I know this has been discussed multiple times over the last couple of years, but I’d like to go over it, again. Are there any major differences that any of you can see between the following Moog models?
Micromoog;
Multimoog;
Prodigy;
Rogue;
Concertmate MG-1;
Liberation…
I know that the Micro only has one oscillator, but does it still bear similarities to the others, in your opinions? I’d imagine that it (and the Multi) contain tone generators more directly connected to the Minimoog D.
Multimoog is a Micromoog with additional VCO/ribbon/routing circuitry. Circuit wise and sound wise these are the furthest from Minimoog of any in the list. Best as bass and FX machine, leads are weak. Hard sync (multimoog) is limited as VCO intervals can’t be set much more than an octave apart. Filter is so-so.
Prodigy is the first sub-$500 “budget” Moog synth and is very basic but sounds good. Good leads and basses, not much else. Nice filter and the hard sync screams.
Liberation is designed for the performer who wants an expressive system - aftertouch and nice mod routing architecture. Despite popular myth, it pre-dated the MG-1. Good lead synth but not a Minimoog lead, lousy bass synth even with 44-note keyboard (VCOs don’t go down low enough). FX not as versatile as micromoog. Ring Mod can get some neat sounds, has organ divide-down polyphony which is square wave only and is fairly useless. Weak filter. Good expressive controller, hard to add MIDI I/O.
MG-1 and Rogue have the closest similarities circuit-wise. MG-1 has ring mod and polyphonic ala Liberation, while Rogue has wheels and swept sync (cool feature). MG-1 requires modification to add CV/trigger I/O or filter audio input. Rogue is the budget successor to the Prodigy and is the most limited - shared waveform switch and single limited AD EG with no/full sustain. Basic sounds, leads, limited bass. Nice filter, swept hard sync is strongest feature (EG sweeps hard sync’d VCO).
None of these share any similarity circuit-wise with the Minimoog - even the filter is different.
The Multimoog also has aftertouch and can modulate one vco, both, vibrato and other parameters.
It may even be a candidate for the most interface jacks of any of the Moog monosynths.
what about the source (in general, not in relation to the most interface jacks) what’s that like in comparison to everything else and the mini
I like The Source, and believe it to be highly underated. Having owned a Mini D and now a Voyager I find the Source is fairly close to the mini D. That mod. wheel is a gas, it does have some quirks ie. crazy source syndrome but a good cleaning of the contacts and a new battery (if original still in there) will be the cure. Damn it has a sequencer, arp and can save 16 patches (add the Kenton midi kit and boost that up over 200). I am going to buy the new V3 board for my AE and thru the cv/gate link the 2 together for and might just add the Future Rev into the mix as well to see what happens. I only got 2 hands, so does this mean I have duophonic Moog now?? 
Like any old analogue gear I would play it before buying to make sure the bd. isn’t damaged, also this is another piece ofMoog gear that Bob had absolutely no involvement.
I’m sure that Mal will chime in as well as he installed the midi.
If you want a Minimoog, by all means buy a Minimoog!
If you want one of the lesser Moogs, buy the one whose functionality most suits your intent.
If you want a great Moog synthesizer, I highly suggest the Micromoog. It is great for anything you would use a monophonic synth for. Yes, it has one oscillator, but so what? What exactly do you plan to DO with two oscillators? Detune? Well, that’s a very nice effect, but it doesn’t truly DO anything except make the sound of two oscillators detuned. Nice sound, but it isn’t what defines whether a synth is good or not. (I admit, I love tuning oscs a fourth or fifth apart… and you can’t do that with a Micro, but still… that is just a function, not a deal-breaker) The best aspect of two oscillators is the ability to make different timbres… and no, you can’t do that with a Micromoog. Another great function of having two oscs is doubling… which you CAN do with a Micromoog… so, there’s something. ]
The Micro has a VARIABLE WAVESHAPE… no one deriding the Micro ever seems to mention this. The Micro’s incredible modulation capabilities allow you to sweep through the variable waveshape with the mod wheel! This function is rare and so cool that it’s hard to get upset about it lacking an extra oscillator.
The modulation capabilities of the Micro are so awesome and so much more powerful than of the other non-Mini Moogs that I can’t believe that anyone would even talk down about it. Hell, functionally, the Micro challenges the Mini!
The diversity of modulation makes the Micro very powerful. If it had but ONE more oscillator, it would really be more powerful than a Mini! (although still would never sound like one, but again… if you want a Mini, buy a Mini… there is no substitute.)
As for the filter, it is milky, warm, and fat… just like you’d expect from a Moog. (or, at least a non Sonic 6 Moog) It doesn’t sound precisely like the Mini’s filter, no… but they operate differently. It’s a different sounding Moog filter, which retains the qualities for which you would WANT a Moog filter!
Anyway, I could go on and on.
Let’s face it, the Prodigy is a poor man’s Micro with an extra oscillator, and the Rogue… well, the Rogue is an MG-1 in non Radio-shack clothing. ; )
If you want a great Moog tool that is not a Mini, I’d suggest sacrificing the extra oscillator and going for a professional tool. If you just want a Moog to play melodies with, go for the Prodigy… but the Rogue, come ON… it was as cheap as Moog could POSSIBLY make it… and was so late in the game it was nothing but a product designed to make money.
Ardent Micro defender,
Marc
: )
The Micromoog is indeed a cool synth, but regardless of one’s enthusiasm about it, it is not the best synth for all purposes. A single VCO doesn’t just eliminate the possibility of intervals, it also removes the ability to do sounds that are classic Moog hallmarks. One cannot do searing lead lines ala Wakeman or Emerson on a 32 note keyboard with one oscillator.
Bass sounds can obviously be played on a Micro, but are not the huge, moving tones one would find on a synth with more oscillators.
It should also be noted that the filter in these later synths is not the same as found in a Minimoog or Moog modular. Still a ladder design, but with several differences technically.
In fact, Moog deliberately fed the Micro’s filter at a hotter level than other synths because it did have only one oscillator. There is no intermodulation distortion possible, only harmonic distortion and this makes it a bit fatter.
The Multimoog is basically a Micromoog with a 2nd oscillator, aftertouch and other features added on. Same main board as a Micromoog inside.
One thing: Multimoogs have tons of internal adjustments, many which are very sensetive and interactive. If one buys a Multimoog and it’s out of tune, it could cost a bit to recalibrate it.
But the Multimoog is an amazingly expressive and great sounding synth and does provide two vcos and a larger keyboard. It can do the basic lead sounds of a Mini much more convincingly than a Micro. No slam to the Micro, but it IS a fairly limited synth as Moogs go.
Hey, Kevin!
I agree that if your goal is emulating trademark Moog sounds, the Micro isn’t what you should buy. That is the spirit behind me insisting that if you want a Mini, get a Mini. : ) I personally am not into Moogs or any other analog for the purposes of duplicating the work of Wakeman, Emerson, or really anyone else. Granted, I am influenced by some of the Moog greats, and enjoy when I have a tone that is reminiscent of what they did (especially Wendy Carlos), but I wouldn’t rate the merit of a musical instrument on how well I can duplicate the work of others upon it.
I also agree about the bass tones… but if we’re going to compare every single synthesizer to the best synthesizers, nothing will hold up but the best synthesizers. No lesser Moog will EVER be a Mini… so, does that render them worthless? They’re just different tools, and in some cases very EFFECTIVE tools. A Micro is NOT a Mini… I can’t emphasize that as my belief enough… but that is not to say it is worthless or mediocre as an analog synthesizer. My whole post was generated in response to the Micro getting a lame review, in comparison to the Prodigy and Rogue.
My MAIN point is that despite the oscillator limitations, the Micro is a more versatile tool than the other lesser Moogs. (It’s also subjectively COOLER because it’s OLDER, and more aesthetically cool)
I cannot deny that a multiple oscillator synth is more versatile (at least in the oscillator realm) than a one oscillator synth… but FOR a one oscillator synth, the Micromoog is incredible! Let’s also not forget that many times even the Moog Greats used a single oscillator in a lead or bass line.
As for the filter, that is so completely your realm, and totally not mine. Despite wishing I was every time I pay for an analog repair, I’m not a technician. I only know what I hear, and the Micro is not the Mini. That is NOT to say that the Micro doesn’t have the Moog quality… just that it doesn’t have the Mini quality, per se.
I would LOVE to have a Multi, and it has been my suspicion that they are a better sounding synth than a Micro. I’ve always pointed out that a Multi is more powerful than a Mini… but doesn’t likely sound like a Mini.
And, the other thing I always babble on about… If a person really wants an exceedingly powerful Moog, buy two Micros and link them… way cheaper than a Mini, cheaper than a Multi, and more versatile than both. : )
All of the above actually convirms why I purchased an ARP Axxe as my first voltage-controlled instrument. It doesn’t meet all of my synthesis needs, but the sound is exquisite, and there is a lot that you can do with what IS there. Believe it or not, you can actually get some bass tones from that thing that are highly remeniscent of later synths with a single VCO, like the Yamaha CS-01 / CS-10, EDP Gnat and Roland TB-303 / SH-101.
Though the Axxe isn’t the same as the Micro, they’re based on the same principles: begun as a budget synth for beginners and revealing other sonic possibilities to the modern musician.