“Ever ything has some consciousness, and we tap into that. It is about energy at its most basic - Dr. Robert Moog - 3 level.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS WARNING - WHEN USING ELECTRIC PRODUCTS, THESE BASIC PRECAUTIONS SHOULD ALWAYS BE FOLLOWED: 1. Read all the instructions before using the product. 2. Do not use this product near water - for example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool or the like. 3. This product, in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers, may be capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 06 UNPACKING & INSPECTION 06 SETUP & CONNECTIONS 07 07 08 GRANDMOTHER OVERVIEW SIGNAL FLOW 08 08 09 10 14 16 18 20 23 25 27 31 KEYBOARD LEFT-HAND CONTROLLER OSCILLATORS MIXER FILTER ENVELOPE (ADSR) OUTPUT MODULATION UTILITIES ARP / SEQ SEQUENCER – GETTING STARTED 34 34 34 35 36 FINE TUNE AUDIO ARP / SEQ CV MIDI 37 37 37 37 37 38 38 38 38 CHANGING THE MIDI CHANNEL MIDI CLOCK SETUP LOCAL ON / OFF NOTE PRIORITY PITCH BEND RANGE EXTERNAL CLOCK MODE EXTERNAL CLOCK INPUT PPQN CLOCK OU
UNPACKING & INSPECTION Check the contents of the shipping carton. Be careful when unpacking your new Moog Grandmother® so that nothing is lost or damaged. Moog recommends saving the carton and all packing materials in case you ever need to ship the instrument for any reason. The Grandmother ships with the following items: 1. Grandmother Semi-Modular Analog Synthesizer 2. Power Supply 3. Owner’s Manual 4. Patch Cables 5. Registration Card What you will need: 1.
GRANDMOTHER OVERVIEW Grandmother is a sonic playground that harkens back to Moog’s modular roots, where synthesis is not only about the end result, but also the journey of discovery and experimentation. While capable of highly complex sounds and modulation, Grandmother’s semi-modular design requires absolutely no patching, ensuring that human beings of any skill level can easily explore and experience the joys and magic of analog synthesis.
SIGNAL FLOW OSC 1 MOD OSC OSC 2 X FEATURES & CONTROLS Grandmother groups panel controls together by module. Each module is also equipped with a set of modular patch points which greatly extend the capabilities of this expansive analog instrument. KEYBOARD Grandmother is equipped with a 32-note velocity-sensitive keyboard. NOTE: There is no internal routing for keyboard velocity, but a connection can easily be made from the KB VEL OUT to the CUTOFF IN patch point in the Filter section.
LEFT HAND CONTROLLER Grandmother’s Left-Hand Controller is home to numerous performance and programming controls including PITCH and MOD wheels, a GLIDE control, and transport controls for the Arpeggiator and Sequencer. MOD ARP / SEQUENCER CONTROLS The PLAY, HOLD, and TAP buttons provide access to, and control over, the ARP / SEQ module. When recording a sequence, their function changes and they become the (TIE), (REST), and (ACCENT) buttons.
LEFT HAND CONTROLLER (Continued) MOD The MOD wheel determines how much modulation is applied to the Filter Cutoff frequency, the pitch of the Oscillators, and to the width of the Pulse waveforms. It scales the overall amount of modulation from Off to the maximum settings specified by the PITCH AMT, CUTOFF AMT, and PULSE WIDTH AMT knobs in the MODULATION section. MOD GLIDE Glide produces a smooth, continuous change in pitch between notes when transitioning from one note to the next.
OSCILLATORS (Continued) OSCILLATOR 1 32’ 16’ 8’ OCTAVE 4’ This four-position switch is used to select the fundamental Octave setting for Oscillator 1. The choices are 32’, 16’, 8’, and 4’. SYNC When this button is lit, the phase of Oscillator 2 is hard Sync’d to the phase of Oscillator 1. This will cause Oscillator 2 to reset at each zero-crossing of Oscillator 1.
OSCILLATOR 1 (Continued) PITCH IN A control signal connected to this input will modulate the Pitch (Frequency) of Oscillator 1. This input voltage is added to the voltage from the note played on the keyboard. PWM IN A control signal connected to this input will modulate the pulse width of the Square or Narrow Pulse waveform selected by Oscillator 1. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) varies the duty cycle, or pulse width of a wave, and thereby changes its harmonic content.
OSCILLATOR 2 (Continued) WAVE OUT The audio signal coming from this output is determined by the settings of the Oscillator 2 OCTAVE, FREQUENCY, and WAVEFORM knobs, as well as the state of the SYNC button. PITCH IN A control signal connected to this input will modulate the Pitch (Frequency) of Oscillator 2. This input voltage is added to the voltage from the note played on the keyboard.
WAVEFORMS (Continued) PULSE WAVES (SQUARE & NARROW PULSE) A pulse wave contains only odd-numbered harmonics. Think of it as a switch you can turn off and on hundreds of times per second. Pulse width, or duty cycle, is the percentage of time that the wave is “on”. Every pulse width has its own unique harmonic structure, making a variety of basic timbres possible. SQUARE A Square wave is simply a pulse wave with 50% duty cycle, meaning that in a single cycle, it is on half the time and off half the time.
MIXER (Continued) OSCILLATOR 2 The OSCILLATOR 2 knob sets the level of Oscillator 2 as it enters the mixer. Settings above 1 O’clock will begin to impart gentle distortion, while higher settings will result in more overdriven tones. NOISE The NOISE knob sets the level of Grandmother’s white noise generator as it enters the mixer. Settings above 1 O’clock will begin to impart gentle distortion, while higher settings will result in more overdriven tones.
FILTER 200Hz 2kHz 20Hz - Grandmother relies on a classic -24dB/octave Moog Low Pass Ladder Filter. The term “Ladder” stems from the hardware design of the original filter, which has transistors wired in a type of ladder configuration. Low Pass indicates that the Filter is selectively removing harmonic content in the upper part of the audio spectrum, while allowing the lower frequencies to pass unaffected - this is the essence of a low pass filter, and the foundation of subtractive analog synthesis.
KBD TRACKING (Continued) 1:1 In the 1:1 position, the value of the note played on the keyboard will affect the Cutoff frequency at full value. This means that playing a note two octaves above another will raise the Cutoff frequency by a full two octaves. TECH NOTE: The Keyboard Tracking value in the 1:1 selection is 1 Volt-per-Octave. TIP: Turn the OSCILLATOR 1 and 2 knobs in the mixer all the way down, and turn the NOISE knob half way up.
FILTER (Continued) ENV AMT IN A control signal connected to this input can be used to vary the value of the ENVELOPE AMT knob. CUTOFF IN A control signal connected to this input can be used to vary the value of the Filter’s Cutoff frequency. ENVELOPE (ADSR) Sounds change over time. How they change over time is part of what makes each one unique. Some sounds begin abruptly, like the strike of a drum. Some sounds end just as quickly, and some linger like a held chord on a piano.
ENVELOPE (ADSR) (Continued) ATTACK The ATTACK knob determines the amount of time required for the control signal to rise from zero to its maximum level once a key is pressed. Fast attacks are useful for creating plucked sounds, while slow attacks are more useful for creating bowed string sounds and swells. DECAY The DECAY knob determines the amount of time required for the control signal to fall from the maximum level achieved by the Attack stage to the Sustain level when a key is held.
ENVELOPE (ADSR) (Continued) TRIGGER IN A gate or trigger signal applied here will cause the Envelope to re-trigger and advance through the ADSR stages as defined by their respective settings. TECH NOTE: Any signal > 1.2 Volts will be read as a trigger. + ENV OUT A control signal that reflects the shape created by the current Envelope generator settings is available at this output. – ENV OUT The control signal available via this output is an inverted copy of the signal created by the Envelope.
OUTPUT (Continued) VOLUME The VOLUME knob sets the level for the combined MAIN OUT / HEADPHONE OUT 1/4” jack located on the rear panel. NOTE: The VOLUME knob is placed after the SPRING REVERB MIX knob in the signal path. NOTE: The level of the EURORACK output jack on the rear panel is unaffected by the VOLUME knob setting VCA MODE The Voltage Controlled Amplifier, or VCA, is an amplifier that can be modulated from different sources to control Grandmother’s output level.
OUTPUT (Continued) VCA AMT IN A control signal connected to this input will influence Grandmother’s overall output Volume. With the VCA TYPE switch set to DRONE, an external control signal received here will entirely determine the output Volume. With the VCA MODE switch set to ENV or KB RLS, a control signal received here will be multiplied with the current parameter settings to determine the output Volume, which is useful for synthesizing tremolo effects.
MODULATION Modulation is an important aspect of programming and playing synthesizers. In short, whenever one signal is used to change the value of another – it is known as modulation. Grandmother has a dedicated Modulation section that can apply modulation to multiple destinations at once, and in varying amounts. This Modulation section is based around an analog oscillator that operates in the low-frequency range, and is commonly known as an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator).
MODULATION (Continued) PULSE WIDTH AMT (AMOUNT) The PULSE WIDTH AMT knob determines the maximum depth of modulation that will be applied to the Pulse Width of the Square and Narrow Pulse waves of Oscillators 1 and 2 when the MOD wheel is at its maximum position. NOTE: Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) can only be applied to an oscillator when a square or narrow pulse wave is selected as the current waveform.
UTILITIES The Utilities section imbues Grandmother with a series of tools that are key to the exploration of modular analog synthesis. A four-point mult, high pass filter, and bipolar attenuator are included as non-wired, patchable resources. 0 - + MULT The MULT consists of four jacks wired together in parallel as a way of sharing and distributing control signals.
UTILITIES (Continued) INPUT An audio signal connected here will be processed by the High Pass Filter. OUTPUT The audio signal available here is the output of the High Pass Filter. ATTENUATOR (BIPOLAR) 0 - + An Attenuator is used to reduce the strength of a control signal to provide more accuracy when modulating a specific parameter value. This Attenuator can also deliver both normal and inverted values.
ARP / SEQ This module contains two very important features: the Arpeggiator and the Sequencer. In addition to the controls found here, the PLAY, HOLD, and TAP buttons located on the Left-Hand Controller are active in operating the Arpeggiator and the Sequencer. This module also contains patch points for KB OUT (Keyboard Pitch Control Voltage), GATE OUT, and KB VEL OUT (Keyboard Velocity Control Voltage).
ARP / SEQ (Continued) DIRECTION The function of this switch applies to both the Arpeggiator and the Sequencer. It selects the order in which the notes are played. ORDR (ORDER) ARPEGGIATOR (ORDR) The arpeggiated notes will play in the same order as they were originally played on the keyboard. SEQUENCER (ORDR) The Sequencer will play notes from the beginning of the pattern to the end.
ARP / SEQ (Continued) GATE OUT Pressing a note on the keyboard initiates a gate signal that is sent via this jack for as long as the note is held. During arpeggiator or sequencer playback, the GATE OUT signal is instead based on the notes being output by the arpeggiator or sequencer. KB OUT Pressing a note on the keyboard initiates a keyboard control voltage (CV) signal that is based on the note being played, using the 1 Volt-per-Octave standard.
LEFT HAND CONTROLLER PLAY The PLAY button activates the Arpeggiator or Sequencer. (TIE) When the MODE switch is set to REC, the PLAY button is used to enter a TIE step when recording to the Sequencer. A tie is used to string two individual notes together musically. NOTE: If the same note is tied together multiple times in a row, it will be heard during playback as if that one note is being held continuously.
SEQUENCER - GETTING STARTED Grandmother’s sequencer can store and play back three independent sequences, each containing up to 256 notes. CREATE A SEQUENCE ARM THE SEQUENCER To arm the Sequencer for recording, set the MODE switch to the REC position, and set the OCT / SEQ switch to 1. NOTE: This will arm Sequence 1. PLAY A NOTE Play any note on the keyboard. This is the first note of your sequence. CAUTION: The first note entered in REC mode will erase all existing data in a currently selected sequence.
CREATE A SEQUENCE (Continued) ADD A REST Press the REST button. NOTE: During playback, this step will be silent. ADD AN ACCENT Finally, play one last note and then press the ACCENT button. + NOTE: During playback, this step will output an Accent voltage from the KB VEL OUT jack that can be patched into other modules. A good place to try would be into the CUTOFF IN jack in the Filter section.
EDITING A SEQUENCE Sequences can only be edited in real time during live playback. To edit a sequence: ENTER SEQUENCE EDIT MODE Set the MODE switch to the SEQ position and push PLAY. + EDIT YOUR SEQUENCE While your sequence is playing back, set the MODE switch to the REC position. NOTE: Now any rest, tie, accent, or note that is played will overwrite the current data for that step as it is played, without deleting the other notes of the sequence.
REAR PANEL Grandmother’s rear panel is populated by jacks and connectors that relate to the instrument as a whole. Here is where you will find audio and MIDI connections, additional CV I/O, a FINE TUNE knob, the connection for the AC adapter with stress relief hook, and a Kensington security slot. FINE TUNE This knob controls the fine tuning of Oscillators 1 & 2, and is the default tuning knob for Oscillator 1. AUDIO This group of jacks is dedicated to inputting and outputting audio signals.
REAR PANEL (Continued) REVERB OUT This 3.5mm output provides a separate output directly from the Spring Reverb tank at typical Eurorack audio levels. When combined with the REVERB IN patch point on the front panel, this jack allows the Spring Reverb to be used as a standalone processor. ARP / SEQ CV This group of jacks is dedicated to synchronizing the Arpeggiator or Sequencer with other analog instruments.
REAR PANEL (Continued) MIDI These 5-pin DIN style jacks provide a way of sharing MIDI signals with other MIDI-equipped synthesizers, keyboards, processors, and more. MIDI information can also be shared via USB. TIP: If you get any stuck MIDI notes, hold all three LHC buttons down together for about 1 second. Grandmother will clear its note stack and also send a MIDI “All Notes Off” message. MIDI IN The MIDI IN port can receive MIDI messages sent from another synthesizer or module.
GLOBAL SETTINGS To access Grandmother’s Global Settings, simultaneously press and hold the HOLD button (on the Left-Hand Controller) and SYNC button (in Oscillator 1) until the SYNC button begins to blink. Now you can use the keyboard commands listed below to make any needed changes to the Global Settings. The SYNC button will continue to blink a number of times to indicate which Global Setting is currently selected.
GLOBAL SETTINGS(Continued) NOTE PRIORITY You can select which note will have priority on Grandmother’s monophonic keyboard - the highest note played, the lowest note played, or the most recent note played. To change the note priority, press the (C#1) key, and then use the first three white keys to select LOW (F0), HIGH (G0), or LAST (A0). The Default is LAST. PITCH BEND RANGE The pitch bend range of Grandmother’s PITCH wheel can be set anywhere from 1 to 12 semitones.
PATCH POINT INDEX FRONT PANEL ARP / SEQ MODULE GATE OUT: This jack produces a Gate with each new note played on the keyboard, played by the Arpeggiator, or played by the Sequencer. 5 Ohms; +8 Volt Gate. KB OUT: This jack delivers a Control Voltage (CV) based on the key played by the Keyboard, Arpeggiator, or Sequencer. 5 Ohms; -5 to +5 Volts. KB VEL OUT: This jack delivers a Control Voltage (CV) based on the velocity of the key played by the Keyboard or Arpeggiator.
PATCH POINT INDEX FRONT PANEL (Continued) OSCILLATORS MODULE (Continued) OSCILLATOR 2 PITCH IN: The control signal received here is summed with the internal Pitch CV to modulate the pitch of Oscillator 2. 90K Ohms; -5 to +5 Volts. OSCILLATOR 2 LIN FM IN: The control signal received here is summed with the internal Pitch CV to introduce linear FM (Frequency Modulation) to Oscillator 2. 90K Ohms; -5 to +5 Volts.
PATCH POINT INDEX FRONT PANEL (Continued) UTILITES MODULE (Continued) ATTENUATOR OUTPUT: The output of the Inverting Attenuator is available via this jack. 5 Ohms; the output voltage is determined by the ATTENUATOR knob; the 12 O’clock setting provides zero output (fully attenuated). FILTER (LOW PASS FILTER) MODULE FILTER INPUT: The audio source connected to this input will be processed by the Low Pass Filter (VCF).
PATCH POINT INDEX FRONT PANEL (Continued) OUTPUT MODULE (Continued) VCA IN: This jack provides an audio input to the VCA. With no connection made here, the signal from the Filter output is normalled to this input. 100K Ohms; -5 to +5 Volts. REVERB IN: This jack provides an audio input to the Spring Reverb unit. With no connection made here, the signal from the VCA output is normalled to this input. 100K Ohms; -5 to +5 Volts.
MIDI DOCUMENTATION FUNCTION CC# PITCH WHEEL MOD WHEEL CC 1 0-127 (or 0-16383 using CC1 & CC 33) MODULATION RATE CC 3 0-127 (or 0-16383 using CC3 & CC 35) GLIDE TIME CC 5 0-127 (or 0-16383 using CC5 & CC 37) ARP/SEQ RATE CC 8 0-127 (or 0-16383 using CC8 & CC 40) OSCILLATOR 2 FREQUENCY CC 12 0-127 (or 0-16383 using CC12 & CC 44) GLIDE ON/OFF CC 65 0 = Off, 64 = On ARP/SEQ HOLD CC 69 0 = Off, 64 = On ARP/SEQ PLAY CC 73 0 = Off, 64 = On OSCILLATOR 1 OCTAVE CC 74 0 = 32’, 32 = 16’, 64
MIDI DOCUMENTATION (Continued) TABLE 2 TABLE 3 CC 119 VALUE 0 KEYBOARD TRANSPOSE (SEMITONES) 5 -12 0 2 10 -11 5 3 15 -10 10 4 20 -9 15 5 26 -8 20 6 31 -7 26 7 36 -6 31 8 41 -5 36 9 46 -4 41 10 51 -3 46 11 56 -2 51 12 (ONE OCTAVE) 61 -1 56 13 67 0 (OFF) 61 14 72 +1 67 15 77 +2 72 16 82 +3 77 17 87 +4 82 18 92 +5 87 19 97 +6 92 20 102 +7 97 21 108 +8 102 22 113 +9 108 23 118 +10 113 123 +11 118 +12 123 BEND RAN
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + - - 20Hz 200Hz 20Hz 200Hz + + NOTE: Additional presets and blank patch sheets can be downloaded at www.moogmusic.com.
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + - - 20Hz 200Hz 20Hz 200Hz + + 20kHz 2kHz 20kHz 2kHz SPRING REVERB SPRING REVERB
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + - - 20Hz 200Hz 20Hz 200Hz + + 20kHz 2kHz 20kHz 2kHz SPRING REVERB SPRING REVERB
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + - - 20Hz 200Hz 20Hz 200Hz + + 20kHz 2kHz 20kHz 2kHz SPRING REVERB SPRING REVERB
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + - - 20Hz 200Hz 20Hz 200Hz + + 20kHz 2kHz 20kHz 2kHz SPRING REVERB SPRING REVERB
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + - - 20Hz 200Hz 20Hz 200Hz + + 20kHz 2kHz 20kHz 2kHz SPRING REVERB SPRING REVERB
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + - - 20Hz 200Hz 20Hz 200Hz + + 20kHz 2kHz 20kHz 2kHz SPRING REVERB SPRING REVERB
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + NOTE: Additional blank patch sheets can be downloaded at www.moogmusic.com.
32’ 32’ 8’ 8’ 16’ 16’ 4’ 4’ - - 16’ 16’ 8’ 8’ 4’ 4’ 2’ 2’ + + - - 0 0 + + NOTE: Additional blank patch sheets can be downloaded at www.moogmusic.com.
SPECIFICATIONS TYPE: Semi-Modular Analog Synthesizer SOUND ENGINE: Analog NUMBER OF KEYS: 32 Full-Size Keys TYPE OF KEYS: Velocity-sensing (Velocity signal is not hard-wired – available via MIDI and KBD VEL OUT jack) OTHER CONTROLLERS: Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel, Variable Glide POLYPHONY: Monophonic SOUND SOURCES: 2 Oscillators with selectable Waveforms (Oscillator 2 supports Sync to Oscillator 1 plus linear FM), 1 White Noise Generator, External Input jack VCF FILTER (LOW PASS): -24dB/Octave Moog Ladder Filter
SERVICE & SUPPORT INFORMATION MOOG’S STANDARD WARRANTY Moog warrants its products to be free of defects in materials or workmanship and conforming to specifications at the time of shipment. The Warranty Period is one year from the date of purchase. If, in Moog’s determination, it has been more than five years since the product shipped from our factory, it will be at Moog’s discretion whether or not to honor the warranty without regard to the date of the purchase.
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