The leaks and rumors are over, and the Moog Muse is here. It looks like the next-gen Moog flagship we’ve been waiting for, combining some of the best of Voyager, modular, and Matriarch in an 8-voice polyphonic instrument.
Let’s set the mood with this sumptuous fantasy by Lisa Bella Donna – like a polysynth holiday for your ears:
It’s hard not to look at the Muse panel and start to see some of your favorite polysynths from other makers, actually. That design looks good enough that you could squint at it and think you might be looking at something from 1979. But the Muse, entering the market at US$3499, has the feeling of back-to-basics Moog character and combined analog and digital vision that were the hallmarks of Moog Music’s rebirth of Voyager.
And this is the long-awaited successor to the Voyager in its components, too. The discrete oscillators descend from the Voyager, with the saturating mixer, ladder filters, and stereo VCAs “inspired by” the modular. So in the sound sense, this combines a filter and mixer architecture a lot like what I raved about on the Matriarch with some of the distinctive Voyager sound.
So let’s go over those specs:
- Eight analog voices, two VCOs each
- Tri/Saw, pulse, Wave Mix with variable pulse, FM with amount, hard sync, ring mod, etc.
- Modulation VCO with sine, saw, reverse saw, square, and noise
- Dual VCFs (ladder filters, because this is a Moog)
- Stereo VCA
- Two LFOs, pitch LFO, assignable envelopes
- 16-slot modulation matrix (per-timbre, per-patch)
- Stereo “Diffusion Delay” which seems to be inspired by the likes of Lexicon, etc., but a new design here
- Bi-timbral – two independent timbres per patch, which you can stack or split
Notably this also gives you a lot of the same abilities to spread sounds and overdrive mix, again features I loved on Matriarch. It seems to balance that with just the right amount of modulation possibilities and digital control – plenty of sound possibilities, but with control, focus, and character, and always organized.
And, ah, the beauty of analog design. I mean, even as an avowed lover of digital synthesis, honestly, in a live context two timbres in a split/stack is really all you need, unless you’re Vangelis or something. So what you get instead for your three-and-a-half-grand is a beast of knob-per-function hands-on control. They also have a design I’m curious to try in person which adds additional functions via “more” menus for each module – meaning what is not on the front panel isn’t far away.
There’s also a macro knob in addition to the pitch and mod wheels, etc.
And since it’s 2024, while you do get all those knobs and switches and (yes!) sliders, there’s also an OLED screen.
They’ve thrown in some extras, too – a flexible arpeggiator with rhythm programming options, a 64-step sequencer with chaining (16 banks x 16 sequences), plus CV in/out. My only disappointment here is that this is nowhere near as patchable as the Matriarch – so while I say a lot of the units do look like modules, they don’t have the patching options the Matriarch did. And it makes me long a little bit for a Matriarch MKII. (What’s the daughter of a matriarch called?)
But make no mistake: this looks like what the Moog One should have been, even if that design fell short.
Mylar Melodies has a great hands-on demo and walkthrough. I think this is the best video tour out there right now – and gladly it’s musical and to the point. “Does it have sauce?” (Heh, you really do hear the Voyager + modular combo – it’s hilarious how Moog-y this Moog sounds.)
Of course you can also tour it with Lisa herself, which is a terrific guide to using the features to maximize performance approaches – so it’s a good playability companion / tips guide after the sound guide above:
Now, I’m still excited to tour Labyrinth with CDM, as that’s got more semi-modular sound design and pattern generation features without wanting a car to drive it around. So stay tuned. It’s somewhere in German UPS Hell, speaking of labyrinths. Ahem.
But it’s great to see Moog with a proper flagship again. Watch this space; I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot about it. (Hey Moog, sure you don’t want to reopen your Berlin showroom? Or we could all go to a nice Mediterranean island and hang out there. Moog Greece?)
Moog Muse is available and shipping right now:
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Moog Muse 8-voice Bitimbral Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer [Sweetwater]
Moog Muse 8-Voice Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer [Guitar Center]
Muse Polyphonic Analog Keyboard Synthesizer [Perfect Circuit]
Take us out, Misha.
