Considered by many to be the greatest synth of all time, the original Minimoog Model D was released in 1970. It remained on sale for just over a decade, before production ceased in 1981.
Capitalising on the analogue revival, Moog reissued the Model D in 2016, but took it off the market in 2017 due to a shortage of parts. Now, five years later, it’s back, looking as lovely as ever.
We’re assured that this new version has the same sound engine and signal path as the original, while also retaining the modifications that were made for the 2016 reissue.
These include a dedicated analogue LFO with triangle and square waveshapes, a Fatar keybed with velocity and after pressure available via top panel CV jacks with onboard trimpots, MIDI integration, improved pitch wheel calibration, and a mixer feedback modification that enables you to overdrive the Minimoog Model D and make it scream simply by turning a knob.
New features for 2022 include a spring-loaded pitchwheel that will centre itself when it’s released (a popular artist request, we’re told) and updates to the MIDI functionality.
Otherwise, it’s very much the Minimoog Model D that so many of us know and love: a three-oscillator, monophonic analogue synth that features the classic Moog low-pass ladder filter and a mixer section.
Of course, the market has changed since Moog last had a Minimoog in production - Behringer can now offer you its own low-cost hardware version of the Model D, and it’s also created a 4-voice polyphonic edition in the shape of the Poly D - but Moog is playing in a different, higher-end market, emphasising its new instrument’s authenticity and quality.
To wit, every Moog Model D is built by hand to the original specifications, and each instrument is housed in a locally sourced Appalachian cherry cabinet with a legacy-inspired walnut stain and hand-finished aluminium chassis.
Predictably, all of this comes at a cost - $4,999/£5,299/€5,999, to be precise. That's a lot of money to pay for a three-oscillator monosynth in 2022, even if it is the three-oscillator monosynth.
You can find out more about the new Model D on the Moog Music website.
