In the latest Sonic State Sonic Lab video, host Nick Batt reviews the new Moog Messenger synthesizer.
The Moog Messenger is designed to be the company’s most accessible analog synthesizer to date, and blends so-called ‘East Coast (Moog)’ and ‘West Coast (Buchla)’ synthesis capabilities.
Here’s what Batt has to say about it:
“This synth is a major milestone for ?Moog synthesizers? under InMusic. It’s the first synth to be designed and built under their ownership and Moog are keen to show that it’s not falling under the lowest common denominator approach many feared.
With new Oscillators (with folded waves, and a variable wave sub Osc), and a new Filter, its a big departure from the usual Moog instrument.
The filter is the same ladder 24dB with multi-mode LP LP2 pole, Band-Pass and High-Pass modes, but the big news is that it now has bass compensation (Res Bass) which is nicely done, resonance no longer drops the bass – unless you want it to. Its nicely done.
Add to that some other nice features, Keyboard S&H, parameter recording on Sequencer steps, loopable envelopes, easy to use modulation routings, as well as 16 banks of 16 patches, it’s got plenty going on.”
Topics covered:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:19 Oscillators
00:06:42 Filter
00:10:48 Some patches
00:14:07 LFO
00:15:46 Envelopes
00:19:27 arpegiator
00:20:42 Sequencer
00:26:53 build quality
00:27:35 cv connections
00:27:56 MIDI CC
00:30:43 Final thoughts
00:31:41 Duophonic
Batt says that the Moog Messenger synthesizer “does not disappoint, and I expect to see it as a monosynth of choice in many a live setup,” adding, “It’s capable of some massive bass, driven filters and a wide variety of other sounds.”
Check out the video and share your thoughts on the Messenger in the comments!
Sounds really fun and creative, lots of sweet lil tones out of it. Was not expecting anything, but I’m happy to see Moog gets into new things.
The design reminds me of Novation bass station 2
I guess it’s mostly because of the knobs
my thinking is that any monosynth these days absolutely needs to completely nail the ability to do excellent bass sounds
Some that can’t still have a cool sound character of their own, like the Korg Monologue.
I wish Sonicstate did more hardware synth reviews like they used to, Nick has slowed down in the past few years and it is sad to see. His reviews are my favorite and what really helped me get into synths.
It’s a major milestone in disappointment, that’s for sure.
I mean just look at that thing…
Why would you pay twice the price of a Novation Bass Station II for a made-in-china Moog like THIS one?
the sounds it makes are appealing to me. Not you ? The look is only the look.
Most people don’t care about the country of origin, they care about the practicality of what they’re getting.
Remind me where Apple manufacture their products?
Apple is a awful brand
Their products are manufactured in China and very high quality
You say ‘made in china’ like you think it’s a bad thing.
Is it racism, or something else?
This is made in Taiwan. Not in China. They’re different.
Build quality aside, if you don’t know or care about the difference that’s your problem.
I played one very briefly in a store in Toronto. I was pleasantly surprised by it. My Bass Station 2 is awesome and still a killer value. This is more money but has some features I like: a slightly longer keyboard, preset buttons, and a sturdier build to start. I think it’s going to be a great success and if InMusic follow along the lines of quality I saw with the Messenger’s construction, I think we’re going to be okay.
Other notable features: wavefolding, variable pulse width on the sub, and a multi mode filter with bass compensation. That last one will be a win for synth bass players who like the Moog sound but don’t want to lose the volume when they engage resonance.
It’s actually a very cool and creative instrument. It also feels better to play than the Novation, though I love and have sworn by that one for years.
I’d agree 100%.
The Bass Station 2 is an amazing synth for the price. The Moog Messenger is, too.
Anybody conflating the two simply because they are both black monosynths is not thinking very deeply about their instruments, though.
It’s not a charactorful synth like the voyager, it’s between a voyager and a mini moog, with a little bit of clean sheen, it’s different and fun .