Moog Minitmoog

Just wanted to say that it is not really aftertouch, it is actually touch sensitivity. That is to say as you hold down on the key you can push harder or softer as the note is playing, affecting witchever peratmeter you sit the TS to affect; i.e. sync filter pitch and modulation. It is really a cool funtion, and about the only thing this synth had going for it(and a really nice sounding sync sweep). This Touch Sensitivity function would be nice on all synth, a really neat innovation.

This little synth is among the easiest to use. Very simple analog interface, with preset sounds/waveforms and tweaking with sliders. How much easier could it be?

Monophonic, but dual VCOs. Tremolo, vibrato, portamento, aftertouch (in the unlikely case that aftertouch still works -- there was a manufacturing defect with the aftertouch). Not bad for a 30-year old synth. No patch memory, of course.

Presets are nothing special, but with a little tweaking, you can get some pretty good sounds. Dual VCOs allow for some interesting possibilities. Detuning of VCOs and arbitrary mixing of signals to output is nice. Certainly some presets are better than others. The piano is atrocious by today's standards (or even 1980s standards, for that matter), but you don't buy an old analog synth to reproduce acoustic instruments anyways. "Lunar" patch is good.

With the exception of the aftertouch, the synth is put together pretty well. One note of concern is the flip tabs on the front, which may be prone to snapping off due to their location. Well, if they do break, the switches themselves will still work. Decent casing. Like all old analogs synths, there is likely to be a bit of tuning/pitch drift.

Original Moog company is no longer in business, so you're not going to get any service from them!

Since this is the rarest of all production Moog synths (I think they made only a few hundred), I would be quite unhappy if it were lost/stolen. Yes, I would want to replace it.

Again, don't fall for the Moog hype - it's the 2nd worst of the Moog line, worsted only by the Satellite. If you're thinking of buying one, read the Reliability section first.

Basically a slightly expanded Moog Satellite - please refer to the Satellite entry for basic info.

Same presets as the Satellite, same lame sounds. I give it a six for ease of use but it loses two points for the unreliability of the added features.

This adds a second VCO and monophonic aftertouch on top of the Satellite's features. Aftertouch was a feature of the ARP ProSoloist that was Minitmoog was targetted towards, but the extra VCO still doesn't give it any beef. To top it off, the aftertouch on the early units self-disintegrated. Bad news.

Again, no proper Moog 24dB ladder filter and near zero tweakability.

Aftertouch is a plus - *if* it works.

2nd VCO still doesn't improve the sound of the lame presets.

Major Caveat Emptor.

Bad news - aftertouch element self-disintegrated on the early units, requiring a service kit from the manufacturer to repair. It's not as simple as a new opamp or pc board, you need to replace the aftertouch element under the keyboard. Moog Music only made the Minitmoog for one year (1975-76), and there haven't been any service kits since then.

If you're looking at purchasing a Minitmoog, make sure the aftertouch works. If it doesn't, you're stuck. And I suspect that with age, the foam in the aftertouch element will dry up and turn to dust. As of today (2001) the newest one would be twenty five years old.

I remember seeing a Minitmoog sitting around a repair shop forever - the tech said that they were awful to work on.

Moog Music is gone - where are you going to get parts?

There's a good reason why Moog Music made these for only one year. That would make the Minitmoog the rarest production Moog, but don't bother with buying one unless you have to have one of every Moog for your collection.