ByJeff Elbel
ELECTRONIC OBSESSION
MOOG SOUND STUDIO
Mother 32 & DFAM
This box should come with a warning label because it ’ s a gateway to electronic obsession and willingly lost hours of exploration from which you may never return . The Moog Sound Studio is an all-in-one , Eurorack-compatible kit that welcomes all ages and experience levels . Moog ’ s small Werkstatt-01 reissued last year offered a compelling introduction to
the basic concepts of analog synthesis . Still , Moog Sound Studio explodes that tutorial experience into Technicolor with a much deeper dive inspiring into tools that can be put to practical use in musical settings . There are obvious applications for genres , including electronica , EDM , hip-hop , ambient , revisionist New Wave , krautrock , alternative rock , and indiepop . Use Moog Sound Studio with your band or craft one-person electronic symphonies in your basement . The price point may intimidate those with only passing interest , but the bang for your buck is substantial . This organized bundle will quickly have you creating otherworldly sounds .
My primary instruments are guitar and fretless bass , with keyboards as a beloved secondary outlet . I ’ m no Keith Emerson . Still , longtime fascination with electropop pioneers , including Gary Numan , Kraftwerk , and the Cars ’ Greg Hawkes , pulls me toward the Moog sound and a desire to explore analog and modular synthesis . Moog Sound Studio enables this pursuit via two powerful units and the necessary apparatus to integrate them in practical and creative ways .
Mother-32 is a semi-modular analog synthesizer . Three rows of knobs and switches allow the creation of sounds ranging from jagged industrial noises to delicate chirps or rich electronic strings . An array of push buttons on Mother-32 ’ s lower face is arranged like piano keys , allowing a user-assigned octave of musical notes . A MIDI input port on the front face allows expansion for note control via your own outboard keyboard . DFAM is the Drummer From Another Mother , Moog ’ s analog percussion synthesizer . The unit ’ s versatile eight-step sequencer can produce rhythmic patterns in all manner of time signatures , syncopations , and swings . Your imagination and fingers shape a universe of percussive sounds via knobs , switches , and patch points .
A summing mixer allows playback of Mother-32 and DFAM through a single headphone output or patch into your favorite amplifier – or patch through your favorite effects pedals like delay and chorus along the way . The flexible mixer permits two stereo ?” inputs or four mono inputs , and it clips to the back of the included rack chassis for a compact desktop presentation . Mother-32 , DFAM , and the mixer all have dedicated volume knobs , allowing you to create the perfect sonic blend . The mixer also splits power into three devices , meaning you could add another module such as Moog ’ s Subharmonicon to your self-contained electronic music studio .
A pair of psychedelic posters offer vibrant depictions of the Moog Sound Studio setup process and the Moog product family . An easy-to-follow Exploration Patchbook walks beginners through basic lessons , including quickly creating retro-futuristic melodic sequences on Mother-32 , creating a percussion sequence on DFAM , synchronizing tempos between Mother-32 and DFAM , slaving one unit to the other , and understanding the available output assignments . Many examples of knob settings switch selections and patches provide jumping-off points for unique sounds . Make sequences with rhythm tracks that sound like an old Atari Centipede arcade game , with melodies that sound like you pulled them from Vangelis ’ Blade Runner soundtrack . Dial tight drum ‘ n ’ fat electro-bass sounds for hip-hop . Follow in the footsteps of pop savants , including Thomas Dolby , or create love notes to the pioneering Switched-On style a la the Moog Cookbook . Chase sounds from Soft Cell ’ s “ Tainted Love ” or early Berlin
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20 illinoisentertainer . com july 2021