Moog Matriarch

Just for information. I wrote my post after reviewing exactly those pages :wink:

There wasn’t even an image to be enlarged enough to read all the things on the front panel. What I would like to know - just as an example - is:

What are those four VCOs? What are the waveshapes (there are four positions on the VCO knobs)? Is there sync possible? Is there PWM possible? Is there some cross-modulation possible (I assume there is, because it’s semi-modular, but I would like to know).

Or how is the VCF? Can we use the stereo filter as two independent mono filters? I assume it’s a 24 dB ladder filter, but is this true? Can we modulate the cutoff AND the resonance (some synths do this)?

… and many more questions, which are interesting for me to buy or not to buy.

Don’t get me wrong … I love Moog synths. All Moogs I have in the studio provide great sound, are a joy to use, and I am very interested to get my hands on original Bob Moog circuits from the past. But there could be at least some references like the VCO/VCF is a re-imagination of model xyz.

I had the feeling that Moog is telling us: Moog is great and you can’t go wrong getting it, just buy it and don’t worry. I - simply as is - dislike this kind of attitude in general.

But maybe - I missed something - nobody is perfect :wink:

This promo makes me feel too uncool to own this synth, which is strange as synth people are inherently uncool…

However its the sound that matters, and this does sound good. It’s the moog sound, and there’s nothing wrong with that, and you want moog to do the moog sound!

I am not in the market for it, I don’t have the space, and my current set up is perfect for me. But by jive if I was in the market, I’d be all over it.

1 Like

It is going to have to sound amazing as for the same money you could get 4 Beringer Model D’s which can be connected in poly (12 Osc’s) and have enough change for a Beringer Odyssey!

2 Likes

I totally agree … there is a reason to have Moog-ish sound in the studio :smiley:

I am only disappointed by the promo … :frowning:

I thought Four Truths(I think that was her name) sounded great,

Overall I wasn’t really moved by the promo, the best sounding synth I’ve heard is the Performer or the Crave for some reason this just sounds to me

1 Like

They probably could be more specific, but I guess the manual isn’t available yet. You can get more info if you click the “Full List+” buttons at the bottom of the page. Some speculation based on what I know of the GM, the pics, and the site:

On the GM the waves are triangle, saw, square and pulse. It’s probably fair to assume that these will be the same.

Yes, that’s what the big red button by the VCOs is for.

On the GM you can do PWM with the mod wheel, and one of the VCOs has a PWM jack, so I’ll assume you can route the LFOs to the pulse width here too

Yes, it looks like one the artists is doing just that on the vid (and also confirmed on the Moog website)

Yep, on the Moog website it says: 24dB/Octave Low Pass Filter with Resonance, 24dB/Octave switchable Low Pass/High Pass Filter with Resonance. Configurable in parallel (HP/LP), stereo (LP/LP), and series (HP/LP).

I don’t know if you can modulate the resonance though – you can’t on the GM.

4 Likes

Don’t understand the hate about that promo. Its a nice video, the sounds are fantastic, and it communicates the pure pleasure of playing with a synth. I don’t worry too much about detailed specs. More detailed looks will appear sooner or later.

15 Likes

Thanks, I appreciate your insight. Makes sense to assume some similarity with the GM.

I think that I am used to the level and presentation of information and ease of finding, what I wanted to know, from the site-layout of the past. Since Moog have changed to this new “swipe” layout, I have some problems to find information as easy.

TBH … I even now can’t find the “Full-List+” link :frowning:

Am I getting too old for this? :thinking:

EDIT … now I have it. Those guys have TWO areas for the Matriarch … it’s not on the “feature” site, which opens directly from the home site, I had to go to the synth site first. Definitely getting too old :smiley:

Yes … this is a very interesting piece of instrument. Sad that they will only produce 250 of them.

So it’s a grandmother on steroids

pretty sure that’s just 250 Moogfest units (they’ve got a special badge and come with a messenger bag). not overall.

pretty cool synth. not doing too much for me at the moment but who knows…? seems more of a keyboard player’s synth than someone more into modular and sequencing. the price seems fine. bummer they gave up the spring reverb (though it’s been kind of a headache for them with the Grandmother). but cool that it adds a stereo analog delay (something I think people are overlooking, that’s pretty tremendous in itself).

honestly I just wish Moog had made a polyphonic synth more in line with the Juno or Polysix. a dumbed-down One with more of this vintage sound than the One has. maybe someday…

Yes their website redesign is pretty bad, I agree!

That would be good news, indeed.

Love the look of the grandmother and this.
Sound too, obviously.

Yes, the first 250 units are just the moogfest edition. So there is no hurry in action… :wink:

1 Like

Isn’t it paraphonic?

Hmmmm could be, I think you‘re right!

Damn this sounds gorgeous.

1 Like

No hate from me, just found it a bit weird and trying too hard to be hip - although it has to be said these kind of naff promos are becoming more common lately, horse for courses though.

Personally I prefer less fluff and more hard data, if you are selling me a synth show me the synth and tell me about it, instead of showing 4 reel to reel decks and loads of slo-mo, blurry and artistic shots of unrelated “hip” meaningless footage. Still, it was nowhere near as bad as the Micro Freak promo or that dreadful Roland one a few years back with what looked like 3 teenagers competing in a dystopian TV gameshow.

8 Likes

The Grandmother was one of the biggest surprises for me in recent years. I was not at all in the market for a vintage-sounding synth… until I heard it. It captures everything I wanted in a Moog monosynth (and didn’t already have in the Minimoog). However, I always wanted more. This thing answers all of my wish list for the Grandmother. I expect I may be trading up.

3 Likes

I just sold my Sub Phatty… It sounds amazing, better than the Subsequent IMO, but I couldn’t fit it in my mixes… It always wants to scream or get gritty. This however fits the bill quite well, especially with today’s coming toy :slight_smile:

The “artistic” demo image looks like it’s a lizard under a heat lamp.

4 Likes