MS-20 mini vs. Minibrute

[Here Lies The Fire]

Guessing it's safe to ask since we can expect the MS-20 reissue to simply sound "identical" to the old filter circuit of the MS-20 with the KORG35 chip.

I was just wondering what you guys think since a few of you probably have a lot more experience with these two synths than I do.

[mattar]

I think it would be too early to call as there are no real reviews of the ms-20 other than people who work for korg. I like that the ms-20 has two osc for $100 more than the minibrute but the mini seems to have a lot of interestring sounds to help them get around that plus it has a sub osc, so I think you are going to have to wait till reviews come out before you can tell which sounds best or has the best feature set for you. Or just buy the minibrute now and the korg when it comes out, thatll work too.

[Here Lies The Fire]

Yeah, I was just wondering what the overall vibe was for each and how they compare.

I know there has to be a few salty bastards around here who have owned or at least played the old school MS-20.

You can only get so much from the demo vids.

[spacefuzz]

Ms20 is bad ass. I had a old one years ago. I can't wait to buy the new one. I also just got a minibrute in the mail yesterday. So far (2 hours with it) it is a amazing synth. It's good for noise and drone music. The hold feature is awesome.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

^yea i love the sound on the minibrute. FAT AS FUCKKKKK. nice wide arrange of tonal/synthesis options. keys feel really nice.

[Astricii]

Dollar for Dollar the New MS is going to KILL compared to the mini.

It'll boil down to what you want to use it for. Nothing quite sounds like an MS-20. the Ring Mod, the patching it's just it's own little sound. My Voyager can't touch the Korg Grit. then again a MS-20 doesn't get the silky smooth one key chords I can build with the Moog. And neither will do the lush pads of my buddies JX-3P.

I really can't recommend anything other than the MS-20 in that price point. If you're savvy with the patch bay you can do pretty much most of what the Mini Brute will do.

And let us not forget the MS-20 has a Pitch to CV module built in... you could patch that out to any of your CV equipped pedals and have Keyboard/Fretboard scaled control... imagine tuning a ring mod based on the actual pitch of your guitar. you could set up metallic textures that never get so far out of consonance. Scale the LFO controlling a Filter pedal... Oh man I need to get one of these pre-ordered stat.

[Astricii]

I think it's safe to say the New MS will sound for all intents and purposes identical to the original.

I always had a hunch that the Monotrons were a test bed for the circuitry they were using to develop a new analogue synth.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o6XCj5LjOo[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVbDFK5PxEo[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIaVB_hATuk[/youtube]

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

i would hope you are right homie, but there has been varying reviews across the board as to whether it sounds like an OG ms20 or not.....
(not that that means anything, bc ppl can be well ppl sometimes and I dont take a ton of stock in what reviews say/sound like)
i like to actually see/hear/play for myself.

however since its not even out yet, i dont think its as easy and simple as u make it seem.

FWIW, the minibrute also has a plethora of CV options.

[Deltaphoenix]

There are other attributes about each to consider.
If you hate minikeys, the Minibrute has full-sized keys. The Filters each have a different characteristic. MS20 has 39 keys vs 25 on the MB.
The MS20 will interact kind of funnily with some other gear because instead of 1v/oct scale it does HZ/volt. So it couldn't control the pitch of most other gear through CV without some workarounds (more $).
Neither is the PENULTIMATE analog monosynth but both offer a lot for the price.
So, of course, the correct answer is both are worth owning.

[hollowhero]

i would hope you are right homie, but there has been varying reviews across the board as to whether it sounds like an OG ms20 or not.....

The corksniffers are going to hate on the reissue no matter what. I'm sure it's going to be 99% of the way there and sound damn good

[sonidero]

I've played both old MS-10's and 20's and a Minibrute... I really like the sound of old Korg stuff, it's different than it's counterparts at the time... The Minibrute is super solid and can be made to sound like old analog as well as modern analogs... I'm hoping to score an old MS-20 but I really don't have any interest in the new one...

Playing any synth live and loud is what you need to do before you make any decision about buying one... I just got an Opus 3 last summer and the guy I bought it from tripped out when I demoed it on a practice amp before purchase... He'd had it for many years and only played it through the computer on headphones, it sounded much crazier through an amp and I think he wanted to keep it...

[rot gut]

I'm planning on getting a minibrute. MS-20 is too bulky for me.

[spacefuzz]

im getting the korg after i sell my drums, so I'll have both. I'm stoked!