The new Moog: It's called 'Little Phatty'

exciting times!
 

it's a keyboard! with wooden end cheeks!

I'm not that excited yet... :)

or it could be some kind of keyboard/firearm hyrid...
 

Im bored of the new Moog already.
 

Hmm, airplane crashing into giant keyboard? How about airplanes crashing into giant twin keyboards and release date in mid-september?
 

maybe it's a "build your own" moog.
you buy a bunch of bits - keyboard assembly, wooden end panels, screws etc. and then make it yourself!
i joke, of course.

you can't help but think that whatever it will be, it's never going to live up to this amount of hype...
it will surely please as many people as it annoys (why didn't they do this...that...the other...etc.)

s.e.
 

I reckon its just gonna be a microKorg -esque job. that first flying saucer style pic is a huge rotary 'big knob' with LEDs round the edge to show what position the knob is at. more mad professor dials above the keyboard.

...and i've posted as much on another site: oscillator
 

I thinks its a new Moog sledgehammer.
It will be endorsed heavily at Real world.
 

maybe its an affordable Moog that plays more than one note at a time...
 

I agree. I'm tired of this hype AND I think they wouldn't hype it so much if it wasn't digital.

However, all we really know about the good old classic Moogs is that they go for thousands on eBay, and they were quite expensive when they first came out. If Moog has decided to re-make the originals (and add a few new things for today's technology) because of their popularity on eBay, they are probably building them in a much larger mass-quantity than they did back in the 1970s for a lot cheaper. "Outsourcing," you know.
 

A MIDI-enabled ice scraper, just in time for spring!
 

Not sure about the outsourcing:

This from Moog boss Mike Adams: http://www.moogmusic.com/moog.php?cat_id=85

Its not easy being a small company and producing in America. The big foreign corporations have a lot of leverage that we do not enjoy. Frankly, there are no incentives in place to encourage USA production anymore; mostly there are disincentives. From insurance premiums to legal expenses, everything is ridiculously expensive. On the other hand, there is plenty of support to “out-source” everything.

So why don’t we produce off shore and ship it in?....because you lose the connection to the product. Outside my door right now I hear drills, hammers, and strange sounds coming from our listening room “Cat Torture Headquarters”. Somehow opening a container from some Asian out-source would not be quite the same.
 

yeah I don't think they are out-sourcing either, there would be some leakage from people at those companys about what Moog is up to by now.
 

it's too bad more companies aren't able to do the same thing. moog at least has the name to help them out. the quality and design of their products definately helps too.
 

Little Phatty Tribute Edition

The Little Phatty is a monophonic analog synthesizer, with 100 user editable presets.

$1475.00 in US dollars.

Here are some specifications:

Sound Sources:
Two ultra-stable analog VCOs.

Sound Modifiers:
VCLPF: 24 dB /Oct Moog Ladder filter,
Overload control
Single Output VCA.

Envelope Generator section:
Two ADSR EGRs:
One to modulate the Filter (Filter EGR)
One to Modulate the VCA (Volume EGR).

For each EGR, the parameters are:

Attack
Decay
Sustain
Release

Modulation section:
4-waveform LFO
1x1 Mod Buss
6 possible mod sources
4 possible destinations.

User Interface section:
Fine Tune (for both Oscillators)
Glide On/Off
Octave Down
Octave Up

Output section:
Master Volume control
Output On/Off switch
Headphone Volume control
Headphone output jack (1/4 inch)

I/O Panel Section:
AC In (100-250VAC, 50-60 Hz)
Power On/Off
Audio Out
Ext. Audio In
Pitch CV In (1 V/Oct)
Filter CV In
Volume CV In
Keyboard Gate In
Midi In
Midi Out
 

sounds pretty legite to me. oh, oh, i can't wait to see the layout of the panel.
 

Little fatty seems laughable. Seems like the inputs/outputs/powersupply are on the half flying V. I also noticed that piece of wood in the back looks different. Oh, now I see, it's the same but with a big chunck taken out to accommidate the plugs.

Whatever it is looks like a terrible design. I love it, "The new keyboard controller for your Voyager Rack!"
 

it's a monophonic sampler.
 

This new Moog is exactly what I've been waiting for...a decent replacement for my long-gone Moog Rogue. I don't want a *vintage* analog synth, I want a *new* one, with a warranty, not filled with well-aged caps and ancient components slowly sliding out of spec ;)

100 memories, MIDI, Filter input, CV ins, some decent modulation - including osc2-->Filter Cutoff!!!

This has a lot more features and control than the coveted Moog Prodigy or Source...and those are going for "crazy money" on eBay these days.

The Voyager has a lot of crap I don't want or need...Plus I can't see spending three grand for a monosynth no matter how good it is. I've already got a couple of Moogerfoogers and a CP-251 so, for me, this is a very good choice.
 

1500$ is way too much for such a vanilla spec'ed synth

boo on you, "moog" inc
 

also, this sounds super shitty:

There are 4 value controls, one for each section: Modulation, Oscillators, Filter, and Envelopes. Each is surrounded by a ring of 15 LEDs that show approximately the stored or edited value of the current parameter. The value controls are analog, and when a parameter is activated, the analog control signal is switched to directly control that parameter (RAC™ or Real Analog Control). For each section, only one continuous parameter can be activated at a time for editing.
 

$1500 is too much i agree, and yeah it does sound rubbish that you wouldn't be able to change (eg) filter cutoff and resonance at the same time...
 

I've got a Little Phatty.. in my pants!
 

I'm waiting to see the price and how they've designed the front panel. If the street price is under $1K and its quick and easy to program, they might do OK with this synth. Otherwise, I'll spend my money on an MEK.
 

Hmmm... $1500 for that type of spec, wot rot, get the creamware Minimax ASB instead
 

http://moogmusic.com/detail.php?main_product_id=227

LP product page.
 

and it'd be great, but you wouldn't be able to afford it.
 

yeh i really cant support any company thats trying to keep synthesis stuck in the 70s..

im gonna buy a mono-evolver instead
 

yeah, if it was a vst, with 2osc i mean, everybody would have said boring! but it's moog, and analog, so it's gonna be totally awesome.
 

i dunno, i think classic layouts and designs, like synths from the 70's have value in that they are a recognized path to a recognized sound. there is a lot of value in keeping the "old guard". violins weren't always the way they are now, and in that respect i think there are great reasons to move forward as well.

moog makes a quality product, that maintains the feel and layout of the synths from the 70's. if your interest is moving forward, then do it man.
 

yeah, dependability is a big factor. i am not really going to buy one tho. some people can do that and that's cool, but i can't. my rogue could get me enough for a lead, and it's made to shit standards (desperate times i guess), and i still won't sell, cause it's my first. but i hear what you are saying, i just like the layout and not booting up by damn computer.
 

elsewhere in musicland players of other instruments spend some fucking bread to get a real players instrument. a decent alto sax is 3000 dollars; a bari costs more than a used honda. granted a keyboard player is going to have a ton more shit in their arsenal (though not necessarily, but one that reads this blog surely might), for some it's the notes you play that count. name a better 2osc all analog synth that's made in usa.
 

i know all you cynics have gold records to back up your strong opinions so maybe i shouldn't say much other than if it sounds good, then what does it matter?

simplicity is the key to good tone and if this thing is simple but made to really high standards, it will be great.

Everybody wants a damn synth that will sound amazing for $400... why don't they exist? because parts cost money, skilled labor costs money...

I think it's awesome that moog keeps their work in the states and not for any of the 'buy american BS' but because they know what they're doing and they can be close to the product. Do you think some poor kid in china gives a shit about tone, much less if he's making a buck a day making a synth or sneakers?
 

Lip Up Phatty?
 

I only go for great big fattys.
 

:D

It just amazes me that people get so damn adamant and pissy about something they're honestly *not* interested in...even to the point of denigrating those who like it.

Like I said before, Its a slimmed-down Voyager (it has 2 vger OSCs and the vger LPF and discrete ADSRs) for those of us who've been asking for a no-nonsense *analog* mono with modern features like MIDI and patch memory at a decent price point. I'm not interested in an aging synth off of eBay with a 1980 spec and no replacement parts...not to mention the reliability issues.

Some were miffed that it wasn't a VA...We're talking MOOG fer godsake...

Some people are comparing this to the MEK...completely "apples and oranges". Even the envelopes on this thing are analog!

People are trolling here because this wasn't a $500 polysynth / cheese grater / wine chiller with "lifelike suction action"???

LOL!
 

I donno about no replacement parts. You can probably replace some with better caps or even environmentally friendly parts. But I wouldn't go around changing parts for the environment. That makes as much sense as ethanol or changing cars to hybrids.

You should be able to replace all the parts on an analog. They might not be exactly the same size and shape. As long as the math is right...

I may be wrong but I believe moog was all about the filter design. It made a special curved filter. And who wants to buy an analog for solid oscs? You want them to wander around a bit.

You can make this 1400 piece for less than a hundred, with modular capabilites. Hello Mini Synth!
http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/analogsynth/SOUNDLABMINISYNTH/soundlab.html
 

I've had a couple of people ask me why I sold my Moog Rogue and thought my answer would illuminate why I think the new Moog synth is so desirable!

Regarding the Rogue, I got tired of the maintenance...it was a 23 year old synth. Every three months or so I had to clean the keyboard leaf switches with Deoxit (don't ever use anything else, BTW) or it would play crazily out of tune. I was very lucky and removed the foam gskets from inside mine before they decayed to black tarlike goo (a problem all the other Rogues I've seen have had) - I had to replace a worn-out VCF slider and noticed that crap starting to decay, so I scraped it out before it fouled the pots and switches.
Having only a single AR for both the VCF and the VCA (with sustain either switched full-on or none at all) was getting a little frustrating as was the ganged OSC footage selector and ganged waveform select for both oscillators! Even so, it still had its charms - The best thing about it was the excellent contoured sync sound and nice little Moog filter! That said, it was becoming more trouble than it was worth so thats why I sold it on eBay ...for about twice what I paid for it - "crazy money" O_O

I had a Prodigy for a while too, but the leaf switches were still going to require the same regular maintenance...also the sync was rather lacking in that it wasn't envelope-controlled. It was in good condition (despite the poor case design) but was going to need a lot of attention and TLC to keep it that way. Bleah!

The new Moog appeals to me over the previous synths for a number of important reasons:
1- Two seperate EGs, both full ADSRs.
2- Sync is controllable by filter EG.
3- Variable-waveform "Voyager" oscillators!
4- OSC2 -> Filter Cutoff mod! :)
5- 100 Patch memories
6- MIDI
7- Maintenance issues & Longevity
8- Bob actually designed this one :D
9- I think the street price will be reasonable...

We'll see how it looks next week...
 

It's a Moog Source! But less ugly, I hope.
 

Well, they do say at the bottom, "Specs subject to change without notice." Maybe they're testing the waters for some potential consumer input on blogs and forums. :-)
 

Hello Mini Synth!
http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/analogsynth/SOUNDLABMINISYNTH/soundlab.html

AMEN, BROTHER!!!!!!

Now that I've thought about it - I couldn't imagine this thing costing under $1500. I mean, if all I could afford to pay was $300, that could only get me a tiny little Boss SP-303 sampler in today's market!

If you are a die-hard Moog fan and are so picky about what capacitors they use, I'm sure you'll like this synth. Otherwise, for us poor slackers, we'll still have to build our own.

Long live MusicFromOuterSpace!
 

Hmmm, $1500 for this new Moog or you could spend the same for a new Korg Radias (which I think Brian Eno helped design).

I'll take a new Radias over this anytime.
 

It's Reason now.