There are countless plugin emulations of the Minimoog on the market, so what’s left for developers to do with it? In the case of GForce Software, which has just released version 2 of its much-loved Minimonsta synth, the answer is to make its software sound even more authentic and add a selection of features that promise to give it “a new lease of life”.
It’s certainly taken GForce a while to get around to updating Minimonsta: the first version was released way back in 2005. Its successor is built on the same fundamental architecture - the Minimoog’s three oscillators, filter and ADS envelopes have once again been modelled in painstaking detail - but you now get a fully resizable UI, an improved audio engine, a new preset browser with extensive tagging, sorting and search possibilities, and more than 300 new presets (500 legacy sounds are also included).
And that’s not all. Minimonsta2 also includes a new reverb effect, a vintage control for dialling in authentic analogue imperfections, four programmable macros, an alternative ‘4-stage envelopes mode’ and an alternative ladder filter that’s designed to preserve bass as you increase resonance.
Let’s not forget the Minimonsta’s X-Modifier technology, either - the X-LFO and X-ADSR section enables you to modulate pretty much every parameter.
“The sonic, aesthetic, and usability improvements that Minimonsta2 brings really feels like a night and day difference,” claims Graeme Rawson, QA & Support at GForce Software. “Minimonsta was never just a Minimoog clone, but Minimonsta2 goes to a whole new level beyond emulation, equipped with tools to suit modern workflows and production styles, it can create almost any sound you can imagine… and many you can’t.”
Minimonsta2 runs on PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats. Its regular price is £120, but it’s currently available for the introductory price of £60.
Find out more on the GForce Software website.
