T
Amazing synth, Moog sound on a budget!
I got this synth primarily for overdubbing electric bass on a project that was heavily inspired by 70s prog rock. Needless to say, it's absolutely superb for that role but it's also great for a lot of other stuff.
It definitely sounds like a real Taurus. I'm sure some subtle differences can be found if comparing them side by side but for all intended purposes this IS a Taurus, just without the pedals. But it's also a lot more versatile than the old Taurus. You can definitely get the old school Taurus sounds but there's a lot more on offer too, much more tweakable.
Some of the controls are only available when connecting to a computer via USB. Personally I don't like this way of controlling an analog synth but I guess it can just be seen as an extra bonus feature. To include all the controls on the physical unit would probably have raised the price too much. And the "extra" controls aren't necessary to get great sounds out of the Minitaur. The real physical knobs on the unit have all the functions you would expect on this kind of synth so the USB thing isn't really a problem, it just makes me feel like I'm paying for something I'll never use.
It's a shame that Moog has limited the range (MIDI notes 0-72) of this amazing synth though. I can't see any reason for this other than Moog not wanting it to compete with their more expensive models. The bass tones certainly are unique but within it's limitations the Minitaur can be a great lead synth as well. To limit it to bass duties is a ibit of a waste in my opinion. Still, no other synth (except the original Taurus) can produce these kind of FAT bass sounds so bass will always be it's main feature. And even with it's limitations the tonal range is wide enough for lots of stuff besides bass.
Build quality is amazing, light years ahead of Volcas, Roland Boutiques or similar "toy-like" plastic synths. I would have absolutely no hesitations about tossing the Minitaur in a bag and use it extensively for gigging.
Highly recommended if you need the fattest sounding synth bass in the world and can live with the limited tonal range!
It definitely sounds like a real Taurus. I'm sure some subtle differences can be found if comparing them side by side but for all intended purposes this IS a Taurus, just without the pedals. But it's also a lot more versatile than the old Taurus. You can definitely get the old school Taurus sounds but there's a lot more on offer too, much more tweakable.
Some of the controls are only available when connecting to a computer via USB. Personally I don't like this way of controlling an analog synth but I guess it can just be seen as an extra bonus feature. To include all the controls on the physical unit would probably have raised the price too much. And the "extra" controls aren't necessary to get great sounds out of the Minitaur. The real physical knobs on the unit have all the functions you would expect on this kind of synth so the USB thing isn't really a problem, it just makes me feel like I'm paying for something I'll never use.
It's a shame that Moog has limited the range (MIDI notes 0-72) of this amazing synth though. I can't see any reason for this other than Moog not wanting it to compete with their more expensive models. The bass tones certainly are unique but within it's limitations the Minitaur can be a great lead synth as well. To limit it to bass duties is a ibit of a waste in my opinion. Still, no other synth (except the original Taurus) can produce these kind of FAT bass sounds so bass will always be it's main feature. And even with it's limitations the tonal range is wide enough for lots of stuff besides bass.
Build quality is amazing, light years ahead of Volcas, Roland Boutiques or similar "toy-like" plastic synths. I would have absolutely no hesitations about tossing the Minitaur in a bag and use it extensively for gigging.
Highly recommended if you need the fattest sounding synth bass in the world and can live with the limited tonal range!
5
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NL
buy the synth, love the filter
There is no hype behind the Moog brand: what they produce are nothing but outstanding products.
This is probably the cheapest Moog synth you can buy, and I feel like saying that, if you can afford buying only one synth, make it this one. Its biggest, and in my opinion, only limitation is the number of octaves it covers (it is a bass synth, after all).
You may want to try some of the built-in factory presets, but honestly after 30 minutes of playing with it, you will forget about presets, plugins, and any digital witchcraft (that the Minitaur supports anyway): you will just want to turn knobs! It will be at this point that you understand what they mean when they talk about 'shaping the sound with your hands'. All the controls are so intuitive and responsive, that you just know what to do.
And it because of its great responsiveness and intuitiveness, that I also use it a lot as a modulation filter on practically anything. This is probably not as complete and featured like the Moogerfooger MF-101, but until I can afford buying one, the Minitaur will act as an excellent stopgap.
One last note: with the latest firmware revision, the Minitaur can also work as a MIDI2CV converter. This is not listed among the feature in the product description at the time I wrote this review.
This is probably the cheapest Moog synth you can buy, and I feel like saying that, if you can afford buying only one synth, make it this one. Its biggest, and in my opinion, only limitation is the number of octaves it covers (it is a bass synth, after all).
You may want to try some of the built-in factory presets, but honestly after 30 minutes of playing with it, you will forget about presets, plugins, and any digital witchcraft (that the Minitaur supports anyway): you will just want to turn knobs! It will be at this point that you understand what they mean when they talk about 'shaping the sound with your hands'. All the controls are so intuitive and responsive, that you just know what to do.
And it because of its great responsiveness and intuitiveness, that I also use it a lot as a modulation filter on practically anything. This is probably not as complete and featured like the Moogerfooger MF-101, but until I can afford buying one, the Minitaur will act as an excellent stopgap.
One last note: with the latest firmware revision, the Minitaur can also work as a MIDI2CV converter. This is not listed among the feature in the product description at the time I wrote this review.
5
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LF
Nice
pros:
the sound is nice, the built is sturdy, integration with editor is neat.
cons:
probably me, I hear some low (in volume) white/pink noise type of sound over any sound I play (using headphones). will try to hunt it down, but could come from my lack of experience with analog synths. Seems to be in all of the editor patches tho, it is modulated too, with no apparent link to the modulation rate on the synth itself.
Will edit if I find my fault
pros:
the sound is nice, the built is sturdy, integration with editor is neat.
cons:
probably me, I hear some low (in volume) white/pink noise type of sound over any sound I play (using headphones). will try to hunt it down, but could come from my lack of experience with analog synths. Seems to be in all of the editor patches tho, it is modulated too, with no apparent link to the modulation rate on the synth itself.
Will edit if I find my fault
1
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S
envelope is strange
like all moog synths the envelope is kind of strange.
you can get used to it just expect it to have a mind of it's own.
other then that, you get the moog sound, even if it is a bit harsh on the mids (i know it's supposed to be for bass) and highs, no where near a full moog but still the same flavour.
C
you can get used to it just expect it to have a mind of it's own.
other then that, you get the moog sound, even if it is a bit harsh on the mids (i know it's supposed to be for bass) and highs, no where near a full moog but still the same flavour.
C
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TC
Great bass synth
Really, really great bass synthesizer with some very deep tones. The synth comes to life when you use the PC editor, but even without it you can create some amazing Moog bass tones. There is a reason why a lot of people consider Moog to be the gold standard.
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d
perfecdeep subby bas
searched a long time to make a deep subby bass.
did the job perfectly!!
did the job perfectly!!
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c
For bass, it can't be beat
While still a Moog, it has its own unique take on bass. Nothing cuts through like this one.
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HR
Simply amazing product!
Moog synths are - in my opinion - the best on the market, alongside some made by Korg. This particular synth is amazing for bases.
If your workflow requires a solid base like mine does, then I highly recommend the minitaur.
If your workflow requires a solid base like mine does, then I highly recommend the minitaur.
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A
The ground shakes, your neighbour has awoken on the floor having felt like he's been touched by the devil himself.
Your postman has just delivered your new minitaur and you've naively plugged it in and turned up the bass. This thing has serious swingers for it's size. Great Moog build quality and the smoothest of filters.
I've been firing MIDI at it and using it as a bass machine I can tweak onstage. I've had a couple of funny MIDI things happen but in general it's been quite stable. Changing presets is a bit of a pain on the unit after they updated it but it's only a minor complaint. I love the idea of putting audio through that lovely filter but in my experience its a bit of a pain having to fire MIDI at it to keep the gate open. This should be simple really.
It sounds great and that's really the main thing right? It's small and travels well. It's well built and looks like it's as tough as it sounds. It's got the low end goods.
If you're looking for a sweet sounding synth, get yourself a microkorg. If you're looking to be bass raped by a gang of low frequencies get a Minitaur. Sound
I've been firing MIDI at it and using it as a bass machine I can tweak onstage. I've had a couple of funny MIDI things happen but in general it's been quite stable. Changing presets is a bit of a pain on the unit after they updated it but it's only a minor complaint. I love the idea of putting audio through that lovely filter but in my experience its a bit of a pain having to fire MIDI at it to keep the gate open. This should be simple really.
It sounds great and that's really the main thing right? It's small and travels well. It's well built and looks like it's as tough as it sounds. It's got the low end goods.
If you're looking for a sweet sounding synth, get yourself a microkorg. If you're looking to be bass raped by a gang of low frequencies get a Minitaur. Sound
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T
Real Moog fat bass!
For the price this is the real deal of Moog bass in a very well made and functioning module. You need to register and download the software to access the 'hidden features' and presets, which is a little frustrating I suppose but the software is very good so its not a big deal.
My main gripe with this module is that it is limited how high up the scale you can play, so it's limited pretty much to bass which is annoying. But if it's bass you want (and if you're looking this then it probably is) then it is fat and funky.
My main gripe with this module is that it is limited how high up the scale you can play, so it's limited pretty much to bass which is annoying. But if it's bass you want (and if you're looking this then it probably is) then it is fat and funky.
4
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