Moog Modular
I remember the first time I encountered a Moog Synthesizer: Switched-On Bach. I was all of 14-years-old and absolutely captivated. All those knobs and patch cords. And then there were the sounds that it made. To an adolescent boy growing up in the mid-late ’60s whose hero was Mr. Spock, it was like a futuristic dream come true—my own musical version of the Starship Enterprise and for only a few thousand dollars. The Last Whole Earth Catalog even featured a review of it by Wendy Carlos herself!
Then I learned how much a few thousand dollars actually was. I tinkered with resisters and capacitors, transistors and chokes, but I couldn’t do anything like that. But this is what led me inexorably to a career in music and recording. Well, and the Beatles helped, too. Flash forward 41 years and many synthesizers, guitars and amps later, I still could not seem to afford that big gleaming Moog dream.
Then a company called Arturia released a virtual software version of my childhood Holy Grail, the Moog Modular V. And there were nine—count ’em, nine!—oscillators. Filters, envelope generators. A fixed filter bank. A sample and hold module. A bank of configurable mixers. And with enough computer firepower, I could finally make the sounds I’d heard Wendy Carlos make. The software even has stereo chorus and delay lines, a very neat addition to the package to fatten up your sound without having to use any outboard effects. And did I mention polyphony? Yes, unlike its hardware predecessor, the Moog Modular V offers up to 32 voices, if you have the processor power to deliver them.
I’ve been using this powerful, flexible piece of software for almost four years now and I have to admit that it does almost everything I ever wanted a music synthesizer to do. It does things the hardware version couldn’t even do. My only complaint is latency (delay). I would never use it live, but then again I haven’t been playing live these days, and if I did, I’d probably sample off the sounds I want to use and do it that way. The software can be used stand alone or as a plugin, for Mac or Windows OS.
[Here's an audio sample from Jeff -- es]
Available from Amazon
Software by Arturia
Favorite (15)
George C.
The Arturia instruments are known for nice sound and good interfaces, but as the poster says, they can be a beast when it comes to CPU power, which means buffers must be set higher and latency is exacerbated. Also, the "Moog" sound, while quite awesome, has a very particular sonic signature, and may not always be what you want.
For those interested in tweaking knobs and patching modules together, there are many other modular and semi-modular software synthesizers out there that are worth trying alongside Arturia's Moog- Things like Native Instruments Massive and Reaktor, Propellerheads' Thor (which comes as part of Reason), Vember Audio's SURGE, and U-He's Zebra 2 (a personal favorite), not to mention Way Out Ware's TimeWarp 2600, which directly emulates another classic modular beast- the Arp 2600.
Michael Black
You wouldn't have used the original Moog on stage either, unless you were doing an Acid Test (and then it was a Buchla).
You couldn't play more than one note at a time, so you needed to build things up with multiple takes and a tape recorder.
Originally, synthesizers weren't seen so much as music instrument replacements, but as taking things somewhere else. Even in the seventies, one local university would not allow a keyboard to be connected to their Moog, because then it would make it too easy to fall into the habit of using it as a glorified organ.
Even when synthesizers got small and used switches rather than patch cords to rearrange the modules (and usually then limiting the variety), they were seen more as for adding some unique sound to the stage rather than toe emulate other instruments.
Now, synthesizers generally don't mean "electronic music" but a means of getting all kinds of instruments into one package, and with a single interface, the piano keyboard, to control it.
Michael
George C.
@Michael Black - Plenty of folks trucked their Moog modulars on tour- just look at live shots from Yes, ELP, etc from the 70s. The drama of patching things mid-song onstage and the faux-scientist tweaking of this 3" high sea of knobs went a long way toward elevating the prog rock keyboardist to wizard status- see Rick Wakeman, Darren Emerson, etc.
The modulars were used for sound effects/noise sounds as well as lead synth sounds. A good Moog modular makes a very nice noise, and for some they were irreplaceable onstage. Because they were so large, heavy, and unreliable, you had to be a major touring band with a good synth tech and sympathetic roadies to do this, but it certainly happened pretty often.
The MiniMoog was Moog's attempt to make a playable, basic synth that was more portable. It was extremely popular with touring acts, but of course, didn't offer the crazy modulation and processing options that the big boy did.
Curtis
I like my kid's Moog Little Phatty synthesizer. But, I'm no kinda musician.
Jonathan
You can cure the latency with a good audio card. I have an external Edirol UA-25 audio box that's USB powered, has two inputs that work with 1/4" and XLR connectors (and can provide phantom power) as well as Midi in/out.
Using ASIO drivers on my T-60 laptop I can get latency down to 6-7ms. Just remember to disable all services and scheduled events, During a performance, I'd turn off WiFi and disable all network devices.
For my big desktop workstation, I have a M-Audio Delta 1010LT. Provides all the ins and outs I need!
wayne
Testing the comments!
Captain Packrat
If you have a Nintendo DS, the Korg DS-10 runs about $30 and a new version, the Korg DS-10 Plus will be released in a few weeks at the same price. Both are designed to mimic the Korg MS-10.
The original version of the software has 2 patchable dual-oscillator analog synth simulators, a 4 part drum machine, a 6-track, 16-step sequencer, a keyboard, Kaoss pad, and the ability to link with 3 other DS-10 units. The Plus version, when used with a DSi, has 4 synths, an 8 part drum machine, a 12-track sequencer and the ability to link 7 additional units (if used with DS or DS Lite, it has only the capabilities of the original software).
Although it's fairly limited compared to the real thing, especially with regard to output (the DS has only a headphone jack), you can't beat the price or the portability.
linnen
Well the version 2 seems sold out.
Arturia is now selling a ver. 2.5 for 249.00 USD.
http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/moogmodularv/intro.html
chrimbly
@George C. - "The drama of patching things mid-song onstage and the faux-scientist tweaking of this 3" high sea of knobs went a long way toward elevating the prog rock keyboardist to wizard status- see Rick Wakeman, Darren Emerson, etc."
Just for the "record": it's Keith Emerson.