Moog Mother 32
The Moog Mother-32 semi-modular synthesizer is an amazing little piece of kit.
Housed in a desktop enclosure, the Mother-32 can also be integrated into your Eurorack system, which makes it a double-threat: a standalone analog synthesizer/sequencer and a killer centerpiece to your new modular setup.
On its own, the Mother-32 features the two classic components you’d want from any piece of Moog gear: the filter and the oscillators. No compromises here, for just $100 more than the Minitaur (which, admittedly, features 2 oscillators for a fatter sound), you not only get a killer VCO and VCF, but a very nicely laid-out patchbay that can link between additional Mother-32 units (we ran three together for a MASSIVE SOUND using the handy 3-tiered case Moog provided us), and tap into other Eurorack modules to fully customize your sound and sequences.
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We love the versatility of these little units, and getting set up was a breeze. Just plug your MIDI controller in the front and start playing. Or run a sequence into the Mother-32 and start sweeping the filter, adjusting your LFO for modulation effects or just see what happens when you run the unit into another module. And if you’ve never patched things together before, Moog even includes a few cables to get you started on the road to experimentation (which, honestly, we feel is the best way to learn when it comes to the world of modular).
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Build quality is top-notch (as we also noted in our review of the Sub Phatty), and the sound quality is just spot-on. You can even run external audio in for processing, which is great for filtering drum loops and external sequences. Speaking of which, the only real concern we have is the on-board sequencer. Now, while you’ll likely be sequencing in another program or hardware unit, the capabilities are there, although I wouldn’t say it’s the best or most intuitive implementation we’ve ever seen. That said, it’s really a minor quibble when you take in all this unit has to offer at just $599. Add the fact that you can stack them together for a much beefier sound, or use the Mother-32 as the building block for your entire modular system, and we’d say this is one of the best deals in the synth market today.
The Moog Mother-32 gets our highest recommendation.
PROS: sounds amazing, highly tweakable, Eurorack-compatible.
CONS: sequencer could be better.
PRICE: $599