Moog One

A
synth like the Moog One is
unlikely to be anybody’s
first: it’s large, heavy and
expensive. I came to it not
long after its release but already had
a fairly extensive collection of
instruments from ’80s classics like
the Juno to modern synths from
Korg, Arturia and Sequential,
alongside over 1,000hp of Eurorack.
While I have always managed to find
uses for my other gear, the Moog One
has become the go-to instrument for
an ever increasing number of uses.
That might be in part due to the
presence of it in my studio, where it
definitely dominates but mostly
because I have come to rely on the
versatility and simple playability. It
has become the core of my musical
and sound design work and has
helped me shape effects for film and
game projects; it’s also become the
focus of a whole album.
Initial concerns about pitch drift,
especially in the low end, never
turned out to be too much of a
problem for me. Keeping it in a
studio with a stable temperature and
humidity helped there, but Moog
updated the firmware, which solved
remaining issues. Since updating the
firmware it has remained rock solid.
So, what do I love about it? Firstly
it’s just so easy to navigate. The big
screen and controls make it a doddle
to work with. Saving sounds,
sequences and effects is so simple
and fast that a session can be
productive but repeatable, something
I value highly. But really it’s the
sound design workflow that sells it for
me. Being able to easily assign
modulation sources and destinations,
without having to dig into menus is a
real boon, with excellent visual
feedback and being able to dig
deeper opens limitless possibilities,
but does so only when you need
them, staying out of the way when
you don’t, meaning the whole
instrument is clear and simple.
One is not unamused
Then there’s the sound. I’d put this
second after the interface purely
because if the workflow wasn’t good I
would soon tire of it, no matter how
good it sounded. Or I’d end up using
presets (I’m looking at you DX7).
Luckily the Moog One sounds superb.
Moog One From £5,775
Rob Redman waxes lyrical about his love affair
with the Moog One – but is it a keeper?
CONTACT WHO: Moog Music WEB: moogmusic.com KEY FEATURES 8 or 16 analogue voices, Ladder and state variable filters, 4 LFOs, 3
envelope generators, Pitch and mod wheels plus XY pad and aftertouch, Extensive mod matrix, Eventide effects, Sequencer and arpeggiator
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