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Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 11:00 am
by MoogProg
Mooging, to Moog: Conducting affairs in ways that incorporate a Moog.

How do you Moog?

* * *

I've been Mooging since the mid '80s, I guess. If a Juno 60 counts. Soon enough, I joined a band started and playing a Model D and The Rouge. Made some cool music using The Rouge and a Portastudio 4-track. Recorded some epic prog solos with the Model D, but tuning issues kept it off stage, and ultimately off my rig. Never could get that tone back...

FWIW: This was the nicest Model D I have ever seen, and it belongs to a famous Prog musician now, safe in his studio. #onethatgotaway

Now I'm back in the game with a Sub 37 and it is everything I've ever wanted from a Moog as a live performance instrument. Stable tuning, presets, EXP control and absolutely killer sounds!

Mostly playing classic sounding analog patches of my own creation, but the Sub has a distinct modern quality that should not be ignored. Mushrooms in a Cornfield is an amazing patch!

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 5:12 pm
by thealien666
The Rouge... Image

The Rogue, rather. As in rascal, or rebel. :wink:

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 5:41 pm
by MoogProg
thealien666 wrote:The Rouge... Image

The Rogue, rather. As in rascal, or rebel. :wink:
^Drat! Spelling errors and poor proofreading. You've caught me.

Now, do please tell us something about your Mooged Life to keep this on topic. :wink:

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 7:45 pm
by thealien666
My first "real" synth was a Moog MG-1 (The Rogue's little cousin) back in the early eighties. I've been dreaming of a Modular Moog PIII ever since I saw pictures of it on many LPs covers from the seventies.

My second Moog was back in 2008 with Voyager Old School. Eventually sold it to get my current Moog, a Minimoog D circa 1975.

Every chance I get, I will incorporate some Moog sounds into my original music work, as well as covers. Unparalleled for punching bass lines and searing leads (using the internal feedback trick).

Image

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:14 am
by noddyspuncture
I use my R.A.Modular in my ELP tribute band... (I also have Model D's, Sonic Six etc...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR2FJjEM_ow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gu6E3zqaOQ

Cheers,
Tom

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 9:48 am
by Rob Smith
You made my morning my friend. Trilogy is one of my favorite songs.......... Excellent rendition !!!!!

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 10:35 am
by MoogProg
^Agreed. That was a fine video to start my day. I need to resign the title MoogProg and bow before a true master of analog! :D

Alien, nice stuff on your page, too. I heard Genesis, some Rush, some Model D, excellent drumming. Good times!

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 2:18 pm
by MC
I Moog a little... :wink:

Image

I started out with the Polymoog back in 1985. This pic is ten years old. The Liberation has been sold - I liked the expression controls but it was the weakest sounding Moog I owned and the Voyager replaced it.

I have since then added the T3, MiniTaur, MF108M, MF105M, and MF101. The two MF104s in the pic are the original ones, great sounding delays.

Crown jewel is the old RA Moog Minimoog, serial #105x. Got one of those just before vintage prices started rising. Poor thing refused to stay in tune when I got it, so I hot-rodded it to improve the tuning without changing the sonority (I'm an EE). Bought all of the vintage stuff during the "great analog dump" of the early 1980s when DX7s and D50s reigned. Wish I had known about Moog Modulars then, oh well.

I can gig with any of this stuff. I maintain my own gear to keep them in top shape and I have Anvil cases for carting them. Most have modern MIDI retrofits. I am often asked why I have so many Moogs. Nothing really redundant here. I like to create my own sounds and they all have their strengths that I exploit.

Just starting to dig old Oberheims. Moogs and Oberheims co-exist very well. Nothing that compelled me to sell any moogs though, that would be sacrilege :twisted:

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:19 pm
by noddyspuncture
Thanks guys,

Next one to learn is ELP's "Toccata" - and I can tell you, getting my Modular do play *that patch* has been more than interesting... :wink:

Cheers, Tom

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:22 pm
by noddyspuncture
MC - how does your Source compare to the Mini...?

Cheers,
Tom
MC wrote:I Moog a little... :wink:

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 5:49 pm
by MC
noddyspuncture wrote:
MC wrote:I Moog a little... :wink:
MC - how does your Source compare to the Mini...?

Cheers,
Tom
It's got the balls and girth of the Minimoog for leads and bass. Not much modulation options for FX. Many people dismissed it for years because it didn't have a panel full of knobs, and the last couple of years it has been getting its due.

Source has 37 keys and a simpler LFO (triangle or square waveshape routable to VCOs and/or VCF) but full ADSR with single or multiple trigger and variable pulse width for VCOs. Keyboard tracking is off/half/full but I don't lament the difference. The key trigger system is more reliable on the Source, no double triggers or glitches. Encore Electronics makes a MIDI retrofit that expands it to 256 patches, sysex dump/load, four octave keyboard range over MIDI, but no control over mod wheel. You lose the sequencer feature though. Had the retrofit for years and have been happy with it. I used it as a bass synth over MIDI and didn't need MIDI mod wheel.

Dead simple arpeggiator, can be synced to MIDI clock with the retrofit. Hard sync SCREAMS. When in hard sync mode, the pitch wheel modulates only OSC2 so you can sweep the harmonics, great tool.

I played with the Studio Electronics SE-1 hoping it would replace the Source, it didn't have near the balls of the Source.

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 2:54 pm
by Disarm D'arcy
I'm the new generation. I Moog a Little Phatty, Animoog and Filtatron.

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 9:07 pm
by psynthetic
Heya MC - i'm curious to hear your thoughts on the MiniTaur as someone who already has a T1 and T3, especially as last time I saw a post from you on the subject you said you had no intention of buying one.
I'd been considering acquiring one for the Osc Note Sync/Reset (I think some people call it soft sync) feature that the Taurus lacks but i'm a little torn.. seemed kinda silly to me to get a Minitaur for that when I own the Taurus and I can get Osc Note Sync type sounds from the Sub 37..

Back on topic... the Taurus 3 and the Sub 37 are the only Moogs I Moog with.

Mushrooms in a Cornfield really is a freaking amazing patch.

Right now I sequence everything via MIDI, but lately i've been taking some keyboard lessons so I can actually "play" my Moogs as their designers intended. :)

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 3:54 am
by MC
I didn't think I would want a MT until I was looking into a compact system to gig with. I wanted to do a small format group (2-3 people) that relied heavily on MIDI. Sequenced bass, drums, backing parts. Emphasis on small packages for the small venues. That meant as much rackmount as possible.

There was a sale earlier this year so I grabbed a MT with rack ears. Wouldn't mind a Voyager RME next.

How does the MT compare to the T1 and T3? It delivers that Taurus oomph. Really. I think it sounds a tad nastier in a good way. No regrets.

If you have T3 and Sub37 then I think the MT would be redundant. Probably the only benefit is its compact package. Soundwise they compare, some differences featurewise.

Re: Mooging—How do you Moog?

Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 12:38 pm
by MoogProg
Disarm D'arcy wrote:I'm the new generation. I Moog a Little Phatty, Animoog and Filtatron.
^I am really intrigued by the whole touch surface paradigm (their words, not mine LOL), but have absolutely no idea how they function, or what I should expect as a performer. I see these box/grid devices in stores/online and just kinda blink my eyes and wonder what it all means. I just might be getting old! LOL :cry:

No excuses though, I can go downtown and try out the modern stuff, ask some questions, maybe learn a thing a or two. Moog is local for me. :D