Moog MINITUAR User Manual
5KHz
20KHZ
20Hz
320Hz
80Hz
FINE TUNE
MIDI
FREQ
MIX
MOD
ENVELOPE
VCO 2
FILTER
VCA
RELEASE
LFO RATE
VCO LFO AMT
VCF LFO AMT
ATTACK
DECAY/
RELEASE
SUSTAIN
GLIDE
GLIDE RATE
VCO 1 LVL
VCO 2 LVL
CUTOFF
RES
EG AMOUNT
FILTER
AMPLIFIER
VOLUME
/
MINITAUR
Congratulations on your new Minita ur Analog Bass Synthesizer, a powerful, compact
Moog synthesizer with a classic one knob per function de sign. At only 8 .5" x 5. 25"
and less tha n 3lbs, the Minitaur puts legendar y analog M oog bass into a package
designed to fit seamlessly into all of your perfo rmance and production environments.
The Minitaur will bring you many happy years of creative and sonic enjoyment. We
are sure you are anxious to start playing, so refer to the “Getting Started” guide or look
over the Setup and C onnec tions section to get going . At some point, we encourage
you to spend some tim e with this manual to discover all that the Minitaur has to of fer.
Don’t fo rget - E xperimentation and lea rning will reward you with a lifetime of
rich synthesizer experiences .
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
PLEASE READ BEFORE USING THIS PRODUCT
When using th e Minitaur, these basic precautions should always be followed.
1. Read all the instructions before using this product.
2. Do not use the Minitaur near water.
3. This product, in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers,
may be capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent
hearing loss. Do not op erate for a long period of time at a high volume level
or at a level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any hearing loss or
ringing in you r ears, you should consult an audiologist.
4. Keep the Min itaur away from he at sources such as radiators, heat registers,
and other products that produce heat.
5. The product should be connected to a power supply only of the type
describe d in the operating instructions .
6. The power supply shoul d be unplug ged from the outlet when left unuse d
for long periods of time .
7. Care should be taken so th at liquids are not spilled into the front panel.
8. The Minitaur should be ser viced by qua lified pe rsonnel when:
a. Objec ts have falle n, or liquid has bee n spilled o nto the product.
b. The produ ct has be en exposed to ra in.
c. The prod uct does not appear to operate no rmally or exh ibits
a marked change in per formance.
d. The product has been dropped or the enclosure damaged.
DANGER -- INSTRUCTIONS PERTAINING TO RISK OF FIRE, ELECTRIC
SHOCK, OR INJURY TO PERSONS: Do not open the cha ssis. There are no
user serviceable parts inside. Refer all servicing to qualifie d personnel only.
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UNPACKING AND INSPECTION
CHECK THE CONTENTS IN THE SHIPPING CARTON
The Minita ur is shipped with the following items:
1. The Minitaur Analog Bass Synthesizer
2. A 12VDC Power Adaptor
3. A “Getting Started” guide
4. Registration Card
5. Earplugs
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1. A MIDI keyb oard or MI DI controller
2. A MID I cable
3. A USB cable to connect the Minitaur to a host computer (for USB MIDI)
4. A 1/4” instrument cable and amplifier, or a pair of headphones with
an 1/8” plug
SETUP AND CONNECTIONS
NOTE: We encourage you to read the entire manual at some point to learn
more about the instrument and gain a better understanding of what you
can do with the Minitaur.
SET U P
Use care when unpacking your M initaur, and be sure to save the carton and
all packing material in case you need to ship it for any reason.
CONNECT TO POWE R & MIDI
Connect the supplied Power Adaptor to the Minitaur’s 12VDC power jack on the
back of the unit. The Minitaur’s universal power supply will operate with a
power source from 100 to 240 Volts AC , 50/60Hz. Using a 5 Pin MIDI cable,
make the connect
ion between MIDI OUT of your MIDI controller and the MIDI
IN on the Minitaur. The Minitaur is set to receive messages on MIDI Channel 1, so
make sure your controller is set to transmit on MIDI Channel 1. If you are using
USB M ID I, connect th e US B ca ble from th e Mi nitaur to a US B port on your
computer. The Minitaur’s USB drivers are automatically installed, and it will appear
as ‘Moog Minitaur’ (Mac OSX or Win 7) or ‘USB Audio Device’ (Win XP) in the
MIDI Device selectio n options of your computer’s MIDI software.
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CONTENTS
THE BASICS
Unpacking & Inspection•••••••••••••••••••••
Setup and Connections••••••••••••••••••••••
Overviews and Features•••••••••••••••••••••
Signal Flow•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Basic Operation••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
THE COMPONENTS
Oscillators••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Glide••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Mix••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Filter••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Envelopes••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Release•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Modulation•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Volume•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Input/Output Panel••••••••••••••••••••••••••
MIDI OPERATIONS
MIDI CC Table••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
APPENDICES
A. MIDI Implementation Chart•••••••••••••••
B. Service & Support Information•••••••••••
C. Caring for Minitaur•••••••••••••••••••••••
D. Using the CP-251 with Minitaur•••••••••••
E. Specifications••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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POWER UP
Apply power to the Minitaur and to your MI DI controller.
CONNECT TO AMP LIFIER
Set the Minitaur’s volume control to minimum before connecting to an amplifier,
mixer, or h eadphones. Set th e amplif ier volum e to a comfor table l isten ing
level, and then slowly bring up the volume on the Minitaur as you play a few notes.
NOTE: Use caution when adjusting initial volume levels, especially if connected
to a subwoofer.
START PL AYING
Since the Minitaur is a Bass Synthesizer; it operates exclusively in the lower
note range (M IDI notes 0 - 72). This me ans th at the Minit aur will respond
to your p laying from ‘ C4’ (an octave above middle ‘C ’) dow nward. Play
some n otes, tweak some knobs and have so me fun!
DOWNLOAD THE MINITAUR EDITOR PR OGR AM
Register your Minitaur online at www.moogmusic.com/register to download
the fre e Minitaur Editor Program . This allows you to load and s ave patches
and access all o f the Mi nit aur ’s under th e hood featu res . Re gister ing your
Minitaur a lso initiates your warranty, ensures you receive the latest software
updates, and g ets you a nif ty sticker !
NOTE: A wa rm up p erio d of about 15 minutes is recom mended for th e Minitaur
to reach concert pitch. The warm up period may be a little longer if the M initaur
has been stored outside the recommended operating temperature range.
The recommended operating temperature of the Minitaur is between 50 and 100
degrees Farenheit. It is safe to operate the synthesizer outside of this range, but the
Minitaur’s voltage controlled oscillators may not remain in tune. It is also recommended that the Minitaur not be exposed to direct sunlight while operating.
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OVERVIEW AND FEATURES
The Minitaur is a monophonic Analog Bass Synthesizer with a 100% analog audio
path. It is based on the legendary Taurus I and Taurus 3 Synthesizers. The Minitaur
features 2 ultra -stable voltage controlled oscillators, a genuine M oog low pass
filter, 2 envelope generators and a modulation circuit. The Minitaur has a classic
one knob per functi on design in a rugged performa nce package that is s mall
enough to take with you anywhere.
OSCIL LATORS
Two Voltage Controlled Os cilla tors with selec table S awtooth (origina l
Taurus) and Square waveshapes.
MIX
Mixer for adjusti ng VCO levels independently.
FILTER
Classic Moog 24dB/Octave Low Pass Filter with adju stable Resonance.
ENVE LOPES
Twin Minimoog style ADS R Envelope Generators for modulatin g the
Filter ( VCF) and Amplifier (VCA). The Envelope Dec ay and R elea se
se gm e nt s a re c on troll ed by th e DE CAY kno b, w hi le t h e Re le ase
segment is e nabled or disabled v ia the RELE ASE switch .
MOD
MIDI -syncable Low Frequency Os cilla tor (LFO) with Rate control and
and in divid ual VCO and VCF AMOU NT controls .
FRONT PANEL
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HEAD PHONE OUT
1/8” Stereo H eadph one O utput.
AUDIO OUT
1/4” Unba lanced Out put.
AUDIO IN
Ext ern al A udi o In put for processing aud io t hro ugh th e Mixer and Filter
secti on of th e Minitaur.
CONTROL IN PUTS
Ana log control input s fo r Pitch , Filter, Volum e and Gate . U se contr ol
vol ta ge or a M oo g EP2 ex pr es si on pe da l to co nnec t a nd co ntrol th e
Min it au r wit h e very th in g fr om Mo og er fo og er s to modula r sys te ms .
MIDI
DIN MIDI and USB MIDI of fer complete control of the Minitaur’
s sound engine.
BACK PANEL
SIGNAL FLOW
To understand how the Minitaur generates sound, take a look at the diagram
below. It shows the flow of Audio, Control Voltage and Modulation signals in
the Minitaur. Heavy lines indicate audio signals, which flow from left to right.
Lighter lines indicate Control Voltages (CV’s), which flow from the top and
from the bottom. Dotted lines indicate Modulation routings.
The Minitaur’s source signals are created by two Voltage-Co ntrolled Oscillators (VCO) which are mixed with the External Audio I nput. The Mixer
Output is routed to the Filter, where the ton e is sculpte d according to th e
Filter pa rameter s and the Fil ter AD SR Envelope. Th e signal is then passed
to the Amplif ier ( VCA) stag e, where the Volume ADSR envelo pe shapes it.
Finally, the signa l is rou ted to th e Output se ction, where
the final level is
set by the Volume control knob.
For most users, MIDI will be the main source of control for the Minitaur. Each
time the Minitaur receives a MIDI “Note On” command, it produces a Pitch CV
and Gate signal in response. The Pitch CV signal sets the Pitch of the Oscillators,
while the Gate signal triggers the Filter and Volume ADSR Envelop es.
The Mi nitaur can also be oper ated vi a CV and G ate trigger co nnections ,
for a mo re ‘old school ’ meth od of control . Both control meth ods (MIDI &
CV/Gate) can be used at the s ame time, altho ugh s ome combinations of
control signal s may ca use unpredictable results .
NOTE: DIN MI DI IN is not passed to USB MIDI OUT
PITCH CV INPUT
OSCILLATORS MIX FILTER VOLUME
HEADPHONES
ENVELOPES
GATE INPUT
MIDI IN >
VCA
(AMPLIFIER)
AUDIO
OUT
AUDIO INPUT FILTER CV INPUT VOLUME CV INPUT
FILTER
ADSR
PITCH CV
GATE
MIDI/CV CONVERTER
MODULATION
(LFO)
VOLUME
ADSR
1
2
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BASIC OPERATION
The Minitaur responds to MIDI messages on both DIN and USB MIDI Inputs.
In addition, Minitaur’s knobs and switches transmit MIDI Control Change
(CC) commands via MIDI USB, allowing parameter adjustments to be
captured by any MIDI-recording device. Minitaur has an LED MIDI indicator
that indicates MIDI activity on either the DIN MIDI or USB MIIDI connector.
To further extend the Minitaur’s capabilities, there are additional parameters
that can be accessed via MIDI control. A complete list of all MIDI CC commands
can be found on page 22-23.
The frequencies of both Oscillators are affected by a number of sources. The
main source is a ‘Note On’ command transmitted from an external MIDI
controller or DAW. The ‘Note On’ command is translated into a Control
Voltage that allows the Oscillators to be played in an equal-tempered scale.
Other control sources include Minitaur’s GLIDE circuit, VCO 2 FREQ, the
PITCH CV INPUT, the FINE TUNE control, and the output of the MODULATION
(LFO) circuit. The highest pitch produced by Minitaur’s Oscillators is C5
(523.25 Hz) or MIDI note value 72.
PANEL CONTROL S FOR THE OSC ILLATOR
OSCILLATOR 1 Switch (CC# 70):
Select s a Sawtooth (LED OFF ) or Squ are wave (LED ON) for VCO 1.
OSCILLATOR 2 Switch (CC# 71):
Select s a Sawtooth (LED OFF ) or Squ are wave (LED ON) for VCO 2.
VCO 2 FREQ (CC# 17):
Sets the freque ncy of fset of VCO 2 from VCO 1. The offset range is +/-1
octave. Center position tunes VCO 2 in uniso n with VCO 1. NOTE: If playing
between notes 60 and 72, the pitch of VCO 2 is limited to note 72 (C4)
regardless of this control setting.
The Oscillators are the main sound source of Minitaur.
They create electronic vibrations that can be tuned
and amplified into sound that we can hear. The
Minitaur’s VCOs can produce a total musical range
of 6 octaves.
OSCILLATOR 1 (VCO 1) serves as a master Oscillator
to which OSCILLATOR 2 (VCO 2) is tuned. Two
independent switches select the waveform for
each Oscillator (Sawtooth or Square). A FINE TUNE
control adjusts the master tuning of both Oscillators.
THE COMPONENTS
OSCILLATORS
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FINE TU NE:
Adjusts the freque ncy of both VCOs by approximately +/-1 semitone. The
FINE TU NE control does not transmit M IDI.
MIDI ACCESSI BLE CONTROL
VCO 2 BEAT (CC# 18):
Select s the fine freque ncy offset for VCO 2 . The adjustment range is
+/- 50 cents.
Default = 64.
NOTE SYNC (CC# 81):
When enabled, NOTE SYNC forces both oscillators to s tart at the same
time, eliminating a ny phase differences at the start of each “ Note On”
command . This ensures energy is consistent at th e start of each new note.
Default = OFF.
EXTER NAL CONTROL
The PITCH CV jack on the back pane l is a CV input for external control of
the Oscillator pitch. This input controls the fre quencies of both Oscillators.
A 1 volt change of this voltage will change the pitch by one o ctave. The
jack acce pts 0 to +5 volts, or an expression pedal like the Moog EP-2.
PERFO RMANCE TIPS:
• For punchy bass lines, try using NOTE SYNC to keep the
energy at the beginning of each note the same.
• A steady control voltage applied to the PITCH jack will
offset the base pitch of both oscillators. You can use this
feature to transpose the oscillators to any desired interval.
• To recreate the classic Taurus sound, choose the Sawtooth
wave for one or both oscillators.
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