Nice ! Lets go to buy one 
Moog Mother encounter 
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I just saw a Mother 32 posted on my local Craigslist for $400. I certainly don’t need this synth, but I was thinking about buying it to pair with a Subharmonicon that I recently acquired… I’m definitely a novice when it comes to (semi) modular synths, so bare with me, but does anyone have an opinion about this pairing? Are there any advantages to this combo (specifically with modulation) compared to the Subharmonicon and DFAM combo?
I use Mother-32 and Subharmonicon (as well as DFAM) together. I think they are a great combo, offering lots of interesting options for cross patching and modulation.
The Mother-32 has lots of utilities that you might find yourself reaching for when playing your Subharmonicon, e.g. an LFO, a mixer/attenuator, a multiple. These can help add variation and complexity to keep your Subharmonicon patches from growing stale.
In the other direction, something I like to do is patch one of the VCOs from the Subharmonicon into the external audio of the Mother-32 and use it as a second layer to whatever sequence is running on the Mother-32. You can have the layers synchronised by sending CV from the Mother-32 to the Subharmonicon, or try sequencing them independently for interesting results.
TLDR; I’ve found them to be a great pair and would recommend.
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I think the only downside to that combo is that you have to sacrifice the 32’s assignable out to sync the units up, unless you’re going to be using them with other gear (you could MIDI sync them both from a master unit, for example). Using the assignable out for sync robs you of sample and hold, which I always find a way to use. The DFAM is a bit more flexible in that respect but, again, this is only really a problem if you intend to use them as an isolated pair. Beyond that - well, I’m not sure what currency we’re talking about, but if it’s USD then I’d say $400 for a 32 is a great deal - it’s a beautiful-sounding mono and a joy to tweak, though I think they have refined the format subsequently - the sequencer can be fiddly, with some operations requiring three-button combos. You soon forgive it when a sequence is running, though. Filling out one of the Moog modular cases with equivalent Eurorack would certainly cost you a lot more.
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Thanks for your responses!
That’s what I was hoping for. It seems like it could be my cheapest option for achieving these kinds of modular connections, or is there something else in this price range that has a similar feature set?
I would probably midi sync them with my Octatrack, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
It is indeed! I hadn’t ever considered a Mother 32 but the price is making do a double take.
If you’re purely interested in modulation - and not so much in the Mother-32 sound or sequencer - I would suggest a Make Noise 0-Coast. For a similar price, you get a ton of modulation capability and an interesting sound source to boot. I still think the Mother-32 and Subharmonicon are a great combination though, and you can benefit from your existing familiarity with the Moog’s terminology, layout etc. Something to think about.
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I’ve considered the 0-Coast a few times before. It’s an intriguing concept for a synth, but I haven’t been convinced by its sound (or I at least haven’t heard examples that sounded useful in a song writing context. I’d love for my mind to be changed though.) I make decidedly experimental music, but I’ve come to the conclusion that most of my favorite sounds start with a more traditional/melodic source, that are then altered through effects and Octatrack mangling. In that sense the Mother 32 seems appropriate. It’s not a sound that excites me, but it’s dependable, so maybe the combination of its traditional east coast sound and patchable utilities would work for me… I’ll let you know if I end up buying it.
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The 0-Coast is an interesting idea - it’s very good at unsequenced patches and has some stuff related to that you won’t get from the Moog double act (like a function generator). But the flipside is that it’s hard to make it melodic unless you pair it with a separate MIDI sequencer or a quantizer. But the Subharmonicon does have its two quantized outputs… hmm. I might hook them up later and see what happens.
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Nice generative M32 self patch, run through a FREE Valhalla Supermassive plugin.
This video is long but you’ll get the idea after a minute or so.
The details of the setup are in the video’s comments.
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If you ever end up recoding your experiments with that duo, I’d love to hear an example!
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I am trying to get better at recording stuff, though I’ve always enjoyed the transience of just enjoying it in the moment and starting over, especially with semi-/modular gear where it tends to be 5% result / 95% stumbling around patching. I think I’ll try to get the 0C/Subh together at the weekend if not before. If anything interesting comes of it I’ll pop in in the SubH thread but add a mention here.
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Is it possible to use the case the mother32 comes in as a regular eurorack case? I assume it’d need a power supply though!
Exactly. You could use something like this…
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First try with my newly arrived Mother-32, that sound is phat! But I can’t update it to the latest firmware as I don’t have an audio interface that can send MIDI… Wonder if the Digitone or A4 can forward sysex messages…
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Usb-midi adapter come pretty cheap, and are also handy for other purposes like debugging midi etc.
I bought this one some time ago:
/thomas
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Cool seen this one but I couldn’t find if yes or not it would send sysex info but if it can, will certainly get one! Thanks!
needed clarification team
i started using sequencer mother32 but, anyone can explain what does tempo knob when using an external midi clock?
“moog answer
When synced to external MIDI clock, the TEMPO/GATE LENGTH knob will function as a “step subdivision” selector”
I don’t understand)
It chooses whether a step on the sequencer is a quarter note, a sixteenth note, a whole note, etc. When you’re turning the Tempo knob, lights indicate where you are on a scale between, iirc 2 whole notes and 1/32 note per sequencer step.
I’ve recently encountered some buggy/unexpected behavior (not switching to new tempo division for the first two notes), when switching between patterns set to different midi clock divisions, curious if there’s a solution there.
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understandable, thanks)