Moog Mother-32

dslsynth

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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #60 on: December 17, 2015, 12:59:26 PM »
Okay, but only if I don't find any better way to do a workout.

Play a real Rhodes piano! ;)
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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #61 on: December 17, 2015, 01:00:26 PM »
Okay, but only if I don't find any better way to do a workout.

Play a real Rhodes piano! ;)

No, lift it any carry it at least to the third floor.

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #62 on: December 17, 2015, 01:29:25 PM »
Paul, many moons ago I was lugging around a Rhodes from club to club.  I think it weighed about half as much as my old Ford Maverick.  It made me seriously consider switching to the fife.

Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #63 on: December 17, 2015, 01:31:39 PM »
Ha, yeah I can definitely relate to that even without gigging extensively with a Rhodes in the past.

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #64 on: December 17, 2015, 01:38:11 PM »
I think it's old description as a "suitcase piano" was a bit of a stretch.  More like "baby grand"!

Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #65 on: December 17, 2015, 01:43:39 PM »
I think it's old description as a "suitcase piano" was a bit of a stretch.  More like "baby grand"!

Well, the 'suitcase' version had the amp it was placed upon. The other one is the 'stage' version and only has the legs to stand upon.

Suitcase:


Stage:
« Last Edit: December 17, 2015, 01:47:01 PM by Paul Dither »

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #66 on: December 17, 2015, 02:07:05 PM »
Ah...they're both beautiful.

Steven Morris

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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #67 on: December 17, 2015, 03:20:14 PM »
Very fun thread to read through :)

Re: Standalone Moog Oscillator
I always thought that the MF-107 was capable of acting as an oscillator, albeit paired with some other functions that might not be of interest to someone who just wants an oscillator and add to the cost.

Re: Tuning Analog (Specifically Eurorack)
I think that Eurorack is more finicky than standalone analog synths because each module is pretty much open to the 'elements'. Some of the components are sensitive to heat and therefore things like tuning and tracking can go out of whack along with temperature fluctuations. I suspect that power supplies (and their AC adapters) play a big role in this both in regards to temperature and making sure that it's exactly the right amount of voltage with minimal fluctuation.

A lot of makers like to boast '1v/oct' when they talk about their modules, but it's not always very true as it might be 1v/oct realistically for as little as 2 octaves. Even if the makers don't mention whether a module is 1v/oct, some users will claim that they are. It seems to me that 1. a lot of people tolerate this kind of tuning just like they tolerate distortion (sometimes obviously caused by bad gain staging) and 2. people are not measuring.

While I have all of my equipment hooked up to a rack tuner, I don't expect that most people are as particular. I have noticed a lot of minute things by doing this. I understand that plugging something into an FM jack will likely raise or lower the pitch by 2-5 cents. Obviously that's not a whole lot, but things add up-- especially when you compound that with +/- a few cents due to tracking that isn't 100% perfect.

RE: M32
As for the Mother 32, I would be extremely interested in it was I not already in possession of a decent system for my current intentions. It is also currently the only way to get a Moog filter in Euro. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a modified version, but it's still Moog nonetheless.

OT: Rhodes
I bought a Rhodes Mark II a little over a year ago. I probably paid slightly more than I should have for it, but knowing it was only owned by one person who did not gig with it and the fact that it was in pristine condition is what sold it. At the time I was considering a Rhodes, DSI Prophet 12 (which I had ruled out because of a lack of Linear FM capability), or an NI Komplete keyboard with all the plugins. Even though I'm not the best player, I'm very happy I went with the Rhodes (besides, it's almost hard to sound bad on one!).


Sacred Synthesis

Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #68 on: December 17, 2015, 08:51:08 PM »
Very fun thread to read through :)

Re: Standalone Moog Oscillator
I always thought that the MF-107 was capable of acting as an oscillator, albeit paired with some other functions that might not be of interest to someone who just wants an oscillator and add to the cost.

Yes, the MF-107 was the closest thing to an independent Moog oscillator, but it had very poor tracking.  There's an old YouTube video of a guy trying to use it as a third or fourth oscillator, and he could only get it to track within a small range - maybe an octave or so.  Beyond that, it would get terribly out of tune with the synthesizer.  Several years ago when I had a Voyager, I was assiduously researching this and the 107 turned out to be entirely unsatisfactory.

chysn

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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #69 on: April 09, 2016, 03:56:53 PM »
I revisited this thread because I'm revisiting the Mother-32. Turns out that this thread is also full of other interesting off-topic stuff, like how to make due with limited financial resources to get what you want.

Part of the decision-making process involves ruling things out, whittling down the field, and I haven't been very successful at that. I haven't completely ruled out a Pro 2. I haven't completely ruled out a Sub 37. I haven't completely ruled out keeping my Little Phatty forever. And I'm starting to think that maybe an appropriate response to DSI not making a monophonic Prophet 1 is to just get a Prophet 6. Honestly, I haven't even ruled out a Voyager. So basically, nothing is settled, which means that I shall hold and enjoy what I've got.

That's where the Mother-32 comes in. Mothers-32 are cheap enough not to have to wring my hands over it too much, and the sequencer looks like a blast, and it fits into my current interest in CV connections*. It's been about six months since the introduction of the Mother-32. Does anyone here have one?

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* The absence of which being the main arguments against the Sub 37 and Prophet 6, and the reason for the Pro 2 going back on the "maybe" list.
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chysn

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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #70 on: May 01, 2016, 04:33:59 AM »
I was going to write sort of a two-week mini-review of the Mother-32. But I changed my mind. The important thing is that I decided to keep it, meaning that I've registered the warranty and pulled all the little "contact lens" discs off the knobs.

What I wanted to talk about instead was how the Mother-32's design seems to be informed by that of the Desktop Evolver. Both instruments can function as keyboard-driven modules, but really shine as stand-alone instruments. Put them on a desk, alone, with headphones, and make something. Both instruments are deep and friendly toward experimentation and problem-solving. Both are engrossing, and result in lots of lost hours.

The Evolver's sequencer is better, no question about it. I need to keep my manual open to use the Mother-32 sequencer, while I've hardly ever looked at the Evolver's manual. It's really easy to mess up the Mother-32's "save" procedure, for exmple. The keys used in key combinations tend to have very little direct relationship to what the combinations actually do, making them hard to remember. Also, the Mother-32's single sequencer is normaled to the VCO, with no way to disconnect it, limiting its use as a pure modulation source. The Evolver sequencer, on the other hand, is an Evolver sequencer.

The Mother-32, on the other hand, is more open-ended with respect to modulation. The Evolver architecture is source-to-destination, while a semi-modular synth lets you keep the control signals going around in very interesting ways.

As for interface, there's little question that the Mother-32 really shines. I've grown skeptical of the Desktop Evolver's interface recently, so my plan is to sort of build an Evolverish thing (not a direct copy, obviously) in a eurorack format. This means that I'll buy both the DSM-01 Curtis Filter module and the upcoming DSM-03 Feedback module, a sequencer, some control processing modules, and an extra LFO. Will it sound just like an Evolver? Of course not. But the Feedback module, in particular, is very exciting, and sort of encapsulates what I love about the Evolver sound, combined with the Curtis filter. In short, I'm shooting for the essence of the Evolver, for three times the price!

But anyway, if you're wondering about the Mother-32, it's a good buy.
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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #71 on: June 16, 2016, 12:31:07 AM »
I just picked one up yesterday. This is a fascinating little piece of equipment to get lost in. Patching these endless loops of signal in, signal out. I actually like the minimalist feature set, you are encouraged to push things to the edge. This is the first time that I hear a Moog in action and there is something to the response of the sound to its controls. This is not a core component of your music creation setup, it is a meditation and study device.

chysn

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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #72 on: June 16, 2016, 05:13:12 PM »
This is not a core component of your music creation setup, it is a meditation and study device.

If you have more than a few other synths, that may be true. Except Mothers-32 tend to accumulate in groups of two or three, and by the time three are stacked together, that stack becomes something formidable in tone and flexibility. I've admired batteries of three Mothers, and for a while strongly considered one.

For me, the Mother-32 successfully shepherded me into eurorack modular, and now I'm weighing the idea of selling it (after two months!) to expand my modular synth with things I want.
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Re: Moog Mother-32
« Reply #73 on: April 29, 2020, 05:32:49 AM »
A firmware update (https://www.moogmusic.com/news/mother-32-firmware-update-now-available) fixed the only flaw in this synth: its inability to ignore MIDI start/stop messages. No longer.