This video, via synthesist Andy Whitmore, offers a head-to-head comparison of a vintage Minimoog Model D and a ‘modern’ Minimoog Model D reissue.

Whitmore compares the two synths using 40 iconic sounds:

00:00 Rush Tom Sawyer FX
00:21 ELP Lucky Man lead
00:32 Duran Duran Save A Prayer lead
00:43 Duran Duran Save A Prayer lead
01:02 ABBA Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! lead
01:19 ABBA Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! bass
01:37 Harold Faltermeyer Axel F Beverly Hills Cop Main Theme lead
01:54 Harold Faltermeyer Axel F Beverly Hills Cop Main Theme bass
02:11 D Train You’re The One For Me bass
02:27 D Train You’re The One For Me lead
02:43 Madonna Holiday lead
03:00 Madonna Holiday bass
03:16 Queen Radio Ga Ga bass
03:32 Howard Jones New Song lead
04:09 Howard Jones New Song lead
04:19 Gary Numan Are ‘Friends’ Electric? theme
05:00 Michael Jackson Rock With You bass
05:26 DEVO Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA effects
05:56 Parliament Flashlight bass
06:26 Rush Tom Sawyer lead
06:44 Stevie Wonder I Wish bass
07:02 Madonna Borderline lead
07:34 Madonna Borderline bass
07:51 Dr Dre Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang lead
08:15 Michael Jackson Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough bass
08:32 Pink Floyd Shine On You Crazy Diamond lead
09:03 Rick Wakeman Catherine Of Aragon bass
09:41 Chaka Khan We Can Work It Out bass
10:02 Weather Report Birdland bass
10:26 Barclay James Harvest Victims Of Circumstance lead
10:50 The Alan Parsons Project Separate Lives bass
11:00 Europe The Final Countdown lead
11:24 Stevie Wonder Isn’t She Lovely bass
11:46 Stevie Wonder That Girl bass
12:05 Michael Jackson Workin’Day and Night bass
12:22 Gary Numan Are ‘Friends’ Electric? lead
12:46 Nena 99 Luftballons bass

Moog went to extreme lengths to recreate the build of the original Model D, to the point that the circuit boards match the originals, and they had transistors custom made to match the original components. When they reintroduced the Model D at Moogfest 2016, we talked with Moog’s Nick Montoya, who gave us a tour of the inside of the new Minimoog Model D, explained some of the lengths they went to to nail the original Minimoog sound, and also talked about a few things they changed to make it more reliable:

While Moog went to extreme lengths to recreate the original Minimoog, you can hear subtle differences between the old and new synths in Whitmore’s video. Some of this reflects the fact that no two analog synths sound exactly the same. S0me may reflect slight differences in pots and how they are dialed in. And some may reflect the fact that the Minimoog Model D reissue probably sounds more like a new Minimoog would have sounded 40 years ago, than a 40 year-old synth.

Check out the video and share your thoughts on how the vintage Minimoog and Minimoog reissue compare in the comments!