Moog Matriarch

I didn’t mean to suggest that the Matriarch would have the mono/poly’s infamous cycle through the oscillators arp mode but it would be awesome of course. Looking at the seq section it appears to be basically the same as the GM with no cycling osc mode.

Edit: there is a multi trig button in the output section under paraphony selection switch, not sure what that does hmmmmm

Id imagine you can probably patch the LFO to it too, to modulate the repeats if you wished. (like the MF104M)

Multi trig probably resets the envelopes with each key press. It’s missing as an option from the GM and is much requested feature - hopefully will get added in an update.

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just read someone over at MuffWiggler saying he’s played with it and it does indeed have this option, and more…

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Ooooh that would be so nice

Damn this thing keeps getting better and better… must… resist… … … Matriarch

Found the post, by “maxwellravitz” - is he the one dude in the OP promo video?

As someone who has already worked with it a bunch, I know for a fact it can do the round robin style movement that the mono/poly does. It goes beyond the monopoly too, in that you have two filters to move around in the stereo field while cycling through the different oscillators. Plus the patch points really open things up.

Typical MW thread - lots of noise from the usual individuals, but will look for more posts by MR.

Moog website does say: Sequence and perform in mono, duo, and 4-note paraphonic modes.

So maybe paraphonic triggers all 4 oscs at once and mono cycles through.
I wonder if Duo mode is “hard-coded” or possibly assignable in the menu.

Brave! but i have said similar things in my youth…so thanks…but now

My ARMK11
My DT
And my Waldorf Blofeld are all filled with samples from my Sub 37, Sub Phatty and DFAM…

I spend ALOT of time trying to extract sounds from other synths, software, ROMplers, trying to extract that level of rich Moog texture, but never can.

Because nothing moves air molecules like their meaty oscillators smashing an opp amp driven hard into a ladder filter…no software, no sampler, no eurorack, nothing except knock off copies of their I.P. past the used by date on patent. And not that everything should sound like that, but when you want that sound, Nothing comes close…

Moog make synths that really are an experiential, tactile interaction between human and machine, I denied it for 20 years calling them elitist and thinking them unobtanium, and now its undeniable to me after trying many synths in many formats… That they deeply understand the relationship between humans and the toys they play with. Hands on with these synths its quite a personal and intimate interaction. Moog understand that its a relationship, between a person and a device…and focus on how the human relates to the interface…its quite elegant when you “feel” that for the first time.

And also they really are capable of gentle, fragile, harsh, brittle sounds as well, with some time in…if thats what you want…

God i sound like quite the fanboy…but wanted to share that i used to rebuke the very concept of Moog until i lay my hands on an original modal D. Then i understood…Look Moog are not resting on laurels, the Matriarch is so far removed from the Phatty and Sub 37 that i cant recognize that it would be possible to create the demo sounds with other Moog synths. The potential to integrate with my Euro has me looking at my Sub Phatty and checking 2nd hand prices on Ebay…

Saying all that…im in the market for an analogue poly…and nothing Moog are offering are on my radar to fill that gap in my set up. But i still think that this release is an exciting step forward and hope that i get to interact with a Matriarch at some point to see what its all about.

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Have you tried the Pioneer AS-1 or Hypersynth Xenophone? I particularly love how raw/nasty the Xenophone can sound with feedback, notch filter/FM, and its crazy oscillators. I guess I go for more complex, edgy/modern sounds (in an organic manner), and that would help explain why Moogs aren’t generally my cup of tea.

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Max Ravitz works at Control in NY still presumably, but he’s also Patricia, one of the better techno performers going lately. Highly recommended!

Definitely a lot of noise in that thread on MW.

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ha…i see more where you are at, The AS-1 does look and sound brilliant, the form factor is elegant and the sound capabilities are far more diverse than a Moog. The Hypersynth Xenophone is actually quite the “Moog had a illegitimate child with a DSI in a 3 way with a Virus”. I would love one to no end…i can see how if you had the coin you would give some SERIOUS weight to the hypersynth…that is sex on a stick…each are different to that rip snorting Moog sound and are more “menu divey” than the immediacy of the newer Moogs…But i would probably buy a Xenephone if i had the coin…!

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Cool, will check out Patricia.

Yup, he is indeed the 4th artist introduced in the promo video. This is maybe the 4th time I’m listening to it, just to hear the various patches being demoed by these artists.

… nah.

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Damn I was saving for a prophet but now i’m torn. Gonna have to try this puppy out when it hits stores!

Thanks @GovernorSilver and @spikysimon for the tips!
I didn’t wrote that, but I am looking for an all analog poly. I’ve got an Digitone which I love and that fills my need for a digital synth for now.

With that said I’m always open for other options and I have heard some sounds from the Minilogue XD and I am not convinced, but I need to listen to it more in order to get a clear picture of it.

I have considered the peak and listen to many YouTube videos of it, but I am not liking the digital sound of it. Digital oscillators often generate sharp sounds and the peak oscillators does that as well. I will use my Digitone if I want to generate some sharp sounds so the peak is out of the equation.

I am going to look at the Micromonsta though, because a hardware wavetable synth is always interesting.

@VanillaSun I am sitting in the exact same boat as you. The Prophet Rev 2 has been on top of my list, but now when I go back and listen to that synth it’s not in the same league soundwise as the Matriarch.

Have to call this out as nonsense. Peak does have a certain character but it’s in the filter and the drive/distortion circuits, all of which are analogue. The oscillators are generally just very clean, full sounding waveforms, especially the basic sine/saw/tri/pulse waves. Some of the wavetables sound more digital, deliberately, but those are an option, not part of the intrinsic sound.

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I’m not gonna argue that all sounds from the Peak sounds sharp because I don’t have used it myself. I just picked up that many sounds of it has a sharp character from what I’ve heard from videos on YouTube and I do not have the knowledge of that synth to say if it’s from the oscillators or other parts of the synth. I just shared my thoughts about some sound that have heard. I know that listen to sounds from synths on YouTube doesn’t give a 100% coverage of what a synth is capable of but it can give you useful hints of a specific synths sound character.

Yeah, I think generally a lot of YouTube videos of the Peak seem to focus on a particular side of it, the more aggressive / overdriven sounds, and the heavy modulation, because that’s stuff it does quite easily. There are some that break it down a bit more and you can get a sense of where the character is. The oscillators themselves are pretty neutral, the filter has some character and can easily get aggressive (especially in 24db), and I do think that if you mainly want lots of “creamy” / smooth pads a Rev2/P6/OB6/Prologue/Deepmind might be a bit more conventional (and as proper polys, more suitable than a Matriarch). Peak can definitely do it though.

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Peak got you covered if you want an analog poly. I know it isn’t analogue, but it can really shine with analogue character if you work on your patches. It is immediate, and a joy to play with. It is one of my synths that even after a year, I can still see it as an endless source of inspiration and wonder. You should try it out! :blush:

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You asked us how versatile the Matriarch can be as a pad machine.

IMO, a purely analog machine by itself will never be as versatile as a hybrid synth. The Minilogue XD can do a variety of pads that the Matriarch can’t, if we’re just comparing them one on one. Maybe you won’t like any of the Korg’s sounds as much as the Moog’s, but it is more versatile.

Since you have a Digitone already, layering that and the Matriarch together might cover the majority of your pad needs. Getting the Micromonsta as well should round it all out nicely. Wavetable pads are yet another type of pad that an analog-only synth cannot do.

You could expand the Matriarch by patching with external Eurorack modules or something, as someone mentioned, but I defer to those with more experience with hardware modulars, as far as ideas on exactly what modules to get.

I’d say just get it for what it does really well, and not worry about max versatility.

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