The Mini-Synthesizer is a novelty instrument these days. It's basically a plastic & metal box with a couple colorful sliders and a few buttons. Its 25-note keyboard uses membrane buttons rather than real keys. This can be uncomfortable and unreliable to play. Other synths that tried this approach to touch-keyboards include the much better sounding EDP Wasp and the more advanced touch sensitive Buchla and Serge machines. The inclusion of a built-in speaker indicates that the Mini-Synthesizer was, and always will be an entry-level, ultra-compact, portable synth.

As for the sounds, well there isn't much here. The Mini-Synthesizer features just one analog VCO with just a Pulse waveform. Although there is an octave divider and dedicated LFO for a Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM) effect, this single VCO does not stack up against other synths if you're looking for thick or punchy analog bass, organ and synth sounds. There's a rather quirky analog filter onboard too. Two sliders control the cutoff-point at the start and end of a note, another slider controls the sweep rate between them and the fourth slider adjusts phase-shifting of the filter. Resonance, phase in/out and sensitivity are handled by on/off switches. Finally it also has a 2x switch which also creates a phase-shifty effect.

Some models (unlike the one pictured above) feature an analog delay effect for some nice echo. They also feature a Ribbon-Controller above the keyboard for a glide effect. Although these may be nice, the Mini-Synth still lacks memory, ADSR envelope controls, CV/Gate and actual keys. It may be capable of a low bass sound that could be worth sampling but the lack of controllability and playability leave much to be desired. And unless you're into esoteric gear, the Mini-Synthesizer is at best, a collectible. It has been used by Van Halen, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jimmy Edgar, and the Moog Cookbook.

Roberto Funk

March 31, 2011 @ 11:25 pm

In a interview to Newcleus founder Cosmo D, he admit that this mini-synthesizer was his first synthesizer used by NEWCLEUS, pioneers of ELECTRO FUNK. ("Jam On it")

Joe

March 25, 2011 @ 1:18 pm

My first synth, going back to 1981-82! Yeah, a toy (it had a cardboard back, after all!), but had/has some quirky-cool sounds. When they keys went flaky on mine, I took a Rheem Kee Bass (see:Devo's Whip It video), gutted it, then chopped the keybed off of the mini synth and it fit perfectly into it's new home! Not much better, but it at least had keys at that point. About to be reunited with it after having lost track of it for about 29 years!

alessandro_

October 7, 2010 @ 6:34 pm

PURE SADNESS. i got Minisynth + microsynth. well i spent fu***ing 1000 euros to get both and they sounds like [beep] ! don't believe that sounds like 303 its not true. its sound jammy and confusional. i reaally think i wasted 1k eu!

Pug

September 1, 2010 @ 9:09 am

i remember JMJ using one in his china concerts when china was a very isolated country from the rest of the world.

Its a toy. nothing more.

bruce

January 21, 2010 @ 5:53 pm

I just found mine after it being 'buried' in a box in storage for over 25 years. It woks great, it's quirky as hell and I love it still. it sounds great! Yes, it's kind of limited but it's also delightfully goofy in its own way and (for me anyway) quite a treasure.

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