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Moog brings back its legendary Model 10 'compact' modular synth
Moog regularly releases new and exciting instruments like the Matriarch and Sirin. But it also has a rich history of iconic instruments that it's not afraid to tap into. For example, the Minimoog Model D. But its latest adventure into its archives is a bit of a different beast. Rather than bring back an iconic keyboard found on countless pop records, it's reviving the Model 10 -- a "compact" modular synth built around the 900-Series Oscillator that was the foundation of Wendy Carlos' immortal Switched-On Bach. ([engadget] Editor's Note: Why is this not on any streaming services!?)
[...] Inside its black tolex-covered wood cabinet are 11 different modules that can be connected in various ways create a whole world of rich synth tones. There are three 900-Series oscillators, as well as the legendary 907 Fixed Filter Bank, which is a large part of what gives vintage Moog synths their iconic sound.
All of these components are assembled and soldered by hand down in Asheville, NC. But the bad news: The Model 10 will only be available for a limited time and is being made to order. Those three things mean it does not come cheap. It's available through select Moog dealers starting at $9,950. So yeah, it's a hardcore enthusiasts only kind of purchase. But, that's probably a bargain compared to a vintage Model 10... if you can track one down that is.
(Score: 4, Touché) by RamiK on Thursday September 19 2019, @10:05PM (15 children)
Why? Are you in the market for $10k replica of a 70s synthesizer you could out-perform with a free open source software synth on a 5 years old $300 laptop?
compiling...
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 19 2019, @10:29PM (3 children)
The vintage 70s synths still work 40+ years later... but this Model 10 will fail within ten years due to lead-free solder.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday September 20 2019, @01:14AM
You're probably right, but are you sure it's made using lead-free solder?
(Score: 2) by Spamalope on Friday September 20 2019, @03:17AM
As long as you're not getting the pins so hot the solder melts it'll be fine if it's fine on day one. (That's the pain though - the temp range to avoid cold joints is so much smaller) Lead+silver solder has problems too. The 1980s pinballs I restored had solder cracks around the power connectors frequently. Early electronic pinballs were specced with connectors based on manufacturer ratings, which turned out to be... at best only accurate for short duty in air conditioned splendor vs hot and heavy vibration pinball cabinets.
The problem today is getting long life electrolytic caps.
40s Caps didn't last long, and neither do most since the 80s. Bulky package lower capacitance caps from a good brand have ok odds though. Trying to get tiny or save parts count with single high value caps instead of a bank of them is deadly to lifespan though.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday September 20 2019, @02:01PM
Maybe the 70's model would experience a problem known as 'tin whiskers'?
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 19 2019, @10:40PM
You can still find the SN76488N synthesizer chip on Ebay that Radio Shack used to stock. I built one using about 30 switches, pots, and variable caps back in the late 70's. You can now use other ICs to control it.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday September 20 2019, @12:11AM (7 children)
This is my ponder...
Just like most 1980s era computers can be completely software emulated, the 1970s era synthesizers could be 100% software simulated connected to a standard MIDI source.
For cost considerations you might prefer to implement the Moog classic interfaces on a touch-panel, and that wouldn't have the same performance feel as the old pot knobs and sliders, but, neither would the touch panel controls get dirty and need periodic replacement.
I suppose if you put the name "Moog" on it, or copied their layouts too closely you would get into IP issues, but it would be trivial to ramp up the software implementation from 3 oscillators to N, add enough filters and other options that it becomes a hard argument that the emulator - capable of 100% emulating a Moog 10 and a Model D and a million other configurations - was really "based on" the Moog, when all it's really doing is implementing standard oscillators and filters found in any number of 1960s textbooks.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by ilPapa on Friday September 20 2019, @12:19AM (6 children)
I still have my original Model 10 that I bought back in the late 1970s at a tiny fraction of what they want for this new model.
And yes, you can emulate modular synths in software, but if you dream of wires like I do, you can also purchase very reasonably-priced Eurorack synth modules that are terrific for a very reasonable price. There are a ton of boutique manufacturers of those things.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday September 20 2019, @12:29AM (4 children)
I bought a MiniMoog back in 1985, and its components were... not very durable. It was fun while it lasted, made all kinds of cool sounds, but the repeatability was not great - lots of "fiddle time" to get back to something you liked the first time, and some things like the random source (think: the Baba O'Riley ending solo) really do never come out the same twice, by design.
All in all, if I were to get back into it, I'd rather invest my time in a software based system that I could feed in a repeatable random seed - so if I got something I really liked, I could get it again. Not to mention the fact that a software system could synthesize the analog waveforms at 192KHz 32 bits, as fully polyphonic as you want, 100% clean every time: no grit in the slide-pots, unless that's your jam and then they can emulate that too.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ilPapa on Friday September 20 2019, @02:28AM (3 children)
Don't get me wrong, Joe. I love soft-synths of all sorts. I still keep my hand in with doing music for artsy-type films and I use them all the time. They speed up the workflow and are very satisfying with good controllers (keyboard, matrix, etc).
I just have accumulated so much physical gear over the years, from Serge suitcase systems to a Mellotron that I have become attached to it from a sentimental standpoint. Plus, it makes a hell of a racket. I've got a couple of Steinberg filters that will rip your head off with resonance. You can never predict what they're going to do, which just adds to their charm IMO.
Someday, let me tell you the story of when I worked support for a crazy project John Eaton and Bob Moog were working on. I was just a kid, but they treated me like I was somebody, which is nice.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 2) by mechanicjay on Friday September 20 2019, @07:48PM (2 children)
I certainly hope that someday is very close to this day, as I would very much like to hear this story!
My VMS box beat up your Windows box.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ilPapa on Saturday September 21 2019, @03:46AM (1 child)
Since you asked so nicely...
I was at the University of Chicago, working in their music lab. It was very early days for this stuff, John Eaton was a resident composer and had this plan to develop an organ with a microtonal, multi-touch keyboard. In other words, it wasn't just the keypress, but it was a left to right and up and down motion on the keys as well as aftertouch and pressure and velocity and all sorts of stuff. Some of that is standard now on midi controllers, but this was way before all that. So, he knows Bob Moog, and invites him. So, they're in his studio working away and I'm down the hall in the music lab and I hear my name being called because they need an extra pair of hands for something. Eaton, who was a little gnome of a man with a gigantic Great Dane that used to accompany him to school every day, introduces me to Bob Moog and I'm like thunderstruck. I was to shocked to even gush over him and say what a fan I was. Anyway, long story short, I ended up working as his research assistant and got to be with them every day for a while and learned more about electronic music and voltage control and oscillators and filters and envelopes and whatnot than I'd ever imagined. At night, I was playing electronic music with weird Pere Ubu style bands in Chicago's punk clubs and during the day I was with these two geniuses. Pretty cool huh?
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 2) by mechanicjay on Monday September 23 2019, @10:25PM
My VMS box beat up your Windows box.
(Score: 2) by Webweasel on Friday September 20 2019, @08:55AM
I get that reference!
Priyom.org Number stations, Russian Military radio. "You are a bad, bad man. Do you have any other virtues?"-Runaway1956
(Score: 1) by CheesyMoo on Friday September 20 2019, @04:42AM (1 child)
"you could out-perform with a free open source software synth"
Please be specific about which software synth you mean, and then we can discuss on which metrics it outperforms the replica.
Is a digitally accurate wavetable lookup of a waveform better than an analog one? Perhaps if you are trying to make the smoothest sine wace, or pointiest triangle (or squarest square, etc.)
But the accuracy is not what makes Moogs interesting (although the originals surely benefited from upgrades), all the randomness of the components is part of the sound the synth makes.
My main point is, what open source software accurately models the non-linearities of the analog circuitry such that it _sounds_ as good or better as the original Moog?
(seriously, if that exists I need to get off my own lawn and STFU)
(Score: 2) by ilPapa on Saturday September 21 2019, @03:52AM
There are some very good modular soft synths, but none that are both professionally useful and open source however. They have some that do all the wonky unpredictable stuff that the old gear did too, but they're not open source.
I'm very hopeful for OSS DAWs and soft synths, so I stay on top of this more than most. There's just nothing yet that's ready for prime time. That doesn't mean that Linux boxes can't be an important part of your complete production setup. They most certainly can, but only for handling things like rendering and storage and effects and such, the way Cockos Reaper software does it.
You are still welcome on my lawn.