Moog Spectravox Review: OK Vocoder, Excellent Toy

The filter slope is what makes the Spectravox unsocial successful Moog’s lineup of midrange semi-modular instruments. It’s a dynamic 10-band filter slope with high- and low-pass filters, positive 8 bandpass filters successful between. These tin beryllium utilized to simply signifier incoming audio similar an elaborate EQ. But the bands tin besides beryllium shifted astir with the assistance of an LFO for creating phaser- and wah-like effects. If you truly crank worldly it tin adjacent springiness you pseudo-ring modulation. Is spending $599 connected a desktop synthesizer a small overkill conscionable to play immoderate funk guitar? Absolutely. But it’s a amusive small instrumentality the Spectravox has successful its backmost pocket.

The filter slope tin besides beryllium utilized to nutrient dependable each connected its ain if you link a midi controller oregon sequencer with CV (control voltage) output. If you crook up the resonance of the filter and spot the EG (envelope generator) to the bearer input, past link the transportation output of the controller to the spectral displacement and the gross to the trigger input, past you tin coax absorbing marimba-like tones retired of the Spectravox without immoderate further audio input.

The Synth

Of people portion of the request for a vocoder is simply a bearer signal, successful this lawsuit a synthesizer. The Spectravox includes an incredibly elemental but beauteous decent-sounding single-oscillator monophonic synth. It has quadrate and sawtooth options, with adaptable pulse width connected the square. There is besides a sound root that you tin dial successful to soiled up the azygous oscillator, but it goes from nonexistent to overpowering beauteous quickly, and I mostly conscionable near it off.

The synth tin beryllium combined with a keyboard oregon sequencer which has CV output and is played similar immoderate different synth. Or, you tin brace it with immoderate outer effects to make risers, drones, and different dependable effects. Similar to utilizing the Spectravox arsenic a phaser though, portion it’s a bully trick, you don’t request to walk $600 to get a basal monophonic synth. This is simply a bully perk but not needfully a crushed for it to leap to the apical of your buying list.

Where Spectravox starts to get absorbing arsenic a synthesizer is erstwhile you commencement combining each of its assorted elements successful somewhat unexpected ways. For lawsuit if, alternatively of vocals you ran a drum loop into the programme input, it would impart its rhythmic ebb and travel to the interior synth, oregon immoderate you were feeding into the carrier.

Better Together

I deliberation the Spectravox truly shows its versatility erstwhile you usage it arsenic a middleman betwixt 2 antithetic sources of audio. For one, a monophonic vocoder tin consciousness a small thin. But if you plug different synth into the carrier, you tin sing successful gorgeous polyphonic synth chords. If I wanted to get immoderate affluent vocoder enactment going I would conscionable plug my Korg Minilogue XD into the bearer input. And utilizing things similar drum loops to adhd rhythmic involvement to different synths oregon adjacent my guitar was ever a blast. In fact, 1 of my favourite tricks was feeding a drum instrumentality into the programme input, my guitar (through an amp sim pedal first) into the carrier, and past feeding the output of the Spectravox done immoderate chorus and reverb. The effect is thing that doesn’t dependable precisely similar a synth oregon precisely similar a guitar. I don’t cognize however often I’d usage specified a unusual effect, but I’m dying to enactment it to the trial connected a guitar solo.

It’s this benignant of experimentation that makes the Spectravox truthful compelling and fun. In fact, it’s what keeps maine coming backmost to Moog’s enactment of desktop semi-modular synths similar the Subharmonicon (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and the DFAM. I emotion the dependable of a bully Mini Moog arsenic overmuch arsenic anyone else, but these each connection immoderate caller experimental instrumentality connected Moog’s legacy. My 1 large ailment astir the Spectravox is that it is noisy. I had to chopped a batch of the precocious extremity to get it to beryllium usable connected recordings.

If you’re successful the marketplace for a vocoder you should astir apt skip the Spectravox. There are amended and cheaper options for conscionable accepted vocoding, similar a MicroKorg ($429) oregon Arturia’s MicroFreak ($359). But if you privation thing much playful—something that tin beryllium a vocoder if you request it to beryllium but is truly much of a sonic playground—the Moog Spectravox mightiness good beryllium worthy the $599.