or Hammand B3 with room to spare. Even at it's reduced size the Minimoog was still able to recreate the thick warm sound of the large modulars and offered the essential programming controls for an endless variety of new sounds.
Technical Specifications:
3 Oscillators, 1 External Input, 1 Noise Source
Oscillator Waveforms: Triangular, Sawtooth, Triangular-Sawtooth Mix, Reverse Sawtooth,3 widths of Rectangular
White or Pink random waveforms
Filter: Wide-range low-pass filter with variable-height resonant peak at cut-off frequency, and 24dB/octave cutoff slope.
Range of Cutoff Frequency: Continuously variable from 40Hz to 20kHz (9 octaves).
Glide (portamento)
44 note keyboard
Adjustable front panel that swings up and down for proper level of comfort by user.
Size (with front panel down): 28-1/4'' x 16'' x 5-1/2''
Wieght: 28 lbs.
Average Advertised Price:
$900 to $1500
Jetboy's Humble Opinion Of Worth:
$1200 seems to be an average I see. They are well built, very durable, so even if beat and banged up, well heck, that just adds character (one of the few times I'll say that on a vintage synth). As long as it works, it's worth what you are willing to pay for it, within reason of course. You won't regret buying one, even if you do pay a little to much, but you will regret selling it even if you get a great price on it.
Jetboy's Review - If you are a keyboard player, then you have not lived until you have played a Minimoog. With one hundred gallons of synth testosterone packed in it's ten gallon hat, this little monster may be short on the octaves but it's high on the octane. - see Jetboy's full review at Jetboy's Collection
MrKrypto at MrKrypto@mrkrypto.com raves: Bought mine (mentioned elswhere) for $350 in the late 80's. Wow! At the time everyone was into Roland/Korg digital stuff and no one was paying the slightest attention to old analogs. I also picked up a prophet-5 for around $500. The mini is an orriginal, a true living classic. Beware however that the current crop of mini fanatics seem to think only in terms of screaming leads and "fat" bass. Yeah and it does master such needs with gusto aplenty, but these are the stengths of most analog mono's and arguing over which does which best is pointless. I like to look at the true individual stengths of a machine, and my absolute favorite Mini mode is the FM synth. Oscillate the filter, set OSC-3 to the audio range and set filter modulation on then go wild.. Being able to simultaneously control the depth of modulation (with the mod wheel), the frequency of modulation (with pitch wheel) and the frequency of the carrier (with filter cut-off knob) gives you amazing control. Zounds ! what sounds! Yes I use my mini for bass and the occasional lead, but it is in the realm of FM where it really shines. I don't like using audio FM on the regular oscillators as much (and I think the prophet does a better job in that arena), but using the filter as the carrier, yahoo!!!
Steve Nechanicky at hammond@LL.net writes with reckless abandon: I had gotten my minimoog through sonicstates ad's and when I seen it for sale I was very excited! when I was 17 my friend showed me a bit of keith emerson playing hoe down. when I saw the great moog there I needed a taste of the sound. so I payed $1350 for the mini and don't regreat a penny of it! when I opened the case I saw the most beatuful keyboard I've ever seen. I then placed it on my hammond L-100 and jamed for hours on end! the sounds were increatible. the ass-shaking bass to the warm leads, yes this was it the sound of sounds. nothing could ever make me more happy than that moog! at 19 years old most kids are buying drum meacheans and other crap! they are missing out. the minimoog is indeed one of the best in the WORLD!
Choad Baxley at choadma@hotmail.com jumps, jives and wails about the Minimoog: I love the minimoog and I will always think it to be the best there's ever been. I have not been lucky enough to find one for sale since I became OBSESSED with it. However, if I ever find one, I will sell my butt for it. (By the way, does anyone know whether or not the first Mannhiem Steamroller record was made with a Mini? E-mail me!)
Andy Durney at green_alsatian@hotmail.com makes others green with envy: I own a Minimoog model 204E. '204E?' you ask? Yes, having searched for an original Mini (the 204D was the last sale model before Norlin went out of business) for many moons, hoping to find one second hand, but to no avail. Then I heard about Moog Music Ltd., a company set up in Caerphilly, Wales, over here in the UK which set about the monumental task of recreating the Mighty Minimoog. I paid my £1499 and waited for it to be hand built. This took a couple of months (probably due to demand) and in June '99, I received a call from the music store informing me that 'something' had arrived... After near breaking my back to get the thing home, I opened the box to be confronted with my personal Holy Grail, a spanking new Minimoog. There's little to tell it from the model 204D apart from the headphone socket has been moved to the back panel and the addition of a few new features - you can now have pulse wave modulation on oscillator 1, 2 or both when osci! llator 3 is in LFO mode. The red and blue rocker switches have been replaced with toggle switches (a review stated that they were no longer available and the pitch bend and mod wheels are now clear perspex, as they were on the original model B (model A was the prototype). The fact that the Mini only had 44 notes has been increased to effectively 61 by adding a transpose switch which increases or decreases the keyboard by an octave, which is top. Also, the Mini is now fully midi'd up so there's no need to go getting retrofits for it. But best of all, due to new oscillator design, the new Mini will never go out of tune. Moog Music are so confident that it never will that they will re-tune it for free. Enough prattle from me and on to the sounds, unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of playing an original and can only compare the sounds with it's usage on varying albums and live perfomances (Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers still uses his on tour!)and it doesn't d! isappoint. The expected window-shattering leads and booming basses are still there but I take most of my pleasure in the purest nutball sounds it is capable of when you activate the Frequency Modulator and spin those dials. Incidentally, an English music technology magazine called 'Future Music' reviewed it back in October 98 and compared it with a 1978 Mini. The reviewer could find very little difference in sounds so there you go. I appreciate what digital synths can do but in my book, analogue will always be better. Minimoog still rules the roost as far as I'm concerned, both in looks and sounds. A beautiful instrument. (Andy D, 24/12/99)
Garp at Garp162940@aol.com tells us his Minimoog review according to Garp (ah, come on, you saw that one coming didn't you): After collecting some other Moogs (Prodigy, Source ) I finally get my Minimoog and it makes my dreams comes true... this synth beats every pre-patched monosynth i've heard (even the RSF kobol...) for "musical" sounds like basses, screamin' leads etc... for weird noises and effects i prefer my VCS3, but it's a modular ...these are two different worlds. You'll never regret the price you'll pay for that phaaaaaat boy !!!!
Dave LumentaI at dlumenta@indosat.net.id got a second-hand minimoog in 1989 in Indonesia at a price of Rp. 150,000 (that's around US$ 60 at that time) in mint condition ! It was 1989 and everyone was in the LA synthesis craze. A recording studio had decided the Mini useless, and there I got it ! Until today it still amazes me. Thick warm saws, dramatic filter cut-off points....forget all digital simulations, It's the realtime control over the knobs that makes all the difference. Can just anybody out there help me to figure out the estimated production date (year) of mine (serial T 3021 E)?
RUSS at calaveras tells us his school boy dream: wonderful! Awesome! I just got this Mini on loan from a friends dad. He's a contractor and he FOUND IT when renovating a house!? Sounds great! The only thing I've heard better is the micro that Radio Shack sold in the '80s. Two q's does anyone know if Killing Joke used a MINI on their first 2 recs? And where do you find the aforementioned serial number? mine says 9200 no letter? And is there any resource to for the strange connectors on the back panel(strig, etc?)
Butch at bgregoria@aol.com proves that dudes with names like Butch need macho synths: Ive got an older mini serial # 1358 modelb, and even tho I dont play much any more I would never part with, it is in almost perfect condition (one little nick in the corner of the cabinet)but the sound is unmatched by any digital and yes it spends a lot of time in its roadcase. When people ask whats in the case and I open it, you can see there eyes light up.
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