Minimonsta reviews for those who are awaiting download...

[UltraJv]

Id love to try a Minimax Vs Minimonsta but I know that people have invested a fair bit of money into Creamware (it is hardware after all) and that would make it hard to get an unbiased opinion. As for Minimonsta being a cpu hog, its no angel but then thats why we all know that theres never quite enough power on tap no matter what we have.

[Mr Arkadin]

VitaminD wrote:

but to my non-vintage-VA-loving ears.. I'd say it sounds like a rich, warm, and clearer Pro-53 and I'm not really kidding either...

Please tell me you're trolling, or looking for a quick laugh. Otherwise i think it's time to book an appointment to have your ears syringe. Stop any mixing you're doing right now.

Pro53 sounds like shite, i can't believe you'd even mention that thing here.

BTW, i have MiniMax, so i won't be getting this, but it is sounding quite close.

Mr A

[olafmol]

minimoogV or Minimonsta...
Stradavarius or Guanarius...
Steinway or Boesendorfer...
post or make music

I have to say (uh-gain) that while I *don't* think it's as close to the original as the minimoogV, I'm not sure it matters. It's really a matter of splitting hairs (as well as what particular Moog you last listened to before you made your comparison:

you might be interested in the comparisation/review of arturia's minimoogV in the current Sound on Sound magazine

[wazun]

minimoogV or Minimonsta...
Stradavarius or Guanarius...
Steinway or Boesendorfer...
post or make music

I have to say (uh-gain) that while I *don't* think it's as close to the original as the minimoogV, I'm not sure it matters. It's really a matter of splitting hairs (as well as what particular Moog you last listened to before you made your comparison:

you might be interested in the comparisation/review of arturia's minimoogV in the current Sound on Sound magazine

I don't have that issue, could please tell me about that comparision/review results?

[lsd]

I don't have that issue, could please tell me about that comparision/review results?

Here is an excerpt from the review:

Overall Comparisons

Given the number of differences I've flagged between the Minimoog and Minimoog V, I expected the two instruments to sound very different from one another. Yet, creating simple patches on both, using a single sawtooth wave and fine-tuning the controls to be as close to one another as possible, I found the sound from the software synth to be surprisingly authentic. Moreover, in blind tests that I carried out on two knowledgeable friends, both could hear that there were two instruments present, but neither could reliably identify which was the 30-year-old lump of wood and circuitry, and which was the software emulation.

But the more I introduced filter resonance, the easier it became to distinguish between them. If I then used different waveforms or introduced multiple oscillators, it became simple to identify which synth was which. And when I stopped playing individual notes in isolation, and started to play riffs and melodies, the incorrect envelope generation of Minimoog V made it obvious which was which.

This was when I also started to notice that the timbre would jump slightly after every handful of notes played. Playing rapidly with the Detune knob (ie.drift) set to zero, and while watching the waveform on an oscilloscope, I could see that the relative phases of the oscillators would occasionally jump from one state to another. As expected, there was no change when I held a single note indefinitely, just a quantised jump after a bunch of notes were played. This makes soloing an odd experience, and may be even more disconcerting for players who use their Minimoogs primarily for bass work. I also noticed Minimoog V generating random clicks when I played quickly with instantaneous (ie. Attack = 0, Decay = 0) envelopes. These are not the Attack On and Release Off clicks of the original synth, but digital clicks generated in the software as it fails to handle the rapid envelope settings.

All in all, I have to report that, judged as an emulation of the real thing, Minimoog V is a disappointment. How could I conclude otherwise? Despite sounding very good at times — indeed, rather Moog-like at times — its oscillators, mixer, filter and envelopes all behave in a significantly different manner from those of the original. Sure, it looks like a representation of a Minimoog, and it has a very likeable character — big and imposing. Nevertheless, generally speaking, Minimoog V doesn't respond to my playing as a real Minimoog does.

So what if we ignore the pretty picture on the screen, and judge Minimoog V as a synth in its own right? The inaccuracies in the emulation are then irrelevant. Considered like this, what we have is a fat-sounding, interesting, and sonically imposing synthesizer that can sound excellent, albeit with a couple of operational quirks and bugs that need correcting.

Conclusions

Had Arturia designed the on-screen representation differently, Minimoog V might have scored as a very good software synth. But when used as a software Minimoog, I feel that it falls far short of the winning post. Of course, you might be asking whether you should care if it sounds authentic. Well, consider it like this; if I offered to sell you a software synthesizer with limited envelopes, a single filter, a limited number of modulators, and so on... would you be prepared to shell out £150 if it was presented using standard graphics laid out in no particular fashion? And if you wouldn't, why should you be willing to pay £150 for a pretty picture?

In conclusion, Minimoog V is a CPU-hungry softsynth capable of some first-class, warm and engaging timbres, some of which sound not quite like a Minimoog. But if Arturia could eliminate the digital overloads, sort out some of the bugs and operational peculiarities and reduce the processor load, this could be an excellent synth. If they could then redesign those aspects of its implementation that do not resemble those of a real Minimoog, it could be the Minimoog emulation it promised to be. I'm waiting for version 1.2 or, better still, the rewritten v2.0.

[wazun]

thanks! just what i wanted to read! helps me decide between minimoogV and minimonsta

[DHR53]

I tried the demo, and loaded it into Logic on one channel, and Pro-53 on another, and frankly, nothing I heard would make it a "must have" for me... But myself... I think I have finally overcome my "impulse buy" tendencies everytime a new synth is offered! ...which is a good thing

[suthnear]

Id love to try a Minimax Vs Minimonsta but I know that people have invested a fair bit of money into Creamware (it is hardware after all) and that would make it hard to get an unbiased opinion.

I have both and I think minimonsta is great. Like Mr Arkadin I might not actually get minimonsta (given that I have minimax and a voyager), but it's definitely no country cousin. There were some patches where I preferred minimax, others where I preferred minimonsta. I don't think creamware has sole claim to the model d crown anymore.

If I had to choose, I'd *probably* get minimonsta because of the extra possibilities offered by unison, melohman and all the lfos and xadsrs.

[suthnear]

I suspect that those who are non-plussed at the minimonsta don't have a great deal of experience with real analogue or have been swayed by the proselytising of the analogue bigot brigade into thinking that old synthesizers are more than they are. The differences between analogue and (a good) emulation are subtle but they are definitely there.

I actually bought a moog voyager because I liked minimax so much. At the time I got it I really thought they were much of a muchness, but as I've spent more time with the voyager the difference has become more pronounced. Similarly, I have noticed the differences between the good emus and the not-so-good ones. This is not to say that a not-so-good emu can't be a damn good synth, though. Whether or not this is important to you is a matter of taste, not some eternal fact. Suffice to say, though, that the minimonsta is a very good emu (for a non-flightless non-bird).

[UltraJv]

I don't think creamware has sole claim to the model d crown anymore

It gives Creamware a run for its money !! - thanks for that input suthnear. Impressive

[RoyNoahJones]

Some Beautiful patches in minimonsta, but sounded too Pro53/VSTinstrument... nothing compared to the impressive feeling i got when i tried Imposcar...

1/2 emu 4 1/2 emus , minimoog V brings me more fatness imo.

i'll pass on this one too

my cash will go to imposcar.

[BONES]

I suspect that those who are non-plussed at the minimonsta don't have a great deal of experience with real analogue or have been swayed by the proselytising of the analogue bigot brigade into thinking that old synthesizers are more than they are. The differences between analogue and (a good) emulation are subtle but they are definitely there.

Whilst the above statements are somewhat contradictory, I think I know what you're trying to say and I couldn't agree less. Maybe, just maybe, some of us never considered the original miniMoog to be anything more than what it was - the first of its kind. There were plenty of much better ones that followed soon after. I can't ever remember being impressed by a MiniMoog at a gig. Ever. MiniKorg maybe, but never miniMoog.

[geoslake]

Pro53 sounds like shite, i can't believe you'd even mention that thing here.

Petit imbécile.

[VitaminD]

VitaminD wrote:

but to my non-vintage-VA-loving ears.. I'd say it sounds like a rich, warm, and clearer Pro-53 and I'm not really kidding either...

Please tell me you're trolling, or looking for a quick laugh. Otherwise i think it's time to book an appointment to have your ears syringe. Stop any mixing you're doing right now.

Pro53 sounds like shite, i can't believe you'd even mention that thing here.

no, please, let me know what you REALLLY think about Pro-53

uhmm.. I don't consider Pro-53 bad at all.. though its not my first pick..

I like the Unison manytimesover than the one in Pro-53 and (as mentioned before) think it(mini) has a nice low end range.. outside of that.. no big deal to me.

though I should admit I've never been too overly impressed with vintage synths.. but with all the hype I was figuring to be blown away by the mini..

[scam_artist]

Some Beautiful patches in minimonsta, but sounded too Pro53/VSTinstrument... nothing compared to the impressive feeling i got when i tried Imposcar...

i'll pass on this one too

my cash will go to imposcar.

exactly my sentiments! i already own impOSCar, and trialling the miniMonsta demo made me realise even more that I love the sound of impOSCar more than any other VSTi. Now, if impOSCar got the Melohman treatment