analogman1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Just upgraded from Minimonsta - sounds pretty incredible! (I have a ton of Minimoog plugins including the official "Moog" Minimoog - but I just couldn't resist!) I'm looking to put this one through its paces for sure. (They have a demo to try first) Tom 2 Quote Tom Nord Electro 5D, Modal Cobalt 8, Yamaha upright piano, numerous plug-ins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 was an immediate purchase for me when I got the email yesterday, of course that was after G Force got their servers up and running again as that announcement crashed them good I have owned/been using Minimonsta for 15 years now and have been anxiously awaiting this upgrade, figuring it would happen after the success of Oddity 3 I have other MiniMoog vst's but MiniMonsta is the one I go to the most. Haven't had a chance to fire it up yet, that will be tomorrow. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 1 hour ago, analogman1 said: Just upgraded from Minimonsta - sounds pretty incredible! (I have a ton of Minimoog plugins including the official "Moog" Minimoog - but I just couldn't resist!) I'm looking to put this one through its paces for sure. (They have a demo to try first) Tom Might make a good GearLab group test. 2 Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 I was looking at a micromonsta but unfortunately moved on a cheep deal for a skulpt which I never really bonded with. Now that niche has a bunch of contenders including some vague promises from behringer. Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 I have just one thing to say about this product Holy Moly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 The original Minimonsta has been a favorite of mine since 2005. Despite having access to more modern Minimoog emulations, I would find myself going back to Minimonsta particularly for those unruly, unstable patches. Well at first encounter, unfortunately MM2 seemed more well behaved. If you are thinking the same way, look for the vintage knob in the lower left corner and increase that. GForce has very cleverly turned a fixed amount of unruliness into a variable: something you can dial in on a per patch basis. I have a new favorite. 👍👍👏👏 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 Minimonsta was incompatible with my new Mac for so long, I ended up turning to Cherry Audio for my Moog needs. I feel less wistful about it because the new version discards the patch morphing feature, which I found fascinating. That's been swapped out for a mod matrix. Oh well. Some things they improved were smart moves, like the added LFO & the option for 4-stage envelopes. While I know playing a Memorymoog in Unison isn't the same as a Mini doing likewise, using a Mini as a poly isn't quit the same, either. How people choose their Moog flavors could be a separate thread, but let's not go there. I have a headache. If you're looking for a Minimoog, G-Force does superior work. You'll be well-rewarded. I've been using M-Tron Pro for several years and its rock-solid. They provide great customer service, BTW. You can demo it, but you can just buy it and it'll be a WIN. Quote "Stay tuned for a new band: Out Of Sync." ~ "The Vet Life" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogman1 Posted March 3, 2023 Author Share Posted March 3, 2023 I recently found a live recording using the original Minimonsta via Mainstage. It really sounded great in the mix of my old band. The new update just knocks it out of the park! Quote Tom Nord Electro 5D, Modal Cobalt 8, Yamaha upright piano, numerous plug-ins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnderGroundGr Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 I have moog's minimoog plugin and arturia's mini V3. I have never check minimonsta... Quote Kurzweil K2661 + full options,iMac 27",Mac book white,Apogee Element 24 + Duet,Genelec 8030A,Strymon Lex + Flint,Hohner Pianet T,Radial Key-Largo,Kawai K5000W,Moog Minitaur,Yamaha Reface YC + CP, iPad 9th Gen, Arturia Beatstep + V Collection 9 https://antonisadelfidis.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberGene Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 How does Minimonsta compare to Diva? I know Diva is not specifically a Minimoog emulation but it has all of the modules, so you can basically have it. I made a very simple patch on my Behringer Model D that I was able to nail on Diva and not on the Arturia Mini V, nor on Moog’s own iOS app. So, Diva is really a spot on emulation and as far as I know it uses analog circuit emulation instead of generic DSP. I don’t see Minimonsta advertised as using circuit modeling, so I’m wondering if maybe Diva has an edge on all other Minimoog emulations? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 Let's hope for some shootouts CG. 👍 Not being a coder, I wouldn't try to analyze the methodology of coding. Even "circuit modeling" can be at different levels of detail according to Urs. He made some comments on KVR on the state of Minimoog modeling, which I will PM to you. What do I like? I am no golden ears but at first listen, I would be slightly more likely to use Minimonsta 2 or Monark for aggression and Diva for warmth, but it would depend on the individual patches. It's worth mentioning that MM2 is more than a good Mini. It's Mod Matrix and XModulators make modular sounds simple. The Monark Modules in Reaktor also are an unlimited playground but they take far more time to patch. If all we want is some chirps or blips, Minimonsta gets you there faster. The XLFO (first thing I tested) gets sufficiently into audio rates for chirps and growls. For bells however, you will want to use Oscillator 3 in typical Mini fashion. If you want evolving sound design or rhythm beds, the envelopes and LFO can be completely controlled by CCs, so you can let them do all the work. All this makes MM2 a great sounding Minimoog superset. I don't have Synapse's Legend and Softube's Model 72 which are also highly regarded. I feel it's ok to have more than one paintbrush in your easel but diminishing returns does set in after a point. Hope this helps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 Been a fan of G Force since I got the first version of ImpOSCAR. I need to go grab it. I also need to update M-Tron. 1 Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 I would love to hear a comparison between Minimonsta 2 and The Legend. I have played the original Minimonsta, which wasn't bad for the time. Judging from the demos, this one is much improved. I have tried Model 72 at some point, but for some reason didn't like it too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obxa Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 Got the upgrade. Love it!! For lack of better words, it has more life than other plugs. I often used Arturia mainly because MM1 was so hard on the eyes. The Arturia has the vibe, and great workflow - but none of the Mojo. If you want or need a virtual, for the price new or upgrade, you can't go wrong with the Gforce. It took forever, but what a great update. 2 Quote Chris Corso www.chriscorso.org Lots of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 On 3/5/2023 at 8:17 AM, marino said: I would love to hear a comparison between Minimonsta 2 and The Legend. Carlo, I would love to hear such a comparison also. From what I hear the Legend is a serious synth. While we wait for that comparison, I put together a non-scientific comparison of the Minimonsta 2 and the original, in actual use. I have cloth ears, so where these do not sound like the original synth, it's probably not the fault of the instrument. https://on.soundcloud.com/kvw7W Enjoy, and we can have a fun discussion of how these are similar and how they are different. (The MIDI files are identical but my apologies: you can see that the gain is not as precisely lined up as it should be.) 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 knowing that Model D synths themselves don't sound exactly the same, the Minimoog vst's I own all sound good enough to my old ears. I always preferred Minimonsta as I enjoyed the additional features G Force included, polyphony and built in delay being most important to me. What I was not liking as the years went by was the GUI, which was very 2010. The new GUI is fantastic, and the new reverb feature I have found to my liking so far with the little time I have had to play with it. These old eyes need the improved GUI. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 19 hours ago, Doerfler said: These old eyes need the improved GUI. They sound like my eyes. Always switching between glasses off and glasses on. 😅 I am finding that there is considerable difference between the two Monstas, though well within the tolerance of Minis generally. It feels like the Old Monsta does nasty more readily than the new one. If you want a shrill resonance it comes quicker. If you want those punchy Moog envelopes, they seem to more hyped. The fundamental frequency of the oscillators seem a tad more pronounced I think, though I need to understand this a bit more. It could be related to the way the feedback circuit is modeled differently between the two synths. I don't use the new Monsta's reverb. Where the new Monsta shines for me is in the ability to dial in more varieties of Moogish and non-Moogish tones and the clever GUI. It allows effortless fine tuning of parameters unlike Minimonsta 1. As you pointed out, it's big and beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 1 hour ago, Tusker said: The fundamental frequency of the oscillators seem a tad more pronounced I think, though I need to understand this a bit more. It could be related to the way the feedback circuit is modeled differently between the two synths. I just shot down this theory by eyeballing the frequency spectrum ☝️ with graphic EQs, with and without feedback at 40%. No visual difference. 🤷♂️ Maybe I imagined it. Or could it be that there are some psychoacoustics going on which are not completely explained by fundamental frequencies alone ... ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 On 3/3/2023 at 5:19 AM, CyberGene said: I made a very simple patch on my Behringer Model D that I was able to nail on Diva and not on the Arturia Mini V, nor on Moog’s own iOS app. There's a free Minimonsta 2 demo... I'd be curious to see if you felt it could nail it as well as Diva did. (Though the demo only lasts 6 hrs or 7 days, whichever is longer... so you may not want to download it just for this, if you'd find it more useful to try it later when you'd have time to do more with it and didn't want to run out the clock just on this little experiment.) On 3/3/2023 at 8:14 AM, Tusker said: Even "circuit modeling" can be at different levels of detail according to Urs. He made some comments on KVR on the state of Minimoog modeling, which I will PM to you. I'd be curious to see that as well, if you wouldn't mind. On 3/9/2023 at 11:41 AM, Tusker said: While we wait for that comparison, I put together a non-scientific comparison of the Minimonsta 2 and the original, in actual use. I have cloth ears, so where these do not sound like the original synth, it's probably not the fault of the instrument. Cloth ears as it may be, Catherine of Aragon sounds much more nasal on the original Minimonsta and more traditionally moog-like (and yes, closer to the original recording) on the new. I'd be very happy with the new one, here. 1 Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 1 hour ago, AnotherScott said: I'd be curious to see that as well, if you wouldn't mind. 👍 PM Sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 1 hour ago, AnotherScott said: Cloth ears as it may be, Catherine of Aragon sounds much more nasal on the original Minimonsta and more traditionally moog-like (and yes, closer to the original recording) on the new. I'd be very happy with the new one, here. That was my conclusion also. I may have worked less than I could have with the new Minimonsta's preset to get more resonance juice out of it. As I recall, I kept the resonance the same in both cases. The original's resonance sounds very direct and sharp and immediately moogy. The new one seems more luxurious and shimmery. I guess someone could do a visual check to see if the resonance peak is objectively narrower on the old Minimonsta. There is so much variety in hardware Minis. To sound more reminiscent of the old recordings, one might want to add a mixing board plugin and tape emulation. That would reduce the shimmer further. I too am very happy with the new Minimonsta 2. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obxa Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 It's not cloth ears. Furthering your idea that no two real Mini's are alike: Because of tolerances, component age, and whatever the coder's interpretation of calibration and resolution and other modeling is - one to one comparisons among plugins with exactly the same exact settings rarely work. You'd be better off getting in the ballpark with the selection of waveforms, then tweaking filter, EG amount etc. by ear. I posted in another thread about MIni plugs and the real thing, specifically when it comes to the low end. I think in context any of these will work within a mix, and most listeners certainly won't know the difference. To us, I think the bottom line is whether it inspires your playing. For late night grins, I tried duplicating that great MM2 Wonderbass preset on: 1. My real Mini 2. Minitaur, 3. Model 72 (demo) and 4. the Arturia. Sorry I didn't document it. My real Mini is in such dire need of calibration and other fixes it was only fairly close, but at least had its own character going on with it. I got closest on the Minitaur where the immediacy of moving knobs vs mouse probably helped. Note, it doesn't have a 3rd Osc. So turned it off on the MM2 while comparing. Even with just 2 osc's , the Minitaur of course had that extra bit of magic dust, but the MM2 was still pretty darn good. The 72 was nice but didn't really inspire me. After not using the Arturia for a while, it sounded flat and lifeless compared to the MM2. The EG/Contour settings on all of these were all very different. Where just a nudge can make a huge difference. I think I may have the free light version of Monark that came with Kontakt, but don't remember being too exited about it. Not to sound like a shill, MM2 may not be identical, but it's got its own thing going on that breathes and responds like a real instrument, making it fun to play.. So far it also sits nicely in tracks. 6 hours ago, Tusker said: There is so much variety in hardware Minis. To sound more reminiscent of the old recordings, one might want to add a mixing board plugin and tape emulation. That would reduce the shimmer further. I too am very happy with the new Minimonsta 2. Our favorite records are the sound I always hear in my head. I've done re-amping on Virtual synths and Rhodes plug-ins which is tedious. Now I live and breathe with PA's Neold Warble (currently on sale...) or Softube's dirty tape. Arturia had a free Melotron filter-tape plug-in that might still be around which is also great. There are tons of free tape things out there, and a little bit always helps. 1 Quote Chris Corso www.chriscorso.org Lots of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 It sounds like maybe MiniMonsta definitely sounds like *a* Minimoog, even if it doesn't sound like your particular Minimoog...? 2 Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted March 18, 2023 Share Posted March 18, 2023 Sprung for it in the spirit of keeping current. Easier to use for sure. Related: massive sale on ImpOscar 2 just dropped. I guess impOscar 3 is in the wings. That’s one of my fave soft synths ever, but it could definitely use a graphical facelift. 2 Quote I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 Finally grabbed the update. A no-brainer at $32. Sounds great and I really like the interface. The poly button makes it my favorite MemoryMoog remake 1 Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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