Moog Grandmother

ManualsBrandsMoog ManualsKeysGrandmother

FM VERDICT

9.0

Not a complete all-rounder,

but a ﬁ ne semi-modular

synth with genuine Moog

pedigree. Just don’t sell your

grandmother to get one...

DESIGN: The Grandmother’s eye-

catching bright colours really suit

its retro sound and help identify its

individual modules

FILTER: The classic Moog ladder

ﬁ lter sounds as good as you’d expect

it to: with lots of character and self-

oscillating resonance

LFO: The LFO can be pushed into

the audible range to act as an extra

oscillator. The sample & hold output

is a nice touch too

REVERB: Spring reverb may well

have fallen out of fashion in recent

times, but it adds a fantastic retro

character here

The spring reverb module has

caused something of a stir. Once a

common feature on synths (VCS3,

ARP 2600), spring reverbs fell out of

fashion when more convincing digital

options came along. Yet there is a

certain retro charm in the old spring

jobs. The Grandmother’s spring

reverb is small but effective, adding

little noise and loads of atmosphere.

The Utilities module consists of

useful things that are not internally

patched. A four-point Mult can

merge any four signals. There’s also

a bipolar attenuator with a single

input and output. These might seem

a bit ho-hum, but even the simplest

function adds power and ﬂ exibility in

a semi-modular environment.

Less utilitarian is the simple

(non-resonant) high-pass ﬁ lter. You

get an input and output, but no

dedicated patch points for

modulation. Nevertheless, it sounds

good and can be combined with the

LPF for band-pass ﬁ ltering. Layered

patches may be created by routing

one oscillator through each ﬁ lter.

Age-old recipe

Alongside pitch and mod wheels,

three colourful backlit buttons crown

the left-hand control section. These

perform multiple duties, shifting

octaves as well as acting as

sequencer controls. They’re also

used when recording sequences.

Additionally, they perform quite a lot

of less-than-obvious tasks like

adjusting MIDI behaviour.

A Glide knob to their left provides

the obligatory Emersonian pitch

sweep. A legato mode is possible,

accessed by pressing the Hold

button and turning the knob.

It’s worth saying that we did

experience some tuning and

calibration issues with our

Grandmother upon ﬁ rst booting it

up, which couldn’t be corrected

using the Fine Tune knob.

Fortunately, after a few quick emails

to Moog these were rectiﬁ ed via a

‘note calibration’ procedure – which

isn’t covered in the manual – and a

SYSEX upload to rectify some

internal data. We’ve not experienced

any issues since.

Despite a diminutive stature, this

Grandmother is capable of a vast

range of sounds even before

patching a cable. Reminiscent of

early ’80s monosynths like the

Roland SH-101 and Moog Source,

the default signal path provides

enough ﬂ exibility to whip up thick,

thumping basses, snappy kicks,

sweeping leads and interesting

sound effects. Moog’s legendary

sonic character is such that the raw

waveforms sound good even with

very little modulation or

manipulation, and this is the case

here, too.

Once the patch cables come out,

many of the instrument’s limitations

fall away. Burbling effects,

ever-changing drones, and

percolating ambiences are easily

achieved. The instrument’s many

sync options allow for syncopated

passages using both sequencer and

LFO in lock step. The spring reverb

is icing on a very tasty cake.

It’s worth noting too that the

comprehensive I/O effectively

extends the instrument’s feature set,

by allowing use with external

modular or semi-modular gear.

Looping in an additional envelope

generator is simplicity itself. Its

sequencer and arpeggiator will

happily play with other MIDI and

CV-based sequencers, and can even

be locked to an audio click.

Not an all-in-one

The Grandmother ticks a lot of

boxes. It’s an ideal instrument on

which to learn the basics of

synthesis and beyond, and an

excellent gateway into the world of

modular and semi-modular

synthesisers. For those who just want

to play, the high-quality keyboard

and chunky panel controls make it

an enticing gigging companion.

The Grandmother isn’t for

everyone. There are no presets or

polyphony, it offers a meagre

sequencer memory, and a limited

physical key range. It’s not designed

to be the ultimate all-in-one solution

– the limitations are intentional and

can be viewed as an asset.

Is it worth the asking price?

Absolutely, if for no other reason

than providing users with a taste of

those old Moog modular circuits

without having to take out a second

mortgage.

DESIGN

The Grandmother’s eye-