"Bring back the hardware units!" / Reintroduce Moogerfoogers, make them better?

[penguinrock]

The Moogerfooger plug-ins are fantastic. I purchased the pack and have started incorporating them in my projects. They sound great, very close to the original units, and best of all, they work in STEREO. Honestly, I'd rather just use the plug-ins rather than hooking up one of the hardware Moogerfoogers I still have in order to get Moog-y goodness on my tracks. Amazing job, well done, A+, 5 out of 5 stars.

That said...

I've been seeing ads on Facebook for the Moogerfooger plug-in suite ever since it was released. The number one comment I see from people replying to the ads is "BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL HARDWARE LINE!"

My reaction to this is, You people complained nonstop about the $300-400 price pointed 10+ years ago and NOW you want the Moogerfoogers back? But the comments keep coming, and I have to wonder if Moog are paying attention to the demand.

What would it look like for Moog to reissue or reintroduce the Moogerfooger line? If that were to ever happen, I would want to see several design changes like:

1) Retain the 1/4" jacks for the main audio input/output, but change to 1/8" jacks for the other functions. Much easier to incorporate with modular. Using 1/4"-to-1/8" adapter cables is a drag.

2) Stereo input and output! If the modular functions are switched to 1/8" jacks, then there should be more room on the rear panel for an extra set of 1/4" audio jacks.

3) Add an Output Level knob to MF-101 and MF-102

4) Step pattern editor for the MuRF, much like the plug-in version, which can be loaded into the pedal via USB

5) MIDI functions for pedals that don't already have that capability

Obviously all of this would require a significant amount of engineering time to implement, especially the stereo part. But I think this would be a great way to reintroduce (and not just reissue) the Moogerfoogers back to the market.

[FeelinDank]

I like your thoughts. I think stereo effects would demand proper L/R cv inputs, which would shoot prices upwards. If they just mult the cv to control both sides then I’d think surely people will complain. I think they’d be forced to use modern BBD chips (dare I say, …from Coolaudio …ie from Behringer), switches, op-amps, etc. A reissue/reworking of the basic three MF’s (101, 102, and 103) should be a given. It’d be cool if we saw some new effects (new for Moog anyways): multi-tapped delays, reverb, stereo panner, distortion/overdrive/fuzz (I know in some of their marketing for the Moogerfooger plugins they’ve mentioned things like “software only” and “never to be released as hardware” in regards to the MF-109S …which has to be to control expectations of people like us …….but it’d be real cool if that was a lie)(also see Fairfield Circuitry’s “Roger That” for cool ideas), hi-pass / band pass filters (other filters??), maybe an expanded MuRF (control over selected frequency groups or maybe only four bands but independent control over all of them), maybe a FreqBox based on sine waves (2-3 sine waves controlled by source material), analog delay with LFO cv output, and a flanger/chorus with LFO cv out as many thought the 108m would have when it was released.

I’m definitely one of those people in the Facebook comments liking and adding to some of those comments. I am not however screaming it like some in the comments are though. I only bought two MF’s when they were sold (a 102 and a 104m ….was just a wee tadpole w/ a part-time job those years), though lately I’ve upped the collection considerably. I haven’t gone down Moog’s eurorack path yet, but it is tempting. I think the Matriarch is the next Moog synthesizer I’m likely to buy down the road (seems like a fantastic feature set and sound). I hope they have something in the future with hardware Moogerfoogers. I hope available parts in the world / available engineers at Moog can make it happen.

I also find it really interesting they don’t have the CP-251 as a plug-in (yet? or if they ever will). I know DAWs can do much of that stuff in the digital realm but I wonder if they will come out with a software “CP-251S” in the future. One has to wonder if they just don’t bother, have it planned for release in the future, or don’t want to step on the hardware’s toes too much.

[ummagumma]

I think they'd be better off building new Eurorack versions of them, with 1/8" jacks.

I prefer 1/4" on the pedals as my modular & FX are all 1/4". Also guitar, bass, synth are 1/4"

[penguinrock]

I think stereo effects would demand proper L/R cv inputs, which would shoot prices upwards. If they just mult the cv to control both sides then I’d think surely people will complain.

Well said on both points.

I still own three of my Moogerfoogers, though I've had more. I now own a Matriarch and had an idea to combine my Moogerfoogers with it, but I had to buy 1/4" to 1/8" adapter cables to get the CV jacks to talk to each other. If the Moogerfoogers are made again they would surely be marketed as working hand-in-hand with the semi-modular line, so that's why I suggested they should switch the CV jacks to 1/8".

But then again, people have been asking for Moogerfoogers to be remade into Eurorack modules, which also makes a lot of sense. Either way, I still don't think a blanket "just bring them back" approach would be a good move.

[andybutler]

One thing I hear quite often as a criticism of the foogers is that the bypass isn't transparent.
This is true, most have filter capacitors to take away treble, the 101 in particular has a tweeter saver filter which affects the bypass too.
The Phaser is the worst, with the bypass even going through the pre-emphasis and compensating filters, for reasons that baffle.
This is a lot more subtle than the epic "Boss tone suck" that everyone knows, but it's there.

Then the dry signal to be mixed in on the Freqbox is deliberately dulled down, I've never heard this being mentioned as a +VE

This would be an easy fix for re-issue.