Moog Matriarch

Hm… if you’re looking for exact this purpose,
you may better go for a real polyphonic synth.

2 Likes

It’s semimodular, so the sky’s the limit really in terms of versatility, especially if you are prepared to combine it with other modular/semimodular stuff. That said if you are really just looking for pads, 4 voice paraphony is probably not ideal.

Hi! Have you took a closer look onto that micromonsta? I think that could be a great synth for pads and I’m considering one so my digitone can take other jobs.

1 Like

Being able to create pads its not my only aim, but it’s a biggie. If I buy the Matriarch I will use it for bass sounds and use the seq/arp and all kinds of sounds. I am just afraid that I only will end up with pad sounds that sounds almost the same.

I have looked into the Prophet Rev 2 and it has been on top of my list for a while, but I don’t love the sound of it even though I know I can do nice sounds with it.

When I buy an instrument I wanna love the sound of it, not just settle with a synth that sounds okay. With all do respect to the Prophet rev 2 I just don’t love the sound of it, I just like it if you know what I mean.

No, I have not looked into that one, but I will do now. Thanks for the tip!

The specs of the delay from the moog website:

ANALOG DELAY

Stereo analog delay w/ up to 700ms of MIDI sync-able stereo or ping/pong style repeats

2 Likes

I like classic DX pads, as well as pads produced by other digital synths and hybrid ones - not just the analog variety represented by the Moog. The Korg Minilogue XD would be a much more versatile 4-voice pad machine, and it’s true polyphonic. It’s hybrid and some of the 3rd party digital oscillators available for it sound great.

Buried at various spots in the original 15-min. promo video are examples of pseudo-multitimbral operation, which I suppose could suggest Mono/Poly like behavior, minus the chord memory. The Moog One can play one patch with its arpeggiator, while a completely different patch is played manually on the keyboard; and a 3rd patch available for simultaneous usage. Perhaps the Matriarch has some subset of that capability - maybe the arpeggiator playing one oscillator with its own wave shape, etc. setting and the other three triggered from the keys.

as well as the Micromonsta (which is an an awesome wavetable synth in a tiny and fairly inexpensive package), if you have the budget it is well worth looking at the Peak. It’s extremely versatile and sounds great.

1 Like

That would be very cool!

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.

1 Like

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

2 Likes

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.

2 Likes

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.

1 Like

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.

1 Like

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…!

1 Like