If Akai Pro’s new Mini D was just another Minimoog emulation plugin then it might not be anything to get excited about, but when you consider that it runs right inside the company’s Force and MPC music production hardware, then it’s definitely worthy of note.
Unlike the monophonic Minimoog, the Mini D actually offers four voices of polyphony, but with its “painstakingly modelled” oscillators - you can stack three per voice - it’s designed to deliver a similar sound. There are eight oscillator waveforms, multiple LFO shapes and more than 400 presets covering basses, leads, percussion and synth FX.
As well as an emulation of the classic Moog ladder filter, Mini D also includes a modern-style feedback filter, and you can further hone your sound with EQ, chorus and delay effects. Crucial parameters are automatically mapped to your hardware’s Q-Link controllers.
Mini D also works in Akai Pro’s MPC Desktop software - if you want to try it, you can download a demo of that. Compatible hardware includes the MPC One, Live, Live II, X and Key 61 (running version 2.11 or later) and the Force (running version 3.2 or later).
Find out more on the Akai Pro website. The Mini D has a regular price of $99, but is currently on sale for the introductory price of $79.
