Bow Down to the Matriarch, Moog’s New Semi-Modular Paraphonic Synth

In the lead-up to both the Superbooth 2019 Trade Show and Moogfest 2019, Moog have taken their new product line to the next level with announcement of their new Matriarch synth — a patchable 4-note paraphonic analog synth with a sequencer, stereo analog delay and stereo filters.

Stylised in a similar colourful housing as 2018’s Grandmother synth, the Matriarch sees Moog truly expand on the semi-modular keyboard-equipped synth concept, encapsulating a purity of synthesis that encourages experimentation through interaction and experience. The feature set is an unusual one for Moog; 4 oscillators, paraphony and stereo FX takes them into uncharted waters — particularly for a company who, historically, has had a tendency to rely on ‘that Moog sound’  to sell units rather than stand-out features. No doubt these attributes will help the Matriarch stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace, particular for more advanced users looking for something different in an analogue synth.

Specs and demo below, get all the info via Moog here

• Semi-modular analog synthesizer – no patching required.
• 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.
• Arpeggiator with selectable modes (Order, Forward/Backward, Random).
• 100% Analog
• 49 Full-Size Keys, Velocity-sensing with Aftertouch (Velocity and Aftertouch are not hard-wired)
• 4x Analog Oscillators with Selectable Waveforms (Oscillators 2, 3, and 4 support Hard Sync), White Noise Generator, External Input jack.
• 6 input (5 eurorack level and 1 instrument level) DC coupled discrete mixer with asymmetrical clipping behavior
• 24dB/Octave Low Pass Filter with Resonance, 24dB/Octave switchable Low Pass/High Pass Filter with Resonance.
• Analog Modulation Oscillator with selectable and patchable output  Additional LFO (Tri, Square).
• 2x Four-Stage ADSR with End of Envelope gate outputs
• 3x Bipolar Voltage Controlled Attenuators with Ring Mod capabilities
• 2x discrete analog VCAs routed in stereo
• Stereo Analog Delay with Ping/Pong, MIDI and CV clock sync, voltage controlled Mix, and independent L/R delay times, feedback, and I/O
• 90 x 3.5mm front and rear panels, 49 Inputs, 33 Outputs, 2×4 Parallel-wired Mults