Everyone seems to hate the colors of the panels, but I think they're great. Too many synths are silver, plain, and uninviting. When I see this, it makes me want to play it.
them big spaced out knobs, the chunky buttons and the unsaturated 70's colours, that single slider that shouts play with me. Looks like it came right out of a cartoon in a very good way.
I don’t have a bunch of synthesizer experience, but I will say this. The 2 moog synths I have used both feel like they will be around for my grandkids to ask “grandpa what’s this weird keyboard in the basement?” And me to say “go get it and I’ll show you.”
It's funny how the look has grown on me. Probably because it sounds so great. Happy to see Moog continuing to represent their history while also taking some chances and trying new things. Great video as always Nick!
@Alex Bush Man if it matters at all some dood on the internet agrees with you :D Some of the names are the only thing that makes me think twice about purchasing.
I bought this beautiful Grandmother 2 years ago and i never get tired of it. This synth is a wonderful machine only 2 oscillators even (3) , and you can get awesome Moog bass sound to Alice in wonderland psychedelic flutes, adding the spring reverb with the simple but effective arpeggiator , i just love this synth so much
Nathan Lambertson I agree. Moog and KORG will probably always be my favorite synth manufacturers. There’s a uniqueness to them that you don’t get everywhere else.
@@HotStrange Try Dreadbox. They arent as well known, but the Erebux and Nyx are both excellent monosynths. Plus they have a massive amount of great synths that they have discontinued for the sake of making new stuff. imo they are one of the more creative synth companies out there.
I've had the grandmother for over a year and I didn't consider until now that I could use the attenuator to boost the mixer output going into the filter. This little synth just keeps giving
Fantastic demo as always! That bit in the outro is bangin. I just bought one for $750 shipped, should be here any day now. I’m stoked and of course I always watch your reviews to get a kick start of ideas when I get a new piece of kit.
To get around the low end loss when adding resonance, you can use a 32' triangle wave from VCO 1, and then patch your VCO 2 wave out directly into the filter. Next, patch the filter output into VCO 2's input in the mixer, and take the mixer's output directly into the VCA such that only VCO 2 is processed by the filter. Not perfect, but it does let us get some bark and quack with some hefty low end, even with max resonance. One could also use the sine wave from the LFO in place of the triangle wave from VCO 1
about the slider for sustain instead of decay: most probably, Moog wanted to stress the difference in the way the ADSR pots are operating. AD and R are modifying the duration (hence their calibration in ms on the Mini Moog D) while the S changes the signal LEVEL (calibration in dB). Just a matter of logic, then.
That's right: attack, decay, and release set rates whereas sustain sets a level. That was exactly my thought of why they made the distinction in the types of control.
Adamski A. : yep,exactly what I noticed. I imagine if Roland was to do the same, they would choose sliders for A, D and R, while sustain level would be set with a knob :-))
Jean Bonnefoy Yes well if you think from a modern tech ergonomic point of view. Time is normally define by a rotation around a clock and i guess the up down control immediate steers your thinking to a level control. Yes with regards to Roland, if we look at the SH series in particular even juno/jupiter series majority of the controls are sliders. Even the later Jd 800 come to think of it
Mark My Words, these Synthesizers will become harder and harder to find and go up in value just like the Roland SH-101. The Moog Grandmother is basically a Moog SH-101 except with more flexibility, modular patch points, a friggin killer built in Spring Reverb and the incredible sound of vintage Moog Modular. I own one and I've made more cool sounds and experiments on it in my first couple of days than on any of my more expensive synths like the Pro 2, Matrixbrute, and my Access Virus TI2, (which I sold ALL of them recently, because they don't inspire me nearly as much as the Grandmother or my other gear) It's the first Synth I have owned where I seriously thought, "I'd like to buy another one of these." MARK MY WORDS. Now if you happen to not like the sound, too bad for you, because this is the best Semi Modular Analog MONO on the market. Many say, "its so limited" yet they don't realize it's limitless in a modular context. Granted it has only 1 LFO and 1 Envelope blah blah blah. These limitations outside of the modular context actually inspired me to create with the instrument and use them to my advantage. Honestly, the only reason this wouldn't be a potential purchase for a buyer is because the buyer happens to not like the sound....they would be crazy, but that is really the only reason not to buy this Synth. If you've read this far, thanks for reading my vent about how overlooked these currently are and will continue to be. It's already a never sell classic in the tens of thousands of dollars of Electronic music equipment I own. I could go on and on as well about how I have even learned more about Analog Sound sculpting with the Grandmother since I have owned her but I'm gonna stop there. (I'm still considering buying a second one.....)
you are making it very hard for me to say no, but with the patty and sub 37 AND the moog one coming it feels like overkill to have a granny somewhere too, i just really like the radioshack aspect, less is more, so you do more with what you have, and get more out of the modular elements.... i think the biggest argument not to get it, for me, is that i don’t enjoy modular much... too much thinking! also i have a Spring King Reverb pedal i can kick occasionally 😉
Best synth I ever bought was the Yamaha XS8. Does everything this crap does with better cleaner (stereo) sound... Of course it has a way higher pricepoint then and now lol
@@spick1923 your confused, it's a programmable knobbed workstation with all of the modulators shown here that can be assigned in any sequence, to each voice along with digital accompaniment. Not just that but it has assignable knobs, for all kinds of modulation, maybe get out of your bubble, bubble-boy
@@spick1923 The problem is with your first response to me: "You don't get modern DAW". For those of us 'working' in this industry, we choose software based devices that allow for sequencing -- not a remote keyboard with like 10 keys that fires off saw, square and sine through some patchwork like Wendy Carlos... If you are in a band, then yes, moog is great, if you own a production company, no -- not until you have a daw workstation to patch it in to with midi.
Always appreciate how you take the time to examine the key synth components. Along these same lines, might I suggest that you do a Sonicstate comparison series of videos? For example, A/Bing several different oscillators and filters and discussing compensations (if any) for one to more closely emulate another.
Spot on review I got one in place of my phatty and one module from my two row and couldn't be more pleased this is a performance instrument it begs to play arpeggios and sequences and is immediaTe , can do sound design and drones but whaT blew me away is the organic sound I have a voyager and this is different it's more raw and powerful don't let the colors fool you it's a serious tool to make music, also the simplicity kept me better focused
Those oscillators! I was listening to this review in my car with the bass all the way down (broken subwoofer) and still heard that low end. Great review, Nick 👍
9:20 Having a different type of control element for Sustain actually makes sense, because Sustain is the only level-based parameter whereas Attack, Decay and Release are time-based parameters.
Gotta admit, the spring reverb is probably the worst thing about this synth. I've never liked the sound of spring reverb, and would rather have almost any other effect, or even none at all.
I must admit when I heard it had a spring reverb I thought of my old Realistic spring reverb I had with my vocal performance set up back in mid 80's. It was a very cheap effect that a kid could buy from Tandy's that gave you a reverb sound but don't put it up against a Copycat tape or the Roland Space echo. Now that I'm hearing the spring reverb being praised I'm kind of a bit confused. It was a cheap effect back in the days. In my head it still is but if it can be manipulated to create a great sound then who am I to complain?
@@ToyKeeper the Matriarch has a stereo delay, but the way the reverb is integrated to the GM gives that Arp 2600 sound and feel. Basically you don't need to plug the GM into anything else to have a complete little sound design synth - which can also interface with Eurorack modules.
Yeah, it's good at what it does. It has a good sound, a solid build, and the weak reverb is totally optional. But I try to stay away from Eurorack and other modular gear. It's awesome stuff, but it's a very expensive rabbit hole which tends to guide people toward weird sounds more often than music. The synths I'm really interested in are a different type... like the Novation Peak and Summit, Moog One, Elektron Digitakt and Digitone, Synthstrom Deluge, Waldorf Kyra, and the old Access Virus. Lots of good-sounding voices (and/or sequencers) in one box, with a good UI, and fully configurable with digital controls so they can load and save patches easily. TL;DR: The Moog *Mother products are great, but I'm not in their target market.
I see Nick using the REVERB OUT to modulate the pitch of OSC2. I read in the manual that mixing audio signals and control signals is not recommended due to AC and DC signalflow. However, the result of Nicks patch sounded just fine, so I am not sure whether I took the manual's advice in the wrong way. Any advice and/or experience from Grandmother owners here?
I had a few minutes with one and I really enjoyed the sound... love that spring reverb. I'd like to hear something running through its input. That jam at the end of this video was excellent!
Comparing to many other channels the experience and knowledge of synths and how to tweak the sound seems like second nature here. It makes for a very good watcher's experience. Thank you.
Nick is right about the build quality of Moog Synths. In addition to the Grand Mother, the Moog Subsequent 37 is as solid as a rock. Being that Omnisphere 2.5 has hardware support for synthesizers, a Subsequent 37 could be a polyphonic synth by connecting it to a small notebook computer running Omnisphere. Incredible. You can buy an inexpensive notebook computer with 4GB RAM, a small amount of hard drive space, running Windows 7 or higher. Omnishere retails for $499 and can be had for less. That's a small investment in a system that can sound huge.
I was just thinking the string reverb might be slightly unstable in a live situation especially with a heavy kick drum coming out the P.A. or with heavy key bashing on a keyboard stand, might add some chaos to the sound! Great demo as always. 👍
if you bash it does give you feed back, but bass hits doesn't seem to effect it much. Think of all the guitar amps with reverb tanks out there, and the reason they dont put them on a subwoofer cabinet :)
Would be interesting to see a direct comparison of how this compares, for the subset of sound it does, with the Sub 37 and the Model D Reissue. Basically wondering if I need/want another Moog, even one that is a bit ugly , in my stable.
Pete Brown Man I love the way it looks. 60’s kinda vintage look with those greens and blues, really vibey looking. I think the days of silver and black synths needs to go away, plenty of that stuff already, who wants another black synth?
I admit, although I don't love it, I've been warming up to the look. What I didn't like initially is it looked just like the laminated paper-panel DIY modular stuff from MusicFromOuterSpace (I love Ray's stuff, but had custom MU panels made). Example of the laminated paper look: www.spheremusic.com/userimages/Img16354-3.jpg. I'm also a sucker for Moog stuff, because I really love the sound of just about everything they make, so keep trying to justify this to myself. Only downside is the single envelope, which I always find to be very limiting. But it looks like there may be enough CV IO there to add an external envelope for the filter.
I know what you mean. I’m even considering a Sub Phatty even tho I already have a Subsequent 37. Now it’s like or maybe Grandmother ? I didn’t like the look at first but the idea has grown on me and it doesn’t seem so bad now. It is rather vibey. I do already have DFAM and Mother32 to couple it with. Considering trading my mother32 for a 2nd DFAM instead tho....GrandMo does sound pretty fantastic. And the smallest details and unpredictable nuances in that spring reverb are superb !!
Pete Brown True, all this stuff is just a matter of taste. I’m was born in the 70’s, but I’ve always loved the look of 60’s style for just about everything. Most stuff these days look modern but cheap, unfortunate. Moog is retro to me, it should stay that way IMO. Nothing is more beautiful than those 60’s cars. As for Moog, their gear just sounds beautiful, really it’s own language. I hope to own a piece one day, but I’m more a rompler guy. Haha!
I was incredibly sceptical about this one but after this review I’m really impressed. Great big quality sound and for a Moog the price is reasonable. I’m totally not in the market for another mono synth but I have to say I’m somewhat tempted. Great review as always
The reason why they had sustain on the fader is because it, unlike attack, decay, and release, is a level control, whereas the others control time. So it actually makes a lot of sense the way they did it here.
17:44 I find this strangely amusing and satisfying. I've had guitar amps with spring reverbs but you don't go knocking about equipment with hot tubes in them. ;)
"You're paying for a quality instrument." Hit the nail on the head. It's priced right. I did luck out, as I bought a second hand one for $625 soon after it came out. Couldn't be that used.
+Bill Shaver Can't guarantee this is right, but script site says "Gorn" www.montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_4/23.htm "Father: Nothing, nothing, I just like the word. It gives me confidence. Gorn ... gorn. It's got a sort of woody quality about it. Gorn. Gorn. Much better than `newspaper' or `litterbin'." I have no idea if "Gorn" actually means something :)
I need to dive into mine. Great review Nick. Glad to see you looking it a bit more than maybe you expected to. Also, Monty Python references are always good.
I kinda felt the same way about its looks when this thing was announced. I looked at the pictures and all I could think was "Fisher Price toy", but now I kind of like it and it sounds awesome too.
I think this board is a great idea. Analog has been kind of lost to newer generations and reintroduces analog that is ready to play and tweak straight out of the box with no prior knowledge. I have a subsequent 37 and I love it. Tons of stuff and sounds amazing but.. there is something about this board that makes it a lot more fun. I’m not sure what it is but it just is. Obviously the Subsequent 37 has more features by far but I find myself playing the grandmother more. Very nice job by Moog. Yeah it doesn’t have some features maybe some of us old school guys would like but at the same time it makes you be more creative with what’s there which is a lot. For the price and build quality it’s absolutely a fantastic board. I highly recommend this board for anyone interested in exploring analog. Buy it, plug it in, turn some knobs and have a blast immediately. If you have never had a analog board the sound by no way shape of form is truly represented on videos. The pure fatness and raw sound of analog and moog itself is in undeniably amazing. If you have a drum machine just turn it on and you will be amazed how much fun this board brings to the table. Love it. Thanks moog.
So awesome! And looks "cool" too. Moogs are always interesting to atleast some degree, but I think this might be the most tempting for me yet. I agree that such a switch on the filter, and a 2nd envelope would make sense, and increase the appeal quite a bit. But seems like a worthwhile consideration, especially if you have some (semi-)modular kit already. And please stop trying to please the mogue-moaners, just call it Moog. It's never been mogue, not in english, and not in its original dutch. So why bother?
Because Bob Moog said it's pronounced "mogue", that's why. Thank you for the change, Nick! And thanks for the review. That sound at that price is an absolute steal, assuming you don't mind the limitations.
Generations after his family left The Netherlands, and no longer spoke dutch. Thus didn't know the proper pronunciation. There's nothing in the english language that suggests it should be mogue. And the original dutch sounds closer to something like moach - but you gotta really hark out the "ach". So "because he said so", while he didn't actually know, isn't the best of reasons.
Sure, they learned from the same guy, that still doesn't speak dutch. Personally I wouldn't count on a person to teach me a language that he himself doesn't speak.
Imagine telling someone in 1980 that 40 years from then you could get a Moog synth for less than $1,000? Better yet, look at a Moog price sheet from 1980, I don't understand at all the price comments if you know what you're getting and how much more expensive their synths were back then. This would be like $300 in 1980 adjusted for inflation.
If my daughter wasn't staring university in September I might really want one of these. As it is, I don't think I'll be able to buy any new equipment for a long, long time.
My advice: have her get loans, which are interest free (in US at least) which attending school. Save the money regularly in low risk index funds and pay the loans off for her when she completes school.
If she's going for a fake degree like "Women's Studies" or "Gender Studies", you would be morally justified in spending every last penny of her educational savings on synthesizers.
Looks like you've added another keybd to my wish list, thanks Nick (I think). Would have liked a larger filter cutoff knob like on my mininova, but I'm sure someone will tell me to just change the knob. The slider is nigh on useless but oh those sounds! If you want a quality unit then I guess you need to shell out the asking price. Great review as always Nick.
It seems to me that this instrument, more than any of Moog’s stuff, would be better as a rackable module for about $200 less. I love its sound, and I’d never use it live, so I have no interest in adding yet another short keyboard to my studio. I’m absolutely a fan of the Grandmother but it will never find its way into my studio in this format.
Markus Koivisto then knock a little more off the price and I’d happily take it with no spring reverb. Is there anything special about Grandmother’s? I already have 2 rackmount spring reverbs in my studio.
infindebula I guess this one isn’t for you then. Don’t worry, these are selling like hot cakes for the people who do want them. There are other rackmount moogs is you’re more into that.
@@markuskoivisto :) I get it! You know ... just providing my two cents. Obviously no single product is for everyone - but in terms of modules from Moog, I'd find this synth more compelling than the Minitaur, Slim Phatty or Voyager RME - largely because of its patchability. I dunno - I might buy one anyway. I spend some time with it every time I visit my local music store. I think it's become my favourite contemporary Moog product.
infindebula I definitely see the appeal of this in eurorack. That said I understand their design and going for a dedicated instrument, and I really think this has the potential to become a classic years from now.
Potato - Potaaato, Tomato - Tomaaato, Moog - Mo’w’g - let’s call the whole thing . . . an amazing sounding synth. And just for the count, Nick evenly shared out his pronunciation of Moog - Mo’w’g with a total of 8 each. A great review, I first watched a year ago, now that I’ve got a G.Mother I’m back to realise how good Nick is at this sort of thing, a natural and extremely knowledgeable. Some great patching to try out, especially the S+H one @17:20 P E A C E : )
Wow! That outro was a notch above standard outro fare! That is an incredible sound you're getting out of the instrument near the end there. Was that all just the Grandmother or was there some post-processing?
Nick's reviews are always stellar & thorough. Thank you as usual. In essence, up until about the 10 minute mark, I was 😐 . Once it got to about 14 minutes, I was 😀. Reason? It compares well with my Roland system 100 set. And although there are limitations (one envelope , one lfo), it has a clangy springline, a built in sequencer AND you can use the lfo as an audio source. It also sounds much CLEANER and CLEARER than any of the old moog modulars I've ever used, which had been ( I think ) serviced regularly. Moog synths inherently have some sort of overdrive built in to the circuitry which makes them sound LOUDER than anything else in your studio, ALL THE TIME , so you have to watch your levels (yup... even on the VOYAGER). Having said that, I think the Dave Smith stuff is also pretty inherently loud too. Maybe it's a tradition or something they've carried over from the 70s or just a careful observation as to how analog synths are used in a set up. Anyhoo, I digress. This is a winner. If I didn't have the system 100 set , I'd buy one asap. 👍
I've read (Wikipedia) that the Moog Grandmother uses "circuits based on the Moog modular synthesizer Model 15, and the Minimoog." Does that mean that I can use my Moog iOS Model 15 app to learn about possible routing/patching ideas - are the input/output patch points in a similar layout?
Always nice to have Nick's reviews on the synth you look forward to get. I believe the sustain fader choice is just because S is an amplitude level, whereas AD-R are all time based. I agree it would've been more useful to have a fader on the decay instead.
I just snatched up 2 of these today (1 a demo model for a discount and 1 brand new from a different store) Both DARK Edition I think it's called.... Now is the time to buy what you can because Moog will never be the same again.... IMO
This surprised me. I wasn't hugely into the MG when it was announced. However, it sounds lush! Some really powerful meaty sounds coming out of it. Also, just to wade in on the design of it... I love it! Very 60's retro cool :) Great review as always from the SonicState crew.
When I had the luck to visit the factory in Asheville, I was particularly surprised by the Grandmother. Nice sound, nice feel, and actually a pretty nice look.
It sounds very sweet, really enjoyed this review Nick :) I have a Sub Phatty and I couldn't justify buying this right now due to funds etc. But I really enjoy how it sounds, and that sequencer just adds to it very well. As always keep up the great work :)
9:30 I'd imagine that when you press down a key and flick the sustain full on the tone goes on endlessly even when you depress the key. I could be wrong.
This thing really sounds great, like a Moog should. The Moog One is a really big disappointment, since it doesn't sound anything like a Moog, unfortunately. Anyway, thanks for a very interesting demo Nick, as usual.
