looks like I’m in the market for monosynth to handle mostly bass (and maybe an occasional lead and arp). Narrowed it down to either the minitaur or the se-02. previously, I also considered the karp odyssey module, but i’m running low on desk real estate. 
so, dear Elektronauts, should I go with the moog or the roland?
I went Slim Phatty over Minitaur a while back, but the Se02 is a pretty compelling choice now too…
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currently i use a volca keys to do some gritty/dirty bass lines, but if i was grabbing a new synth to handle that i would grab the se–02.
The minitaur is one of the few monosynths I miss and that I constantly battle with purchasing again.
I had it in the past, and it punched through all kinds of systems when we played live, and has all that moog goodness. I think what attracts me to other than it’s tone is that it doesn’t have a sequencer built into it. I sequence everything from a single source which was an Octatrack, but now it’s Ableton so getting another piece of gear with a sequencer that I won’t use doesn’t have much appeal to me regardless of the tone (it’s just some personal pet peeve that sits in the back of my mind…likely related to OCD).
The portability is really nice as well, it’s far too easy to pack it up and go anywhere. The limited octave range is usually something people complain about, but it served a single purpose for me which is just low bass tones. The cv to midi capabilities make it kind of handy if you have a use for that. I think rev 2 made it a bit more exciting for me. One thing that sucked in the past was having to use a pc for the editor (especially since I had a mac). I ran into some bugs here and there with the mac software, but lately since my rig is centering around a pc it’s not an issue, but keep in mind that was about 2 years ago so I’m sure the editor has had updates since then.
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I have both. The SE is deeper and more versatile. But the Moog is just satisfying in all kinds of surprising ways. But for $499, the SE is a better value. But the Minitaur is worth every penny.
Get both
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yeah, the moog sound. that’s a strong point 
and frankly I had no idea the mac editor was buggy.
for me, it’s a bit off-putting that on the surface the minitaur boasts the 1 function per knob philosophy, only to have half of the functionality accessible exclusively through the editor - even preset storage and recall.
@djadonis206, yeah, I know I should go with both, but there’s just too much overlap and $500 is not exactly loose change
Fair enough. Get the SE
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For me, a problem with the Minitaur is that you do not have presets displayed on the synths. which makes it diffult to use it alongside Elektron pattern etc. This is no problem for studio use, I know.
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All I can say is that the SE-02 is a ton of fun.
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I’ve owned both. SE-02 all the way in my opinion. The bass seems deeper on the SE-02 to me. Also the fact that you get presents, a sequencer and the full range of the synth makes it just seem like a way better value in my eyes.
The SE-02 is my favorite mono synth to date. I really enjoy it.
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Dominion Club.
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Haven’t tried the se but although my friend loves it i say go moog. If you have a moog itch it will keep itching until you get a moog.
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Minitaur everytime, way fatter than slim phatty way more oomph!
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Same as you I sold minitaur but keep twitching to re-buy one. Great sound prob only synth regret selling.
Minitaur’s sick, no doubt. Some nice leads to. Get crazy with the detune and resonance. Sweet spots all through out. Good stuff
Get the Minitaur
@Anfim nah, already got one MFB - this one: http://www.analoguehaven.com/mfb/synthII. gotta diversify
Haven’t tried it myself but Moog just released new firmware and editor for the Minitaur.
Since I didn’t find it in the comments above … there might be one important difference to be mentioned here …
- the Roland / Studio Electronics SE 02 is more in the direction of the Mini-Moog Model D (not a copy, but a SE interpretation)
- the Minitaur follows in the tracks of the famous Taurus bass synthesizer.
This said, all Mini-Moogs show a significant reduction of bass frequencies, it the filter resonance is raised. AFAIK the SE 02 shows the same behaviour (Maybe they implemented a bass boost, you have to check this in the specs). The Taurus and thus the Minitaur are supposed to be bass instruments and therefore have a different filter design, which provides fat bass sound, also if the filter resonance is raised.
Both synths will sound very different, if filter resonance is applied - or not. Well, three versus two VCOs also make quite a difference.
The Minitaur is not to be mistaken to be a bass synth only. But AFAIK it’s pitch range is reduced in the upper pitch range. Check out the specs …
EDIT: Just checked … there is no gain compensation for losses at the bottom end in the SE-02
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Yes, the bass on the SE-02 drops off a lot when the emphasis / resonance is raised. Typical Moog style ladder filter with no gain compensation.
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First post in the forum!
Im actually having the same doubts about the Minitaur or the se02.
I’ve only heard internet demos but the se02 seems more “modern” and a bit lacking in character. On the other hand the Minitaur sounds closer to the Moog Prodigy I had (sadly not longer with me) but with less options, no delay and no step seq (but it has oscillator sync!).
I think im gonna go with the Minitaur but it depends in what you are looking for. Question: I want to control the Minitaur with the Digitakt only using CCs, not PC editor, its that possible? I know theres a lot of hidden controls but im not sure if it will work. Thanks in advance!
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