Moog Taurus Analog Bass Synthesizer Pedals Hands-On Demo

Marko Ettlich (RetroSound) shared this hands-on demo of the Moog Taurus analog bass pedal synthesizer, from 1976.

Video Summary:

Here’s what Ettlich has to say about the video:

Moog Taurus analog bass synthesizer pedals from the year 1976

3 presets: Taurus, Bass, Tuba 1 variable and full programmed sound

Used by Rush, Asia, Genesis, Police, The Cure, Marillion, Saga and more.

The Taurus 1 use linear VCOs. The Minimoog and the later Taurus 2 and 3 use exponential VCOs.

Linear VCOs are the secret for the stable bass sound of the Taurus 1.

Linear VCO’s are also featured in the Moog Minitaur – and account for its unique pitch range limitation.

13 thoughts on “Moog Taurus Analog Bass Synthesizer Pedals Hands-On Demo

    1. The Minitaur is indeed underrated. Have you seen the features in the latest firmware revision? My jaw dropped. The guys at Moog are genius. Only thing I’d like to see is hardware patch select / save buttons for the rack ears. I don’t like managing it through software, so I find myself using it as a manual synth.

  1. Love it. Still use my old set that I’ve had since the early 80s. The silver contact board however – is crap. So I built a new one using Omron microswitches. Kept the old one for the Antique Roadshow.

  2. Speaking of which, when will any company release a (reasonably affordable!) midi foot controller? I’ve been DYING for one of these for ages!

  3. I wanted the Taurus 3 when it came out, but I already have a bass synth I can’t play with my feet. Its a Howard Cano prototype for what became the Bassyn, and its pretty cool. To my ears it sounds somewhere between Moog and Roland. I love it and would like to put it in a proper enclosure someday.

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