Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.
In the return edition of our regular session of inquiry, Moog Music product manager Amos Gaynes discusses sound synthesis, tolerance for poor battery life and shares his love for BB10. For the entire collection of answers, take a quick leap to the other side of the break.
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A few days ahead of the music industry's annual soiree in California, Moog Music has outed its latest analog offering. The North Carolina-based outfit has pulled the wraps off of the Sub Phatty: a 25 full-size key, 31 knob synthesizer that wields two variable waveshape oscillators and Moog's new Multidrive circuitry. Multidrive smashes OTA distortion with FET drive to offer a range of sounds from warm depth to growling overdrive. "We set out to design the grittiest Moog synth ever, one that still offers all of the great sound and flexibility that Moog synthesizers are known for, but that also really has teeth," said president Mike Adams. The budget-friendly price tag of $1,100 is sure to temp those who've been eyeing Moog's wares, but units won't start shipping until March. Consult the source link to part with your funds and jump past the break for a walkthrough with synth pioneer Herb Deutsch.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Moog Music
Late last week, Moog Music rolled out version 2.0 of its Animoog synthesizer app for Apple's slate. Now, the Asheville, North Carolina outfit is adding a truckload of new sounds less than a week after the initial release. The Grateful Dead Expansion Pack is now available for the iPad software, touting 82 presets and 45 timbres broken down into ensemble, percussion and vocal groupings. Each piece of the add-on was taken from a February 1968 performance at the Carousel Ballroom and optimized for the Animoog platform. "We're not simply providing samples from the Grateful Dead's body of work, rather we've distilled the essence of notes and phrases in a different way to transform these performances into new instruments -- new voices," says Cyril Lance, Moog's Chief Engineer. The $4.99 in-app purchase is available now, but while you're mulling it over, jump down past the break to catch a glimpse of Mickey Hart taking it for a spin.
Continue reading Moog Music tacks on Grateful Dead expansion pack to Animoog 2.0 for $4.99 (video)
Source: Moog
As touring acts grow weary from their travels across the US of A, Moog has a spot for them to get re-energized. Inside the synth maker's North Carolina headquarters sits a room that's decked out with the company's analog tech and effects (including a Model 15 synthesizer) -- waiting for musicians who are on the road to stop by for a visit. It's here in the Sound Lab where the likes of Mutemath, Phantogram, OK Go and Ra Ra Riot grab their Moog gear of choice to re-imagine some of their existing tracks. For a look at all of the sound-scaping tools on display, mosey into the gallery below for a virtual visit.
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Visualized: Inside Moog's Sound Lab originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Late last week, Moog outed its LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype and offered a glimpse at its latest R&D unit. Even though it's still in the early phases of beta-testing, we were able to stop by the Moog Music factory for a closer look and a brief glimpse of the gear in action ahead of its appearance at Moogfest. While the unit is installed on acoustic guitars for the time being, the company says that similar tech can be used on other acoustic instruments and eventually to other surfaces -- this is just the current manifestation. Since the tech modifies the guitar's natural harmonics and string vibrations, the LEV-96 is getting cozy on both traditional acoustic guitars and those outfitted with pickups in its present state.
As far as controls go, the entire unit is capacitive touch-enabled from the moment a finger swipe powers it on. Sliders allow for adjusting the intensity, harmonics and note duration while the other buttons enable arpeggio presets and modulation that includes tremolo and random harmonic tweaks. Those sliders remain in play when a preset is activated, serving to enable further adjustments on selected There is a lock button, too, so that you don't accidentally make a switch mid-strum. All of these finger-friendly surfaces work alongside two pairs of electromagnetic pickup channels per string to wrangle the 96 simultaneous harmonics. Magnets work to either increase of decrease the string's motion, bringing out vibrational modes that have always been in-play on acoustic instruments, but have never been offered the power needed to make 'em sing. The folks at Moog are quick to remind us that the LEV-96 is still in its infancy, but you can rest assured we'll be keeping an eye our for what develops. For a peek at the tech in action, head on past the break for a really quick demo that we kept brief due to that fact that this is an early prototype.
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Moog's LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype wields touch control of 96 simultaneous harmonics, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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While we're waiting for Moogfest to officially kick off this weekend, we stopped by the headquarters of Moog Music in Asheville, North Carolina to catch a glimpse of the analog action. The entire company is housed in one building that includes design, assembly, testing, engineering, service and a warehouse for all of the handmade electronics. Despite having all of its departmental bases covered, the outfit is still only comprised of about 50 folks total. However, the workshop-esque facility is poised to crank out 10,000 instruments over the course of the year that cover synths, stomp boxes, guitars and more. We took a stroll around the factory floor (and we were lucky enough to spot the screen-printed, Moogfest-exclusive Theremins), so dive in to the gallery below for a behind-the-scenes look at the construction process.
Filed under: Misc
Visualized: A look inside Moog's analog synthesizer factory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Moogfest isn't happening for another week, but the synth-maker couldn't wait to take the wraps off of its latest bit of technology. Still in the early days of beta-testing ,the LEV-96 is a far cry from the classic analog instruments we've come to associate with Moog. The company is showing off the sensoriactuator in its early stages by affixing it to a guitar, with two pickup channels beneath each of the acoustic's strings. The strings' vibrations trigger the sound, with the device "bring[ing] out hidden modes of vibration that have always been there, but were never energized in a direct manner," according to the company -- in all, the system is capable of managing up to 96 simultaneous harmonics. On the LEV-96, you'll find touch-based control sliders, which let the player adjust intensity, harmonics and note duration. Additional triggers let you change arpeggio presets and modulation (tremolo and random harmonics), while a lock button makes sure you don't adjust anything by accident.
Moog is careful to point out that the LEV-96 we're seeing (still being referred to as a "concept project") is just the tip of the iceberg, and "could easily be affixed to any surface or material." The company has promised to show the concept in action soon, including an appearance at Moogfest on October 26th and 27th in the company's home of Asheville, North Carolina. For more info consult the source link below.
Filed under: Misc
Moog shows off LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype on an acoustic guitar originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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