New Sub 37 Owner Few Questions?

[HawkMoog]

Hey All just bought my Sub 37 after about 10 years of not playing and am totally blown away by it! I have never had an analog synth and I am amazed at what it can do. I just had a few questions...

What are some good books on synthesis or sound design? I am blown away by the presets but everything I seem to make is very basic I have found some tones I like but nothing like pads with sweeps etc. I even found a very techno sounding patch and tried to copy it and can't get close LOL. I would just like to learn more on how to use an analog. I am doing trial an error for now.

I am using it with headphones right now can any of you recommend decent monitors for $500 or less? I have been out of the game for a long time and not sure where to go. My old stereo I used to use with my DX7 is long dead.

Also is there a way to put the factory patches back in properly I like an idiot selected the wrong bank and overwrote a factory patch with one of my garbage ones? Is there a way to recover these? Is there any you can download etc?

Thanks for any help!

[seanpark]

You can save and reload presets using sysex. A program like Sysex Librarian will help you manage this. you can download the factory presets from Moog's website.

But honestly Moog is about to drop the awesome patch editor / librarian. I wouldn't even bother messing with sysex transfers at this point.

Learning synthesis? Doesn't get much better than Syntorial IMHO. If you don't like that just watch youtube vids. There's books too but you can't hear books.

Speaker? I use some expensive studio monitors which sound quite nice, if a bit fatiguing. You might buy a powered monitor or two. Like the JBL Eon or Mackies. They're phenomenal for synth plus you can use them at parties or DIY shows or events! Just add a small mixer with mic inputs and you've got a PA.

[HawkMoog]

Is it just me or do you have to press pretty hard to get the aftertouch to work?

[_DemonDan_]

Is it just me or do you have to press pretty hard to get the aftertouch to work?

Hi HawkMoog,

No you usually don't. I suspect that you have a setting in the MOD CONTROL menu that's working against the Aftertouch's final value.

On the MOD (1 or 2) that you want to use Aftertouch, press its CONTROLLERS button.

On the MOD (1 or 2) CONTROL page, you'll see:

MOD WHEEL
VELOCITY
AFTERTOUCH
CTRL4AMT

It's important to understand that (currently) each of these control sources are multiplying against each other.

To keep your experiment simple, set all of them to 0%, except for AFTERTOUCH. Set that to +100%.

Now, after assigning a modulation, like PITCH AMT or FILTER AMT, notice that there is no modulation until you apply some Aftertouch.

In other words: When you press fully on Aftertouch, you're getting the full amount of modulation that you set with one of the above knobs.

When you're *not* pressing Aftertouch at all, the modulation amount is 100% attenuated.

(I know, it takes a little while to wrap your head around it.)

It can get really complicated when more modulation sources are also used.

Lets say you have VELOCITY set to 50%, and you play a key as softly as possible.

Now, the effect of Aftertouch is reduced by 50%.

If you have VELOCITY set to 100% and play as softly as possible, Aftertouch will have no effect at all.

If this doesn't solve your problem at all, you can go the GLOBAL MENU and find the PRESSURE CAL parameters where you can set the calibration for the MINIMUM and MAXIMUM amounts of Aftertouch. (But I honestly don't think that's the problem.)

[LuLoop]

Is there any you can download etc?

Thanks for any help!

Hi, Here you are.
http://moogmusic.com/downloads

Regards Luloop

[Subber37]

Just an FYI if you buy nearfield monitors many are designed to not have a lot of bass (the smaller and cheaper ones in your price range) while a decent set of , say, AKG headphones will give you more bass - while you wouldn't wanna rely on 'bassy headphones' for mixing you may find playing your sub37 through typical nearfields makes it sound a bit thinner and with less bottom end. So be sure you find the right speakers if it's more for playing the moog with than general use/mixing.

Personally I stick to headphones for hearing the moog (but it goes through my MR816 into my PC /DAW etc) then I monitor all of that with the phones, of course I also have nearfields for mixing and the moog sounds fine through them but they are not that bassy (Yamahas), so you may not hear the full depth of the synth if you only ever use small cone monitors.

oh and no problems with aftertouch - very sensitive, so long as you set it right in the menu!

[HawkMoog]

Thanks for all the help so far guys! I got aftertouch working its my first KB with it so I am getting used to it still.

I was looking at getting some Yamaha HS8 with the sub but am using DT990 and my M50x cans for now. Only problem is I can't run it through any of my guitar pedals with head phones and seems like you would get alot more variety if you could add some effects.

What settings do I need to go into to get it to talk to Sysex? I am doing that synth training program and its awesome but still am absolute garbage at programming sounds LOL.

Also this is my first analog synth and can someone point me to some explanations on the Envelope Gen ADSR mine seems to make very little difference to my sound probably cause I am using it wrong. I play with the knobs and literally nothing changes lol. If I swing the EG AMT knob negative I get some response from it but positive I can barely hear it doing anything if at all. I am sure its me not the synth haha. I am talking about EG section F ADSR knobs. I don't understand if you somehow link these to another setting or they are just a parameter before the amplifier section? Again if I have the EG AMT knob turned to negative I can hear it affecting the sound if I play with the decay and kinda get a slappy fade in sound. But if I go positive at all it doesn't seem to be effecting the sound.

So far I have gotten it to make some fantastic bass sounds and organ with filter and resonance. I watched a couple guys get some really bright brassy trance sounds out of it but have yet to figure out how to get that out of it. I will keep plugging away.

Also I noticed the LFOs seem to trigger off the Arp speed? Is there a way to desync these two? Or a they all running off the same clock?

[Bald Eagle]

Is it just me or do you have to press pretty hard to get the aftertouch to work?

It's important to understand that (currently) each of these control sources are multiplying against each other.

It would be nice is there was an option to sum the values.

[DrJustice]

...I am talking about EG section F ADSR knobs. I don't understand if you somehow link these to another setting or they are just a parameter before the amplifier section? Again if I have the EG AMT knob turned to negative I can hear it affecting the sound if I play with the decay and kinda get a slappy fade in sound. But if I go positive at all it doesn't seem to be effecting the sound.

Try to lower the filter CUTOFF - then you will hear the filter opening with positive EG AMT.

Also I noticed the LFOs seem to trigger off the Arp speed? Is there a way to desync these two? Or a they all running off the same clock?

The LFO's are independent, but optionally syncable to the arp/midi clock. When the MOD section SYNC buttons are off, the LFO's should each use it's independent rates.

[seanpark]

It's a pretty deep synth. You should read the manual. Then read it again

Sysex is pretty simple. The manual covers it. But like I said you may as well just wait for the official release of the Moog Editor / Librarian. Real soon.

[HawkMoog]

Thanks for the help! I have read the manual a few times and will keep reading haha!

I see now the EG is controlling the filter so if filter is all the way open then positive EG AMT settings can't do anything. DERP.

Is aftertouch a pressure sensitive thing or is it on or off?

[DrJustice]

The aftertouch is fully variable, just like the other controllers. If yours feel too abrupt, refer back to _DemonDan_ posting re. calibration (also manual p. 48 and 49).