Moog Matriarch In-Depth Review

In the latest Sonic Lab, host Nick Batt takes an in-depth look at the Moog Matriarch synthesizer.

“Matriarch draws on the designs of the early full-size RA Moog modules,” notes Batt, “and brings that essence of original ‘Mooginess’, like the Grandmother.”

“The heart of the overall sound…is so familiar and authoritative, that you can’t help but smile,” he adds. “It’s so, well Moogey…”

If you’ve used the Matriarch, leave a comment and share your thoughts on it!

12 thoughts on “Moog Matriarch In-Depth Review

  1. This Moog is a real Best Of item. There’s a lot of good in their other instruments, but here’s basically a 4-voice Mini with paraphony, a delay and a doorway for outboard modulars. $2k is a fair price for that much Moogism, with that inviting a GUI to hold it all. I’d love to change the 50s-house-paint colors, but I can STFU, too. 😛

  2. It sounds the most consistently excellent out of all my synths. I don’t have anything really pricey, so it’s hard to compare it to other classics, but it’s one of those things where it feels and sounds worth every penny. I got mine from an out of state shop which was offering 10% discount due to the pandemic so a little discount there. I feel super fortunate to have it, it rarely disappoints.

    Currently I’m using it as a controller to trigger other gear, whose audio then gets brought into the stereo filters and then the stereo delay. For example, a stereo patch from the old Yamaha SY-35 (think lo-fi piano samples plus an fm patch) through Moog filters and delay. Oscillators on the Matriarch are off, but the the filter envelopes line up with the SY35 since I’m using it to trigger the midi events. It’s like a whole other instrument. It’s also awesome to use the delay as outboard gear; a pair of aux sends from an analog mixer.

    The flexibility really makes up for the price tag. Considering how much two analog delay units are worth, how much a stereo analog filter is worth, a nice fatar controller, etc etc it really makes up for the price. Much more than a synth.

  3. Fantastic sounding Moog synth.
    I have a lot of time for the Sonic State crew, I think the website is superb, Nicks knowledge of synth workflow and general synth understanding is approaching genius level and they give a lot of themselves to the cause.
    At the same time Nick’s / Sonic State’s taste in music is somewhat dated and limited, by a pop sensibility and a politically correct complete refusal to feature sounds or bands that don’t fit the mould or would raise a few eyebrows.
    Remember Nick reckoned that the Aphex Twin just set up his gear and recorded for a few hours, then pasted all the good bits together, on Sonic Talk !

    Ask Nick about synths in general, he’s your man, just don’t ask him about music (or Horror Films)
    There is an entire otherworld of synth use that’s going on right now and has been for decades in the music business, and sites like Sonic State refuse to report on any of this.
    They’d rather push over rated female electronic musicians to make up figures. (that’s just my opinion)
    By the way I love Japan and Mick Karns work

    1. Von Bode, I don’t quite know what you are refering to. I agree that Nick Batt doesn’t really cover the full range of music, I think he sometimes admits that. But I don’t see that sonicstate is pushing a PC agenda or pushing female musicians particularly aggressively — 90% of the time sonic talk is just men.

      Anyway I’d be interested in knowing what the otherworld is.

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