I know the MG-1 has no wheels for pitch bends/modulations, but I’ve heard some ppl say you can still do pitch bends and modulations on it, just have to use the knobs and sliders instead. Is that true?
I want to get one, but not being able to do those things would be a deal breaker. I don’t mind using sliders or knobs instead of wheels, just as long as I have some kind of control over it and ability to do it, I can adapt. Anyone know? Thanks
The Mg-1 was my first Moog synth, and I’ve played it for years.
As an alternative to the Mod Wheel:
In the Modulation section on left most part of the front panel, there is a slider identified as Tone Source, which has in fact the same function as a modulation wheel to modulate the pitch of the Tone Sources sections with the LFO, resulting in a vibrato. That slider is conveniently located next to the edge of the panel son grasping and moving it with the left hand is as easy as moving a mod wheel. The only difference being that you need to grab the slider’s knob with your fingers in order to move it up or down.
Still in that Modulation section, the slider next to it, identified as Filter, has the same function of controlling modulation levels but for the filter cutoff this time. You can use that as a way to create a rhythmic wah to the sound, at the speed of the LFO. Much like if you were to assign the mod wheel to filter on other synths that provide this possibility (like a Minimoog via the Filter Modulation switch).
There is a slight limitation here, as you cannot control both pitch and filter modulation from the same slider (or mod wheel like on other synths). But one can still grab both slider caps and move them both simultaneously in order to get the same result. Which is a vibrato as well as a rhythmic wah together.
As for pitch bending:
Unfortunately, that’s where the biggest limitation of the MG-1 comes in. While there is a rotating Master Tune knob on the upper left side of the panel, which controls the overall pitch of the monophonic tone sources,its purpose is to tune the MG-1 to an outside reference. And being an analog synth will surely not be exactly at its center position in order to be exactly in tune.
Even if one would be lucky enough to have an MG-1 that is perfectly in tune with that knob on dead center, there isn’t any center notch on it, as on a pitch bend wheel, to get back in tune from a bending up or down of a note.
But in all my 20+ years of using the synth, I’ve never really missed that. I use the Glide knob to control “bending” between notes, mostly upwards, and have developed a “technique” where I can quickly set it at the desired glide speed just before playing the next note, and quickly brining it down to the “off” positon after the glide has ended. Pretty efficient and slightly different from conventional pitch bends.
As for if this limitation can be a turn off for you, I don’t know. I’ve come to love pitch bend wheels for their expressiveness but played also many synths that didn’t have any and never felt I was “handicapped” by it.
My two cents on it. TIFWIW.
Thanks for ther great detailed response 
I know what you mean about the glide thing. I was thinking the same thing that I could make use of that as a kind of alternative to a true pitch bend wheel. There’s a great solo on the Remy Shand song “Take a Message”, that he played on an MG-1, and I wondered how he pitch bended into the first note of the solo with no pitch wheel. Now I’m sure it was just a glide from a lower note, but like you said it can be pretty convincing with just the glide, so maybe it could be enough for my needs.
Solo starts at 2:53
http://www.guavaleaf.com/video/3850/Remy-Shand--Take-A-Message
I may just opt for the Rogue to get the wheels, but the MG-1 has a slightly different tone to me. Even though they are both supposed to be the same. The MG-1 sounds a little brighter/sweeter to me which I prefer.
You’re welcome, Flip.
As for a Rogue versus an MG-1, there are several advantages to the latter. First, you can choose different waveforms and octaves for both Tone Sources (not so for the Rogue).
Second, there is a slider named “bell tone” in the mixer section which is sort of a Ring Modulation or Cross Modulation of both Tone Sources performed by a logic gate circuit that adds to the sonic possibilities.
Third, you can have different levels of LFO modulation for both the pitch and the filter cutoff (the Rogue has only one control via the mod wheel, and only on/off selectors for each).
Fourth, the simple but effective full keyboard polyphony section, which offers a square wave only timbre, especially when combined with the mono section. BTW, the MG-1 has higher note priority which will force you to play reversed chords in order to have the highest note be the root of a chord in the mono section when combining the polyphony.
Finally, there are RCA female connectors in the back for connecting an outside music source to play-along-to with the synth (unfortunately they do not allow the external sound source to pass thru the Moog filter and VCA as on The Rogue ext in), and also the MG-1 has an internal PSU instead of a wall wart external type as on The Rogue.
The Rogue, however, has another interesting features not found on the MG-1, besides the obvious wheels and external audio input passing through the filter and VCA. The Contoured position of the Sync mode, which can control the pitch of OSC 2 with the envelope for a very effective and typical sync sound (à la The Cars or JMJ Synthex LazerHarp). But that’s about it.
Oh, and because the MG-1 bears the name Realistic in big white letters on the back, it’s often mistakingly discarded as a cheap Radio Shack keyboard, when it is in fact a genuine Moog synth, so it’s often found inexpensively.
But there’s a dark side to both The Rogue and the MG-1 : the dreaded “foam of death”. If you find either of these synths and it hasn’t been removed, stay away or deal the price down quite a bit. It is a hard job to remove and often sliders and switches have to be replaced if parts of it has entered them.
EDIT Had a look at the (very good) video. And that reminded me of another neat trick you can do with an MG-1, not possible with The Rogue: having the tone sources glide against the fixed Poly section, very effective effect (reminiscent of the Brass Stabs of Japanese synths of the eighties which could autobend one oscillator while the second was fixed)
BTW Flip, Marc Doty (AKA Museslave on this forum) has done a very comprehensive and in depth 5 parts video review of the MG-1 on YouTube under his alias there: Automaticgainsay
Here are the links to them:
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE7aQpA4XVA
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-bK0bRoYhk&feature=relmfu
Part 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rUtIcRwGME&feature=channel&list=UL
Part 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yOZxry9PrM&feature=relmfu
Part 5:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRm5-Zi-udY&feature=relmfu
I’ve had both the Rogue and MG-1- I loved them both and used them extensively, but if I had to choose between them, I’d go with the MG-1, although the Rogue does look cooler…