For the past several years, Moogfest has been the launching pad for many of Moog's latest product releases. The 2019 edition of the festival was no different as the storied synth brand debuted their new 4-voice, paraphonic analog synth, the Matriarch.
The make-up and build style of the Matriarch will be familiar to those who have played the Moog Grandmother. The synth is semi-modular, features classic Bob Moog-designed modules, and an on-board sequencer and arpeggiator. That's where the similarities start to fade.
Moog's Matriarch features four oscillators, which feed into a dual filter and dual VCA. Via the Paraphony switch, you can choose between playing chords with four voices, duophonic mode which splits the four oscillators into two voices, and mono mode which stacks all four voices on top of each other. The synthesizer also features stereo Ladder Filters, full-range analog LFO with six selectable waveshapes, and dual analog ADSR envelopes.
Gone is the spring reverb of the Grandmother and in is a stereo Analog Delay based on Moog's MF-104M and 500 Series effects. The delay incorporates two Bucket Brigade chips, which enables you to choose between classic sounding delay and a ping pong-style delay that goes back and forth from left to right.
In addition to the increased number of voices and expanded modules, the Matriarch also features even more patch points than the Grandmother. There are 90 patch points on the Matriarch, and while the synth sounds great out of the box, the ability to create unique patches and expand with other modular synths will have you exploring new sounds for years to come.
To learn more about the full feature set of the Moog Matriarch, watch our new demo of the 4-voice, paraphonic analog synth below. In the video, Vintage King Audio Consultants Brandon Murphy and Andy Catlin showcase the sounds of the synth, in addition to running guitar and an audio mix through it.
Moog Matriarch Synthesizer Specs
● Mono, duo, and 4-note paraphonic playability
● Stereo analog delay w/ up to 700ms of MIDI sync-able stereo or ping/pong style repeats
● 256 step sequencer w/ up to 4 notes per step and 12 stored patterns. (Can be decoupled from Matriarch to independently sequence external gear)
● Arpeggiator with selectable modes (Order, Forward/Backward, Random)
● Semi-modular analog synthesizer - no patching required
● 90 modular patch points for endless exploration
● Expressive 49-note Fatar keyboard w/ patchable velocity and aftertouch
● 4 analog oscillators w/ selectable waveshape and hard sync per-oscillator
● Full-range analog LFO with 6 selectable waveshapes
● Dual analog filters with parallel (HP/LP), stereo (LP/LP), and series (HP/LP) modes available
● Dual analog ADSR envelopes
● Dual analog VCAs
● 3x bipolar voltage controlled attenuators with ring mod capability
● 2x4 parallel wired unbuffered mults
● Additional simple analog LFO useful for adding modulation to delay, filters and VCAs
● 1/4“ external audio input for processing guitars, drum machines, and more through Matriarch’s analog circuits
● Stereo 1⁄4” and 3.5mm Eurorack level audio outputs
If you're interested in purchasing the new Moog Matriarch or have any questions about the synthesizer, contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160
