Moog updates Minitaur to Revolution 2

In a bit of a suprise move, Moog has updated their newest synth the Minitaur to revolution 2, which includes some impressive features.  Perhaps my favorite is the addition of savable patches, which was an early complaint against the Minitaur.  Now, by holding down the glide button, users can click the 1 or 2 "waveform" buttons to go from patch to patch, up to 100 in total.  These are of course loaded by the fantastic free plugin that Moog is giving out to anyone who registers their Minitaur online.  This move definitely adds to the value of the Minitaur tremendously, as the lack of patches may have discouraged some performers of taking it on stage.

In addition to this, Moog has also added some exceptional functionality in routing the control voltages to other parameters, and you're even able to pull midi through to a computer through these control voltages.  As the video demonstrates, the LFO of a CV controller routed through the Minitaur and make an Ableton Live filter move.  This is pretty awesome to just add on suddenly-- Moog definitely knows how to treat their customers.

This is actually very similar to the functionality added to the Monotribe, so I hope we see more companies looking to launch synths and improve on them later-- it only seals the deal for those of us who aren't early adaptors, and for those who have already purchased, it's a nice little bonus.

Full pres release below.

"Moog Music announced the release of Revolution 2 for its Minitaur Analog Bass Synthesizer, which was recently nominated for a 2013 TEC Award in the 'Musical Instrument (Hardware)' category. REV 2, which is a free update for Minitaur owners, unlocks a host of new performance features and implements a number of user requested updates to Minitaur and the free Minitaur Editor/Librarian.

Moog Teaches You How to Use the Minitaur with Ableton

Moog has posted the first video of a three part series on how to use your Minitaur with Ableton Live.  The video goes into detail about using your Minitaur with the VST plugin on your computer, and how to record one or multiple parts using the Minitaur.  This is great for newcomers who've taken advantage of the Minitaur's low price point to add analog sounds to their otherwise digital production setup, initiating them on how easy it is to record a hardware synth.  What's even more interesting is the VST is able to save presets for the Minitaur and recall them to the synth via MIDI, which is incredibly cool and useful.  You don't have to worry about the presets on the synth-- they're stored right in the DAW like virtual patches.  Be on the lookout for future videos, including one that's supposed to teach how to use the Minitaur as an external effects processor.  Cool!

Bonus video: A happy new Moog Minitaur user's sounds, via Richard Schimitt on Youtube.

Is 2012 the start of the Analog Synthesizer Renaissance?

This has been on my mind for a few weeks, and I've wanted to post on it.  With all the recent announcements of newer and cheaper analog synths like the Waldorf Pulse 2, Moog Minitaur, and Arturia MiniBrute, analog synths are once again widely available and musicians have a diverse selection.  Korg also notably released a Facebook mini-survey asking what users liked most about the Monotribe (Korg, if it isn't obvious, it's the fact that it's cheap, great sounding analog equipment!)  This definitely hints that more is planned from the analog realm for them.  Before this year, there wasn't quite as great of a selection.  Not to discredit the Dave Smith Mopho and Moog Little Phatty, but those synths pretty much gave two options: a cheap, few knob module, or an expensive (albeit more affordable than, say, a Voyager) proper mono keyboard, at least until the Mopho Keyboard was released.  While these are both outstanding pieces of hardware, the lack of variety was a bit of a downer considering every music company had a signature analog synth 20 years ago.  Anyone new to the synth world would have to put down quite a bundle to properly learn analog synthesis, or take a gamble on a retro keyboard from a shady eBayer that may not last.

4 Reason Why Synths Without Memory are a Good Thing

A recent trend set forth by two of the new analogs from NAMM is the lack of presets.  Presets, as you know, are when a synthesizer is able to store specific settings to make a sound digitally.  Presets and memory have been pretty standard since the 80s, yet these two brand new synths are bucking the classic trend for a cheaper price tag.  The Arturia Minibrute and Moog Minitaur sport menu and memory free interfaces with knob-per-function sound creation.  I know you'll miss calling on your old favorite presets, but here's 4 reasons why memory-free synths are good for our generation.

First Moog Minitaur Videos

Minitaur Quick Demo from Moog Music on Vimeo.

You'll see the Minitaur now up on Moog's Official site with a full press release, but I prefer this video showing off the beast being used.  Awesome!

New Moog Module: The Minitaur

Not much to say here.  Just found out through the vintagesynth.com forums (via TheKeytarist via Mr. Arkadin on the Moog forum) ... should be properly announced at NAMM.  Rumored price: $600.  Let's hope-- This could mean a Moog for almost every producer!

More Info via ProAudioStar:

Product Description for the Moog MINITAUR

The MINITAUR is a compact table-top monophonic MIDI-and-CV-controllable analog bass synthesizer module with a 100% analog audio signal path, based on the design of the Taurus 3 bass synthesizer.