It's an age-old conundrum when building up a music rig. You order a new piece, await its arrival, and just when you're ready to plug it in—sigh. You need a new battery, a different kind of connector, or maybe you screwed up big and the new toy's completely incompatible with the rest.
Luckily, Moog's new Sound Studio bundles will solve this for future synthesists. Pairing a DFAM drum machine with your choice of a Subharmonicon or Mother-32 synthesizer, the Sound Studios are complete systems that come ready to play.
There are two bundles available, each of which includes everything you need to start making music: two instruments in a desktop rack, an all-in-one audio mixer and power supply, and enough patch cables to make them sing.
The only extra thing you'll need is inspiration—but fear not, Reverb has you covered there too.
In our video above, host Fess Grandiose plays through 10 patches with each Sound Studio, sharing a sliver of the sonic possibilities available with the DFAM and Mother-32 or DFAM and Subharmonicon.
Watch the video to hear them in action, scroll below to see each patch in detail, and buy your own Sound Studio DFAM / Mother-32 or Sound Studio DFAM / Subharmonicon on Reverb.
This is a woozy-sounding patch that utilizes the Mother-32's stepped saw output, while running the DFAM as the clock.
Notes: Advance to Step 8 before hitting Run/Stop. Set Assign out to Stepped Saw (6). Set filter to taste.
This uses random hits of noise to liven up a step parameter.
Notes: Set Assign output to Stepped Random (8). Turn VC Mix clockwise to randomly bring in noise hits. Set filter to taste.
"This next patch reminds me of my teenage years, riding around town with my friends. Some of my friends actually had some like souped-up '92 foreign sedans with the body kits and the subs in, and they'd let the bass rattles, so the trunk just rattles," Fess says.
Notes: Increase VCA Decay for longer kick decay. Adjust LFO slower for more rattle.
This patch takes advantage of the Mother-32's sine output. The Mother-32's clock is multed and patched into the DFAM's to create noise, while the DFAM's envelope generator is patched into the filter cutoff of the Mother-32.
Notes: Adjust Pitch and Velocity steps to taste. Set Mother-32's Assign output to Clock (2).
This uses noise from the DFAM to create hi-hat-like sounds that pair well with the Mother-32's filtered kick. Flip the DFAM's filter from low-pass to high-pass to let the hats really chirp.
Notes: Before patching Clock, advance to Step 8 and hit Run/Stop. Adjust Velocity steps for varied hi-har rhythms. Close VCA Decay for tighter hats. Hold shift and adjust tempo for swing. Close Decay for tighter kicks.
This next patch is similar in principle, but "instead of the DFAM creating a hi-hat sound, it's actually just creating electronic pop-like percussion," Fess says.
Notes: Consider an additional delay effect. Adjust Decay for tighter kick. Adjust swing to taste.
Even though DFAM is the drummer by name, this patch has the Mother-32 provide both kicks and snares, while the DFAM provides the clock and some shaker-like noises.
Notes: Flip VCA Envelope Generator to slow and adjust VCA Decay to change hi-hats into a shaker. At the lowest octave (C1 and C2 or KB-1 and KB-8) are your kick and snare. Adjust frequency to taste.
Bringing just a taste of acid-house, this patch uses Moog's filter cutoff to create a squelchy bassline.
Notes: Adjust Pitch to bring in snare. Set Velocity steps to taste. Set Assign Output to Stepped Random (8). Adjust Cutoff and Resonance to taste.
With a few twists of knobs, you can take this patch one of two ways. "You've got your little bleep-and-blap thing going. You can use the [Mother-32's] LFO rate knob to control the speed," Fess says. "Or you can use the DFAM to have a rhythm going behind all that," with the DFAM's trigger output controlling the speed of the sample-and-hold synthesis.
Notes: Set Assign to Random Stepped (8). Set Mother-32 to VCA on to bypass trigger from DFAM for unsync'd sample and hold. (Control the speed with LFO.). If you don't want the kick, remove it by killing DFAM's volume. Use tempo on DFAM.
Especially with the addition of reverb (thanks to an Eventide H9), this patch sounds like a Vince Staples beat.
Notes: Adjust Pitch and VCF Decay to taste. Consider reverb and delay on Mother-32. Adjust Frequency and Root Note to taste. Adjust filter to taste. DFAM steps adds rhythm and timbre by modulating Mother's filter. Adjust VCF cutoff intensity with VC Mix knob.
What does plush leather sound like? Well, now you know. (This patch too utilizes the Eventide H9 for added reverb.)
Notes: Adjust Cutoff to preferred comfort level. Shorten note length by decreasing VCA Decay.
Included in the Moog Sound Studio's own DFAM & Subharmonicon Exploration Patchbook is a patch called "Grapefruit and Honey." Fess puts his own twist on it to create "Lime & Agave" instead.
Notes: Advance to Step 8. Hit play on Subharmonicon. (VCF Envelope Generator effects Subharmonicon VCA as well.) DFAM pitch knobs control DFAM's filter cutoff. Toggle sequencer Octave to transpose.
This patches' namesake is Fess' friend and fellow producer Ali the Architect.
Notes: Sweep Pitch Knob 5 to 3 'o' clock to bring in snare. Advance Step 8 to start 4/4. Adjust Cutoff to taste.
Meanwhile, this next patch shouts out some extraterrestrial friends.
Notes: Adjust Pitch and Velocity to taste. Adjust VCA Decay to taste. Close Cutoff for transient shaping.
"Arcade Blasts" gives you the type of chimy, sing-songy chirps you could expect from a classic video game, with some added delay via the Eventide H9.
Notes: This patch uses DFAM for additional harmonies and filter cutoff modulation. Velocity knobs adjust sub cutoff. Toggle sequence Octave.
This patch uses a TipTop Audio Stackcable stack cable to add extra moodiness.
Notes: Pitch out to VCF Mod and Noise Level. Use Velocity from Step 5 to add or remove snare. To sync, advance DFAM to Step 8. Hit Play on Subharmonicon and hit Run/Stop on DFAM.
Get funky with this bouncy, rhythmic patch.
Notes: DFAM hi-hat groove to taste (it's just for keeping a sense of time). Adjust VCF Decay to taste.
Slices of pizza? Slices of synths? Whatever's on your mind, this is a fresh spin on it.
Notes: For longer notes, adjust VCA Decay.
Once this patch is in place, you can turn the Subharmonicon's polyrhythm knobs to adjust the tempo.
Notes: Play with Cutoff to taste.
Finally, this patch promises an easy come-down.
Notes: Adjust Cutoff and Resonance to taste. Shortening VCF Decay adds slew.