void - played on moog etherwave theremin/moog rogue (2000)
etherphone - played on moog rogue (2000)
knipselinchen - played on moog voyager (2003)
moscow 1979 - played on moog prodigy (2007)
i put this up just for the fun of comparing the different characters of these instruments.
listening to these songs, i feel that the moogs i owned and the one i have now all sound different:
the theremin obviously sounds pretty scary. it is quite hard to keep a perfect tone. that requires a very immobile stance, which i’m lousy at.
when making drone music, you can get some hurdy-gurdy-like tones. in this example though, it’s all about scaryness. i recorded this in october that year, so it was close to halloween. i used samples and cut everything together in sonic foundry acid. there may be some odd glitches in the recording, as it’s old.
the rogue sounds friendly, colorful and bright. i feel that the first part of ‘etherphone’ is warm, the last is cold.
together with the theremin and other things, i sold the rogue to buy a voyager.
the voyager is thumpy and bold. it sounds mature. i found its tone very good-sounding.
i sold it because it was a bit overbearing and complex for my use. i came to prefer extremely simple things with direct access to the sound, and i didn’t want anything softwarish anymore. so i got a prodigy…
now the prodigy is raspy, playful, melancholic and colorated. i don’t know if that’s even a word. it has specific tone colors that i like. i really love its simplicity and the sound it makes. the absence of any possibility of saving patches is somehow closer to home for me.
i think of saving patches like some people may feel about getting their picture taken. like it takes away their soul. by not being able to save, you’re kind of forced to respond to what you feel sounds right in the current moment. that makes every session totally unique. it can never be replayed exactly like last time. it’s always fresh.
anyway, i’d like to invite you to enjoy these bits & pieces at
I always enjoy your work… your sound has a certain innocent quality which reminds me of music I used to listen to as a kid, growing up loving synths… almost a celebration into the pure sound of synthesizers.
I agree, the Prodigy is a great synth, I sold mine some years back and wished that I hadn’t as it is probably the finest example of an immediate gratification “hands-on” synth.
I only wish moog go this route again at some point as for me (like you) the Voyager has become slightly too complicated and the LP is perhaps still too big a synth.
of cause I downloaded and enjoyed your new and new old tracks as usual.
Indeed, “Moscow 1979” is showing off the typical Prodigy sound.
My first real own synth was a Moog Prodigy. And it is still working fine here.
Yes, the Voyager is not as straight forward as a Prodigy or the Rogue. But nobody is forced not to use it in “Panel Sound” mode all the time. This was it would behave just like all non programmable synths. And you do not have to change something in the menues once you set it up the way you like.
I really enjoy the additional features of the Voyager. It is way more equipped to make analog synth noises and FX sounds.
And if you should get tired from the Prodigy sound, why not modify it for the OSC2 to filter FM trick. It is such an easy thing. And changes the sound to a beast if used.
yes, the prodigy is truly a beautiful synthesizer. i like it because of the way it sounds and looks and how it makes me feel that odd excitement of old synthesizers.
that’s right, till, the voyager is very versatile. you can make it sound like any of the moogs, even a theremin! (nose on touchpad, licking touchpad, banana on touchpad).
maybe one day there will be something like a re-issue of the good old micromoog. knobs, switches, dials. the user will become the operating system. reclaim the panel!
hi, thanks for listening! i am glad you like the tunes.
i’ve never played an lp.
i have considered it, but i am very happy with my prodigy. it’s a unique instrument and it has the character i like. warm, pleasant sound, simple architecture, nothing too much, nothing missing. it does exactly what it is built to do (well, most of the time…).
Btw, i feel exactly the same way about OS’s on analogue synths. I find it hard to explain exactly, but it’s as if there’s some sort of intruder or unwanted virus that has landed onboard the synth and is now sucking its blood.
Once upon a time there was a vibrant, happy analogue synth playing in the school playground; but then one day a big bully called “OS 2.1” came along and told him, “you will now do what I tell you!”. Sadly, the analogue synth never enjoyed the rest of his days at school. Gone was his spontaneous, happy youthfulness. He passed the rest of his days like an automaton, being dictated to by the commands of bullying OS 2.1.
that’s right, no one forces you to use the os, presets, or modulation routing in the os.
i am sure, some of us grew up without presets and stuff and don’t feel the need for saving anything.
i understand that many musicians are very happy about the possibility of saving and retrieving sounds, but i personally don’t need it. in fact, the presence of patch-saving bothers me as i find it distorts what synthesizers are all about. but don’t take this seriously, i am a bit old-fashioned in that respect!
