Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM

The discussion has diverted into 2 different ones:

a) can I get MOTM to sound like a Mini?
b) can I patch a "Mini-like" sound that I like even better than the Mini?

I will address (a), as (b) is arguing over the taste of beer.

In a nutshell: no. (OK, if you can prove me wrong with a demo, you get a free hat or shirt).

There are several reasons why (JH would step in here as well, but he's on vacation until the
18th).

As Mini owners will testify, it's next to impossible to get 2 of them to sound alike. I recall
about 2yrs ago, someone on the AH list got 7 Minis over the lifetime (including the next-to-last
one made) of production, and compared. The only conclusion was 2 were close, but the other 5 each
had a different tone.

The reasons are:

a) older VCO boards tend to be preferred, but they drift like a mother. Listen to the King
Biscuit live CD of Rick Wakeman. About 40min into the concert, the Mini spazzes out completely,
he is desperately retuning on the fly.

b) Moog was the King of Buying Surplus. He used whatever transistor was cheap that month. The
Minis with TIS97 transistors seem to be preferred. It also depends on how close the bottom pair
are matched to get differential currents (see the MOTM-490 Theory of Operation). These were
matched by hand.

c) The Mini VCA is a part of the "sound" as well. The loading of the differential-to-single-ended
converter has a large bearing on the sound.

d) Some Minis will "soft sync" the VCOs if the power supply caps are drying out, or the voltage
is not very close to -10V. This is loss of "phatttt"

e) The AC feedback in the resonance circuit has a lot to do with the tone as well.

This is the #1 reason I have been ∗very reluctant∗ to offer a Moog filter, because they ALL sound
different, but everyone knows that Mini ∗sound∗, and that's the 1 sound I can't offer :(

Well, if JH and I decide to market the JH-5 MonoSynth, THEN you can get that Mini sound......

Paul S.