GMedia Music Minimonsta
Minimonsta - Unleash the Beast
To give you a little background, the Minimonsta was modeled on an early serial number Minimoog which had a flavor of its own. Firstly, the envelopes were ultra-snappy, quicker than on many models we tried. Secondly, the filter started to self-oscillate earlier than on subsequent versions and turning it up further made things a little more wobbly and unpredictable. This has been carefully reconstructed in the Minimonsta and as a consequence it will sound different to other emulation's out there. This is entirely deliberate, after all, what's the point of emulating an emulation? However there is much more to this beast than a straightforward emulation and the Minimonsta should really be viewed on two different levels.
Mini
Firstly, on the Mini level, if you're looking for a highly accurate Minimoog emulation we're certain that the Minimonsta is it. Why? Because it's the attention to detail that matters when trying to capture the soul of a classic analogue instrument and here this is evident in droves. One such example is that, whilst each Minimoog was slightly different in tone and texture, no Minimoog ever had true 50% Square waveforms. In fact each of the three oscillators would have a slightly different percentage Square waveform and this is one area of modelling that sets the Minimonsta apart. However, the instrument offers all the familiar features you would associate with the legendary original machine. Three oscillators with Triangle, Saw-Triangle, Sawtooth, Square, Wide Pulse and Narrow Pulse (Oscillator 3 replaces for Osc 1 & 2's triangle wave with a Reverse triangle waveform). Two attack, decay and release envelopes for filter and amplitude envelopes, as well as the famous Mini decay switch for longer release times. The famous Moog ladder filter has been painstakingly modelled and a choice of legato mode (with added high and low note priority), monophonic mode, Polyphonic mode and Unison mode (complete with detune) is also evident. Additionally the wonderful loop-feedback trick utilized by the Mini stalwarts has also been faithfully re-created and can help turn a modest sound into a full-on bombastic brute. Last, but by no means least, the Minimonsta allows you to process external audio through its filter and onboard delay.
Monsta
On the Monsta level what can be a simple instrument becomes a radical beast. Here you can assign Midi control to every single Mini parameter for dynamic responses, velocity switching etc. Plus you can also assign an LFO or Xtra ADSR to almost any main Mini parameter (excluding Oscillator Pitch-Range and Waveforms and Switches). There are 10 LFO waveforms to choose from plus sample & hold, delay, smooth and sync options, as well as positive and negative ADSR settings. This means that instead of surrendering the third Oscillator for LFO duties (as per the original instrument) you can keep the three oscillators for ultra-fat textures.
Melohman
Where the Minimonsta becomes a unique instrument on its own terms is through the hugely expressive Melohman Patch-Morphing possibilities. Within each Meta-Patch there are 12 Patches that can be morphed between in a variety of ways and over pre-selected time intervals. To make things even more immediate, patch morphing can be triggered via the Melohman Octave - a reversed set of keys that relate to the 12 patches. Patch morphing via this route can be dynamic too, meaning that the higher the velocity, the quicker the morph, or transition between Patches. When used creatively, this section goes a long way to combating the claims by many that software instruments are not suited to real-time performance control.