WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

The Bob Moog Foundation has announced its latest fundraising raffle for a vintage Memorymoog Plus synthesizer and a brand new Moog Muse synthesizer. The Memorymoog Plus, serial number 3067, will be awarded to the first prize winner, and the Moog Muse will be awarded to the second prize winner. The raffle began last week, and ends at 11:59 pm (EDT) on Monday, September 21, 2026. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Tickets can be purchased at this link.

The Memorymoog Plus was Moog Music’s 1983 follow-up to the original 1982 Memorymoog, adding an integrated sequencer, CV outputs, and MIDI In/Out/Thru to the instrument. The Memorymoog was one of Moog’s first production instruments to offer programmable patches saved to a memory bank, enabling users to recall up to 100 pre-programmed sounds instantly.

The synthesizer boasts a massive sound, made possible by six-voice polyphony with three voltage-controlled oscillators per voice like the Minimoog Model D — a distinguishing topology of the Memorymoog that set it apart from its two-oscillator-per-voice competitors like the Sequential Prophet-5, Oberheim OB-Xa and Roland Jupiter-8.

This Memorymoog Plus, valued at $12,500, has the Bell Tone Synth Works Liberator F-RAM Upgrade installed, which eliminates the need for a battery. It comes with an Anvil flight case and an original Memorymoog manual, written by industry luminary Dominic Milano. It has been serviced by Rob Rosen of Rosen Sound, and is in excellent physical and technical condition.

“The Bob Moog Foundation is proud to be offering two massive synthesizers representing a continuum of Moog ingenuity over a 40-year period,” noted Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation. “We are especially pleased to provide an opportunity to win these synths to two very lucky winners.”

The Moog Muse, valued at $3,500 and originally released in the summer of 2024, is a groundbreaking synthesizer that combines vintage character with modern technology. Featuring cutting-edge digital controls, an array of creative effects like Diffusion Delay and modulation, plus tools including an arpeggiator and sequencer, this versatile synthesizer offers a flexible digital control surface, perfect for quickly dialing in precise parameter adjustments. Its rugged build quality makes it equally at home on stage or in the studio.

The Muse’s integrated OLED programmer, along with an expansive array of 44 knobs, 16 sliders, and 129 buttons, allows for dynamic interaction with every parameter, giving the player granular control over tone, modulation, and effects. With 61 piano-size semi-weighted keys that offer rapid responsiveness and durability, this synthesizer delivers a tactile experience that can endure the rigors of touring. Connectivity options, including dual back-panel control voltage in/out, ensure that the Muse integrates seamlessly with both traditional analog setups and modern digital rigs.

All proceeds from the fundraising raffle benefit the Bob Moog Foundation’s three hallmark projects: Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, and the Moogseum.

The Bob Moog Foundation fundraising raffle for a vintage Memorymoog Plus synthesizer and a brand new Moog Muse synthesizer is open now, and runs through Monday, September 21, 2026. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Tickets can be purchased at this link.

For more information about the Bob Moog Foundation, visit the foundation website.

MemoryTone is XILS-lab’s software recreation – for Mac + Windows – of the synthesis architecture of the 1982 Memorymoog.

They say that the instrument accurately models interactions between oscillators, voice variation, mixer levels and filter behavior, rather than simply reproducing the basic signal architecture.

Each voice provides pulse, sawtooth and triangle waveforms, variable pulse width, oscillator sync and extended tuning. Oscillator 3 can operate approximately five octaves lower and be disconnected from keyboard tracking for use as a modulation source. The oscillator mixer also includes level-dependent drive and saturation.

The filter is a 24 dB/octave self-oscillating ladder design with cutoff, emphasis, keyboard tracking and envelope contour controls. MemoryTone also adds an advanced arpeggiator, MPE support, velocity and aftertouch control, six integrated effects and a preset management system.

Features:

• 16-voice polyphony with up to 18 oscillators
• Three oscillators per voice with pulse, sawtooth and triangle waveforms
• Continuously variable pulse width and oscillator hard sync
• Independent oscillator octave ranges and oscillator detuning
• Oscillator 3 low-frequency mode with optional keyboard tracking disconnect
• Level-dependent oscillator mixer drive and saturation
• 24 dB/octave self-oscillating ladder filter with cutoff, emphasis, keyboard tracking and envelope control
• Two ADSR envelope generators, drift and voice detuning
• Mono and circular polyphonic playing modes, unison and mono/polyphonic glide
• Expanded modulation with velocity, aftertouch and expression control
• MPE support with per-note pitch bend, aftertouch and brightness control
• Advanced arpeggiator with mono/polyphonic operation, octave extension, broken-chord and random patterns, gate, swing and programmable sequencing
• Six integrated effects with flexible routing
• Preset manager with filtering by bank, author, type, style, feeling and project, plus favorites, hidden presets and A/B comparison

XILS-Lab MemoryTone is available now with an intro price of €79, reduced from €199.

Cherry Audio has released Memorymode 2, described as “a bigger, bolder, and better reimagining” of its Memorymoog-inspired software synthesizer.

They say that Memorymode 2 provides richer harmonic tone than before, and delivers an exceptional reproduction of the original synthesizer’s remarkable sound and power at a fraction of the cost of a vintage instrument.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

Memorymode 2 has been redesigned using advanced analysis and design techniques, establishing a new standard for analog modeling accuracy in software instruments.

The original Memorymoog synthesizer set a high standard for analog sound quality at the time of its release, featuring six-voice polyphony with three oscillators per voice, the 24 dB/octave ladder filter, and was often described as “six Minimoogs in one.” In 2021, Cherry Audio introduced the Memorymode virtual instrument, which earned widespread acclaim for faithfully reproducing the original hardware’s sound while eliminating the reliability and tuning issues commonly associated with it. Five years later, Memorymode 2 builds on that success, establishing itself as the definitive successor to both the original synthesizer and the previous plugin.

At the core of Memorymode 2 is a CPU-optimized dual-layer architecture that allows for two complete 16-voice polyphonic synthesizer layers or splits per preset. It can support up to 48 voices per layer with unison stacking. This update brings significantly improved analog modeling across oscillators, filters, and envelopes. It features a refined ladder filter with 24dB and an additional 12dB/octave option, a “modern” setting for beefier lows and more crystalline highs, and emphasis compensation to maintain sound level and low-frequency weight. Additional features include analog drift control, a new multi-voice mode, a single-key chord mode, and enhanced expression capabilities through velocity sensitivity, polyphonic aftertouch, and MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) support.

Memorymode 2 also features four lanes of touch-oriented modulation with 52 routing destinations, 16×4 programmable polyphonic step sequencers and arpeggiators per layer, and additional performance-based automation through the Touch Animator. Additionally, it offers three independent effect chains, delivering 22 studio-quality effects, including the new Wide Phaser and Rotary Speaker.

An in-depth intro video:

Memorymode 2 is now available for $69. Owners of Memorymode version 1 can upgrade to Memorymode 2 at the discounted price of $39.

The Foundation Preset Pack for Memorymode 2 is also available from Cherry Audio for $9.99. All proceeds from August 2026 sales of the soundset will benefit the Bob Moog Foundation, in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The pack features 275 presets that utilize Memorymode 2’s unique features, including layers, polyphonic sequencers, the Touch Animator, dual arpeggiators, and the updated effects library.