Moog Minimoog

Great! Easy to use. Even without basuic experience with synthesis
new users will quickly learn what is what and how it affects the overal sound.

No polyphony. One big fat voice. Actually three if you count each oscillator.
But these all are synced. The Minimoog had many versatile features allowing
not just for music but fo sound effects. Wind, static were the two most obvious.
Simple noise generator stuff. But you could feedback the LFO, etc.
I used to get all sorts of nasty echoey stuff that probably made my Dad
regret I was a musician in the first place!
One funny thing about the synth was it had a pedal input with what appeared to be a 1/4 inch'
standard jack. It was in fact just slightly smaller. My assumption has always been that
this was to get users to buy the MOOG pedal and not others.

No midi or sequencing. Just big fat monophonic heaven.

Loads of different combinations between oscillators with different
waveforms on each of them at a time. Plus adding the noise generator
made this a very versatile synth in most respects. Horns weren't necessarily
one of the categories it shined in but it came up with lots of other
sounds. Listen to any ELP or Steely Dan to get an idea. Heck most of the
ssynth solos on Steely Dan albums were Minimoogs. In the users manual they and ELP
were used as example setups for the user.
Good reaction too. Very expressive instrument. And it put out generally clean sound
as well.

Although I have heard about its instability, especially in the tuning
area, I have to say that this may be a problem that can be easily repaired.
In my case the portamento would come "unhitched" causing a pitch I had
played on the key board to fluctuate, at first not too often but then it increased
and would slide out of control sometimes. I took to the boy at Bozo-tronics in
Seattle, Washington. They immediately found the problem. In fact the guy said he probably knew
what it was from my description - a leaky FET box. Sure enough he fixed it and it was always stable
after that. Just like a car, get a tune up. It may be worth a lot more than you think.

Moog was sold to Norlin by the time I got my Minimoog. Then they went out of
business. I have read recent interviews with Bob Moog and he states he is in the
process of getting the company name back. Also, I have heard new Minimoogs are being
or will be made.

In short, when I owned one, there was only support from the Bozo-tronics people.
They were great, but I never dealt with the company.
I am rating this down the middle since Moog was not available but the private
repair shop I mentioned above was great. This was in the 80's however and I do not know
if Bozo-tronics is still a functioning repair shop.

I sold my Minimoog in 1987-88(?). I thought getting plane fare to see
a girlfriend in another state was worth letting it go for consignment for $150.00
Aaaahhhhhh! Where was my Minimoogs Anonymous support partner when
I needed them? What a cruel act! I have salivated for one ever since.

BUT.. I do feel they are a LITTLE overrated. Prices for these buggers
are a tad too high. And I think the other Moog synths - Memoreymoog,
Micromoog and Multimoog are just as good a synth.

I also currently own a great quirky ARP Omni II. I got it for $20.00!
They thought it did not work. Wrong! :)

No software, no presets - Just switch it on, play and turn the knobs. It's easy to use and being adventurous can give amazing surprises... Knowing the basics of analogue subtractive synthesis can help if you're after a particular sound....

Monophonic. The light action takes a bit of getting used to but it's very playable... No midi, although there are various mods available... this board should be judged as a unique instrument - polyphony and bells and whistles are not what it's about

The king of analogue expression.... The minimoog has a soul!

Tuning tends to drift a lot and I occasionally need to thump the side to make the modulation section work properly... I wouldn't take it out on a gig, not only because it's unreliable in this sense, but also because I couldn't bear to have it damaged...

The company died years ago....

Worth what I spent, although it was a lot! I've been using it for a couple of years now and it inspires me continuously... Although I have other keyboards amd racks, there's always a track for my moog in a song... it simply sounds good in any mix!

Tip for Minimoog owners - Patch the headphone output into the external input and listen to what happens!!! Great crazy overdrive harmonics!

Just tweak away! easy to use no manual necessary everything is well graded on the panel...only thing is watch out the knobs settings are sensitive..just tweaking a bit will dramatically alter the sound.Just let it warm up before playing

monophonic 3 octave keyboard..glide,3 oscillators with multiple waveforms(3rd can be be set to lfo),noise generator(white and pink),an external input for processing sounds through vcf and env(sweeeet!!!)and a mixer section for all those.Then followed by the classic moog 24db ladder filter and two enveloppes(one for filter and one for vca).pitch wheel and modulation wheel(just wish that pitch wheel had the elastic to bring it back to zero when let go,but still nice). no midi but heard many kits available will work with this one.

Do not try and emulate any real instrument with this it's not made for that.This thing looks basic and unversatile but it's alive!!!the oscillators are as fat as people claim them to be,even when using just 1or2..basses and leads are a given,but you can get some strange sounds from it no crazy bleeps and bloops mind you but the modulation wheel works in interesting ways and the oscillators can be tweaked to produce nice drones...the sound is where this machine beats a lot of othr ones hands down,try using it with tape echo and long envelope settings(beautiful sounds)or any effect this is where you can make it more versatile.Can be used in any type of music just molest it to your style.

ok they are starting to get long in the tooth...and some people say that the drifting tuning is a problem...always let it warm up a good 15 minutes and usually it is not so bad...if you're not the original owner spending a few bucks to get it calibrated is worth it..but otherwise built solidly... i don't have a backup i paid a lot for mine and could not afford 2 of them unless i find one for cheap(becoming less and less feasible..but be spontaneous if i had to lug around 2 of everything i have i would go crazy...if you depend on this live i would suggest to have a small bass synth(realistic mg-1,novation bass station)in case that way you can stil feel safe.

Original moog went bust long time ago...i've not had to deal with any customer support but there are a few options available for people who want they're moogs fixed,spruced up or just a new one.Moog music in cincinatti states they offer brand new mini's and modulars but i have heard many a negative story about this particular co.(never dealt with them though)recently website seems to be down...moog custom engineering in buffalo this is the old moog factory(back when norlin owned moog)so these guys are building modular moogs and state they will also service your old moogs if problematic.There is also a midimoog available from a moog(uk)either rackmount or keyborded but is quite pricy but if you are willing to why not?? you can still get your synth serviced from some other places on the net look into synthfool and al. and you can get schematics and info on repair

This is a great synth ,but they are getting expensive and have to ask yourself if you really need a completly monophonic anaolg beast like this in your setup many a synth available today wich emulates or is still analog so shop around you might find thesounds your looking for on the cheap...but if you know this is the one for you then by all means get one anyway you can

Just turn it on, tweak the knobs and play. There are no patch memories, and you have to tune it regularly. Otherwise it is very easy to operate. The knobs are big and they move smoothly.

Minimoog is an analog monophonic synth. The keyboard has three octaves. No MIDI, but it is quite easy to add afterwards with a MIDI-2-CV converter. The Minimoog has three oscillators with a few waveforms, a noise generator, a great VCF, a VCA and two ADS-envelopes. The third oscillator can be used as an LFO too.

The specifications were nothing special. But when you hear the sound you understand why it's a classic. The sound is warm, fat and .... just perfect. Of course you can't get acoustic emulations from the Mini, but the synths basses and leads are great. The secret of the sound is the Moog ladder filter, fast envelopes and living oscillators. I really can't imagine how to improve the sound.

There are constant tuning problems. But what is important, when it breaks there are only just few transistors which are difficult to find. No custom ICs, mostly standard components which are still manufactured.

The Minimoog is perfect for synth basses and leads. It's a classic, and the ONLY synth I can't live without. I would buy it again and again and...