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Der Moog Matriarch ist die Weiterentwicklung des semimodularen Moog Grandmother. Im Gegensatz zum Grandmother ist der Matriarch aber nicht monophon, sondern vierstimmig. Das semimodulare Design wurde fast eins zu eins übernommen. Statt 41 weist Matriarch allerdings ganze 90 Patchpunkte auf. Das System ist übrigens kompatibel zu den anderen (semi-)modularen Moog-Produkten sowie anderen modularen Synthesizern. Die vier analogen Oszillatoren und das klassische Ladderfilter sind wie viele Aspekte des Designs an die alten Moog-Modular-Systeme angelehnt. Das Ganze kommt in einem gewohnt soliden und sehr hübschen Gehäuse mit einem hochwertigen 49-Tasten-Fatar-Keyboard daher. Digitale Verschnörkelungen gibt es beim Matriarch nicht, auch keine Presets: What you see is what you get.
In addition to the oscillators and filters mentioned above, the Moog Matriarch features an analogue stereo bucket brigade echo that mirrors the unit's retro visual aesthetic. Nevertheless, the Matriarch also has a few modern features in store. On the back, for example, there is a USB connection next to the 5-pin MIDI connections. On the front, Moog offers an arpeggiator as well as a sequencer, which offers more than enough space even for the most extensive melody featuring 256 steps. As befits a modularly designed device, the classic utilities can also be found there - a signal splitter (Mult) and an attenuator, with which control signals can be amplified or attenuated.
One thing should be clear: Like any Moog, the sound of the Matriarch is beyond reproach. If you buy a Moog, you get a Moog sound, and if you want a Moog sound, you buy a Moog - it's as simple as that. The Matriarch is certainly no Swiss army knife, but a purist without digital frills. Thanks to its polyphony, keyboardists will get their money's worth, and those who already have a modular system will find the Moog Matriarch a control centre for all eventualities. For example, an external sequencer can be integrated with ease, and the Matriarch's keyboard virtually invites you to control a modular system via CV and gate.
The US manufacturer of synthesizers, based in Asheville, North Carolina, is one of the pioneers in this field and has legendary status. Robert Moog had been involved with electronic sound generation since the 1950s and his first experience was with the manufacture of theremins. The breakthrough came in 1968 with the Grammy-winning album "Switched-On Bach" by musician Wendy Carlos (then know as Walter Carlos), recorded in multitrack with a mono synthesizer. The Minimoog, released in 1971, became the most popular synthesizer of the 1970s and is still considered the benchmark for the quality of synthesised sounds. It and the following devices, like the Memorymoog, Polymoog, and Prodigy, shaped the sound of numerous albums, from Stevie Wonder to The Police and from Saga to Kraftwerk.
In contrast to "modern" models, Moog follows a purist approach - as exemplified by the Grandmother and Matriarch - in which digital flourishes are largely avoided. The Matriarch is the no-nonsense version of a polyphonic Moog. If you are looking for a versatile sound laboratory for tinkering and interconnecting, you will find it here. With the Matriarch, Moog has expanded the functional range of the Grandmother by several dimensions and presents a work of art with character in an appealing retro design. If you didn't know that this was a synthesizer from a well-known company, you might get the impression that you were looking at a sinfully expensive boutique synth.