Moog Minimoog Model D Reissue Now In Production

moog-minimoog-model-d-reissue

Moog Music today announced that it has started production on the new Minimoog Model D, reintroduced at Moogfest 2016.

Introduced in 1970, the Minimoog Model D was one of the first portable synthesizer and served as the archetype for many of the keyboard synths that followed.

Moog says that, while no changes have been made to the original sound engine or audio signal path, the Minimoog Model D now includes a series of functional modifications to expand the instrument’s sonic capabilities beyond the factory specifications of a 1970’s production unit.

These modifications include:

  • a premium Fatar keybed, with velocity and after pressure available via top panel CV jacks;
  • a dedicated analog LFO with triangle and square waveshapes,;
  • CV outputs for pitch, gate, velocity and after pressure;
  • basic MIDI integration; and
  • a mixer overload modification, which when engaged, allows the Minimoog Model D to conjure thicker and far more overdriven sounds than before.

See our Moogfest videos for more information on how the new Minimoog Model D is built and for a look inside the new Minimoog Model D.

In conjunction with the announcement, Moog released this video series, looking at the history of the Minimoog:

Features:

  • 3 vintage Moog oscillators
  • Classic Moog low pass ladder filter with resonance
  • Analog circuit boards recreated using original designs and component placement
  • Custom reissued transistors critical to sound quality and character
  • ‘Military spec precision’ resistors
  • Precision Linear System matched JFETs in oscillators
  • Classic thermoset, gnarled pitch and mod wheels
  • CV Modifications: outputs added for Pitch, Aftertouch, Velocity and Gate (Aftertouch and Velocity have dedicated output level attenuators)
  • Modulation Modifications: analog Triangle/Square wave LFO and Filter Envelope added as modulation sources, as well as an External Modulation CV input
  • Overload Modification: the output of the Minimoog Model D is automatically scaled and fed back to the External Audio Input for instantly available overdrive
  • Improved circuit board connectors for touring reliability
  • Fatar TP-9 keybed with velocity and aftertouch
  • MIDI in, out and thru

Minimoog Model D Audio Demos:

Pricing and Availability

The Moog Minimoog Model D reissue is now in production and is available for US $3,749. Moog notes that, “Due to the complexity of the build process coupled with the demand for other Moog instruments, we are only able to produce a small number of Minimoog Model D units per month.”

27 thoughts on “Moog Minimoog Model D Reissue Now In Production”

    1. But it is a Model D, so the name is correct. There’s been numerous Model D revisions, this is the latest.

      The Voyager was the true opportunity to use the name Model E, as it was a significant advancement on the D.

      This is a D, with a few tweaks.

        1. It doesn’t communicate very well with a computer
          It doesn’t have presets so you cannot play live with it in a real world, band situation.

          mmmmhhh

          So you can improvise live with it, or…
          …have it in a studio for those “killer once in a lifetime” basses or leads you won’t be able to reproduce live.

          Not too expensive for a collector’s item though

          I’d love to have one

            1. Oh, nothing against the classics. No sarcasm, not been dense, just different experience. I use several sounds during one song so I would need several of these to attain that. Also, I don’t have 2 minutes between songs to adjust the synth and effects, etc. Also I don’t have the advantage of using these instruments as novelties, in a time when one or two sounds were enough.

              You can use it live, of course. You can play a cowbell live. You can play a bass live too but a bass doesn’t have a lot of timbral diversity (I play bass) unless you use effects. Assuming you know how to play it.

              So let me change my statement: you cannot use this amazingly complex machine to its full potential in a live situation without having to restrain yourself to using one or two of the million sounds it can produce.
              So yes, it is not for me, and probably not for a lot of musicians that cannot afford such a tempting but at the same time limited machine.
              That is why I have a sub37, although if I had the money I would have bought a Voyager.

              I want one though

              Cheers and peace

              1. So every artist from the 70’s and on only used one or two sounds live?!? Are you living under a rock.

                As for a bass having no diversity in timbre without effects…well that’s just foolish. Listen to jaco, victor Wooten, tal wilkenfeld, Steve Bailey or Stanley Clarke. They don’t use effects and achieve quite a vast array of timbres from their basses. Maybe take some time to sit down and study the greats a bit more.

                2. Don’t take offense on my words. Bass has what? 4 timbres? Ok I’ll give you that. Now, citing Tal as an exponent of a new or different timbre is just not right.

                  The comment is about diversity which is the great advantage of synthesizers. I’m not saying the model D is not diverse. I’m saying that its practical use for live music is limited and those limitations were faced by the musicians you cite. And I am talking about the model D, alone. Not the host of keyboards they used to have onstage.

                  Ok, I’m poor. I don’t have the money to buy all those keyboards nor the crew to carry them around so I talk from the simple man’s perspective and in that perspective playing live nowadays means you don’t have the time to let the audience waiting for you to try to nail a sound by looking at a chart or you don’t have several keyboards onstage. In this time and age you’d need several model Ds to achieve diversity during a performance or… just play the one sound you like and call it even, wasting the potential of the machine you have in front of you. That is the whole point.

                  I still want a new model D

                  Peace

              2. LOL. In the 70s, Rick Wakeman had how many Minimoogs on stage at one time?

                Watch Gary Numan’s 1980 Saturday Night Live performance. He’s got 5 or 6 Minimoogs on stage.

                Why did these and other musicians back in the day have multi Minimoog keyboard rigs?

                Yes, this new zero preset synth is only conducive to a live performance if:

                1) You keep the patch the same or nearly the same (e.g. use the same lead or bass sound for multiple songs).

                2) You have the time to change patches between songs and are good at nailing it every time in a hurry without the rest of the band and the audience staring at you as they wait.

                3) You have a few Minimoogs simultaneously, each set differently.

                4) You are actually using a hidden soft synth to play additional Minimoog sounds

                5) You’re in a low talent band that can’t pull off an all live show, so you have synth parts on pre-recorded backing tracks and the Minimoog is primarily just for show.

          2. Have you never seen a Minimoog played live?

            For a good player, dialing in a patch on a Minimoog is as fast as scrolling through hundreds of presets is on a lot of synths.

            And many, if not most, Minimoog players ‘play’ the front panel when they perform – using the one-knob-per-function controls to expressively change sounds during a performance.

            For analog synth fans, the key features of a Minimoog are the sound, the instant control of everything and the fact that it uses pots instead of encoders. That combination is something that you don’t get on most synths.

            1. What he means is…..

              “If I can’t plug it into my DAW so that it plays it for me while I fake turn knobs, it sucks for live”

              The mini was DESIGNED for live performance, it’s just that lots of people don’t know what live performance means.

    2. Adding MIDI control of each knob, or adding patch memory, would mean completely changing the Minimoog – replacing every pot with an encoder, and a lot more.

      Nobody who knows synths wants that, It could not sound or act like a Model D, if they did that.

        1. Synth makers need to innovate (again like they once did) and stop rehashing the past. Re-issues have their place, for collectors, professionals, etc. But imagine something more, something new. There’s more innovation in controllers, even soft synths, and modulars these days than from the old guard.

          1. I always have to laugh when I see posts like this with regard to recreations of old instruments.

            A recreation is not supposed to innovate. It reissues the old synth for those who want a new one with no usage history or crazt second hand price.

            There are lots of Moog products, or Dave Smith, or Roland, or whoever, that are innovative and advancing the state of synth technology.

            And what exactly are you looking for that’s missing? New key responses? New synthesis techniques? More waveforms?

            What’s your idea of hardware innovation?

  4. I ordered mine this morning from Thomann, and I was 2nd on the list. The first was a friend of mine. So there isn’t an overwhelming demand for these yet, and maybe there wont be.

    Thomann only getting 5 units in the first batch, which arrive September/October.

  5. Ordered mine last night, one of 2 allocated to SXpro. Its a machine i always wanted and never thought id get a shot to own. The original issue models are all either in need of a good service, or just ticking time bombs to a degree. I love the fact this has been largely unmolested albeit some minor tweaks plus basic midi.

    i have the sub 37 and Mother 32, but their is something very special about the model D.

  6. This will be expensive – just like the Voyager. It’s worth the money of course – its a Minimoog. But it may be beyond the reach of many musicians. I’m tipping AUD $4,999 here in Oz then slowly dropping to $3999 over time, but certainly no lower than that. Which means it might be better to go with a Sub-37, or a triple Mother 32 modular – or simply wait and see whether second hand Voyagers or vintage Minimoogs come down significantly in price.

  7. I think this is the first real synth reissue where I don’t see anyone complaining about the price. Good job Moog.

    They finally did it.

    I’ve had a voyager RME and XL for a while, and I only bought them to get the minimoog sound.

    Truth be told, they sound different than the original, and I always felt like I was missing something I got from the model D I get to play in the studio.

    If this is truly the real deal, I’m all in.

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