VST plugins to recreate the Minimoog
- 19/11/2023
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The Minimoog is one of the most iconic hardware synthesizers ever produced. Created by Moog engineer Bill Hemsath, the Minimoog has touched every musical genre, with a sound as diverse as the musicians who have used it. From bands like Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” to Georgio Moroder and Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”, Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” and West Coast hip-hop inspired by Dr. Dre’s Parliament, the Minimoog has become an integral part of the music scene. The Minimoog has been an indelible part of modern music for decades. Even Trent Reznor and the late J-Dilla relied heavily on the Minimoog to create their distinctive sound. However, buying an original Minimoog can be extremely expensive. Fortunately, today there are VST plug-ins that offer similar sounds at a much more affordable price. We’ve selected some of our favorites, and we’ll also tell you about the history of this powerful synthesizer that has left its mark on music history.
Minimoog history
The idea of creating a portable version of the modular synthesizers developed by Moog in the ’60s came to Bill Hemsath, who was an engineer at Moog at the time. He assembled the first prototype using parts salvaged from the company’s “synthesizer graveyard”. He cut out three intact keyboard octaves and attached them to a modular control panel, creating the basis for the Minimoog. All the parts of the original Minimoog came from the graveyard, with the exception of the modular controller, which was stolen from the company’s stock by Hemsath.
The Minimoog created the basis for almost every synthesizer that followed. It was the first truly portable synthesizer, making it easy to incorporate into music studios and take on tour. And with its three powerful oscillators, it was a versatile instrument capable of producing amazing soundscapes. But what made it truly unique were a series of unintentional production features. For example, the Minimoog’s voltage-controlled filter was mistakenly overloaded, but this error was not discovered until after the synthesizer had gone into production. What’s more, Moog’s engineers never found a way to stabilize the synthesizer’s power supply properly, so the oscillators didn’t stay in phase. This combination produced a beautiful accident, creating the rich, expressive sound for which the Minimoog is famous.
The Minimoog legacy
The Minimoog’s portability, funky distortions and distinctive warmth soon made it a fixture in the emerging psychedelic rock of the ’70s. Bands like Pink Floyd and Yes fused the Minimoog’s unusual sounds with more traditional instruments, creating unique soundscapes. And it was also vital to the creation of iconic sounds in genres that followed, such as funk, disco, hip-hop and electronic music. Songs such as Donna Summer’s disco anthem “I Feel Love” and Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But A G Thang” wouldn’t be the same without the soundtrack. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But A G Thang” wouldn’t be the same without the unique harmonics and stunning effects of the Minimoog.
There’s still a great demand for the classic sounds of the Minimoog, but the price of such iconic equipment makes it inaccessible to most musicians (an original Minimoog can easily exceed $10,000 on the market!). Fortunately, it’s now possible to achieve similar sounds without breaking the bank, thanks to numerous digital emulations of the Minimoog. We’ve rounded up some of the most faithful VSTs below!
1. Arcade by Output
Price: Free trial, then monthly subscription
Arcade is a powerful VST plugin for sample manipulation, but it can also be used as a fully-fledged playable synthesizer with Instruments. It offers a variety of strings, brass and percussion, as well as professional-quality Macro effects. Arcade features Minimoog-like sounds in unexpected places, such as the R&B line, Honey. What’s more, Arcade’s Tweak menu allows more advanced control over filters and sound envelopes than Moog and his colleagues could have dreamed of 50 years ago. Arcade is an ideal tool for generating musical ideas quickly and intuitively. You can try it out for free with the free trial, which gives you access to thousands of royalty-free loops, patches and one-shots.
2. Diva par u-he
Price: $186
Diva offers a flexible reproduction of the Minimoog, allowing you to mix and match sounds from a variety of vintage analog equipment. It is faithful to the Minimoog in its default mode, offering a similar range of sounds and timbres. Diva also allows aesthetic adjustments and additional modifications to bring specific variations and customizations to the sounds.
3. Monark by Native Instruments
Price: $99
Monark is a digital reproduction of the Minimoog from Native Instruments. It offers a lively, sonically rich reinterpretation of the classic Minimoog sound. Each oscillator has its own brilliance and harmonic presence. Monark is not a stand-alone synthesizer; it must be used with Reaktor or the free Reaktor player. It also requires some work to shape the desired sounds.
4. Mini V by Arturia
Price: $149
Arturia has gone to great lengths to create a 100% faithful digital reproduction of the Minimoog (probably because the company worked directly with Robert Moog to create it). As a company, Arturia prides itself on offering authentic analog modeling. It’s a complicated process to extract analog warmth, attack and screams from a digital instrument.
But Arturia cracked the code (literally) and found a way to recreate Robert Moog’s famous ladder filter. And while Arturia have sought to remain faithful to the original Minimoog in both design and sound, they have added a few extras. The most obvious is that Arturia’s Mini V is polyphonic instead of monophonic. It also comes with a full set of additional modulation options to bring the sound of the Minimoog into the modern era.
