CreamWare Minimax ASB

Pretty easy to connect a midi lead and get going. Some controls might be a little confusing if you're new to a MiniMoog panel.

The unit might not make a sound first time - you need to turn the volume knob up and select a preset!

I've had plenty of Moogs and other real synths over the years, and I still have one left, and I can state the ASB sounds like an organic machine, it sounds like a real instrument, it sounds like a MiniMoog. In fact, it's almost more of a MiniMoog than a MidiMini rack mount!

You will get: perfect bass for any application; real old-school leads; powerful arpeggio tones, evolving soundtrack atmospheres... (what did you want a MiniMoog for..? Oh yes... beautiful looks. Minimax has those too!)


Comparing the MiniMax to the other VA synth I have (the Alesis Micron), I can say that although the Micron is also a VERY good analogue-sounding machine, the Minimax is even more "old school". However, the Micron (and Ion) is a more versatile synth - and has a keyboard. The real features play-off would be between the Alesis synths and the Prodyssey ASB when it arrives, rather than the Minimax... and then only if the Alesis synths come back into production.

OK - so given that the MiniMax ASB is such a good reproduction MiniMoog, and that we all know what a MiniMoog is (right?)... And that, therefore, the MiniMax ASB is brilliant...

...the rest of this assessment is going to be complaints: if only because these are things I want fixed, and because I otherwise love this machine!

So:

1) In the UK we get a two-pin Euro-plug wall-wart plug-in power adapter and a ghastly cheap travel-plug to fit it into the UK three-pin socket. It's the single WORST solution to powering an item of professional equipment I have EVER seen.

2) No footpedal socket - this, for me, is a major ommission. I expect it puts Klaus Schulze off, too. So much playing the MiniMoog is "one hand on the keyboard, one hand on the wheels, one foot on the pedal". Probably there is a work around via your controller keyboard *if* it has an assignable pedal... but that's not the point.

3) Still no smoothing on the Contour Amount knob - it stair-steps, despite the latest OS. Not good on a performance synth, especially as it's a control I (would) use live.

4) NO dedicated LFO... this is unforgivable, really. I know the authentic MiniMoog used the third VCO for this, and this is an authentic reproduction... but MIDI, velocity and polyphony already scratch the "authentic" title - very good! - so an LFO would have been a perfect addition.

5) Part of the realism is the inherent analogue instability, but it would have been nice to have been able to turn this off if required for a 'perfect' Moog.

7) No ability to set the MIDI note range the box will respond to... so impossible to get it to play only on the top end of my controller, and have another synth on the left hand.

Velocity on the Minimax (to filter and volume) is just right; more so than any synth I've played before, you just tune in the required amount with the knob and play beautifully ;-)

A word for the keyboard priority and envelope response: importantly, the MiniMax behaves exactly like a MiniMoog.

Build quality seems exceptional - solid controls, thick metal case, REAL wood.

You obviously won't get tuning nightmares, scratchy pots, RF pick-up etc.

But it's not possible to say how long this will "last".

I had an issue with MIDI clicks coming out on the audio... until I changed to a screened audio lead. Never had that before, though.

Why the hell do I have to email Creamware in order to get an authorisation code for updating my hardware box!? It's not software - so why the copy-protection!? Are they anticipating some kind of Star Trek matter replication? What happens if the company go bust, or if I want to repair the unit in ten/twenty years?

I did receive my code in a couple of hours though.

Simple description: this IS a MiniMoog in a small box, with all the knobs and all the sound, plus full MIDI implementation and switchable polyphony - all for ?600.

extremely easy to use. in fact it's so easy that i never used the presets, and i looked at the manual only once. with the minimax i am able to make a sound that fully satisfies me in about a minute. the only hard thing to do is to make it sound bad (again, see below).

the only disappointing thing is that several important settings (effects settings and mono/poly modes) can be accessed via software only.

one of the reasons why i like this synth so much is that there's nothing unnecessary onboard. this keeps the price low, if you want just good analog emulation (as i do) you don't need the thousands features of, say, a virus C, at the price of a virus C.
12 notes poly, two oscillators per voice plus a third oscillator that you can use as a LFO to modulate pitch and/or filter cutoff, only one filter type (24db lowpass filter), only 2 effects (chorus/flanger, quite ok, and delay, very good for a built in effect), no multitimbral and no sequencer.
portamento/glide works (well) only in mono mode. as in the original minimoog you can choose between 6 waveforms, three squares with different pulse width, saw, saw/triangle and triangle, and setting the filter to self oscillate produces a sine wave output.

useful things that are not implemented and i would have liked are oscillator sync, PWM and another LFO, but the minimax sounds fantastic as it is, and with additional features it probably would have been too expensive for my budget.

don't know if it actually sounds like the minimoog, as i never had one. the guy who sold me the minimax sold it because he bought a real minimoog, and told me that "you need a well trained hear to notice the difference", don't know if this is true, but fact is that the minimax sounds awesome, and in a busy mix the difference between it and a real analog would probably be extremely little.
for basses and leads it's a monster machine, the sound is seriously fat and powerful even with only one oscillator. the pads are stunning, synth clavs are very funny and nice, and you can even get a decent organ sound.
with all its limited features, this synth turns out to be extremely versatile just because you can make a limited variety of sounds with it, but almost every single sound is good.

seems solid, and i plan to gig with it.
there are of course several bugs (other reviewers already speaked enough about them so i won't repeat the same things), and this is why i give it a 8 instead of a 10.

never dealt with them yet.

I think i have made a very good choice. i really like this synth, and i recommend it to everyone involved in every musical genre with the need of analog sounds, from seventies progressive rock to synergy-like electronica passing through fusion and pop. finally, the gap between virtual analog and true analog is small enough to be balanced by the fact that vas don't need to be tuned, don't need to be repaired every year and do NOT cost (not always, at least) more than 3000 dollars.

if you only like techno or IDM there are far better choiches, of course.

better analog emulation than everything else in the same price range and often better than more expensive units. virtual ANALOG, not VIRTUAL analog, get it? creamware did it right!

about the price: on ebay they are extremely hard to find second hand. in europe they are sold for over 700 euros, so if you find one (but i don't think you will be able to) for less than 500 euros buy it immediately.

the new prodissey should be more than worth a look however!

very easy to program.

The minimax asb sounds good, although I don?t have a minimoog to compare it to, I owned a moog source for more than twenty years and I quickly recreated sounds that I was familiar with. The basses are thick with a nice bite to them. The leads are clear and clean. The level of aliasing is very acceptable, better than any of my other va?s. The minimax asb was very enticing to me. A new ?minimoog? module with the addition of 256 memory locations, 12 voice polyphony, usb port, and effects. The minimax really looks good too, the wood is dark and rich and The knobs feel good.
The effects consist of a chorus/phaser and a two band delay. Both effects are good, the delay can be synced to midi. There are 128 factory presets and 128 user locations but the factory presets can be overwritten by the included remote software. The software gives you a replica of the minimax panel on it?s first screen and access to more parameters on the second screen.
There is an external power supply, some may think that is a bad thing but if the power supply does ever fail it is easy to diagnose and replace. I just wish it was a line lump though instead of taking up so much real estate on my power strip.
I really like the minmax asb but it does have some shortcomings. Even though it?s polyphonic, in my opinion it is not it?s strong suit. I have created some nice poly synth patches that will really add to my sound but my other va?s can sound much more dense. I have only had it three weeks though and some of my big sounds on my other va?s were created over months of work. Another thing is that the voice allocation is kind of odd. Even though it is twelve voices it tends to cut off notes on sounds with slow attacks and long sustain. If I create a string type sound, and play kind of fast. You can hear it truncating both the beginnings and ends of some notes. It still does create some nice strings and pads if you don?t play too fast . My personal theory is that the minimax was originally going to be six voices and they added another processor to make it twelve. I think they still don?t have the voice allocation worked out. I can hold down twelve voices with both of my hands flat on the keyboard and it sounds like all twelve are sounding. I hope they improve this in a future o.s. update.
The minimax is not multitimbral, as a true minimoog emulation there is no dedicated lfo. You have to lose oscillator three. There is no headphone output. The three digit readout is very outdated. It?s been a long time since I had to remember a certain number represents a certain patch. Some parameters are only accessible by the remote software that are really needed for sound creation. The manual is translated from german and is not very good. You can?t just download the most current operating system, you must contact creamware and they supply you with a keycode and the o.s.. I emailed them twice before I got a response.
Well that?s the negative stuff, even with that, I still like the minimax asb. I think the price is reasonable and I am really enjoying playing it. If you need a synth to cover all the basses you might be better off with something else (ion?). I probably wouldn?t want this as my only synth, but for what it does it is very cool?

sounds good.

It seems well made.

unkown.

I bought mine as a blem from m.f. I think it was a return. for the price i am very pleased. my other va synths are, novation nova2x, access virus b, and a waldorf microq.

pretty easy to use if you are familiar with a mini moog. it doesn't have the interface the voyager has, so you have to remember alot of interactions in your head.

the fact that this is polyphonic or monophonic is cool. makes it more like a memory moog. did not check out the fx. no headphone jack is a huge minus!

this is where is shines. it sounds more like a minimoog than a voyager. let me say that again: more authentic than a voyager. that is weird. there is a primitiveness in the patches that really grabs the spirit of the original.

this is the big no no. the volume knob defaults to the patch volume setting when you change patches. so if you have a quiet woosh, change patches, it comes blaring out of the speakers. this makes it not very useful in a live situation.
also, the volume knob when you turn it down does something very strange. it gets quieter from 3 to 2, but between 2 and one, it cuts out completely. until these software bugs are corrected, i cannot say this is worth buying yet.

NA

once the volume knob issues, both of the problems, are corrected, this will be a powerful and tiny piece of audio mayhem. not a synth, not a soft synth, it lives in a category of its own.

Couldn't be easier to use as there is a knob for virtually every parameter. Plug in a midi keyboard and go. The manual is short and not particularly well-written but you won't need it.

12 voice polyphony, chorus, synced echo. Filter and amplitude respond to velocity.

Sounds simply beautiful. It really is hard to believe that this is a digital synth. I guess there must be a lot of processing muscle under the bonnet. Although the spectrum of sounds is fairly limited in that the controls are almost identical to the original mini, the quality and depth of the sound you can make is superb. There is no aliasing and the fiter is lush and creamy. The character of the oscillators is powerful and assertive, not thin and weedy like other VAs I could mention. It really packs a punch.

I've had it for 6 months with no problems.

Creamware are a law unto themselves as far as customer support goes. They will get back to you - eventually. The Planet Z forum (www.planetz.com) is full of helpful advice on Creamware equipment, including the Minimax ASB.

Great sounding VA. It has a few bugs (there is noticeable stepping) when you twist the "Amount of Contour" dial and you cannot reset the decay time of the amplitude envelope while you are playing a note (as you can on the original Mini). Both these bugs are supposed to be fixed in the next update. It is a little pricey but, as I said, it sounds fab.

this box is amazing. i am not a company rep, just a musician. i owned a micromoog, a minimoog, a memorymoog, etc. stupidly sold them over the years...missed them. WOW. i now truly can say i have a 12 voice memorymoog! in a small replication of the control panel of the minimoog!
the glide is great, the actual sound is as close as i think is possible to a perfect minimoog, x12 voice when necessary. now, i don't think i can do POLYPHONIC glide, but that doesn't bug me too much. the sheer beauty of the sound and PROGRAMMABLE to boot? really, this is the best 800 bucks i have spent in some time.
i use a 250buck es88 key controller with pitch and vibrato wheel to the left, like it should be. so i have the full range of sound, glide potential is much improved due to extended range.
all my old Styx sounds, all the old growling basses. they are in the box, and it travels well in a backpack.
good luck all, if this unit has longterm electronic reliability in actual road use, then it may become a virtual classic...and does bob moog proud.
-gary

i would replace this immediately upon loss.

The wall wart helps keep the price down, that's why they did it, and that's why you got it for such a low price. Whenever companies make their own power supplies, they have to go through FCC compliance standards and that slows down production and runs up the cost. Wall warts simply make things easier for the company and keep costs down. They did not do this to drive you nuts.

USES A WALLWART
THIS IS A BIG DRAWBACK-

WHEN ARE PEOPLE GONNA GET IT THAT IF YOU BUILD SOMETHING WITH A WALLWART THAT ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO KEEP IT AT HOME AND DISCOURAGES ANY LIVE PLAYING.

WHEN PEOPLE BUILD PRODUCTS WITH WALL WART POWER SUPPLYS IT SAYS TO THE CONSUMER THAT THIS PRODUCT IS A "CONSUMER" NOT "PRO-LEVEL" PRODUCT. IT ALSO SAYS TO THE CONSUMER THAT THIS PRODUCT BELONGS IN THE MUSIC STUDIO/DEN IN YOUR HOME AND NOT ON THE ROAD AND NOT LIVE WITH ANY BAND. DID IT EVER OCCUR TO THE FOLKS AT CREAMWARE TO BUILD SOMETHING WITHOUT A WALLWART AND THAT SOME OF US ACTUALLY PLAY AND DON'T EVEN TINKER AROUND ON COMPUTERS AT ALL AND WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE TO PLAY LIVE WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND THAT WALLWARTS SUCK FOR THAT PURPOSE? MANUFACTURERS ARE GETTING DAMN LAZY THESE DAYS WITH WALLWARTS. WHAT HAPPENED TO INTERNAL POWER SUPPLY? AND DON'T GIVE ME ALL THAT EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLIES CAUSE LESS NOISE BS. THAT'S JUST A STUPID MARKETING EXPLANATION THAT IS TOTALLY FALSE. ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME THAT A MINIMOOG OR ANY OTHER HIGH END PIECE OF GEAR WITH AN INTERNAL POWER SUPPLY IS LOW END GEAR THEN? I THINK NOT. THREE WORDS CREAMWARE: INTERNAL POWER SUPPLY

As there is one knob for almost every parameters, It couldn't be easier to use! No need to read the manual, you can use the unit straight out of the box. Creating Sounds on the ASB is fun!

The remote software is easy to install and has a very good GUI.

I give it a 9 for the "ease of use" as a few parameters can only be modified with the remote software (aftertouch, pitch-wheel settings, additional effect settings).

The Minimax ASB has the same features as the original Minimoog + a few goodies: 12 voices polyphony (you can also use it in monophonic mode), an effect processor, adjustable filter and amplifier envelope velocity, 128 user memory, Remote software...

The Minimax ASB is actually a very basic synthesizer. This could be a weakness, but it is not. If the sounds are good, thousands of features are not necessary... They are even a waste of time.

More effect would be nice though: tremolo, rotary sp, phaser, etc... Creamware could add them in a firmware update.

Using this box is like discovering synthesis again. It sounds amazing! Pure, Dense, Wild, Warm, Raw,...

Everything sounds weak compared to the Minimax ASB. It's really hard to believe that this unit is digital, the sounds that come out of it are so impressive. You can turn every knob like a mad man, the results will always be "musical" (no noise or aliasing). The oscillators have a wonderful structure, full of ernegy. This box has a huge dynamic range and seems to generate more frequencies than any other synths that I used.

I don't know if it's a good emulation of the Minimoog, I never used one. And I don't care. The Minimax ASB is an excellent synthesizer on its own!

Too early to say. It seems reliable though (wood and metal structure).

I didn't contact Creamware's customer support yet, so I cannot make comments.

I really like the Minimax ASB. It's a stimulating machine. I'm using synthesizers since the late 80's (from Yamaha, Korg, Quasimidi, Access, E-mu, Roland, etc...). The Minimax ASB is without any doubt the most expressive. The sound quality is superior as well. It even looks better! I definitely recommend it!

v1.0 software. If you have the PCI Card based Scope stuff, then you are probably already familiar with the MINIMAX. It's most people's favorite Synth under Scope. If you have Scope v4.0, you'll also know there are a bunch more patches for MINIMAX as well.

But let's talk about the ASB. In a word, it's brilliant. I mean, I've just died and gone to heaven. For $800 US, it's like getting a brand new MiniMOOG. And I would say that both the Scope Minimax and the Minimax ASB are in a league above any other plugin manufacturer that I have heard. So I think it's gonna end up being a "must buy" for a lot of synth hounds out there.

On the down-side, Creamware is a little bit odd to deal with in terms of registration and support. But they do get the job done. It's more of a personalized approach. Only other quibble is that there are more presets in the Scope environment. But that's also a minor complaint. With all those knobs sitting right at your fingertips, you ain't gonna be sitting on that preset for very long anyway.

Hats off. Their Profit-5 ASB, I expect will be killer also. Again, brilliantly done already in their Scope environment, so I have no doubt they will pull it off again there.

Well, it's a Minimoog clone, so I'm not going to fault it for the architecture. It is a power sound creation tool.

Ugh, 10 duh.

They build good stuff.

Good people. Sometimes you have to e-mail back and forth a bit.

It's a 10. This is the kind of thing you beg companies to do, and Creamware just thought it up by themselves. Awesome.