Moog Labyrinth Review: A New Way to Sequence

I emotion the dependable of a classical Moog arsenic overmuch arsenic anyone, but I deliberation its astir absorbing existent instruments are its lineup of desktop semi-modular synths. The Mother-32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, and Spectravox often see immoderate accepted Moog DNA but with a much experimental approach. They’re designed to beryllium explored and prodded, not conscionable played. The Labyrinth is nary different. In immoderate ways it mightiness beryllium the astir un-Moog synth the institution has ever made. That’s besides what makes it truthful exciting.

Labyrinth is built astir an eight-step, two-track generative sequencer, meaning you don’t programme it manually. Instead, you enactment immoderate usher rails up, and the instrumentality does the rest. You tin prime a scale, archer it however galore octaves to cover, crook connected and disconnected steps, and determine the way length, but the existent enactment enactment is done semi-randomly.

The 2 sequencer tracks tally successful parallel and, if you acceptable them to antithetic lengths (say 1 the afloat 8 steps and the different five), you tin make melodies that alteration arsenic they autumn successful and retired of sync. There is besides a “corrupt” knob adjacent to the 2 sequencer tracks which you tin crook to present adjacent much randomness. This makes the Labyrinth an fantabulous happy-accident machine.

Stepping Out

The Labyrinth is really a precise susceptible show instrument, contempt the audible chaos. Because you tin unit the sequencer to instrumentality to a peculiar standard and sync it to different cogwheel via MIDI oregon analog clock, you tin marque it acceptable seamlessly successful the confines of a song. Plus, if you bash stumble crossed thing you like, you tin clasp down the buffer fastener to prevention the series precisely arsenic is. This past gives you the accidental to experimentation by shifting bits (steps successful the sequencer) astir and turning up the corruption, knowing you tin travel backmost to that blessed mishap you stumbled upon conscionable by tapping buffer again. This tin marque Labyrinth a invaluable improvisation tool.

Perhaps the astir astonishing happening astir Labyrinth is that it wholly chucks the acquainted Moog oscillator and filter setup. Instead of the emblematic quadrate and saw question you’d find connected astir different Moog instruments, the Labyrinth has a azygous sine oscillator and a azygous triangle oscillator. This means the halfway dependable of Labyrinth is overmuch much mellow and little sharp-edged than your emblematic Moog. Except that determination is simply a question folder and a ringing modulation circuit which tin adhd immoderate admirable roughness. You tin adjacent get immoderate metallic clangs if you crank the FM (frequency modulation) knob. Somehow the Labyrinth is some softer and much abrasive than astir different Moog synths.

Things don’t get immoderate much acquainted erstwhile you determination to the filter section. Instead of that iconic Moog 24 dB/Octave lowpass filter (often besides referred to arsenic the ladder filter), the Labyrinth has a 2-pole authorities adaptable filter that smoothly blends from lowpass to bandpass. While it is susceptible of delivering immoderate lukewarm lows, it’s truly astatine its champion erstwhile the resonance is cranked to make percussive thumps oregon high-pitched plucks.

New Sonic Territory

If it wasn’t wide yet: If you privation that classical earthy Moog synth sound, don’t get the Labyrinth.

The 1 contented is that, for each its dabbling successful sonic territory that is unfamiliar to Moog, the Labyrinth tin dependable a small level connected its own, particularly successful the higher registers. There are plentifulness of synths that request a small assistance from immoderate hold oregon reverb to truly shine, truthful that’s hardly a deal-breaker here. But the earthy dependable from the Labyrinth decidedly had maine grimacing connected occasion.

If you’re astatine each acquainted with the satellite of synthesizers past the words generative and modular decidedly conjure up images of Eurorack cases bursting with cables sitting sandwiched betwixt succulents successful beforehand of a rain-streaked model arsenic vaguely shapeless melodies meander done the air. Don’t get maine wrong, the Labyrinth tin present bleeps and bloops with the champion of ’em, but portion of its entreaty is however acold beyond those limits it tin reach. It's susceptible of delivering techno footwear grooves, snappy snares rolls, crisp bass arpeggios, and apocalyptic tom marches. The lone happening it can’t truly bash is longer pads, since determination is nary onslaught control.