Moog Music Announces Dark Series Synths

US New design for the semi-modular Matriarch and Grandmother 25/09/20

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Moog Music has announced a new addition to its line of semi-modular keyboard synthesizers. They tell us that Dark Series for Matriarch and Grandmother strikes the perfect balance between classic and modern, featuring an all-black aesthetic that invokes the timeless look of early Moog modular systems--with all the functionality and versatility these two state-of-the-art sound design machines are known for.

The new visual twist for Grandmother and Matriarch is a nod to the modular control panel designs that inspired their very creation. In 2018, when the first of these two patchable analog keyboard synthesizers was introduced, Moog explained that "Grandmother's circuits, spirit, and spring reverb are inspired by the classic Moog modular synthesizers designed by Bob Moog during the 60s and 70s."

Moog says that the instrument quickly became a staple in studio setups and live performance settings, a go-to first synthesizer for beginners, and a multifaceted creative tool for musicians of all skill levels to explore. Following Grandmother's success, Moog developed an even more expansive, expressive semi-modular analog keyboard synthesizer: the four-note paraphonic Matriarch.

A spokesperson told us, "A complement to the distinct multi-colored artwork of the original Matriarch and Grandmother synthesizers, Dark Series presents a style option that celebrates the intersection of tradition and innovation."

In this video, a sequel to The Mothership, Lisa Bella Donna modifies her setup to unleash the potential of the complete five-member Moog semi-modular family for the first time - the new Dark Series Matriarch and Grandmother synthesizers alongside their keyless counterparts: Mother-32, DFAM, and Subharmonicon.

New Patches & Firmware Update
New exploratory patches are now available to download for Matriarch and Grandmother registered owners. Moog says that these 30 patches (16 for Grandmother and 14 for Matriarch) are designed to guide your eternal experimentation and open your mind to each instrument's unparalleled analog sound.

Along with the inspiring new patch ideas, firmware v1.2.0 for Matriarch and v1.1.0 for Grandmother are now available for both versions of the instruments (original edition and Dark Series). The updates feature a new sync engine that keeps the internal arp/sequencer, analog clock, and MIDI all tightly locked in phase; a new easy method to reset global settings to defaults; a new Envelope Multi-Trig mode for Grandmother; and many other firmware enhancements, new features, and bug fixes based on customer feedback for both instruments.

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