£2,795
An integrated Eurorack system with the benefits of a Minimoog, and more? Dave Gale says ‘yes, please’ to the MiniMod Keyz
CONTACT WHO: AJH Synth WEB: ajhsynth.com KEY FEATURES I/O: Eurorack mini-jack CV/Gate connectivity throughout, with minijack and 1/4” audio output. MIDI over USB or traditional 5-pin connectors. DIMENSIONS: 710 x 370 x 140mm WEIGHT: 11kg
If you’re reviewing something this indebted to history, it’s worth starting at the beginning. In the Minimoog, Dr Bob Moog distilled the voltage controlled modular musings of the ’60s down to a convenient monophonic synth, which changed music forever. The appetite for the sound of the Minimoog has never really diminished, except for a slight lull in the late ’80s and early ’90s, when analogue fell out of favour. This makes the Mini’s return in modular form all the more timely.
So what are we looking at with this new release? It’s really two components which have been amalgamated to create an almighty solution. Let’s deal with the modules and sound first; AJH Synth created the original MiniMod system some years ago, as a literal facsimile of the original Minimoog in Eurorack form, employing seven modules to recreate the signal path. As the years have rolled by, the AJH Mini-brief has broadened, with further modules joining the AJH lineup. Many of these draw upon inspiration from synth design past-masters, while others simply add further scope to the existing modules.
THE PROS & CONS
+
It’s a fully-formed Minimoog, in Eurorack form
Huge number of additional features, not available on the original Mini
Intuitive keyboard construct, allowing totally immersive playing and control
-
It’s a Eurorack system at heart, and, unlike an original Minimoog, it requires some patching
The beating heart of the MiniMod Keyz flows from three AJH transistor VCOs and a classic 24dB ladder filter. Each of the VCOs are identical, allowing the connection of wave output from each, to one of three inputs on the filter module. Each input offers its own input level, so you can meld your waves together, in the exact same way that you would on a Minimoog. The filter then feeds the VCA stage; this is where things get interesting, as both the filter and amplifier sections are open to overdrive, replicating the old Minimoog trick of running the headphone jack back into the synth’s external input connection.
Gating is controlled via two 3-way envelopes (contour generators), which mirror the original Moog design to perfection. Gating can be shared, while the envelopes can be independently split, with one controlling the amplifier, and the other controlling filter cutoff. Worth remembering, though, that this is a Eurorack system, so anytime you want to effect a signal path or create a modulation, you’ll need to patch in another cable.
At
