I understand some things.
The Mother 32 is a Eurorack oriented synth, and as such uses 1/8 inch jacks.
Eurorack is a popular and future oriented format
There is enough space on the Mother 32’s face to accommodate 1/4 inch jacks
Modifying an existing one is possible but a warranty voiding chore
All of Moog’s gear up to this point harkens back to the original Moog 5U modular format (except for the s-trig, for obvious reasons)
So here’s where I’m coming from.
I am a Voyager + CP-251 and VX-251 owner.
I am a Slim Phatty owner.
I own three Moogerfoogers.
Using 1/4 to 1/8 cables or converters is expensive and annoying and very inconvenient.
Would it be so much to ask for Moog to do two versions of this synth, one Eurorack and one “legacy”? Because honestly in my case, the only thing holding me back from buying this as an awful nifty Voyager expander is the jacks. The price range is just high enough that it makes a seemingly small point significant to me. This would be so great in my rack, but only with the freedom afforded by 1/4 inch jacks!
I kind of thought the same thing. I have a few non-Moog pieces in my system that use 1/8. I hate them. I just built a voltage multiplier unit where one jack in every group is 1/8, only to be able to convert it to 1/4. Maybe Moog could release a patchbay that converts it to 1/4? Ideally it would connect via a special ribbon cable like the 351 CV expanders did, rather than plugging into the front 1/8 jacks. AND if it was buffered, it would allow the 1/8ths on the front to still be used without dropping the voltage to the 1/4s. That way you could use the front panel jacks to interconnect multiple mothers, but use the expansion bay to connect to things like foogers or voyagers.
I’ve been mixing 3.5mm and 1/4" for years now (sem patch point -Moog stuff) and I’ve been using 3.5mm-1/4" premade cables. You can find them cheap online under $3.00 USD. They are not pretty but have held up.
Okay, I’ll admit that one was a bit of a stretch. The 1/4 inchers would interfere with the silkscreen for sure, but I’m pretty sure that they could be crammed in. How to fix the silkscreen problem, I dunno.
The thing that concerns me most is whether the 1/4 inchers would be too deep to fit inside the box. Even so, I would tolerate “short jacks” although I realize moog would never go for that.
Considering there was the Little Phatty CV mod, multiple Voyager revisions (especially consider the backlight option added later), and the Voyager XL, that’s not a statement I’d take as gospel. Also, it’s early in the product cycle, so planting this idea now may give it hope for future versions or options. For all we know there’s a Mother 64 or Father 32 on the way! lol
Fair enough, but I’m willing to bet there was EXTENSIVE discussion about what size jacks to use on the Mother. The changes you mentioned were tweaks made along the way. It’s not quite the same thing as shoe-horning 1/4 jacks into space made for 1/8. I would love for them to make a mother XL, but I’m not holding my breath.
They seem to be working their way up. First, the Werkstatt with jumper wire, then the Mother-32 with 3.5mm jacks. Is it really so inconceivable that this might lead to a “Father-32” with 1/4" jacks, especially now that both the slim phatty and voyager rme are discontinued? When all of their other CV equipment is 1/4", it would seem natural that they would eventually bring this technology to that format, possibly as a new flagship, with more oscillators, envelopes, etc. Of course they would have to reduce the number of CV jacks compared to multiple Mothers, but could make them assignable as a compromise… I want to believe.
I find myself hoping that if and when they release a Father-32 it will be voiced like the Minitaur and have all the controls it has now plus the items used in the editor. Perhaps that is just me but I love the Minitaurs voice. Sure won’t stop me form getting a Mother-32 when possible.
Synth.com owners can simply add a Q122 Mini Jack interface to make an M-32 (or any 1/8 gear) easily slot into their system. Uses up one panel space, but worth it to avoid using adapters or having to buy special cables. I use one to incorporate a Doepfer Dark Energy module into the mix:
I’m assuming you are calling a stereo adapter normal (aka headphone/TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve)), in which case yes, it works. The ring portion will also pick up ground or be floating, and the tip will carry the signal as usual. Generally, any 1/4 inch cable will work in a mono (TS) socket, but only a TRS cable will work in a TRS jack. That’s not always true, but 90% of the time it’ll get you by. TRRS and greater is more nuanced.
Take an aluminum panel or project box and drill 8-10 holes for 1/8" jacks. Drill the same number of holes for 1/4" jacks. Solder the tips and grounds together for each jack pair.
This would cost about the same as 8-10 specialized cables but would be a fairly straight forward, simple solution to a simple problem.
I’m not saying there aren’t workarounds to this problem. What I am saying is that when I have a billion 1/4 inch cables and devices, the added inconvenience of having 1/8 inch jacks dominating this module is enough to make me and I’m sure others too pass it by. It looks like a great module, but I’d be more inclined to buy it if I could just buy, plug, and play, rather than buy it and a whole bunch of other things, modify it or set up a mass jumble of cables either to a patchbay (which would be slightly difficult to achieve due to the front facing jacks) or (worse) half to itself and half to other 1/4 inch synths, and only then be able to play it. I already have enough difficulty with massive midi setups and the patch bay centralizing all of my Voyager’s I/O.
Actually, after writing all of that I’ve come to a conclusion. For the scope of this synth, Moog really doesn’t care so much about synthesists like me. They are aiming at the eurorack market, and I respect that. It’s a super concept. But for people who haven’t adopted that format, this is like a slightly misshapen puzzle piece. You might be able to jam it in place, but it wasn’t designed with the intent to be there in the first place. In essence, this synth simply wasn’t designed for me or people like me, and that’s okay. If we really really love it and its concept, we can make it fit and enjoy it and use it, but otherwise we would have to either wait for a new semimodular product or just go straight to Moog’s modular line up.
For me personally, I really like the concept at the price point, but I have enough fiddling and work to do with other vintage instruments than worry about shoehorning this one in to the “make it work” projects. Cables are expensive, and the alternative of making them takes time. By the time I’m done adjusting for costs like that it moves the price point high enough that it loses its worth to me. That’s just my own personal opinion, at least. It’d be nice for Moog to release a 1/4 inch version of this, or another cheap semimodular with 1/4 inchers down the line, but for now, for me, it just doesn’t fit my puzzle.
I have a pretty large investment in 1/4" 5U modular. But since the beginning I have incorporated Frac modules with 1/8" jacks. A modular, to my mind, is about mix and match. I have a small amount of Euro now as well. 1/4", 1/8", banana, 5U, Euro, Frac, whatever, I don’t care if the module is one that I want. Just my opinion, it’s what works for me.
