Thinking about the Minitaur as I’m a sucker for bass and have heard that the bass is earth-shattering.
However, the fact that it is limited in its octave range concerns me. Despite this, I’m still interested and the price point isn’t too bad considering you’re getting a solid Moog sound in a compact box.
I’ve also been eyeing the Grandmother and the Subsequent 37. How is the overlap in these devices? Anyone own any of these or all three? Would having the Subsequent and Minitaur be overkill, considering you have a quality monophonic synth in the Subsequent that can handle the bass duties of the Minitaur?
If you can find a Slim Phatty, it’s an amazing synth as well
And not as heavy and big as GM and Sub37.
I think I love GM’s sound more.
Sub37 has patches.
the gm is my favorite synth primarily because it’s a beautifully engineered musical instrument and an absolute joy to play but it’s not the most utilitarian piece of gear to have in the studio
the modulation capabilities can feel limited and there’s obviously no patch memory but one of the biggest things to consider is that most of its parameters can not be modulated by midi ccs
if you buy one definitely get it new with a warranty- there have been a lot of issues with scratchy potentiometers (i’ve had these issues myself)
Had a Minitaur and returned it due to a scratchy potentiometer. Went to the Moog store last week during vacation to try out other devices, and if I had the space I would go for the Sub 25, as opposed to the Minitaur again. Sub has power switch, easily accessible banks/presets, keyboard, etc. But Sub and Minitaur together would be overkill, in my opinion.
Subsequent can handle the bass, so getting it and the minotaur would be unnecessary. If you just want bass you can’t go wrong with the minotaur though. Subsequent vs grandmother… they sound quite different. The subsequent is a very dark synth, so maybe if you wanted brighter more “moogish” leads the grandmother is the way to go (or matriarch if you can afford it). But if you want complete midi/daw control and you don’t need semimodular the subsequent might be better?
I was always flipping and flopping between different moog synths and I finally ended up with a 2022 minimoog which is the one I’m keeping lol. I don’t have gas for another monosynth anymore.
Minitaur is unbeatable for the size and price. C’mon, it’s tiny, it’s heavy, it’s knobby and it sounds monstrous. It’s an analogue synth with patch memory and it loves being controlled from a Digitakt.
As for the octave range… I mean to me, Moog primarily means bass. Sure, you aren’t getting the Dr Dre or Kool & the Gang leads out of it, but if you’re looking for bass, look no further.
I have a Minitaur, as well as Sirin, and Grandmother. Both are solid synths, but I prefer the Grandmother. I love the semi-modular capabilities and knob-per-function workflow of the Grandmother. The Minitaur sounds great for bass and leads, but the Grandmother is no slouch either and is overall more versatile. Also, the Grandmother includes a nice spring reverb. The Minitaur can save presets and integrates better with a computer, due to the available VST control interface.
In regards to the Subsequent 37, It is a great synth, but I would go for the Matriarch instead. But, that is personal preference. The Subsequent 37 has a more modern Moog character compared to the Matriarch and lacks the semi-modular capabilities.
Definitely agree with the SlimPhatty suggestion. Small package huge sound and possibly more capable than the Minataur.
It’s all sweet spot it’s incredible.
I used to get frustrated with the interface. Over time I’ve gotten to know it and I’d rather have the tiny package vs all the knobs and still the same moog sound.
If you got the space and money, get one with all the knobs. I feel like the GM is probably the best choice
+1 on GM. Sold mine to buy a Moog Matriarch and regretted it ever since. It was great as I could just have an idea for a sound and make it, whereas the matriarch is a lot fiddlier.
The GM is also killer for bass. You can repurpose the filter or the LFO as a sine wave for deep sub-bass. I sampled a few GM bass patches into my OP-1 and use them all the time.
I had a minitaur and I really liked it, solid synth really, if a bit limited (hidden functions, patches require plugin). I then got a subsequent 37, amazing instrument, if space isn’t a concern it’s a very good choice. I ended up trading it cause I was lusting over an sh101. I sometimes regret that.
only moog I have now is a dfam, which btw can still do that moog bass sound, kinda
I have got a Sub37 and a Voyager, which do great basses, but not as deep as the MiniTaur goes. I got the MiniTaur to free my other Moogs from bass duty, because they can do so much more for me, but I love those vivid Moog basses as well.
The MiniTaur is supposed to be a bass instrument and therefore the range of pitches is somewhat limited. If you use it as is, it will be no limitation.
IIRC the MiniTaur and the former Taurus share the same electronic circuit characteristics, which have been optimized for bass sounds. Both share the typical Moog filter behaviour of losing the lower end, if the resonance is increased, but it’s different compared to the other models. The modulation options are okay for bass sounds, but the MiniTaur is not a sound designers dream. It does great basses, even Acid like sounds are feasable, but that’s it.
If you love this sound and need more range the Moog Sirin might be for you. But IMO don’t expect the same bass depth from other models like Sub37, Voyager, MiniMoog.
I felt exactly the same about Grandmother. I loved the sounds but you can’t do everything with it. That machine can really sing! Sold it later and it’s one of the few devices I miss now. And it’s a joy to use! Spring reverb is meh.
IIRC the Minitaur resets the phase of the oscillators with each note so the bass sounds super consistent rather than having varying weight on the attack. If that happens to be an important factor I think it’s about the only choice.
I know the Sirin can play higher pitches than the Minitaur, but I can’t seem to find out if the still goes as low as the Minitaur.
I read somewhere (maybe on this forum) the Minitaur can play pitches about half an octave lower than the Sirin. Since you have both, would you happen to know if that’s the case?
