Cherry Audio recently unveiled that they have been working on a painstaking virtual emulation of the granddaddy of all portable synthesizers, the Minimoog Model D. It is called the Minimode and according to Cherry Audio it was conceived to be the ultimate tribute to the original instrument. This is not an easy feat as the Minimoog Model D is arguably one of the best-known and loved analog synthesizers to ever hit the market. Not only did it set the standard for future synths, but inspired entirely new genres of music and defined the sound of everyone from Kraftwerk and Herbie Hancock to Pink Floyd, Gary Numan, and many others. 

With the Minimode, Cherry Audio focused on absolute authenticity as they knew fans wouldn’t settle for anything less. They worked in collaboration with Mark Barton (MRB) to study and measure every nuance, curve, and response of the audio. In addition, the interface of the Minimode is a meticulous recreation of the Minimoog. To keep everything authentic Cherry Audio also resisted the temptation to add extra features that might distract from the spirit and vibe of the classic Model D, so users won’t find any additional LFOs or effects here. Instead, Minimode is all about the pure, raw, powerful sound and feel of the Minimoog.

One area where Cherry Audio couldn’t resist adding some enhancement is by allowing users to dial in two, four, eight, or sixteen polyphonic voices if the one classic synth voice isn’t enough. They are also including a library of over 250 presets with Minimode made by professional sound designers. 

Features:

• Faithful virtual analog emulation of Minimoog Model D
• Meticulously recreated interface of original hardware
• Three oscillators with triangle, sawtooth-triangular, ramp sawtooth, square, wide rectangular, and narrow rectangular waveforms
• Classic four-pole 24dB/octave ladder filter
• Feedback and Sidechain
• More than 250 factory preset patches from pro sound designers
• Monophonic and polyphonic modes: 1,2, 4, 8, or 16 voices
• Accurate modeling of inherent oscillator mixer and VCA overdrive characteristics
• MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) support
• Complete MIDI control and DAW automation for all controls
• Preset and Global level MIDI mapping
• Focus Zoom-in feature
• Highly optimized coding for optimal performance with ultra-low CPU load
• User-adjustable oversampling control

Cherry Audio has so much faith in the authenticity of the Minimode that they have issued an audio challenge to everyone who thinks they can spot the difference compared to the original hardware. Anyone who wants to give it a shot should visit the Cherry Audio Challenge - Hardware or Software page (https://cherryaudio.com/challenges/take-the-test) where they can listen to uncompressed Wav files. The goal is to correctly identify which sounds are from the original hardware and the results can be shared on social media. 

These days it's nearly impossible to find a fully functioning Minimoog for less than $600, so getting the Minimode for $39 (List $59) is quite a bargain. Anyone who wants to try out Minimode first can take advantage of the free 30-day demo. It will play white noise periodically but is otherwise unlimited. For more information and to listen to the sounds of Minimode, visit the official website (https://cherryaudio.com/products/minimode).