What makes the Moogerfooger Analog Delay worth its astronomical price tag? Why prefer it - say - to the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, which is less than half its price? I would be using the Delay with a Voyager Old School.
I think it has something to do with the bucket brigade circuitry being rare, coupled with the amount of circuitry that it takes to create that exceptionally long delay time (for a bucket brigade).
The EHX unit is digital, yes?
Some people really have all kinds of issues with paying these high prices for otherwise common units like phasers and delays, but having a voltage controllable delay that is analog AND has over a second of delay is worth the price to me.
At the time I cringed when i forked out that 699 for my delay but when I got it I realized that it sounds so fantastic. Being able to control the feedback or time with the touchpad is also a bonus.
Eric
Yeah, I think BBD (analog) chips cost more if you want the longer delay times (1 second) and still have good sounding audio. That’s why so many analog delays have a short time on them. Plus all the CV control and it starts to add up.
I can’t afford one either. The EHX pedal is nice but I would suggest looking for one of the old Japanese rack mount analog delays, like a Yamaha E1010 or Ibanez AD-202. I’ve had an AD-202 for a long time and it sounds great. You only get about 600ms of delay, but it does have built-in modulation.
It certainly has the longest delay of any analog I have seen, about 1 sec
Yea… a gigantic bonus. It really makes you love the touchpad! It is just so cool.
The effects loop should be mentioned as well.
Overall, it is the CV control for me.
I have a number of demos using the Moog 104z delays in my sig.
It really is a cool effect, but if you do not plan on ever using the CV on it, than you may be able to find something cheaper… but… Moog is a four letter word!
I got mine for around 400 used. It is worth it to me for the CV and the distortion/degradation of the sound as it decays.
It doesn’t just output a mirror of the input over and over like a digital delay. It’s cheaper than a tape delay!
Get it for 400 used and it’s not so bad. It sounds lovely. I featured it on this:
http://www.box.net/shared/ystv06cufj/1/33998848/351419170
Using the CV control to vary the wet/dry in real time. Lots of possibilities for precision control on the fly.
While it may be a bit of “flame bait” to talk about other products, I feel that I have earned enough
Moog cred to be allowed to share my experiences with all varieties of instruments and processors.
I already own a Little Phatty Solar CV, Etherwave Plus, and the CP-251 as well as all of the MF’s
with the exception of the MF-104Z Analog Delay. I will probably own that one too, some day…
There are many things that the 104z does that are very desirable. One of my favorites is just how
well its Delay Time responds to Control Voltages. Even if you send Saw or Square LFO waves with
lots of amplitude you tend to get musically useful results. The Drive feature, a standard of MFs, is
always useful and appreciated. The ability to control Wet/Dry Mix and Feedback with CVs is also a
great path for exploration. And finally… it just sounds “right” in so many instances.
Plus there’s the whole “Collect All 8!” mentality that made me beg my Mom to keep buying the
same type of breakfast cereal for months when I was a kid. In general, it’s safe to say that the
more Moogerfoogers you have, the cooler your rig looks. (Whoever thought of making each MF
have different colored rocker switches knew what heart strings to pull.) And they just all play
and work together so nicely; each MF purchase revitalizes all of your other MFs and CV synths.
But delays are something that I want in many varieties. To paraphrase a T-shirt seen at NAMM,
“Love One Woman, Love Many Delays”. (Although I suppose that statement could be interpreted
at least a few other ways 
Here are two digital delay pedals that I like:
DigiTech TimeBender pt. 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4arlipIwfIk
DigiTech TimeBender pt. 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHRk2HO-kpo
BOSS RE-20 Space Echo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKScK9M5AYU
Although not shown on the video, I have since discovered that the TimeBender does cool things
with Control Voltages applied to the Control Pedal Input. It may also work on the RE-20 but I
haven’t tried it yet. (Use a CP-251 Attenuator to make sure the voltage doesn’t get too high.)
I use my Etherwave Plus’ CVs through the CP-251 a lot on various effect pedals.
If you haven’t already heard it, here’s my MF-101 demo that’s going into an MF-104Z:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K8YnPqfxyk
What can I say? I love them all. Hope this helps a little.
What I love about my 104’s ( I have two - the only fooger I have duplicated in my setup ) is the environment they put the sound in. That, the long delay time, and the controllability of them forced me to get a 2nd unit so I can process stereo synths if I like. Thank god I found the 2nd one used.
I also want to check out the Boss unit, and the Delay Modeller from Line 6.
Again, the sound quality… There’s something about them that reminds me of a lot of the synth sounds I fell in love with in the 80’s as a child.
Thanks, guys, for your “input.” I’m quite in favor of buying the Moog Analog Delay, but I’m still choking on the price. And I don’t buy used instruments any longer, so it’s $700+ or nothing.
I don’t need the pedal for sound effects, but only for giving more depth to my Voyager OS’s musicality.
I have the 104z and love the tone and cv inputs. I used to have an sib blue echodrive and I think the moog is definitely a step up. I don’t mean to hijack this thread but I have had to return mine 3 times in less than 5 months because the power inputs have all been faulty. Has anyone else had this problem and found the solution?
In that case you should at least try the MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CarbonCopy
It’s full of Analoggy goodness…
Novamusik can probably get you a deal on the 104, if you call them and talk to them.
So 640 perhaps.
Id probably second what Dan said, the Mxr carbon copy or the Boss re20 would be my next picks.
Eric
Yes, I’ve come across several mentions of the Moog delay breaking down. It certainly makes me hesitant, since the price of this effect is almost the price of an instrument, and the quality, therefore, should be superb.
I’ve had good success with Electro-Harmonix equipment. They’re stuff is built like a tank. So, I’m still leaning towards the Memory Man or something similar. Anybody want to talk me out of it?
My delay broke down, but Ryan fixed it.
Works like a charm now. Id take it over any EHX delay any day, and not because its a Moog, but because It has CV’s (Not that the ehx can’t be modded)
If you want to talk NON Moog analog delays in the same price range there are some nice ones available, but not too many that will go as long or hace CV’s, but DO have modulation possible.
The Diamond Memory Lane looks nice.
The Deluxe Memory Man is BBD analog delay, as is the XO version. The Memory Boy/Toy use newer analog chips, and the Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai is the only digital delay in the ‘memory’ line.
EHX makes good stuff, I wouldn’t talk you out of it.
I have their Stereo Electric Mistress and their Cathedral, which is an awesome reverb for a pedal. At one time I owned both a Small Stone Phaser and the MF-103 Phaser so I compared them side by side (sorry, didn’t record any of it). The Moogerfooger was clearly the winner in terms of sound, not even taking into account the extra features. The Small Stone just sounded a bit hazy. It’s probably something you’d never notice on a guitar signal, but on synths it was clear that the Moogerfooger was intended to process full 20Hz - 20kHz sound with a more “flat” response, if that makes sense. The Cathedral pedal doesn’t have that problem though, it sounds great on everything. But it is digital of course.
I recently bought a Maxon AD-999 to double my delays: analog BBD + 900 miliseconds delay time for €249. It’s a great sounding analog delay, less noise and brighter than the MF but it has no CV.
You’re kidding, right? Try putting a high-hat into the Mooger delay. Nothing comes out of it. That’s to say “no sound”. The high frequency roll-off is extreme.
I don’t have a 104 and I’ve never tried one. I was referring to my comparison of the 103 Phaser and an EHX Small Stone.