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Moog One. The Polyphonic.


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With that in mind I spent an enjoyable half-hour at the Moog store on Saturday, 12/22.

 

Demoing a synth a the Moog store is only slightly better than demoing at a NAMM show. The last time I was there it was too chaotic for me to focus. I touched a Voyager XL and it left me cold. Odd, because I have a Voyager with the same break-out boxes at home. I figured it was the crappy phones, greasy keys, and clamoring tourists.

 

Not a soul in the store aside from me. I had the place to myself and it was dead quiet. The S/N ratio wasn't the problem.

 

Nor were greasy keys. Incidentally, the action was a bit stiffer than I expected, mechanically. Forgot to say that above. That's going to be another subjective thing and I'm not saying whether I liked it or not, just that they were a smidgen more tightly sprung than I anticipated.

 

The headphones Moog had available were Audio Technicas. I don't remember the model. You can argue that you might want better headphones, but if it takes a pair of $1k headphones and silence to appreciate the sound of a synth, it's not going to work in a live setting where the speakers are less than ideal and the audience is making enough noise to raise the dead. Won't work on ear buds on a city bus. Won't work on a crappy college dorm stereo. Won't work anywhere in the real world, in fact.

 

In an attempt to forestall at least one potential objection to my mini-review, bear in mind that the unit was fully warmed up, having been on for at least two hours before I showed up.

 

As for lack of growl making the difference...to those who haven't played the One, please try it before judging. (Or listen to the demos--I found them to be reasonably accurate as to the sound quality, drive or no drive.) To those who like the One, well, I don't know what to say...I guess we're looking for different things in the sound of a synth--at least in a Moog, as opposed to another brand.

 

Grey

I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play.

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As for lack of growl making the difference...to those who haven't played the One, please try it before judging. (Or listen to the demos--I found them to be reasonably accurate as to the sound quality, drive or no drive.) To those who like the One, well, I don't know what to say...I guess we're looking for different things in the sound of a synth--at least in a Moog, as opposed to another brand.
Well, I will say that I dont expect the One to be 16 Minimoogs- my one complaint about the sound of the Memorymoog was that even with just 6 voices it was just too much. I am actually hoping it would be an updated Andromeda, but once again I agree you need to play it and bond with it to really justify the expense.
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GRollins

 

Recently I was listening too and watching the MOOG demo of their Subsequent 37. In their presentation they mentioned how they were able to reduce the distortion in each voice by a significant amount. So, the Subsequent 37 is a lot cleaner than its predecessor the Sub 37.

 

I wonder if the "lack of soul" you described in one of your Posts could be the lack of distortion in their new synths. Electronic sounds that are too clean "can" sound sterile.

 

Just a thought. :poke:

 

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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With that in mind I spent an enjoyable half-hour at the Moog store on Saturday, 12/22.

 

Demoing a synth a the Moog store is only slightly better than demoing at a NAMM show. The last time I was there it was too chaotic for me to focus. I touched a Voyager XL and it left me cold. Odd, because I have a Voyager with the same break-out boxes at home. I figured it was the crappy phones, greasy keys, and clamoring tourists.

 

Not a soul in the store aside from me. I had the place to myself and it was dead quiet. The S/N ratio wasn't the problem...

 

The headphones Moog had available were Audio Technicas. I don't remember the model. You can argue that you might want better headphones, but if it takes a pair of $1k headphones and silence to appreciate the sound of a synth, it's not going to work in a live setting where the speakers are less than ideal and the audience is making enough noise to raise the dead...

 

Grey

 

You obviously had a better experience overall and still weren't wowed by the synth. That's fine. My point was, it wasn't just headphone quality but the overall experience of demoing a synth in a small room where people were elbow to elbow and absolutely everybody ran their funnel cake-besmirched fingers across everything. I heard a YT video demo of the One over my S7 phone that sounded like a million bucks, so I'm confident it'll sound fine in my house. But if I were about to drop $8k I'd want to hear it in a more controlled atmosphere--peace and quiet--and through good monitors. The instrument may not need all that. I need all that.

 

 

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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You obviously had a better experience overall...

 

You need to go with me the next time I go, dude. I've never been to the Moog store when there were more than two or three other people in there--and they only showed up towards the end of my available time.

 

(My grandmother, who lived up in Boone, didn't call them "tourists," she called them "tour-asses.")

 

Maybe I should shower more carefully before going synthing...

 

Or not...something seems to be working.

 

I still want some quality time with that Emerson wall-o'-knobs critter--wish they'd had it hooked up. I did run my hands across it, though. Maybe I can pick some of Keith's musical DNA by, I dunno, osmosis...transcombobulation through the seventh dimension...or maybe I should just light candles or something.

 

Or I could just do it the old-fashioned way and practice.

 

I and one of my sons agreed (with no prompting from me, mind you, he decided this on his own) that I might ought to add a Minitaur to my GAS list, but it's a low priority at the moment. Maybe I'll start watching them on eBay.

 

Grey

I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play.

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I still want some quality time with that Emerson wall-o'-knobs critter--wish they'd had it hooked up. I did run my hands across it, though. Maybe I can pick some of Keith's musical DNA by, I dunno, osmosis...transcombobulation through the seventh dimension...or maybe I should just light candles or something.
Its really just an overgrown Minimoog with many more modulation options.

 

I and one of my sons agreed (with no prompting from me, mind you, he decided this on his own) that I might ought to add a Minitaur to my GAS list, but it's a low priority at the moment. Maybe I'll start watching them on eBay.
PM me, I hardly use mine since I got my Reissue.
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What an incredibly gorgeous instrument... I've been drooling since its announcement, but it's way more than I can afford right now.

 

But it is truly a masterpiece. It's everything I wanted in a vintage Memorymoog, but with far more features, and no overheating or instability.

Sundown

 

Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; Driven Away

Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361

DAW Platform: Cubase

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Well, I will say that I dont expect the One to be 16 Minimoogs-

 

Yep.

There´s no real reason why any modern MOOG synth has to sound exactly like a Minimoog D,- except, potential buyers want to sell their vintage MOOG gear and replace it by the MOOG One.

Others, who can afford keeping their vintage MOOGs and buying the MOOG One in addition, might think different.

 

Already the "re-issue" makes evident,- when you want something very close to the original sound, it will be monophonic and lacks MIDI implementation.

We got more MIDI already w/ the Voyager for the price of some sound difference.

It´s all not bad.

They need modern components and different circuitry to make it MIDI controllable.

It´s the bridge between vintage analog and digital.

Both have advantages and disadvantages,- and it´s all about how many advantages from both worlds can be merged into some new design.

I´m pretty sure MOOG tried everything to do the best possible and they will continue improving it,- within the scope of possibilities though.

MOOG One is a steep investment,- not only for potential buyers but also for MOOG.

It would be insanely stupid not doing all the best for that product.

 

... my one complaint about the sound of the Memorymoog was that even with just 6 voices it was just too much..

 

Yes, it was/ is just too fat and too much raw tone for most purposes we used polysynths in a playback for,- at least for pop- and rock- music late 70s and 80s.

That was one reason because I never bought a Memorymoog in the past.

I learned about it´s unreliability later, so the decision I made prevented me from some senseless investment.

 

I repeat myself sayin´ most successful recording experience came from using the vintage instruments and all kind of outboard processing to make it sound good and fit into a track.

In real world, when you EQed a Memorymoog to some degree and used some outboard FX in addition, you could also use a Prophet or whatelse polysynth and come to the same satisfaction for the tune.

 

And today,- p.ex. when you own a MOOG Minitaur for the low end and a vintage Minimoog D, the "re-issue", Voyager or Sub37 for leads, sidelines and synth-fx,- does one need the MOOG One then or does another polysynth like the Prophet 6 the same job for less money well too ?

I´d say YES !

 

The MOOG One is cool, but it´s also made as a collectors item.

They know they won´t sell very much for that price and they also know there are enough people out there where possession counts.

They will sell enough though.

 

In fact I "want" one too, but OTOH, I don´t need it because I have so many gear anyway, hardware and software.

I think that´s valid for most who can afford it.

 

A.C.

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What an incredibly gorgeous instrument... I've been drooling since its announcement, but it's way more than I can afford right now.

 

But it is truly a masterpiece. It's everything I wanted in a vintage Memorymoog, but with far more features, and no overheating or instability.

 

And that is what you all know without owning and using one ?

 

A.C.

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Partial Quote by Al Coda

 

"And today,- p.ex. when you own a MOOG Minitaur for the low end and a vintage Minimoog D, the "re-issue", Voyager or Sub37 for leads, sidelines and synth-fx,- does one need the MOOG One then or does another polysynth like the Prophet 6 the same job for less money well too ? I´d say YES !"

 

There certainly are sound alternatives for those of us that don't have Moog One $$$$$. The newer Subsequent 37 is an improvement over the Sub 37, is a great sounding Moog that can handle leads for $1499.

 

The Prophet 6 is an excellent remake of the Prophet 5 with modern features and sounds as close to a Prophet 5 as anyone can expect. I've seen open box Prophet 6 going for less than $2000.00.

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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In fact I "want" one too, but OTOH, I don´t need it because I have so many gear anyway, hardware and software.

I think that´s valid for most who can afford it.

 

This. It was intensely interesting for a few days, but it passed fairly quickly. I could fit it into the studio, but it would not be the most special thing in the room, nor would it be the most flexible or powerful thing. It would just be "cool".

 

I think you are right about the collectability, but that's not enough to get me to move on it. Maybe I'll change my mind before they stop making it, but I'm not much of a collector.

 

I do think we are nearing "peak analog subtractive synthesis". The real innovation in synthesis is happening in software and in modular.

 

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Oh, I don't know, software is not the same as playing a real instrument. That is a big part of the reason Dave Smith started making hardware again, we can play the instrument.

 

Modular is not practical for musicians that do live shows. Most of us don't have the means or the desire to carry around large synths. There are quite a few synths that can cover most musicians hardware needs without reverting to connecting patch cables. To each his own.

 

We all have our preferences and $$$ is a big consideration for most of us. Not all of us can afford a Moog One, but if I had the money I would have one. But there are other instruments that can do what I need for less money. I am still happy with the instruments I own now, but if I were playing live, I would be up for a new toy if I could muster the $$$$$$.

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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I do think we are nearing "peak analog subtractive synthesis".

 

Peak analog synthesis was already decades ago.

With the demand of much more polyphony, it was just only too expensive going further at that time.

Much more polyphony for affordable prices was much easier to achieve w/ digital technology.

 

The real innovation in synthesis is happening in software and in virtual* modular.

 

*fixed

 

Since almost 2 decades existing and still being in developement ...

 

Creamware_Sonic Core Modular II_III & IV

 

FleXor II for SCOPE Modular

 

CWM modules for SCOPE modular

 

free ! BC modular for SCOPE

 

Running on Analog Devices SHARC processors, these sound great !

 

And well,- now there are cheapo VST modular synths available as well and they sound good too.

Who really tells what´s sounding bad ?

It´s matter of taste anyway.

 

It´s not about the gear per sé,- it´s about what you´re doing w/ it.

 

Quality gear in wrong hands sounds like shit too,- no ?

 

A.C.

 

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And today,- p.ex. when you own a MOOG Minitaur for the low end and a vintage Minimoog D, the "re-issue", Voyager or Sub37 for leads, sidelines and synth-fx,- does one need the MOOG One then or does another polysynth like the Prophet 6 the same job for less money well too ?

I´d say YES !

 

The MOOG One is cool, but it´s also made as a collectors item.

They know they won´t sell very much for that price and they also know there are enough people out there where possession counts.

They will sell enough though.

 

The Prophet 6 does not BEGIN to offer the same capabilities or sound as the ONE. I have them both in the same room and there is no comparison whatsoever.

 

They are also selling faster than anticipated and Moog is struggling to meet demand. A nice problem to have.

 

And to an earlier post - you absolutely CAN nail pretty much any Minimoog sound once you learn the instrument, if that is what you are after. Not 100%, but really close, and mostly I think the imitation sounds better than the original the next day. To get them closer you need to EQ a little low end out of the One, or highness with the SVF.

 

I have also heard it do some OB imitations that were shocking. But all of that is just an intellectual exercise, and copying other instruments is really not the goal, of course.

 

Still I am keeping my Model D, as it has it's own beauty and immediacy, and it BEHAVES like a Model D.

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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Asheville, NC, home to Moog, is just a couple of hours up the road from me. When my wife suggested a holiday trip up there for the weekend, I was all for it. It's a beautiful town and the fact that I was born a short distance away means that mountains look "right" to me. I feel most at home in that area.

 

With that in mind I spent an enjoyable half-hour at the Moog store on Saturday, 12/22. The majority of that time was spent on their demo One, trying to get some sense of whether it deserved a position on my GAS list. To be honest, the demo videos I've seen have not moved me, but given that I tend to favor the Moog house sound over other synth companies, I wanted to give the keyboard a fair shake.

 

CAVEAT: As soon as I told the guys behind the counter that I wanted to try the One, they responded that the evaluation unit wasn't their usual one; that theirs was in back to get the latest software/firmware/hardware/whatever updates and that the unit on the floor was a pre-production prototype that didn't fully reflect the current production sound. Specifically, the signal wasn't as "hot." It didn't drive the filters, etc. as hard and was lacking some growl or however you want to phrase it.

 

With that in mind, I sat down to play. My approach--especially given that I had four other people with me who don't quite share my passion for making music--was to run through the presets, with the idea that they will be chosen to show off what the synth can do. Yes, I know that some would rather have spent their time twisting knobs, but I could have spent my entire afternoon trying to create a single sound, rather than getting a broad overview, which is what I wanted.

 

In short, I just didn't connect with it. This is something of a WTF moment for me, because I generally respond well to Moog's stuff and for me to have such a tepid response was a bit of a shock.

 

So what's wrong? It's subjective, so what I feel (or don't feel, as the case may be) is going to be hard to articulate, but the One seems to lack the organic gestalt that other Moogs have; the sense that I was hearing sounds that, while obviously of electronic origin, had that indefinable something that gives you the impression that those sounds could have come from nature. It sounds artificial. It lacks soul. The One is a machine and sounds like one.

 

I want to emphasize that the very thing that isn't working for me is very likely to be the exact quality that will draw others to it. It's as though Moog infused 20% of the DNA of a Dave Smith synth into a Voyager in an attempt to appeal to a different market segment. In that, they were successful, but in doing so they lost what makes a Moog a Moog, at least to my ears.

 

I very much like the fact that it's polyphonic, but that's not enough to make me want a One. Not by itself. Not for that price.

 

The interface is sexy and modern. Straightforward to use.

 

But...dammit...the sound of the thing just didn't work for me.

 

Read my caveat above. Then perhaps read it again. Would driving the internal circuitry harder make it work for me...or for you? To be honest, I don't think that's going to make the One a must-have item for me. I suspect that my gut reaction would still be pretty much like it was Saturday--I left the Moog store without a backwards glance. No yearning. No GAS. No tug on the heartstrings. No making of plans to rob banks in order to fund the purchase.

 

I feel disloyal for saying that, given how much I love my theremin, Little Phatty, Voyager, and Behringer D...all units that sound, to my ears, the way a Moog should sound. But I'm not going to lie and say that I'm in love with the thing when I'm not.

 

Now, that big Keith Emerson synth in the corner? Yeah, that's talking to me. No, I didn't get to mess with it. It wasn't hooked up to play. Rats.

 

Those of you who get off on the DSI house sound should get serious about trying the One. Once you leave the organic, "might be an alternate universe natural sound" requirement behind, then I think the One becomes a more viable option.

 

Me? I think I'll save my money. Don't get me wrong, I wish Moog the best and hope they sell plenty of Ones, but it's not for me.

 

Grey

 

 

I understand that there is no accounting for taste, and not everything is for everyone, but with this synth more than any other I've ever played, a store demo will not reveal what it can do. You really need to dig into each facet of the instrument. If you try to dial in your favorite mini patch it will not only sound different than you expect, but it will not sound good. The default settings on the oscillators are the "vanilla" settings, and you need to dial in the goodies. It doesn't have A saw wave, it has a wide RANGE of Saw waves, and then some. The filter section behaves differently, and takes some time to get used to. The envelopes need to be tweaked. Everything. I have it in a room with a Mini, a Prophet 6, an OB6, and a Voyager (since sold). It kills every one of them sonically - and sounds more organic than any to my ears in a way-somehow more "solid" - but there is a learning curve. It can also imitate the Mini or Voyager almost to a T if that is what you are after - but it takes some digging to get there the first time.

 

There are also some quirky things with the effects that adversely affect some of the presets, but again - once you get your head around the routing you can avoid the pitfalls.

 

A few growing pains to be sure, but they are on it.

 

Edit: if you get another chance to preset surf, I suggest killing the effects. I also think they should have had presets that showed it could do the Mini thing. Maybe a demo mode with less but carefully chosen presets, hipper default settings, etc.

 

 

 

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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The Prophet 6 does not BEGIN to offer the same capabilities or sound as the ONE. I have them both in the same room and there is no comparison whatsoever.

 

I never said a Prophet 6 will replace a MOOG One.

 

I only said, when you own some assorted pieces of gear and know how to use already, almost any polysynth works for most music.

And it does ...

 

Please show me some music where I´d need a specific piece of gear,- and when I don´t use it, the result won´t be accepted as music.

And when you do, that will be the same than telling me I urgently need a SSL console and Yammi NS10s to have a hit.

 

They are also selling faster than anticipated and Moog is struggling to meet demand. A nice problem to have.

 

Yes, that´s cool for MOOG !

 

And to an earlier post - you absolutely CAN nail pretty much any Minimoog sound once you learn the instrument, if that is what you are after. Not 100%, but really close, and mostly I think the imitation sounds better than the original the next day. To get them closer you need to EQ a little low end out of the One, or highness with the SVF.

 

I have also heard it do some OB imitations that were shocking.

 

This is good news IMO !

 

Still I am keeping my Model D, as it has it's own beauty and immediacy, and it BEHAVES like a Model D.

 

Well, I´m one of these now old guys w/ the interest shrinking the gear but keeping the sound quality from large rigs.

I appreciate MOOG One can sound close to a Minimoog and Oberheim (which ?),- but then it comes to the MIDI implementation in addition.

 

When I buy a keyboard-instrument today, I also want to use it as a controller in my rig, especially when sacrificing other pieces of gear to keep the rig as small as possible and to financiate the MOOG One.

 

For the future, I can imagine using just only 2 or 3 keyboards, 1 or 2 rack devices and software in addition.

Sooner or later I´ll sell my last Minimoog D, Obie Xpander and other keyboards and rackmount devices as well.

 

So, what does a MOOG One MIDI-wise for me ?

 

A.C.

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The Prophet 6 does not BEGIN to offer the same capabilities or sound as the ONE. I have them both in the same room and there is no comparison whatsoever.

 

I never said a Prophet 6 will replace a MOOG One.

 

I only said, when you own some assorted pieces of gear and know how to use already, almost any polysynth works for most music.

And it does ...

 

Please show me some music where I´d need a specific piece of gear,- and when I don´t use it, the result won´t be accepted as music.

And when you do, that will be the same than telling me I urgently need a SSL console and Yammi NS10s to have a hit.

 

They are also selling faster than anticipated and Moog is struggling to meet demand. A nice problem to have.

 

Yes, that´s cool for MOOG !

 

And to an earlier post - you absolutely CAN nail pretty much any Minimoog sound once you learn the instrument, if that is what you are after. Not 100%, but really close, and mostly I think the imitation sounds better than the original the next day. To get them closer you need to EQ a little low end out of the One, or highness with the SVF.

 

I have also heard it do some OB imitations that were shocking.

 

This is good news IMO !

 

Still I am keeping my Model D, as it has it's own beauty and immediacy, and it BEHAVES like a Model D.

 

Well, I´m one of these now old guys w/ the interest shrinking the gear but keeping the sound quality from large rigs.

I appreciate MOOG One can sound close to a Minimoog and Oberheim (which ?),- but then it comes to the MIDI implementation in addition.

 

When I buy a keyboard-instrument today, I also want to use it as a controller in my rig, especially when sacrificing other pieces of gear to keep the rig as small as possible and to financiate the MOOG One.

 

For the future, I can imagine using just only 2 or 3 keyboards, 1 or 2 rack devices and software in addition.

Sooner or later I´ll sell my last Minimoog D, Obie Xpander and other keyboards and rackmount devices as well.

 

So, what does a MOOG One MIDI-wise for me ?

 

A.C.

 

Potentially quite a lot, BUT - the midi and CV implementation is not complete, and I would wait for that to see what the capabilities are. Now it is only note on/note off and some of the basic controllers. The manual from 1.0 states that full CC and NRPN implementation is coming in "weeks", which would I guess be really soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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Sooner or later I´ll sell my last Minimoog D, Obie Xpander and other keyboards and rackmount devices as well.

 

So, what does a MOOG One MIDI-wise for me ?

Jeez, don't sell the last Minimoog!! I literally have my Reissue in my Will...

 

As far as the Moog One, I really don't need it. To tell you the truth, I could manage to be happy with a decent MIDI controller and a laptop. But there is definitely a satisfaction to playing a good instrument that you emotionally connect with (like the Minimoog).

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I only said, when you own some assorted pieces of gear and know how to use already, almost any polysynth works for most music.

 

Please show me some music where I´d need a specific piece of gear,- and when I don´t use it, the result won´t be accepted as music.

Surely, most poly synth sounds found in music can be duplicated in hardware or software nowadays.

 

It is harder to place a value on the creative inspiration a musician gets from using a particular synth(s). :cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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  • 9 months later...

Cross-posted from Dig My Rig

 

Had to wait until the Voyager was home from being serviced to take the family portrait. I think I'm done buying stuff. Or at least that's what I told my wife.
So how are you liking that Moog One? I have played it several times briefly but haven't warmed up to it yet...!?

 

Short answer, I love it. But playing it briefly won't get you where you need to be with the One. It takes a little time. The first couple of nights scrolling through presets and poking around tentatively weren't particularly inspiring. The more I dug into it though the more it clicked into place. Consider the presets to be showcases for particular features, not fully fleshed out patches. Some are, and those are scary good. Also consider the One to be a poly modular where the components need to be thoughtfully joined together to get good results. It's easy to make it sound bad. With a little patience it will blow you away. I'm still at the digging around stage and haven't really explored some features like the sequencer. I start messing with wave shapes and the filters and can't seem to move on. It's mesmerizing. And then the other night I came up with a Prince Obie kind of thing and smacked it around, palm glisses and such. Love the action and the sensation of mass.

 

If I wanted to nit pick, I'd ask that 1) Preset A1 be the wallet-opener. My unit (and the one the Moog team demonstrated for me) booted to Key Lime, an electric piano patch. As good as it is, it's not the one that screams $8k. 2) I wish they'd have run some 0000 steel wool over the cabinet after the last spray coat. My cherry wood Voyager is smooth like fine furniture. The One is more...industrial.

 

It's a magnificent instrument, though and it'll be the last One I buy. Seriously. I'm done.

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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Short answer, I love it.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I recently spent a few minutes with it at Control Voltage in Portland, and I was kinda underwhelmed- I thought the Matriarch nearby sounded more Moog (?). I did get about 45 minutes with it in a quiet room on headphones back in January, but I agree that a) the presets suck and b) it seems to take a lot of work to get decent sounds out of it, as far as I can tell it is difficult to get sounds with "weight" or "presence."

 

Right now I have an excellent reason to defer purchasing (lack of response to PolyAT over MIDI- and it will still be quite some time before they get to it), and there is the Black Corporation Xerxes which I am looking at, and sounds good. Quite a few other synths coming out now, and I also wish to see if and updated Omega/CODE comes out of the Roland/Studioelectonics project.

 

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You can't go wrong with whatever you decide to buy. Yeah, it would be cool if an Omega turned up as long as it doesn't have those little SE-02 knobs. :)

 

I agree, the Matriarch has the old Moog mojo and I hope they sell a ton of them. The One is a different critter for sure. It is absolutely possible to get weight and presence out of it without resorting to stacking all 48 oscillators on one note, but that certainly achieves the goal. Once you've spent quality time with it it really isn't all that much work to get good sounds. But there are a number of different ways to get where you're going so the abundance of choices can slow you down.

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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Partial quote by ksoper

 

"It's a magnificent instrument, though and it'll be the last One I buy. Seriously. I'm done."

 

Yep, if the Moog One doesn't fill your every sonic need for the ultimate in subtractive synthesis, you're out of options. :love:

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

Mike T.

 

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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