New Moog Subharmonicon An All-In-One Eurorack Synth

Moog today unveiled the Subharmonicon, another all-in-one Eurorack synth, in the format that they defined with the Mother-32.

Moog says that the Subharmonicon is inspired by the Trautonium, the Rythmicon, and the Schillinger System. The describe the new synth as ‘a semi-modular harmonic kaleidoscope that divides into itself until everything that is up becomes down’.

The Moog Subharmonicon is a dual-oscillator semi-modular analog synth, with dual envelope generators, a resonant VCF, VCA and built-in step sequencer. Beyond these features, though, the Subharmonicon features multiple sub-oscillators, logic functions and more.

The Subharmonicon is being introduced at Moogfest 2018, as part of the event’s ‘Engineer Pass’. Attendees that choose this option get VIP access to the festival and the opportunity to build the Subharmonicon, with the assistance of Moog Music Engineers, during a two-day synth-building workshop. The company has not announced plans for making this available outside of Moogfest at this time.

Details on VIP passes are available at the Moogfest site.

31 thoughts on “New Moog Subharmonicon An All-In-One Eurorack Synth

  1. Come to Papa!

    If this is anything like their last two Euro synths, it will be a classic. I’m looking forward to this becoming available outside of Moogfest, so I can create a three-tier Uber-Moog Euro system!

  2. I wish Behringer would copy Moog a little more closely.

    The build quality of the Mother-32 runs circles around the Behringer D – it’s night and day better.

    Behringer could have used higher quality parts on the D and probably could have done it for $50 more and they would have had a classic. Instead, they went for ‘cheap’ and they’ve got the Casio of the Euro world.

    The Subharmonicon looks really intriguing and the logic sequencing features look like they’ll be really interesting.

    1. Sorry but I doubt you’ve had the two in hand to compare. I have, the Mother-32 is a nice synth but the Behringer D is just as good. No idea how you came to the above conclusion.

      1. Sorry, BigJ, but anyone with experience with pro gear can see the quality differences and design differences immediately.

        I own both – and both are good values. But the Behringer D looks and feels like plastic, the knobs and controls feel cheap and have a lot of play, and the panel design looks like they just shrunk down the face of a full-size Minimoog. As a result, it has small, cramped knobs, while half the faceplate is wasted space. A synth designer like Axel Hartmann wouldn’t have made rookie design mistakes like that!

        Enjoy the D for what it is – a cheap knockoff. But don’t be disillusioned about it!

        1. oh axel hartmann also makes synth designs that are totally unpractical, like pitch and modwheel that you can’t use with one hand on a 20.000€ synth so, pfff

    2. Casio keyboards were actually built very nice for their price in the 80s…but since the 90s they have been built like garbage.

    1. If this ever hits regular market, rather than an add-on to moogfest, I would assume it’ll fall into the mother 32 price range you’re looking for

    2. Well technically you are getting the unit plus a VIP ticket ($500 value). You are also getting a hands on class in synth design from the moog engineers. So really the question is (assuming the unit would go for the same cost as the Mother 32) do you feel that it is worth $500 for an in depth, intimate, hands-on master class? i’d say yes (if I had the ability to go).

  3. Loved the Mother dearly 😉 Ultimately, ended up using it mostly for that Moog lead sound though (something the Slim Phatty is better suited for in my opinion). THIS seems different enough that it won’t fall into that “Moog lead” trap.

  4. They could keep making these semi- modular machines and I’ll be on them in a second at that price and quality. The whole moogfest first thing is a bummer, means we’ll see this in stores a year from now. The ultimate tease! It exist and only some people have them.

    1. I feel the same way.

      The $1600 entry price for the VIP Engineer’s is a no go for me, but I’m good with paying $500-600 something that sounds as good and is built as well as the Mother-32.

      People can complain all they want about Moog being elitist, but the Mother-32 and DFAM offer a lot of bang for the buck in the Euro world. Really, with three of these all-in-ones, you could have a complete compact modular system for under 2K, which is pretty amazing, given Moog’s quality and sound.

  5. Bravo! This is the best one yet IMO. I really appreciate making a whole instrument where the sequencer is as unique or even more interesting than the synth engine. They are beautifully straddling the line of pushing forward in the synthesis arena and keeping thier ear to the ground for modern workflows. But Moog makes instruments, not modules. Even back in the day with modular it was whole systems, and that I think is the true spirit of Moog, making playable whole instruments.

  6. Am I missing something? I see two VCOs and FOUR sub oscillators total, but don’t see anywhere to actually select the wave shapes. I had been planning on picking up a used Mother 32 since it is practically cheaper than trying to buy a Moog type VCO, VCA, and VCF separately in Eurorack, but have always wished the Mother had a 2nd VCO and a triangle wave shape in addition to Saw and Pulse. I might have to wait and save for this instead.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *