Moog Grandmother

Re: Moog Grandmother
« Reply #20 on: February 04, 2021, 03:49:59 PM »
It's been a mad two weeks in my synth world. My Prophet 5 arrived last week and as of yesterday I'm the proud father of a Grandmother! I'd tried it out at Justmusic, back in the Before Times, and always liked it. I know I'm not the only one spending more money than I should these days, but I don't regret grabbing this lovely synth. It's got that gorgeous, classic tone for traditional "musical" purposes - leads and bass - and then, of course, it's got that semi-modular rabbit hole charm. While my music has always been about blending structured pop with random weirdness, I find myself lately a bit anxious or uptight about putting too much time into simply playing around with sound. I've become very purpose-based. But last night and much of today has been very much a guilt-free "What happens if I plug *this* into *this*??" Quite liberating and very fun. And it has THAT sound.

I left a Micromoog behind in Berlin. I always figured if I moved back to California, I'd sell the Micro, as it's not sturdy enough to ship. I thought the Grandmother would be a great replacement to have here in Cal. Selling and shipping are moot points right now with the pandemic calling all shots, but just as the heavenly rev 4 Prophet 5 makes me miss my P6, the Grandmother makes me appreciate the Micromoog. I don't think I've ever been able to say "Such and such synth covers all the bases because it can sound like this one and that one..." To me, each one is unique. As Mr. Smith would put it, It's a curse!!

timboréale

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Re: Moog Grandmother
« Reply #21 on: February 04, 2021, 04:14:43 PM »
I had a Moog Grandmother for just shy of a year. Beautiful sound, but I didn't gel with it and the lack of patch storage annoyed me more than I found value in the manual patching. I miss my Subsequent 37 though - that was a beauty of a synth. That said, there's a sort of wide open depth to the Grandmother that the phatty series lacks, and that was definitely appealing. I can see why it's still a popular synth! The thing that finally did ol' grandma in though was the keyboard. I consider 32 keys at least 5 too few. 37 is my hard limit and I prefer the 49 keys of the Nord Lead (although I could be happy with the 44 of the Pro 2 as well, in a pinch). So, between my frustration with the way it didn't fit in the studio workflow and the keybed, it went out the door and I am presently Moog-less (and monosynth-less).
Prophet 6 keyboard, Rev2-16, Prophet 12 Keyboard, Nords, etc...

Re: Moog Grandmother
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2021, 06:49:24 PM »
I had a Moog Grandmother for just shy of a year. Beautiful sound, but I didn't gel with it and the lack of patch storage annoyed me more than I found value in the manual patching. I miss my Subsequent 37 though - that was a beauty of a synth. That said, there's a sort of wide open depth to the Grandmother that the phatty series lacks, and that was definitely appealing. I can see why it's still a popular synth! The thing that finally did ol' grandma in though was the keyboard. I consider 32 keys at least 5 too few. 37 is my hard limit and I prefer the 49 keys of the Nord Lead (although I could be happy with the 44 of the Pro 2 as well, in a pinch). So, between my frustration with the way it didn't fit in the studio workflow and the keybed, it went out the door and I am presently Moog-less (and monosynth-less).

I'm used to the Micromoog's keyboard, which is also 32 notes, so the Grandmother doesn't feel strange or lacking. Plus, it's MIDI'd up to my P5, so if I do need those extra keys... And I started off on the Pro One, so a non-programmable mono is familiar, too. Come to think, the only programmable mono I've ever had is my Evolver. I used to always write down patch settings, either on the blank patch sheets that came with the manual, or on a scrap of notepaper. I don't know why, but I don't bother anymore. Maybe mono is meant to teach me to live in the moment or to just point out I'm a bit lazy!

timboréale

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Re: Moog Grandmother
« Reply #23 on: February 04, 2021, 07:36:16 PM »
Yep, for you that all adds up to "you're gonna love it!" The Grandmother and a Prophet 5 is a really charming combination. Very complementary (and quite different) timbres.
Prophet 6 keyboard, Rev2-16, Prophet 12 Keyboard, Nords, etc...

Re: Moog Grandmother
« Reply #24 on: February 04, 2021, 10:22:29 PM »
Yep, for you that all adds up to "you're gonna love it!" The Grandmother and a Prophet 5 is a really charming combination. Very complementary (and quite different) timbres.

Indeed. The Prophet and the Moog already get on very well! The Prophet is an old friend at this point, though that doesn't lessen the thrill of having a rev 4, while the Grandmother, despite being based on chips of yesteryear, keeps pulling me forward. A very "American" combination of synths, which I suppose it fitting as I've been back in California for nearly a year now!