Merry Moog 2023 is a collection of holiday music performed on the Moog and other synthesizers, curated by host Thom Holmes.
Here’s what he say about it:
“This is my fourth holiday podcast, and it was built on a tradition that goes back to the year 2000, when I started curating holiday music each year on a privately released CD that went to my friends. I called that CD Merry Moog.
I’ve retained many of those original tracks for the podcast, but always leave room for new discoveries. For this purpose, I maintain a special section of my Moog Modular collection of vintage recordings that consists solely of holiday music. While I fancy myself as being agnostic when it comes to religious holidays, there is certainly an overabundance of Christmas Music that has been recorded over the years, so I go with the flow of availability.
For this year’s blog and associated podcast, I am sampling some of the new recordings I discovered in the past year, while also bringing out some of the oldies for your enjoyment. Sprinkled throughout are six, short, Christmas-themed “audio logos” from a broadcast library album, the Sounds of Broadcasting, each logo comprising 60 seconds of Moog Modular holiday joy.”
Moog takes a deep dive into the world of bass sounds with the new Mariana soft synth, and the good news is that it runs on iOS, Mac and Windows
Today, Moog Music has introduced a software synth for iOS, macOS and Windows that they describe as “The Next Evolution of Moog Bass”.
If there’s one part of the frequency range that Moog has been synonymous with down the years, it’s bass, so it seems entirely fitting that the company is launching a new soft synth that’s devoted to low-end tones. Known as Mariana – it goes deep, presumably – this takes inspiration from Moog synths of the past – the likes of the Minimoog, Taurus, Sub Phatty and Minitaur – while also promising to bring something new to the party.
Mariana is a dual-layer synth; layers can either be stacked together or played duophonically, and each layer offers two oscillators and a sub-oscillator. There are two classic Moog resonant filters, along with a third one that’s designed specifically for the sub-oscillator.
Effects include tube, tape and overdrive saturation, and there’s a “tight” compressor for glueing everything together. You also get delay and chorus processors that can be applied on a per-layer basis.
On the modulation side, there are three LFOs, three envelopes and two random generators per layer, plus a dedicated modulation editor. This enables you to design sounds that evolve over time – every parameter of Mariana can be modulated internally via MIDI, MPE, and virtual CV.
All of this functionality comes packed into what appears to be a typically straightforward Moog interface that also benefits from built-in metering. Although it has a definite bass focus, Mariana can also provide lead sounds, percussion and effects, and 200 presets come supplied.
Here’s what they say about it:
“Mariana is a dual-layer synthesizer, allowing you to mix together two completely different synthesizer sounds that can dynamically complement each other or be played duophonically. Each layer is built around two oscillators with precise and inventive controls to make your bass tone punch through a mix and stand out from the rest, with a sub-oscillator adding even more low-end weight. Two resonant Moog filters and a third filter specifically for the sub-oscillator let you shape your sound, adding warmth while rolling off high frequencies or pushing up the resonance for added bite. With stereo oscillators and crossover filter functionality, Mariana is optimized for quickly fine-tuning stereo content while simultaneously preserving a powerful mono bass foundation.
Warm tube, tape, and overdrive saturation and a tight compressor add heaviness and glue to your bass lines while an illuminating real-time metering section lets you monitor your sounds and dial them in to a professional standard. Flexible built-in delay and chorus effects operate on separate layers and can expand the stereo image of your sounds while preserving a solid mono signal with high-pass filters. Whether designing your own bass tones from scratch or using one of the 200 included presets as a starting point, Mariana is an accessible and versatile tool for any modern production environment. And although Mariana is optimized for bass, it is fully capable of producing strong leads, punchy percussion, and multidimensional effects, making it possible to craft an entire song using this single instrument.
Mariana’s intuitive user interface is designed for quick and efficient workflow while being fully equipped with three LFOs, three envelopes, and two random generators per layer. Combined with a creative and extremely deep modulation editor, Mariana excels at in-depth sound design and sounds that dynamically evolve over time. Nearly every parameter of Mariana can be modulated internally via MIDI, MPE, and virtual CV to build an interconnected ecosystem right in your DAW. With an optimized resizable user interface, expressive on-screen keyboard for iPad and standalone desktop versions, and seamless integration into any DAW (digital audio workstation), Mariana is the most accessible way to add the unmistakable Moog bass sound to your productions.”
Features:
Powerful, modern Moog bass sound in an accessible format
Dual layers for complementary sound stacks or independent duophonic playing
Deep, complex modulation sources, destinations, controllers, and functions
Resizable and user-friendly interface
Built-in effects, compression, and metering
Seamless interconnectivity with Moogerfooger Effects Plug-ins via virtual CV
Flexibility as a plug-in within your DAW or standalone use via MIDI
More than 200 presets, covering a wide range of musical styles and genres
Moog Mariana Tutorial Video:
This is Moog’s first release since the company’s acquisition by InMusic, and is also its first soft synth to run on not only iOS and macOS, but also Windows (it should be noted that the Moogerfooger effect plugins are also compatible with Microsoft’s OS). Moog Mariana is available now for desktop, with an intro price of $49 (normally $99), and for iOS, with an intro price of $14.99 (normally $29.99)
To celebrate Mariana’s release, Moog has enlisted actor, writer, producer, and comedian H Jon Benjamin to narrate a video that celebrates the company’s bass sound history, and there’s an hour-long deep dive tutorial video from Thavius Beck.
The newspaper says that Moog has eliminated “possibly more than half the existing jobs, including most of the production positions.
While there’s been no official word on the layoffs, our understanding is that manufacturing for most Moog products based on modern designs is being eliminated in Asheville and moved overseas. InMusic had previously eliminated job functions at Moog that can be handled by the parent company.
“Tariffs Are Seriously Harmful To American Businesses Like Moog”
In 2018, Moog warned that tariffs instituted as part of the Trump administration’s trade war with China would raise prices and could lead to jobs being moved overseas:
“These tariffs will immediately and drastically increase the cost of building our instruments, and have the very real potential of forcing us to lay off workers and could (in a worst case scenario) require us to move some, if not all, of our manufacturing overseas,” adding, “Tariffs are seriously harmful to American businesses like Moog.”
The tariffs added a 25% import tax on Chinese components used in synth manufacturing, but not on the import of complete synths. This meant that companies that manufacture in the U.S. have to pay a lot more for parts companies than that move their manufacturing overseas.
The Biden administration has left most of these trade tariffs in place.
Moog’s predictions have been borne out in the last five years. The company raised prices notably in 2022, saying at the time “The ongoing global challenges of material shortages, supply chain limitations, inflation, as well as rising raw goods and shipping costs, have made it necessary to adjust some of our pricing. And now, InMusic appears to be moving the bulk of Moog’s manufacturing overseas.
