40 Famous Synth Sounds on Vintage Minimoog + Minimoog Reissue

23 Jun, 2024  No Comment


This video, via synthesist Andy Whitmore, offers a head-to-head comparison of a vintage Minimoog Model D and a ‘modern’ Minimoog Model D reissue.

Andy Whitmore compares the two synths using 40 iconic sounds:

00:00 Rush Tom Sawyer FX

00:21 ELP Lucky Man lead

00:32 Duran Duran Save A Prayer lead

00:43 Duran Duran Save A Prayer lead

01:02 ABBA Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! lead

01:19 ABBA Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! bass

01:37 Harold Faltermeyer Axel F Beverly Hills Cop Main Theme lead

01:54 Harold Faltermeyer Axel F Beverly Hills Cop Main Theme bass

02:11 D Train You’re The One For Me bass

02:27 D Train You’re The One For Me lead

02:43 Madonna Holiday lead

03:00 Madonna Holiday bass

03:16 Queen Radio Ga Ga bass

03:32 Howard Jones New Song lead

04:09 Howard Jones New Song lead

04:19 Gary Numan Are ‘Friends’ Electric? theme

05:00 Michael Jackson Rock With You bass

05:26 DEVO Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA effects

05:56 Parliament Flashlight bass

06:26 Rush Tom Sawyer lead

06:44 Stevie Wonder I Wish bass

07:02 Madonna Borderline lead

07:34 Madonna Borderline bass

07:51 Dr Dre Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang lead

08:15 Michael Jackson Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough bass

08:32 Pink Floyd Shine On You Crazy Diamond lead

09:03 Rick Wakeman Catherine Of Aragon bass

09:41 Chaka Khan We Can Work It Out bass

10:02 Weather Report Birdland bass

10:26 Barclay James Harvest Victims Of Circumstance lead

10:50 The Alan Parsons Project Separate Lives bass

11:00 Europe The Final Countdown lead

11:24 Stevie Wonder Isn’t She Lovely bass

11:46 Stevie Wonder That Girl bass

12:05 Michael Jackson Workin’Day and Night bass

12:22 Gary Numan Are ‘Friends’ Electric? lead

12:46 Nena 99 Luftballons bass


Moog went to extreme lengths to recreate the build of the original Model D, to the point that the circuit boards match the originals, and they had transistors custom made to match the original components.

While Moog went to extreme lengths to recreate the original Minimoog, you can hear subtle differences between the old and new synths in Whitmore’s video. Some of this reflects the fact that no two analog synths sound exactly the same. Some may reflect slight differences in pots and how they are dialed in. And some may reflect the fact that the Minimoog Model D reissue probably sounds more like a new Minimoog would have sounded 40 years ago, than a 40 year-old synth.

Watch the video and share your thoughts on how the vintage Minimoog and Minimoog reissue compare in the comments!

 

 

 

 

Win Minimoog Model D + Support The Bob Moog Foundation

4 Jun, 2024  No Comment


In celebration of Bob Moog’s 90th birthday, the non-profit Bob Moog Foundation has announced its latest fundraising raffle, featuring a Minimoog Model D reissue, signed by Jordan Rudess.

The synthesizer, donated by Moog Music for the raffle, features a beautifully distinctive Appalachian Cherry cabinet. It has been customized with pulse width modulation in and LFO out modifications, and builds upon the revolutionary legacy of the Minimoog.

The Minimoog featured has serial number MD-01730. The synthesizer was produced at the Moog Music factory in Asheville, North Carolina, and has an estimated value of $5,000.

The three-oscillator, monophonic, analog synthesizer is housed in an Appalachian Cherry cabinet and hand-finished aluminum chassis.

Sounding as vibrant and deep as ever, its legendary low-pass ladder filter, powerful oscillators, and rich saturating mixer retain the exact component placement and through-hole design of a 1970s-era Minimoog Model D.

The Minimoog Model D reissue includes a series of popular functional modifications that expand this legendary instrument’s sonic capabilities. These modifications include a dedicated analog LFO with triangle and square waveshapes, a premium Fatar keybed with velocity and after pressure available via top panel CV jacks with onboard trimpots, MIDI integration, and a mixer feedback modification which allows the Minimoog Model D to overdrive and scream with the turn of a knob.The Minimoog Model D reissue also features a spring-loaded pitch wheel with center deadband, allowing for improved playability. This newest edition also includes updates to the MIDI functionality, allowing for improved modern studio integration.This modified Minimoog Model D reissue also features two new CV jacks.

  • First, the onboard LFO now has a dedicated output jack. This jack will allow you to interface your Minimoog with external equipment or the new pulse width modulation modification (PWM) CV input.
  • The PWM input is routed to the pulse width modulation modification oscillators 1, 2, and 3. PWM offers new timbres not found on stock Minimoogs. This modification was performed by Moog Music engineer Tim Johnston.

“The Minimoog became an organic friend to me because it’s designed in such a way that you can put your hand down on the key, you can turn a knob and things happen, and all the different interactions between the knobs became my world,” notes Rudess. “When I’m playing the Minimoog, I feel this like deep, organic brain-solid connection not only to the way it’s designed, but to the way that it sounds. The Minimoog was my first love when it came to synthesizers, but even now, when I have the perspective of playing so many different synths, I still go back to it fifty years later.”

The raffle is open now and ends on June 17, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT), and is open internationally. Tickets are $25 each, 5 for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 21, 2024.

Funds raised from the raffle will be used to expand the Bob Moog Foundation’s hallmark education project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which has inspired over 30,000 elementary school students through the science of sound. The raffle will also help support the Bob Moog Foundation Archives and the Moogseum, an immersive, experiential facility located in Asheville, North Carolina.

Bob Moog Foundation announces Bob Moog’s Birthday Raffle for Serial #1 2022 Minimoog Model D

24 May, 2023  No Comment


In honour of Bob Moog’s 89th birthday, the Bob Moog Foundation, in collaboration with Moog Music, is excited to announce its raffle for serial #1 of the latest version of the Minimoog Model D, released in 2022.

Moog Music generously donated this one-of-a-kind coveted synthesizer, worth well in excess of $5,000, to support the Foundation’s mission of carrying Bob Moog’s legacy forward by inspiring people of all ages through the intersection of science, music, technology, and innovation.

The serial #1 Minimoog Model D being featured was produced at the Moog Music factory in Asheville, North Carolina. Built by hand to last a lifetime, the new Minimoog Model D delivers the revered quality, undefinable feel, and authentic sound of a pristine vintage Moog. The three-oscillator, monophonic, analog synthesizer is securely housed in a locally sourced Appalachian cherry cabinet and hand-finished aluminum chassis. Sounding as vibrant and deep as ever, its legendary low-pass ladder filter, powerful oscillators, and rich saturating mixer retain the exact component placement and through-hole design of a 1970s-era Minimoog Model D.

While no changes have been made to the original sound engine or audio signal path, the 2022 Minimoog Model D includes a series of popular functional modifications that expand this legendary instrument’s sonic capabilities. These modifications include a dedicated analog LFO with triangle and square waveshapes, a premium Fatar keybed with velocity and after pressure available via top panel CV jacks with onboard trimpots, MIDI integration, and a mixer feedback modification which allows the Minimoog Model D to overdrive and scream with the turn of a knob. And, for the first time in its history, the Minimoog Model D now features a spring-loaded pitch wheel with center deadband, allowing for improved playability and wild performance flourishes. This newest edition also includes updates to the MIDI functionality, allowing for improved modern studio integration.

It should also be noted that this instrument is unique in being branded with serial number MD00001, setting it apart from other Minimoogs in yet another way.

Celebrate Bob Moog’s birthday by playing a free online Minimoog stuffed with classic presets from songs by Phil Collins, Beastie Boys, Radiohead, Air, Kate Bush, Wings and more.

Free synth is part of the Minimoog Factory, a new Moog Music ‘virtual experience’ that draws inspiration from ‘90s video game and web design.

In addition, to celebrate what would have been the great Bob Moog’s birthday, Moog Music has created a special online ‘virtual experience’ that celebrates arguably his greatest invention.

This features more than 45 classic artist presets and can be both played and recorded across three tracks (though not edited, sadly). There are some nice ‘sleeve notes’ that tell you plenty about the songs/artists and the sounds being recreated – names such as Wings, ELO, Bee Gees, Phil Collins, Moby, Air, Portishead and Radiohead all crop up.

Elsewhere in this ‘Minimoog Factory’ there’s an online jukebox that contains 45 of the most influential ‘Minimoog songs’, though you’ll need a Spotify account to access that.

The colourful virtual experience draws inspiration from ‘90s video games and websites, and is a collaboration with design studio Pentagram. Other highlights include an archive room that enables you to explore the Minimoog’s history, a theatre that offers access to a treasure trove of classic Moog-infused performances, and a ‘build-a-synth’ section that provides a PDF that you can print out, cut up and fold to create your own paper Minimoog.

As well as marking Bob Moog’s birthday, the experience is part of the Moog company’s 70th birthday celebrations, which kicked off last year when the Model D was reissued. Moog Music is also collaborating with the Bob Moog Foundation on a raffle that could see you winning a reissued Minimoog with serial number 1

Start exploring on the special Minimoog Model D microsite.

“The Bob Moog Foundation is deeply grateful to Moog Music for their support of our important work through the donation of serial #1 of the reissue of the legendary Minimoog synthesizer,” noted Michelle Moog-Koussa, the organization’s executive director. “All proceeds from this raffle will be of great assistance to the foundation in expanding the impact of our three projects: Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, and the Moogseum. On the momentous occasion of Bob’s 89th birthday, we are excited to celebrate our common heritage with Moog Music while helping propel his legacy forward.”

The raffle is open for one month from today until 11:59pm (ET) on June 23rd. Raffle tickets for the serial #1 2022 Minimoog Model D are $20 each, six for $100, 14 for $200 or 40 for $500. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased via the Bob Moog Foundation website. All proceeds benefit the projects of the Bob Moog Foundation.   
  

« Older Entries Next Page »