Moog Muse Review: A Machine for Musical Inspiration

In 2018 Moog introduced its archetypal analog polysynth successful astir 3 decades, the Moog One. It’s an enormous, intimidating beast designed to let musicians to play aggregate analog synth voices astatine the aforesaid time. Even much daunting than the beforehand sheet filled with controls is the price. When it was primitively released the Moog One came successful eight- and 16-voice flavors astatine $5,999 and $7,999 respectively. Since past the Moog One 8 has been discontinued, and the 16-voice mentation has jumped successful terms to $10,000, leaving an tremendous spread successful Moog’s analog synth lineup.

The Muse is an effort to plug that spread and marque a Moog polysynth much attainable. This $3,499 eight-voice bi-timbral analog instrumentality has 2 oscillators, a mod oscillator, 3 low-frequency oscillators (LFOs), 2 filters, 2 envelopes, a integer delay, and aftertouch (though not polyphonic). There are much feature-rich synths retired there, but this is inactive a beauteous coagulated halfway with a batch of flexibility. Besides, there’s 1 happening that the Muse has implicit those different synths: It’s a Moog.

Classic Sound

There is thing astir the dependable of a Moog synthesizer. There are plentifulness of synths retired determination that bash an admirable occupation of emulating the iconic dependable of a Moog bass, but they tin ne'er rather basal toe-to-toe with the existent deal.

I was reminded of this aggregate times during my testing. I played the Moog Muse broadside by broadside with a fig of antithetic instruments, ranging from the Korg Monologue and Minilogue XD to the Novation BassStation II and the Arturia Polybrute 12. There is conscionable thing astir the dependable of a Moog oscillator and its iconic ladder filter that feels bigger and warmer than astir thing I’ve ever played.

Part of that is owed to the peculiar characteristics of the oscillators here, which are based connected the Minimoog Voyager. They are not conscionable analog, but aggressively so; wherever different modern analog polysynths bash everything successful their powerfulness to enactment perfectly successful tune, treating earthy analog drift arsenic thing to beryllium dialed successful to taste, the Muse leans into its earthy imperfections, giving it a batch of quality and body.

It’s easy, with 8 voices astatine your disposal, to presume you should beryllium utilizing the Muse to play chords and pads, but don’t disregard the bass connected this thing. It is massive, putting fundamentally each different polysynth I’ve played to shame. It’s particularly absurd erstwhile you stack each 8 voices successful unison mode. This happening whitethorn beryllium built with pads and cardinal sounds successful mind, but it’s each spot a beast connected bass and leads arsenic you’d expect a Moog to be.

Of course, you person plentifulness of other, cheaper options for beefy mono synths. To warrant the terms the Muse has to present connected much analyzable and wide-ranging sounds. Thankfully it excels astatine epic pads, cinematic strings, and plucky keys arsenic well.

The sound-shaping options present are beauteous robust. The dedicated mod oscillator tin power pitch, the filter, oregon pulse width, oregon adjacent beryllium turned into a 3rd audio complaint oscillator. Its tuning isn’t rather arsenic unchangeable arsenic the main oscillators though, which makes it large for getting queasy and dissonant.

There are besides ringing mod and FM (frequency modulation) circuits for turning that analog warmth into clanging and metallic bells and plucks and an overload circuit for adding adjacent much grit. Plus, determination are 3 LFOs and 2 envelopes, and each of these tin beryllium connected done the 16-slot modulation matrix to make analyzable sounds ranging from chaotic EDM bass to long-evolving soundscapes.