2007 TEC Award Winner

Moog Music - Little Phatty™ Analog Synthesizer - Stage II Edition

Like the Tribute Edition before it, the Little Phatty Stage II Edition has the same features and sound engine, designed by Moog founder and inventor, Bob Moog, and also boasts improved software and a unique auto-calibration feature. Hand-built quality and that unmatched Moog sound, at a price every musician can afford, Little Phatty was designed with portability, expressive and intuitive playability, and the timeless quality only found in a Moog.

Moog Music continues to innovate and fuse uncompromising sound quality and craftsmanship with new technology. The Little Phatty Stage Edition puts the performer in control of a 100% analog signal path with Real Analog Control (RACTM), two ultra stable Voltage Controlled Oscillators and one Voltage Controlled Filter among other versatile features like CV inputs, KB gate and a full MIDI controller.

The Little Phatty boasts a 100 percent analog signal path, 100 user editable presets and a 37-note keyboard with +/-2 Octave Transpose. Additional features include:

• 2 Ultra-stable Oscillators
• 1 Low Pass Filter (Classic Moog Ladder Filter)
• 4-Stage Analog Envelope Generators
• RAC™ Real Analog Control is a proprietary technology enabling the performer to directly interface with the analog circuitry via the knobs on the control panel, without any digital processing.

From studio to stage, the Little Phatty is a musician’s dream. Moog’s innovative engineering and tried-and-true manufacturing mean you can have the sound you want at a price that’s well within reach.

• 100% All Analog Signal Path
• Sound Engine From Bob Moog
• Low Price
• Designed for Performance
• Looks Cool

The Stage Edition has updated software, which includes auto calibration and an auto tune function that ensures the instrument is tuned perfectly whether it’s in a cool studio or under hot stage lighting. The Stage also includes an asymmetric pitch wheel, twenty-one assignable MIDI controllers, as well as arbitrary pot mapping. The Little Phatty is aesthetically pleasing both aurally and visually. A striking design makes it one of the coolest looking synths on the planet. The Stage Edition departs from a traditional wood cabinet and is cradled instead by sleek, charcoal-colored rubberized side panels.

New Stage II Edition Features

• MIDI over USB: Makes the Little Phatty into an even more powerful sound sculpting tool. Combined with its warm analog sound, ability to process external audio and its intuitive performance, sound design and control features, the Stage II makes a great addition to any rig... from full-on analog, to the perfect companion to your customer’s favorite laptop/softsynth setup. You can also connect it directly to a computer running the Little Phatty Editor/Librarian.
• MIDI Clock Sync: Allows your customer to synchronize the LFO and arpeggiator rate to MIDI sequencer, drum machine or software. Sample and hold, triangle, square, sawtooth and ramp wave modulations can now be perfectly timed with rhythm tracks.
• New Arpeggiator: A great new performance feature with applications for musicians in all genres. Its wide variety of uses is sure to find a place in your customer’s style. Of course, it also syncs to MIDI clock.
• Tap Tempo: Brings LFO and Arpeggiator tempo sync functionality to situations in which there is no MIDI clock.
• Distinctive New Black Finish: A real eye-catcher that emphasizes the unique new nature of the Little Phatty Stage II.

Specifications

Synth Engine

• Sound Sources are two ultra-stable analog VCOs. Parameters for the VCOs are:
• Osc. 1 Octave: 16’, 8’, 4’, 2’
• Osc. 1 Wave: Continuously variable from triangle through saw and square to skinny pulse.
• Osc. 1 Level
• Glide Rate
• Osc. 1 2 Sync On/Off
• Osc. 2 Frequency
• Osc. 2 Octave: 16’, 8’, 4’, 2’
• Osc. 2 Wave: Continuously variable from triangle through saw and square to skinny pulse.
• Osc. 2 Level
• Fine Tune (for both Oscillators, located at the bottom left of the panel)

Sound Modifiers include a single VCLPF: 24 dB /Oct Moog Ladder filter, with filter Overload control and a single Output VCA. Filter parameters are:

• Cutoff
• Resonance
• Kb. Control Amount (how much the Key CV modulates the Filter)
• Filter Env. Amount (how much +/- the filter envelope modulates the filter)
• Overload
• An Envelope Generator section provides two ADSR EGRs: one to modulate the Filter (Filter EGR) and one to modulate the VCA (Volume EGR). For each EGR, the parameters are:
• Attack
• Decay
• Sustain
• Release

The Modulation section contains a 4-waveform LFO, and a 1x1 Mod Buss with 6 possible mod sources and 4 possible destinations. Its parameters are:

• LFO Rate
• Mod Source: (LFO triangle, LFO square, LFO sawtooth, LFO ramp, Filt. EGR, and Osc. 2
• Mod Amount (the amount of modulation w/ the mod wheel all the way forward)
• Mod Destination (Pitch, Osc. 2, Filter, Wave)

The User Iinterface (UI) section is described in the UI spec, below the LCD and UI controls are the following Performance controls:

• 37-note keyboard
• Spring-loaded pitch wheel
• Mod Wheel
• Glide On/Off
• Octave Down
• Octave Up

The side of the instrument houses the I/O of the instrument.

• AC In (100-250VAC, 50-60 Hz
• Power On/Off
• Audio Out
• Ext. Audio In (accepts +4dBu line level signal)
• Pitch CV In (1 V/Oct)
• Filter CV In
• Volume CV In
• Keyboard Gate In
• MIDI In
• MIDI Out
• USB

Dimensions and Weight

• 26.75" X 14.75" X 6.75"
• 22lb

Basic Editing of sounds

Sound editing of continuous parameters (like Filter Cutoff) is done from the front panel by enabling a parameter with its switch (its LED becomes illuminated), and then adjusting its value control. There are 4 value controls, one for each section: Modulation, Oscillators, Filter, and Envelopes. Each is surrounded by a ring of 15 LEDs that show approximately the stored or edited value of the current parameter. The value controls are analog, and when a parameter is activated, the analog control signal is switched to directly control that parameter (RAC™ or Real Analog Control). For each section, only one continuous parameter can be activated at a time for editing. For parameters that have multiple possibilities (such as Mod Source) pressing that switch advances through the possible Mod sources. For On/Off type switches like Osc. Sync, the LEDs are On when that parameter is on or Off when the parameter is off.