iMini was Arturia’s first foray on the burgeoning iOS music app platform. It features a dead-on audio simulation of the classic Minimoog, arguably the most popular analog synthesizer in history. In true Arturia fashion, iMini also adds a host of useful features not included in Bob Moog’s classic piece of musical art.
iMini for the iPad Features
- Classic Minimoog Sound
- 3 Oscillators
- Classic “Moog Filter”
- Filter and Amp Envelopes
- Polyphony
- Arpeggiator
- White and Pink Noise and an “External Input”
- Chorus and Delay with X-Y Control Pads
- Support for Audiobus, WIST, and Inter App Audio
- Available at the App Store for $9.99
Fans of the Minimoog or even fans of Arturia’s Mini V desktop synth need to check out iMini. It truly is one of the best synth apps on the iOS platform.
Classic Moog Sound with a Modern Interface
The iMini features a similar, easy-to-use interface as Arturia’s iSEM synth app. A menu bar at the top provides patch management, navigates between the different screens, and also allows access to MIDI and Inter App Audio functionality. It feels like a strange, modern version of a Minimoog.
Arturia’s iMini is a dead-on simulation of the Minimoog for the iPad. Screenshot by Author.
The first screen essentially provides a scrunched view of the original Minimoog. Control of the three oscillators, mixer, and filter all happens here. A bit of the wood-panel view offers a welcome piece of skeuomorphism — take that iOS 7.
A noise generator — with white and pink options — as well as an external input can be mixed into the overall sound. A simulation of the classic Moog filter is present with its own envelope in addition to one for the amplifier.
An arpeggiator and two X-Y pads for parameter control offer functionality not in Bob Moog’s original design. Screenshot by Author.
The “Perform” and “FX” screens change up the design of the Minimoog by adding some use functionality, including an arpeggiator and two X-Y pads to control synth and effects parameters. Virtual analog delay and chorus effects round out the sonic architecture of the iMini.
A Modern Take on a Classic Synth
Support for Audiobus, Inter App Audio, and WIST remind us that we are using an iOS music app. In fact, iMini also supports the Tabletop iOS virtual music studio; something not included with Arturia’s iSEM app. MIDI mapping of controls is easy — typical of Arturia synths no matter the platform.
Fans of Bob Moog, classic analog synths, or anyone involved in contemporary spacerock or electronica are the audience for the iMini. This is one synth app that stands at the pinnacle of iOS music apps. Highly recommended.
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