DISC Moog Minimoog Model D Analog Synthesizer

Full Description

Hand-Crafted Design

One of the most unique and prominent features of the Minimoog Model D is the meticulously hand-crafted design which is crafted by skilled technicians at the Moog Factory. The exterior wood housing is constructed from locally sourced Appalachian hardwood, which is then reinforced with an aluminium chassis for structural integrity and a sleek aesthetic finish.

Classic Sound Meets Modern Innovations

The Minimoog Model D features the same internal circuitry and signal path as its predecessor, providing you with that signature Moog sound with the added bonus of modern enhancements. The premium Fatar keyboard is a new addition to the Model D’s design, featuring expressive controls such as velocity and after pressure sensitivity for a natural and fluid playability. There is also a dedicated analog LFO with triangle and square waveshapes plus CV outputs for pitch, gate velocity and after pressure as well as basic MIDI integration.

The Birth of the Minimoog

The Minimoog really was the first recognizably modern synth. In 1969 the word ''synthesizer'' - whether by Moog or any other maker - meant complex, expensive, heavy, large and fragile modules and patch cords. The need for something new was clear, and it was certainly apparent to Bill Hemsath, the member of the Minimoog team who constructed the original prototype with Bob Moog.

''One of my jobs was to demonstrate products to potential customers,'' says Hemsath. ''We had a Model III - a large studio synthesizer with dozens of modules. Every time, I'd plug the oscillator into the filter and the filter into the VCA - probably six patch cords, total. It occurred to me after a month or two of this, what if I built a box that way?''

The future of the synth may have been determined by just which junk and cannibalized parts lay in storage. ''There was a five-octave keyboard that Bob would steal key caps off to replace chipped and broken ones,'' Hemsath remembers. ''Then there was an upper console case - it was four feet long but the end was broken out. So I got to work on the keyboard. The number of remaining keycaps determined its size, which turned out to be three octaves. So i sawed that down. There was a smashed keyboard case, and I cut it down to match. Originally, [Bob] had the portamento control on the left cheek. That was missing, so there was a little notch in the left cheek, and I needed something there. Well, how about a slider? That fit. So the forerunner of the wheel was that slide pot, just to fill the space.''

The result was the shell of what would become the Model A, the first Minimoog prototype ever created. Hemsath then bolted together models from spare and rejected parts. By his count, just one model 901A oscillator was fresh stock; everything else was salvaged from Moog's junk bin.

With Bob Moog, Jim Scott and Chad Hunt, the design was refined over four models. In the summer of 1970, the Model D was ready for manufacturing and first introduced to the world. Dick Hyman, the legendary jazz pianist and composer, presented its debut at a public performance at the Eastman School of Music.

As with the Moog modular and Wendy Carlos, the ambassadors of the Minimoog again proved to be musicians. In Bob Moog's eyes, they ''showed us all what the instrument was capable of. Keith Emerson nailed its analog sound into the vocabulary of rock, first on his modular behemoth and then on his Mini. Then came Jen Hammer, who developed incredible chops with left-hand wheels. The playing styles developed by both Emerson and Hammer, along with Chick Corea, Rick Wakeman and many others transformed people's idea of the Minimoog from something akin to a box full of knobs to an expressive musician's axe.''

Features

• Spring action Fata TP-9 keybed with velocity and aftertouch
• Hand-crafted design
• Same circuitry and signal math as original Model D
• Improved circuit board connectors for reliability
• Analog circuit boards recreated using original design
• Classic thermoset, knurled pitch and modulation wheels

Specifications

Sound Sources (5)

• Oscillators x 3
• Noise Generator
• External Input

OSCILLATORS

• Frequency Range: 0.1 to 20 kHz (In Six Overlapping Ranges)
• Oscillator Stability (short term) > 0.25
• Waveforms: Triangle, Triangle-Sawtooth (Oscillator–1, Oscillator–2), Reverse Sawtooth (Oscillator–3), Sawtooth, Rectangle, Wide Pulse, Narrow Pulse

Noise Generators

• White
• Pink

LFO

Rate: 0.05Hz to 200 Hz Waveform: Triangle (knob down); Square (knob up)

External Input

• Input Range: +10 millivolts to +2 volts
• Input Impedance: 1MEG Ohms

Filter

• Filter Type: Voltage Controlled Low Pass (Moog Ladder Filter)
• Cutoff Frequency Range: 10 Hz to 20 kHz
• Filter Slope: 24 dB per Octave
• Filter Resonance: At Cutoff Frequency

Contour Generators

• Attack Time: 1 millisecond to 10 seconds
• Decay Time: 4 milliseconds to >35 seconds
• Sustain Level: 0 to 100 of Contour peak
• Filter Contour Width: 0 to 4 Octaves

Voltage Controlled Amplifiers (VCA)

• Loudness Contour Dynamic Range: 80 dB

Audio Input Levels

• 1/4inch External Signal Input Voltage : +10 millivolts (min); +10 volt (max.) Nominal Input Impedance: 1000K Ohms

Audio Output Levels

• High Level Output
• Typical Voltage: 0.5 volts
• Maximum Voltage: 4.2 volts (peak-to-peak)
• Nominal Output Impedance: 3K Ohms
• Low Level Output (30 dB below High level)
• Typical Voltage: 15 millivolts
• Nominal Output Impedance: 1K Ohms

Headphone Output (stereo)

• Maximum Voltage: 0.3 volts
• Output Impedance: 8 Ohms

Keyboard

• Key Action: Synthesizer (Spring)
• Number of Keys: 44
• Key Range: F0 to C4
• Priority (Low, High, Last): User Selectable
• Hardwired Connections:
• Oscillator–1 (Pitch)
• Oscillator–2 (Pitch)
• Filter Contour (Trigger)
• Loudness Contour (Trigger)
• Switchable Connections:
• Oscillator–3 (Pitch)
• Filter (Keyboard Tracking 1/3)
• Filter (Keyboard Tracking 2/3)
• Typical Voltage: 0.5 volts
• Maximum Voltage: 4.2 volts (peak-to-peak)
• Nominal Output Impedance: 3K Ohms
• Glide Rate (octave): 1 millisecond to 10 seconds
• Pitch Bend Range: (+/-) 5 semitones (minimum)

Control Voltage Outputs

• After Pressure (aftertouch): 1/4” TS
• 0 to +5 volts with user adjustable trimpot
• Pitch: 1/4” TS
• -3 volts to +7 volts. C=0 volts
• Gate: 1/4” TS
• 0 to +5 volts
• Velocity: 1/4” TS
• Selectable 0 to +5 volts or 0 to +10 volts with user adjustable trimpot