Minimoog Model D

The synthesizer that fit on a stage.

Moog's modular systems took up whole walls and needed a patch-cord diagram for every sound. The Model D took the most useful parts of those systems (three oscillators, a mixer, the ladder filter and two envelopes) and wired them together permanently in a wooden case you could carry to a gig.

The panel tilts up toward the player like a lectern. Its transistor ladder filter, a 24 dB-per-octave low-pass, is responsible for much of the sound people still call 'fat'. Keyboard players stopped being accompanists and started playing solos.

Voices: Monophonic
Oscillators: 3 VCOs
Filter: 24 dB/oct transistor ladder low-pass
Keys: 44
Controllers: Pitch & modulation wheels