Creamware Minimax ASB Review (Continued)

If you are not familiar with the specifics of the original Minimoog’s design, the Minimax’s signal path goes something like this: three oscillators (all of which can act as LFOs) and a noise generator are shuttled through the classic Moog ladder filter. A simple, four-pole low-pass design, this filter sports resonance (called “emphasis” in Moog-speak) and can be modulated by an envelope, or “contour” generator. A similar envelope generator is provided for the amplifier stage. These envelopes appear at first glance to be three-stage affairs, though a flick of a switch in the Modifiers section allows the Decay knob to control release time. The envelopes are snappy as hell, maybe even more so than those on any Moog I have ever touched. They don’t behave exactly like the real thing, but they do the job.

The oscillators themselves sport wide frequency ranges, from “Lo” mode all the way up to 2’ selectable with a six-position knob. You can choose between six different waveforms, including saw, triangle, ascending saw, wide pulse, and narrow pulse. Oscillator 3 sports a “seceding” saw, which lies somewhere between saw and triangle shapes. You can detune oscillators 2 and 3 from the first, as well as modulate the pitch. In keeping with the original’s design, there is no facility for oscillator sync. This is a shame, since many Minimoog owners opted to modify their units to include this very function. As a result, it wouldn’t really be out of place here. No more so than velocity, a function that Creamware has included.

All of the oscillators, the white/pink noise generator, and external input are mixed with the built-in mixer, which also includes a feedback control. This shuttles the Minimax’s output back into the input, a not-unpopular trick performed by many Minimoog owners back in the old days.

Unlike the real Minimoog, the Minimax has a few “under the hood” features that are not readily available from the front panel. These functions, and a good deal more, are accessible using the included editing software on your PC. Available for both Mac OSX 10.4 and Windows XP, the Remote software’s main page is essentially identical to the front panel of the Minimax itself. However, there is also an ADD page used for controlling those hidden functions.

In the ADD section, you can avail yourself of controls for the pitch and modwheel. You can also change the way the Minimax responds to your performances. Options are given for note-priority when using the synth in monophonic mode, and you can even program aftertouch response. This page is also where you will find more elaborate control over the effects. Included with the Remote software is a virtual keyboard so that you can audition the sounds with your mouse. Advanced patch copy/paste/import and export duties are handled with Remote as well.

The Remote software is well designed, though I suspect many users will never bother with it, choosing instead to view the Minimax strictly as a hardware instrument. That’s too bad, as the Remote opens up some tweakability and convenience that drags the unit into the 21st century.

As the wealth of modulation possibilities suggests, UFO is most at home in more textural applications, particularly extended and constantly evolving synth pads. The ability to modulate the base waveforms yields textures bristling with internal motion, to say nothing of its capacity for generating sounds from radically juxtaposed components. Some favorite techniques I developed include starting with a noise burst that gradually coalesces into a well-formed tone and its converse, allowing pitched material to dissolve into buzzing swirls of simulated shortwave fuzz. The remarkable flexibility of UFO’s synthesis algorithms produces richer aural effects than many multi-oscillator applications, which allows it to get by with a comparatively crude system of envelopes and LFOs. Transitions between sound shades are fluid and ear-grabbing enough that you’ll soon stop longing for more customizable modulation sources and relish the low CPU demands and stress-free shaping of straight-line envelope shapes. Of course, it’s possible to argue that the UFO’s strongest suit might also be its weakest—it’s easier to make complicated sounds than simple ones, and many attempts at making more straight-ahead tones produce multi-layered affairs instead. That’s still not necessarily a bad place to start, as most synths have precisely the inverse problem.

Conclusion

There is very little not to like about the Minimax ASB. Creamware has had plenty of time to wrangle the Scope plug-in that preceded it into perfection, and it shows. The Minimax is a mature, refined product that works as advertised. It sounds marvelous, especially for the price. There will be those who scoff at the idea of a virtual Mini, but let’s face it, many synths released since the Minimoog have been retreads, and some of those instruments have earned legendary status in their own right.

One of my own vintage Moogs just went belly-up, so the Minimax comes at a time when I am looking for a replacement. While my first thought is to hit the vintage trail or even look at a new Moog Little Phatty or Moog Voyager, Creamware has given me a bit more to think about. As the Minimax is the first in a growing series of emulations (Creamware has also released a Prophet synth and Hammond organ), I am intrigued to see what the company tackles next.

Scot Solida

Return to the beginning of the review