Moog’s move will also have them operating above popular café and record press Citizen Vinyl.

Moog also plans expansion of its factory in Weaverville, a short drive north of Asheville. According to a Citizen-Times interview, expanding “will enhance assembly and warehousing capabilities and is more convenient for staff who build the synthesizers.”

Asheville Citizen-Times Building, the new home of Moog Music Inc. Image credit: Warren LeMay

About Moog Music

R. A. Moog Co had its start in 1952 by Robert Moog and his father. It was later rebranded as Moog Music in 1972. Devices like the Moog (the first commercial synthesizer) and the Minimoog are notable as the world’s most influential electronic instruments.

Alongside synthesizers, Moog creates apps for many different computing platforms and devices.

Music enterprise inMusic purchased Moog in June of 2023. The acquisition laid nearly 30 workers (of a team of 90), some who are responsible for building the instruments by hand. 

Find more information on Moog’s website. 

Moog Music‘s Mariana Bass Synthesizer is a new software the company calls its “next evolution of Bass.”

The company explains in detail the features of Mariana on their website:

“Mariana is a dual-layer synthesizer, allowing you to mix together two completely different synthesizer sounds that can dynamically complement each other or be played duophonically. Each layer is built around two oscillators … with a sub-oscillator adding even more low end weight.

Two resonant Moog filters and a third filter specifically for the sub-oscillator let you shape your sound… Mariana is optimized for quickly fine-tuning stereo content while simultaneously preserving a powerful mono bass foundation.

Warm tube, tape, and overdrive saturation and a tight compressor add heaviness and glue to your bass lines while an illuminating real-time metering section lets you monitor your sounds and dial them in to a professional standard… Whether designing your own bass tones from scratch or using one of the 200 included presets as a starting point, Mariana is an accessible and versatile tool for any modern production environment. [Although] Mariana is optimized for bass, it is fully capable of producing strong leads, punchy percussion, and multidimensional effects…

Nearly every parameter of Mariana can be modulated internally via MIDI, MPE, and virtual CV to build an interconnected ecosystem right in your DAW.”

The Mariana Bass Synthesizer starts at an introductory price of $49 (Originally $99) for Mac 11.7 Intel and Apple Silicon and Windows 10 64-bit versions. The iOS version is $19 (Originally $29.99) for iOS versions. Mariana comes in VST3, AudioUnit, and Pro Tools AAX formats and standalone AUv3 for Mac.

Find more information and buy Mariana on the Moog Music website.

A statement from their official Facebook page explains the acquisition in more detail:

“Devoted to maintaining the sound, quality, and manufacturing philosophy that our company and instruments are known for, inMusic is able to offer solutions to support the areas that have been ongoing challenges for us as a small manufacturing business. This new partnership will enable us access to inMusic’s efficient global distribution and supply chain network while providing inMusic and its affiliated brands with deep expertise in analogue synthesis.

This new opportunity allows our team to continue focusing on doing what we do best: developing and building the best-sounding electronic musical instruments for artists around the world.”

Moog Music

R. A. Moog Co. was founded in 1952 by Robert Moog and his father. It was later rebranded as Moog Music in 1972. Flagship instruments like the Moog (the first commercial synthesizer) and the Minimoog are hailed as some of the world’s most influential electronic instruments. Moog’s modern products meet the growing demands of modern music, with popular mobile apps and Eurorack instruments.

In June of 2022, Moog workers began a unionization campaign to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

CEO Joe Richardson concludes in his statement regarding the acquisition on Moog Music’s website:

“We are excited to introduce you to the many innovative hardware and software instruments our team has on the horizon…The future is bright for Moog and the incredible community that has embraced our instruments and all we stand for. We’re grateful for your loyalty and support along the way, and we can’t wait for you to see (and hear) all that’s ahead.”

inMusic

Rhode Island-based inMusic cites innovation and access to music technology as their main mission. Starting in 1992, CEO Jack O’Donnell bought DJ equipment manufacturer Numark Electronics. In 2001, O’Donnell purchased Alesis then MPC inventor Akai in 2005. Now with ownership of 19 popular music companies including Moog Music, inMusic is a leader in the music retail market.

Find more information on the inMusic acquisition on the Moog Music website.

“Grandmother and Matriarch have become staples in studio setups and live performance settings, go-to synthesizers for beginners, and multifaceted creative tools used by musicians of all skill levels to explore the power of analogue sound,” reads a statement on the company’s website.

The Matriarch and the Grandmother’s all-black aesthetic pays homage to what Moog says are the “modular control panel designs that inspired their very creation.”

The Moog Matriarch is a patchable four-note paraphonic analogue synthesizer with a built-in sequencer. It carries a 100% analogue signal path along with modules based on Bob Moog’s original circuit designs. Arpeggiators, stereo ladder filters and 90 modular patch points are some of the additional features included with the instrument.

Moog’s Grandmother is a semi-modular analogue synthesizer. Like the Matriarch, the Grandmother comes with an arpeggiator and 256-note step sequencer, and an analogue spring reverb tank is included in its list of features.

Both synthesizers work as keyboard front-ends for expanding DFAM, Mother-32 or Grandmother synths, or for a Eurorack modular system.

The Moog Dark Series is available in select retailers until they are all sold out. The Grandmother runs for $1,149, and the Matriarch runs for $2,199.

The full color-panel versions of both instruments are still available for purchase. Find more information on Moog’s website.

The initial assembly of the Werkstatt-Ø1 instrument is known to be extremely simple, using minimal tools and expertise. Patching inputs and outputs together from the 12 jacks of the ⅛-inch patch bay reconfigures the Werkstatt-Ø1’s circuits to create unique sounds.

An additional CV Expander on the Werkstatt-Ø1 connects the instrument as an enhancement to other Moog Semi-Modular Synthesizers or Eurorack systems. Moog also offers a webpage showing possible modifications to the Werkstatt-Ø1, using breadbox and Arduino integration.

Moog said farewell to the Werkstatt-Ø1 on a Twitter thread while praising its pioneering features:

“Werkstatt-01 was created to provide a hands-on understanding of how analog synthesizers work and encourage experimentation with sound through patching and interconnectivity,” they wrote. “[Did You Know] that the research and design that went into Werkstatt-01’s circuitry ultimately led to the development of our entire semi-modular family? If it weren’t for Werkstatt-01, instruments like Mother-32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, Grandmother, and Matriarch might not exist today!”

At the time of writing, limited stock of the Werkstatt-Ø1 is still available at select Moog dealers. Alternatively, online resale prices for the Werkstatt-Ø1 are selling at or around $150 to $160.

Find more information on the Werkstatt-Ø1 on Moog’s website. 

Animoog Z comes with a streamlined user interface and multiplatform support, making the app a powerful instrument for any musician’s sound designing endeavors.

Getting started with Animoog Z is simple; selecting and dragging the orbit path creates endless sonic configurations as the patch travels through an array of timbres. Animoog Z expands on the original Animoog’s Anisotropic Synth Engine, allowing the X/Y/Z axis shaping of unique timbres to create expressive and evolving soundscapes.

A few other standout features in Animoog Z include:

MPE / MIDI Support

The Animoog Z now supports both MIDI and MIDI Polyphonic Expression keyboards. A MIDI Out mode can control other outboard instruments using the Animoog Z’s expansive touch keyboard.

Animoog Z’s 2021 update introduces MPE qualities to its touch surface keyboard. Polyphonic Modulation uses configurable scales, key distances, pitch correction and glide. Sliding fingers in multiple directions control multiple per-voice modulation parameters in Animoog Z right from the keys. Polyphonic Pitch Shifting manipulates the exact pitch of each note in a chord from rotating or sliding the fingers.

Modules:

Animoog Z’s touch support directs the synth engine through Animoog Z’s X/Y/Z space, creating flowing and shifting sounds. The rate of orbit can be independently controlled in the X/Y/Z space to create interesting three-dimensional visual shapes. The 3D space can yield interesting results, from subtle to extreme voice manipulation.

The Arpeggiator Module is Animoog Z’s built-in arpeggiator with multiple patterns, octaves, time division, programmable syncopation and melodic motion. The classic four-pole Moog ladder filter makes up the Moog Filter Module with High Pass, Low Pass, and Band Pass modes. Thick Module adds depth, edge, and character to Animoog Z with bitcrushing, detuning and drive. Delay Module brings echo and delay effects, and record and play live performances with the Looper Module. Recordings can be shared between Animoog Z and other apps, email, and messenger.

Timbre Editor

New to Animoog Z, the built-in Timbre Editor allows users to assemble sounds from a wide variety of timbres recorded from vintage and modern Moog synthesizers. Customize sounds, record timbres or import your own WAV files with the built-in timbre recorder.

The below performance of “Currents” by Grammy-nominated artist Suzanne Ciani showcases the Animoog Z’s extensive features.

Animoog Z is available for iPad, iPhone, Mac, as an AUv3. A VST wrapper is available for integration in all DAWs that support AUv2, AUv3, and VST3.

An introductory price of $9.99 unlocks Animoog Z’s full functionality on the App Store. Find more information on the Animoog Z on the Moog Music website.

An iOS account and Apple device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac) is required to download the Moog Collection. While there are no details on when the limited deal ends, all downloaded apps are stored indefinitely in the given iOS account.

Minimoog Model D Synthesizer

This app is a fully emulated version of Moog’s (also portable) Minimoog Model D. Ideas are simple to create from scratch within the app; 160 presets are also available for users to get quick ideas started.

The Minimoog Model D is available as an AUv3 app for use in other Mac-based DAWs.

Filtatron

Filtatron is a realtime audio filter and effects app based around filters that give Moog instruments their famous “warm and thick” sound. Filtatron can act as a source, destination, or a filter for audio from other compatible apps.

“The Pads” are available to use the Filatron as a performance device, allowing two parameters to be controlled at once. Sample sharing directly to SoundCloud is also available.

Moog Model 15

The Moog Model 15 app is Moog’s modular synthesizer and synthesis educational tool created exclusively for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Mac. Model 15 Modular is designed utilizing Apple’s new Metal Technology for smooth and seamless usage while creating sounds. Monophonic and four-voice polyphonic operation, arpeggiators and an Animoog keyboard with 22 built-in scales are packed into this powerful app.

Animoog

Animoog is Moog Music’s first professional polyphonic synthesizer designed exclusively for the iPad. Their proprietary Anisotropic Synth Engine (ASE) allows musicians to use the iPad-based app as an immersive X/Y controller. Simple gestures can reshape a sound completely. MIDI capability with other Moog instruments or with a simple MIDI controller is available.

Theremini Editor

The Therimini Editor is a mobile patch editor for Moog’s Theremini instrument. A Theremini is required in order to use the free app.

Download the full Moog Collection on the App Store.

Leon Theremin with his device.

First conceived in 1920 by Russian inventor Léon Theremin and patented in 1928, the Theremin became a respected instrument in the field of classical music. Its sonic contributions to film scores and early science fiction sound effects made generations of hairs stand on end.

The Theremin’s electromagnetic interface baffled early audiences who watched in awe as a musician played what appeared to be invisible strings of air. Instead of keys and a volume pedal the theremin uses two antennae: the rod antenna for oscillator pitch and the loop antenna for volume. These extremely sensitive antennae give the musician direct control of vibrato to deliver expressive and emotional results.

Paul Tanner with the Electro-Theremin.

It took considerable skill to master the Theremin. Although it’s timbre imitates that of a violin, the technique used to play it is more akin to a trombonist. The telescope like slide mechanism on the trombone varies the size of the instrument to change the pitch. For that reason, trombonists were often more instinctive and adaptable users of the Theremin in its early days.

In the late 1950s it was this insight that lead trombonist Paul Tanner to persuade amateur inventor Bob Whitsell to help him develop the Electro-Theremin. Tanner liked the sound of the sine wave oscillators in the original design but lusted after greater control of pitch and attack. The suggestions he gave to Whitsell consequently led the innovator to ditch the antennae in favor of a trombone-inspired slide controller for pitch and a mechanical knob for amplitude.

It was the Electro-Theremin that Brian Wilson would record in 1965 for the album Pet Sounds and again to more critical and commercial acclaim in his 1966 hit single, “Good Vibrations.” Due to the tonal similarities it’s widely misconceived that an original Theremin was used on Good Vibrations which soon boosted the sales of Theremins among a growing psychedelic community.

The Birth Of Moog Music

In 1953, Robert Arthur Moog began his much-renowned career with the release of his own Theremin design. It was originally only available through mail order as a DIY kit where it was purchased by American composer Raymond Scott. Scott modified Moog’s theremin by adding a keyboard to give the instrument glissando capability with adjustable portamento, and he also installed an amplitude envelope to shape the length and attack of the notes played.

In 1956 Scott patented his adaptation of the Theremin as the Clavivox, which in turn inspired Moog to design his first synthesizers.

“A lot of the sound-producing circuitry of the Clavivox resembled very closely the first analog synthesizer my company made in the mid-’60s,” said Moog of the device. “Some of the sounds are not the same, but they’re close.”

Ed Sussman demonstrating the Moog Stringer.

By the early 1960s Moog’s close association with the Theremin led him to forge a partnership with recording engineer and one-time customer Walter Sear. Moog befriended Sear after he bought parts to build his own Theremin in the late 1950s. This soon grew into a business partnership as Sear used his music industry connections to spruik Moog’s instruments. When Brian Wilson’s cousin, occasional collaborator and touring Beach Boys band member Steve Korthoff needed a stage version of the Theremin, Sear was on hand to assist in the demonstration.

Steve Korthoff immediately discovered it was far too difficult to use the instrument to reproduce the “Good Vibrations” lead melody, so Sear asked him to visit Bob Moog at his facility to further explain what he needed. After listening to Korthoff’s need for traditional frets, Moog constructed a ribbon controller connected to an oscillator that could be played more easily by Korthoff and the band. This reinvention became the Moog Stringer, which was first seen publicly in the promotional film shot for Good Vibrations.

Then and Now

Clara Rockmore performing with the Theremin.

The Claravox Centennial takes its name from  Clara Rockmore, whose virtuoso performances and recordings brought a more sophisticated approach to the instrument. Rockmore used the Theremin to sing like a human voice rather than emulating a violin with the wild vibrato of her many contemporaries.

The Claravox has two modes. Traditional mode uses classic heterodyne oscillators for an authentic Theremin sound while Modern mode uses multimode DSP oscillators (sine, triangle, saw, wavetable) with assignable scales, quantization, octave ranges, and response curves.
An analogue wave-shaping circuit (as used in the Etherwave Pro) allows you to tame and balance the gain of the signal as well as adding saturation to fatten the harmonics. For onboard FX there’s a BBD delay that conveniently gives you a classic analogue delay to echo and spiral your Theremin playing.

Connectivity

The Claravox Sentinel with optional stand.

MIDI IN and OUT plus two CV inputs and outputs expand your Claravox as an external instrument that you can program from your DAW, hardware sequencer or even a modular system. This could result in accurate programming capabilities as well as experimental happy accidents.

The Outs convert your Claravox into a sophisticated MIDI/CV controller to trigger and control external samplers, instruments or any device with a MIDI/CV input. An application for this feature that comes to mind would be to use the Claravox like the D-Beam controller that was used in the Roland MC-505. You can accurately calibrate this data to produce the sub bass lines vital to modern hip-hop, house and techno tracks, using your choice of synth or 808 kick samples just to give an example.

USB MIDI is also an option if you wish to use the Claravox without an interface. Alternatively you could just play these sub bass lines live using the onboard generators that cover a five-octave range in Traditional Mode or four to seven octaves in Modern Mode. The video below demonstrates how expressive the Theremin’s controls can be when used for bass lines.

The Claravox has enough specifications to give you these options. The side-entry calibration ports are easy to access for fine tuning adjustments and the dedicated Response knobs allow for the creation of recallable custom antenna curves in Modern mode. Front-panel pitch and volume knobs give fast and immediate control for dialing in to new playing environments.

The front-panel preset storage provides instant recall of your sounds and settings and there’s even a software librarian to back up and organize your presets. This software can also access a host of under-the-hood features.

The Claravox’s retro design gives it aesthetic appeal, although the classic wooden tripod stand is an optional extra. You can use a standard mic stand if you’re not keen on spending extra cash for the full vintage look.

Alternative Moog Theremins 

The Moog Etherwave Plus could also be used as a controller with CVs for pitch and volume. These CVs can be patched to any CV inputs of your choice. The scaled-back Standard version comes without connectivity.

The Theramini made playing the instrument easier with assisted pitch control. It carried one CV output and USB MIDI. It’s 32 wavetable sound presets and stereo output broadened the sonic scope of the instrument.

The Claravox Sentinel can be pre-ordered now for $1,499, and it ships out in December. More information can be found on the Moog Music website.

Image credit: Moog Music, Lindahall, sundazed, encyclotronic, Youtube.

Now, Bjørn has returned with a brand new book, this time specific to one synthesizer brand: the esteemed Moog Music, who have partnered with Bjooks to produce the book.

Patch & Tweak With Moog features technique tutorials for each Moog instrument, introductions to modular synth concepts, in-depth artist and Moog engineer interviews, a history of Moog as a whole, and more. The foreword is written by the legendary composer and sound designer Hans Zimmer.

The culmination of over a year of work and collaboration between Bjørn, Moog, Bjooks, a vast array of electronic musicians, and editor Mike Metlay, Patch & Tweak With Moog comes complete with images and diagrams within its 200 pages. It’s a meticulous look at the Moog brand and its many instruments.

Fans of the Mother-32, Grandmother, Matriarch, DFAM, and Subharmonicon Moog synthesizers are in luck: Patch & Tweak With Moog features extensive knowledge on all of them.

Artist interviews include insightful talks with Trent Reznor, Suzanne Ciani, Hannes Bieger, Paris Strother, Lisa Bella Donna, and many more, all offering unique takes and perspectives on their experience and technique using Moog instruments.

Bjørn’s comprehensive tutorials and histories of Moog will be, as ever, an invaluable tool for everyone from the most experienced synth enthusiasts to novice users and hobbyists.

Patch & Tweak With Moog is slated for release on November 6th, 2020. It’s available for pre-order via the official Bjooks website.

Accompanying retrofuturistic visuals by Scott Kiernan for the duration of the video is a tranquil soundscape composed by Ciani using the instrument. A female spoken-word vocal sample touches on philosophical matters around music as gentle plucks turn to bright undulations, warping into a series of different waveforms by the end of the song.

Diva of the Diode

Suzanne Ciani’s career in electronic music extends back since before it took hold as a youth culture phenomenon in several countries. Born in Indiana in 1946, she first her first work as a composer for advertisements in 1969.

Ciani released her debut album, Voices of Packaged Souls, in 1970, and she worked both as a session musician and in commercial jingles throughout the rest of the ’70s. In the ’80s she earned considerable recognition appearing on PBS programs as well as The David Letterman Show, earning her the nicknames “Diva of the Diode” and “America’s first female synth hero.”

More information on The Subharmonicon can be found on the Moog Music website.