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Moog brings the iconic Minimoog Model D back to production

Minimoog_Model_D_angle
By Chris Davies/

One of the most iconic instruments in electronic music, the Moog Minimoog Model D, has been reborn, with production starting up again after more than three decades. Its squelchy, distinctive sounds called upon in tracks by legendary musicians such as Bob Marley, Keith Emerson, Kraftwerk, Dr. Dre, and more, the analog synthesizer was the first to break free of the music studio and be packaged for portable use.

Production began in 1970 and spanned more than ten years, then the synth later inspired the Minimoog Voyager of 2002. However, the appetite for the original has not waned, and now Moog is bringing it back to life.

Having started as a small scale "pilot production" reissue earlier this year, the Minimoog Model D is now hitting full production, the company says. The wooden-bodied instrument is still made by hand in Asheville, NC, with an aluminum chassis and Appalachian hard-wood selected for the enclosure.

Inside, there's the familiar trio of oscillators, with Moog sourcing reissued transistors to make sure the sound is just right.

There are a few changes to bring the Model D more up to speed with the current state of electronic music, however. Moog has picked a Fatar keybed, for instance, which adds velocity and after pressure via top-panel CV jacks.

There's also a dedicated analog LFO with triangle and square waveshapes, basic MIDI support courtesy of in/out/thru jacks, and CV outputs for pitch, gate, velocity, and after pressure. Moog also says it has improved the connectors on the circuit board, so as to improve reliability if the instrument is being moved around a lot.

Finally, a mixer overload modification – which can be toggled off if you prefer – "allows the Minimoog Model D to conjure thicker and far more overdriven sounds than before" the company says.

The tweaks can all be bypassed from the sound, meaning the original's instantly-recognizable audio can be recreated if you're feeling authentic.

All that comes in at $3,749, which might sound a lot if you're used to software synths, but which is something of a bargain for a classic such as this. Moog warns that, due to the labor-intensive nature of the Model D, it'll only be able to produce a handful each month.



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