Will a Taurus 4 ever happen?

[Ivan_R]

…aside from in my dreams?

Serious question, though.

The non-used market has, to my knowledge, three “bass” pedals (KM 12-Step, Crumar Mojopedals and Hammond XPK), only one of which has embedded sounds.

…at the same time, you see used stuff from Moog commanding VERY high prices in the used market. And people assembling their makeshift “Tauruses” (controllers+brains) for a respectable $1,500ish. That with a lot more wiring, power sources, transportation issues etc.

So isn’t there a market for new pedals from Moog itself? I understand that one of the main complaints about the Taurus 3 was size and weight.

Me, I’m not in the musical instrument industry, but if Moog made a lighter, less expensive, version of their pedals, I’d buy two sets.

[FeelinDank]

I’d very much doubt it. A “pedals” product would again be a product destined to not sell very well. How many synthesizer players are there. I’d estimate that for every 3000 Moog grandmother, DFAM, mother32, matriarch, MoogerfoogeriOS, sub37, sub35, MiniMoog, and MoogOne’s that are sold there’s probably 1 or 2 who would also purchase a pedal unit. It seems like Taurus III had big hype/interest period and then a quick fizzle. Quite a loss if they don’t sell well. Very few Taurus III”s in the wild if you look at pictures of the serial numbers. Huge amount of time per technician involved in getting it out there as well. It wasn’t a MoogOne in depth but enough mechanical and electronical work involved to be a royal PITA. Hammond at least have a sizeable number of users who “need” pedals to have the complete experience (“playing the Hammond in a jazz setting” is a reality that Moog never achieved with their Constellation system). Plenty of people buy the Hammond + accessories to get to that environment.

I could see a “buttons” product selling reasonably better as they would be cheaper to manufacture and design. Many more engineers are experts with designing buttons than organ pedals.

[TahuluLimia]

There are a few reasons for this. First, there is a growing demand for analog bass pedals. Analog pedals are known for their warm, rich sound and their ability to create unique and expressive tones. Second, Moog is a respected brand with a history of making high-quality instruments. Third, there is a strong demand for lighter and more affordable bass pedals. The Taurus 3 is a great bass pedal, but it is also very large and heavy. This makes it difficult to transport and use on stage.

Moog could tap into this market by developing a new line of lightweight and affordable bass pedals. These pedals could be based on Moog's classic designs, but they could also incorporate new features and technologies.

Here are some specific features that Moog could include in its new bass pedals:

Lightweight and portable design
Analog circuitry for warm, rich sound
Multiple effects, such as bass overdrive, octave divider, and envelope filter
Easy-to-use controls
Durable construction
Affordable price
If Moog were to develop a line of new bass pedals that met these needs, it would be a success. The company would be able to capture a significant share of the growing market for analog bass pedals. It would also be able to appeal to a wider range of musicians, including those who are on a budget.

Overall, there is a strong demand for new bass pedals from Moog. The company has the opportunity to capitalize on this demand by developing a line of lightweight and affordable pedals that offer great sound and features.

[calaverasgrande]

I'm a Taurus 3 owner.
Bought mine new when they came out.
I read there were only 2000 units to be produced. So I skipped the snacks and didn't go out for a month or two to snag one as soon as I could. Thankfully I was working at a 'paycheck every 2 weeks' kind of job and there was a 3 paycheck month coming up, so I scored one.
But then after that pinch to get one in time, well they were still on the market for years.
One guy who should know of such things told me they never got to 2000 on the them. Stopping production at 1650 or something? Can't confirm but I believe it.

As far as useful features for such a product, yes light weight would be a huge improvement. The T3 weighs about 40 lbs. It's just too damn heavy!
I'd also love to see a better UI for the synth.
It's basically a bunch of buttons you use to select a parameter and a big wheel you turn to adjust. One at a time. Like an Alpha Juno. This makes it tedious to use and the layout of the 'pages' of parameters is awful. You often have to toggle back and forth to adjust 2 related settings on different pages. Then there is the 'advanced preset' settings you get to from the master menu. Yeah, real intuitive.

Honestly I think they should do nothing to change the sound except to make the envelopes a bit better. Like actual ADSR for both envelopes instead of ASR and AR.

Extra features? I think it would make a great centerpiece for todays looping multi-instrumentalists. If it had a more sophisticated MIDI implementation and ability to control effects, synths etc after the fashion of an Octatrack type device it would be a lot more useful.
If the stompswitches could be toggled to transport control, so you could play/pause/stop etc from footswitches that would be amazing!
Also, crouching down in front of it to program it is awful. I wound up resting on my stomach on an ottoman. That way I could perch over the controls at ground level without my neck hurting or my legs going to sleep.
Better would be a bluetooth app like the Eventide H9 uses. Sure you can do most stuff on an H9 from the controls. But the H9 app is an editor librarian in your phone, and you see all controls right at face height!

TBF I am skeptical of such a thing ever happening under the new management.
I expect more down market products. Less adventurousness and over time they are probably going to narrow the product line down to "classics". Which sucks because in a lot of ways Moog only hit it's stride recently in terms of design. Stuff like the Grandmother, Subsequent 37 etc are so much easier to use than the Lil Phatty and similar button oriented devices.

[stiiiiiiive]

First, there is a growing demand for analog bass pedals.

I would be curious to know how you can back this statement.

[hieronymous]

To me, as a former T3 owner (see my avatar) and current Roland PK-5A/McMillen 12-step, one of the key issues is for the keys to be easily playable. I can't stand the 12-step - it just does not work for me - way too easy to hit a wrong note (I have somewhat wide feet which is a factor). I actually love the PK-5A - the pedals are similar to the T3 but the unit is much more portable. Of course, it has to be connected to a synth - but that's there the MINITAUR comes in - or SIRIN in my case.

I actually think very few people want to play synth bass pedals. It's not easy! And when you try and set it up, it takes up a lot of real estate. I love it myself - I play bass and bass pedal synth helps fill in the sound for me. I still would love to find some Beatle Boots, apparently those are good for playing while standing. But it is technically challenging.

So no, I do not foresee Moog getting back into bass pedals, as nice as that would be.

[stiiiiiiive]

I actually think very few people want to play synth bass pedals.

Well, you'll have to convince our friend TahuluLimIA...

I would ove to see a musician playing another instrument beside the Tauraus pedals. I mean: accompanying themselves.
Think like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGrbgCaEPGA

[calaverasgrande]

Wow that was an unusual one.
About the least "bass" patch I've ever seen from a Taurus. And thats an OG Taurus one. So no MIDI.

[hieronymous]

I actually think very few people want to play synth bass pedals.

Well, you'll have to convince our friend TahuluLimIA...

How did I miss that?!! I thought it kinda came out of the blue...

[stiiiiiiive]

Hey, a couple of nights ago, I dreamt I was playing bass pedals. I kind of liked it

[hieronymous]

Hey, a couple of nights ago, I dreamt I was playing bass pedals. I kind of liked it

Don't get me wrong - bass pedals changed my life! But I'm just a bassist playing with a drummer and very little other harmonic information - with bass pedals, all of a sudden another voice becomes available! I'm finally adding some more voices with the Grandmother on sequencer duty - and actually, the McMillen 12-Step would probably be adequate for controlling that if needed. Wait - bass pedals are amazing!!! Thank you TahuluLimia for your role in this thread! You got me to downplay bass pedals, and then I was able to come all the way back to acknowledging their awesomeness! Maybe that's what these kinds of forums are for?

[stiiiiiiive]

And maybe that's what these kinds of robots are for? Hallellujah!

I totally get you. I find there is way more distance between monophony and two-voice harmony than there is between two-voice harmony and as-many-note-as-you-want harmony.
That second note makes a huge difference: it is to the monophonic melody what colors are to a set of lines.
At the same time, it gives just enough information so that the harmony can stay implicit or not, depending on what you play or what other bandmates play.