Moog One Polyphonic Synthesizer Now Available

The long-rumored Moog One polyphonic synthesizer – the first polyphonic Moog hardware synth in more than three decades – is now available.

The Moog One is offered in two versions: the 8-voice Moog One is priced at $5,999 and the 16-voice Moog One is priced at $7,999. Both offer synthesis capabilities not found in any previous Moog keyboard.

Here’s the official intro video:

Here’s what Moog has to say about it:

As the first polyphonic Moog synthesizer in more than three decades, Moog One spearheads a new era of analog synthesis.

Handcrafted at the Moog factory in Asheville, North Carolina, Moog One is a programmable, tri-timbral analog synth featuring an intuitive tactile interface that transcends the boundary between instrument and artist, allowing you to achieve your musical goals unimpeded. And then, of course, there’s that legendary Moog sound. Moog analog circuits are renowned for their unrivaled punch and rich harmonics, and Moog One represents the definitive evolution of these classic circuits.

Years of research went into this analog dream synth, and it shows in every aspect of its masterful design. Under your fingers, Moog One will exceed your every expectation as it inspires your musical creativity and opens portals to a vast sonic universe.

The Moog One Synth Architecture

The Moog One is available in 8- and 16-voice versions, with a sound engine that is described as ‘the most advanced architecture ever conceived for a Moog synthesizer.’

Per voice, the Moog One features:

  • three analog voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs);
  • two independent analog filters (a Variable State filter and a Moog Ladder Filter) that can be run in series or parallel;
  • a dual-source variable analog noise generator;
  • an analog mixer with external audio input;
  • four LFOs; and
  • three envelope generators.

Essentially three independently addressable polysynths in one, the Moog One tri-timbral architecture lets you  assign, split, layer, and stack voices with up to 48 oscillators in Unison mode. Each synthesizer ifeatures its own step sequencer, arpeggiator, and effects processor.

The Panel Focus module simplifies and streamlines the complexities of multitimbral synthesis. Choosing a Synth for panel focus switches control of the Moog One front panel knobs and buttons to the selected Synth layer. You can also select multiple Synth layers concurrently to simultaneously tweak multiple Synths.

You can split or layer the three timbres — each with its own sequencer, arpeggiator, and onboard effects library — across the 61-note Fatar keyboard with velocity and aftertouch.

Moog One Synthesizer Voice:

Here are details of each Moog One synth voice:

  • VCOs – The Moog One voice is driven by three newly-designed analog VCOs. Each oscillator outputs a user-defined mix of the selectable triangle/sawtooth wave, plus a variable-width pulse wave. Unlike most traditional oscillator designs, you can shape and modulate the rise/fall time of the triangle wave, and the reset phase of the sawtooth wave, to build analog tones that are rich and complex. Moog says that blending the tri/saw and square/pulse waves together ‘opens the harmonic floodgates’.  The Moog One oscillator section is also equipped with waveform modulation, hard sync, ring modulation, and FM (Frequency Modulation).
  • Noise Source – Each Moog One voice has access to an advanced dual-source analog noise generator that lets you select, mix, and dynamically articulate different noise colorations (white, red, and purple) via its dedicated noise envelope generator. This unique module is a potent tool for adding percussive attack, breathiness, or full-spectrum impact to a sound.
  • Analog mixer – The Moog One mixer provides volume controls and filter routing for each oscillator, noise generator, ring modulator, and external audio input, allowing sound sources to be shaped by using filters independently or in combination.
  • Moog Ladder and State Variable filters – the Moog One offers two kinds of analog filters – a multimode State Variable filter and a Moog Ladder filter with selectable 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-pole lowpass/highpass modes.
  • Three assignable envelope generators – There are three Moog One assignable DAHDSR (Delay, Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain, Release) EGs that go way beyond traditional ADHR envelopes in terms of flexibility. In addition to looping, synchronization, and time-scaling capabilities, the character of each of these envelopes can be molded by per-stage envelope curves.
  • Low-frequency oscillators – Moog One offers four wide-range LFOs per voice, assignable to nearly any destination. Features include MIDI synchronization and clock divisions, start delay time, number of repeats per instance, fade-in and -out times, and more. Using the Variation parameter, you can smoothly morph between sine and triangle, square and pulse, sawtooth and ramp, or sample and hold and noise waveshapes.
  • Onboard effects – the Moog One offers a library of programmable per-synth and master bus effects, including chorus, delay, phase, bit reduction, vocoding, and a suite of premium Eventide reverbs such as Blackhole, Shimmer, Plate, Room, and Hall. Effects can be applied as Synth Effects and Master Bus Effects. Synth Effects are applied to individual timbral layers, while Master Bus Effects can be accessed via sends from all three synthesizers. The effects are digital, but the Moog One audio path is completely analog when the effects are true bypassed.

The Moog One Offers Hands-On Control

Clad in a handcrafted ash cabinet, the Moog One aluminum front panel is fitted with 73 knobs and 144 buttons. Extended on-screen functionality is accessed via More buttons (one for each module) that serve up additional parameters in the center-panel LCD.

The status of all the controls can be stored in a massive bank of presets and the keyboard’s Browser and interactive LCD center panel make finding your sounds easy; saved Presets can also be assigned to front panel Performance Sets for instant recall.

The Snapshot button lets Moog One capture and recall a time-stamped snapshot of a preset at its current settings, eliminating the need to incrementally save data manually while experimenting.

Moog One Presets

A Moog One Preset is a self-contained blueprint, saving the parameters for all three layers of timbrality, along with each timbre’s sequencer, arpeggiator, and modulation settings. The Moog One can store and recall tens of thousands of presets that you can categorize, edit, notate, and share via USB drive.

Up to 64 presets can be grouped to a Moog One Performance Set, where they are immediately selectable via the front-panel Bank/Preset button configuration.

Presets can be shared with an unlimited number of Performance Sets, allowing quick access to desired presets for performance.

Finally, User Spaces save global behaviors, MIDI settings, knob behaviors, port and pedal configurations, and even the LED brightness level of your working environment. All the settings can be saved to a USB thumb drive, so you can run any any Moog One with your personal settings.

Fatar keyboard and X/Y pad

The Moog One offers a premium 61-note, velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive Fatar TP-8S keybed. The keyboard is semi-weighted evenly across its keys.

The enhanced Left-Hand Controller (LHC) features pitch-bend and mod wheels, made of milled aluminum and a fully assignable, pressure-sensitive, 3-axis X/Y pad that provides additional expression and continuously variable control.

Features:

  • 8- or 16-voice polyphony
  • 3 VCOs per voice with waveshape mixing and OLED displays
  • Unison mode (up to 48 oscillators on the 16-voice instrument)
  • 2 filters per voice with filter mixing (2 multimode State Variable filters that function as a single filter, and a classic lowpass/highpass Moog Ladder filter)
  • 3 DAHDSR envelopes per voice with user-definable curves
  • 3-part multitimbrality
  • Separate sequencer and arpeggiator per timbre
  • Chord memory
  • Dual-source noise generator with dedicated envelope
  • Mixer with external audio input
  • Ring modulation with selectable routing
  • Oscillator FM and hard sync with selectable routing
  • 4 assignable LFOs
  • Premium 61-note Fatar TP-8S keybed with velocity and aftertouch
  • Assignable pressure-sensitive X/Y pad
  • Digital Effects (Synth and Master Bus)
  • Eventide reverbs
  • Selectable glide types
  • USB and DIN MIDI
  • Save, categorize, and recall tens of thousands of presets
  • Create Performance Sets that make up to 64 presets accessible at the push of a button
  • 2 x ¼” stereo headphone outputs
  • 2 pairs of assignable ¼” outputs (supports TRS and TS)
  • 4 x ¼” hardware inserts (TRS)
  • 1 x ¼” external audio input (line-level)
  • 1 XLR + ¼” TRS combo external audio input with trim knob
  • 9 assignable CV/GATE I/O (5-in/4-out)
  • USB drive support for system and preset backup
  • LAN port for future expansion

Audio Demos:

Pricing and Availability

The Moog One is available for US $5,999 for the 8-voice and model, $7,999 for the 16-voice model. See the Moog site for details.

85 thoughts on “Moog One Polyphonic Synthesizer Now Available”

  1. This looks like it will be amazing, but I’m surprised that Moog of all people is introducing a high-end polyphonic synth, with no mention of support for MPE.

    Both Animoog & Model 15 have offered MPE support for years now, so it seems very strange that their $30 apps have support for this, but not their 8k hardware synth.

  2. Sounds like a piece of shit to me 😛

    Super nice the integrated effects, love that for workflow.
    Probably the analog poly hype is over but this might bood it up again for people that have saved some money 🙂
    Nice of them to develop some thing that people wanted for many years now.

    1. That was my first thought. This thing is like, made for MPE, then everyone can talk about there hasn’t been anything like it since the CS80 blah blah.

      I’m still interested because of the Tri-timbral aspect, if you think of it somewhat like you’re buying 3x Prophet 6s or… something. Any kind of mental gymnastics to justify it.

      Eventide reverbs is nice, too. Can’t wait to see what they sound like.

  5. Beautiful beasts! A Moog-lovers dream!! Can’t wait to order two 16-voice units and poly-chain them!

    Might need to sell the house first 😀

    Seriously, this thing is awesome.

  6. Only eight thousand bucks? I’ll take two! I love my Roland SH-01 Gaia for its polyphony (as well as its sounds) and it’s only digital. Imagine how much more gnarly and fab an analogue Moog One will sound.

  14. Still cheaper than a Prophet-5 was in 1978.

    Yeah, I hear you. The Prophet-5 was $5,000 in 1978. The Moog-1 16 voice is $8,000 in 2018. According to the online inflation calculator, however, $5,000 in 1978 is over $19,000: Which means, for the inflation adjusted price of a Prophet 5, one can two of these Moog 1 synths, and an entire recording studio with the remaining $3,000 (e.g. DP32SD $550, Strymon Big Sky $500, Behringer B-2 microphone $150, Roland JD-Xi to cover anything the Moog 1 doesn’t $500, Mexican Fender Strat $650, all the cables and power strips one could need $350, AKG 240 cans $150, Alesis or Behringer studio monitors $150)

    Then again, getting a Moog 1 to pay for itself in 2018 is harder than getting a Prophet 5 to pay for itself in 1978. It would seem, with people downloading MP3s (or streaming music on Spotify), the money musicians used to make selling albums just isn’t there any more. There’s a reason those talented session cats are now programming computers.

  15. Well, if it does anything, it makes some other polysynths seem more reasonably priced (Modal Electronics 008 or Waldorf Quantum for example). And both Dave Smith/Sequential and Korg are likely thinking “Thank-you yes!! This won’t undercut our analog polysynth sales at ALL…in fact with prices like those, it will likely only help.”

    But, the proof is in the pudding. I’m a decent Moog fan, and it may just sound like a $6k or $8k polysynth versus a $2k polysynth. It’s not always about the cost…except, of course, when it is. : )

    And for the money-minded, there’s always the chance Behringer will reverse engineer it and crank out a $900 clone.

  16. I love Moog instruments, I love the people who work for them, but Moog needs to figure out a modern approach to manufacturing that doesn’t require the company to charge $8000 for a polysynth.

    1. Agree, this does feel like some suitably mass-produced, robot-assembled boards made from standard components would help lower the cost without affecting quality. Handmade doesn’t always equate with quality anyway. Reproducibility and good control processes might be more important.

        1. Mine was $4K, custom Brompton cocoa leather from Italy, high quality and well worth it. When I sit on it I don’t think about how much I paid at all. I think it could be the case here with the Moog.

  17. Yes, this is a lot of money. But it is less expensive than 3 MiniMoogs and yet has greatly superior specs. (which really does show that the Mini was a bit over priced) Barring a sudden mysterious benefactor I don’t see how I’d end up being able to buy one but I’m glad it exists. I can’t afford a hand made Italian motorcycle, so I stick with my japanese bike, but I’m glad that the hand made Italian bikes exist.

    1. Yes but, is there a cheaper version of this thing? I mean, your japanese does the same as the Italian one, only in a cheaper non stylish etc. way. Is there a similar thing as this (same technology, analog synthesis) form any amount of money?

  18. Maybe it’s just me but all these new polysynths seem limited for sound design, compared to Virtual instruments. Omnisphere would run rings around it sonically. So…if polysynths are just for live gig use then perhaps they should be more focussed for live playing. At a gig it doesn’t matter whether the sound source is analog or not, it’s all about playable features, sample playback and sequencing along with light weight and affordability if there are breakages. The bread and butter Piano/organ/strings etc should be on hand along with unusual signature sounds that take clever programming.
    I think my time with polysynths is over. What I would really like is a keyboard and large 32inch touch screen plus space inside to fit a PC motherboard, all built into a cool case that could run all my software. A chance to get away from a laptop and midi controller. Something I guess I will have to make myself. The Moog is like a very expensive Harley Davison motorbike, all show and posturing with limited performance. A one trick pony most of the time. Still, they have made many people happy and I’m sure the well heeled will buy one for studio jewellery 🙂

  23. Truly amazing. I just ordered mine from Switched On. never been so excited for a synth. Will look great next to my memory moog.

  25. “Shipping in late October” is the current status.

    I saw this on the Sweetwater front page….was I the only one who opened their browser this morning and said, “Wut!?”

    Talk about no run-up!

  28. Well compared to the Memorymoog on ebay right now for $29,000.00 this thing is a steal eh 🙂 The Memorymoog rubbed me the wrong way back in the day and I chose to work with the Jupiter 8 instead. Seeing this new thing takes me right back to those good ol days .. the days when our dream synths weren’t Jupiter 8’s or Memory Moogs .. but digital like CMI, PPG and Synclavier. I’m sure the Moog One is probably really nice, just hope for 8k they buckle down on QC for these things .. the last two recent Moog’s I bought had serious QC issues and had to be returned (D reissue and Grandmother)

  30. Ow, my foot! That was a sudden drop, huh? I suspect this will be everything the Memorymoog wasn’t due to its technical era. I look forward to hearing it, for sure, but wow, look at the mini-explosion of $3k-$8k synths lately. I’ve owned enough hardware to grin at this and be semi-appalled at the same time. $5k can buy you a very capable home rig if you shop well and $8k can all but turn you into an Abbey-Road-In-A-Box. I’m sure a lot of us could bet money on who will own these first and make a profit. If I made $4k, I’d buy a Prophet X anyway, but still, that three-synths aspect is intriguing.

  31. Behringer can make a complete Moog voice for $299 full retail. If you bought 12, you are talking $3588. Then put a nice wood case around it, some aluminum on the panel, effects, etc. Make it in Asheville, NC instead of in a Chinese prison. The price makes sense.

    2. Not really, you’d need to compare it to the deep mind 12. Buying 12 Boots actually mesns youllybe buying 12 boxes, shipping, packaging, enclosure, midi interfaces,etc. Seems like small things but they do add up

  32. That’s one gorgeous synth. I’m not going to get one any time soon, but I’m not concerned about the cost. People have zero issues filling a 9U eurorack case for nearly the same price as the 16 voice version. Bet it sounds brilliant too.

  33. Finally! We are back to the good old days when big name synth companies come out with extremely high priced analog synthesizers.

    1. Definitely. This Moog is underpriced though – with any luck they’ll add switch to boutique pricing for it once demand picks up. 😉

  34. Shipping this month without a photo, proper demos, no videos what-so-ever. Moog is like a rapper doing pre-orders for his new album no one has heard yet. We all know its not going to suck but the balls on them. Pre-order to fund its production. We’ll delay releases until we have the money to make these expensive beast.

      1. Honestly, I thought it was going to be more. It’s still a fifth of a CS80 right?
        Of course, weight would not be as important as monetary value when considering taking this to a gig.
        For me anyways.

  36. excuse all the threes, but i’m having a george w. bush fuzzy math moment here…if the number of voices is not divisible by three, but there are three vcos per voice, does tri-timbral in this case mean there are three independent 8 or 16 voice single osc parts to work with?
    because that’s how my tiny brain is interpreting the article.

    or does tri-timbral refer to (unevenly) dividing the 8 or 16 voices into three (3) osc parts?

    or,….please tell me it’s not true because I will have to sell a kidney to buy this thing…. BOTH WAYS?

  38. There is no such thing like analog hype. Analog era from 80s was finished because new technology was coming in like D50 and Yamaha DX7 and ROMplers. Now it isn’t any new technology coming in, because they all available like wavetable, grain, virtual analog, vst-s etc So, analogs are interesting because people like synth music. Mostly analog synth music in combined with vst with grain, samples, wavetables etc. So, it isn’t hype anymore. It is this kind of music. And it will probably last, because even if guitar will be back, times when big moguls dictate what people should hear are definetely over. Now there is too much music, too much artists. Of course there is mainstream like hip hop music. But lot of people like me just don’t hear it because don’t like it. And instead I have bilions of electronic music artist to hear.

  39. Midi-controlled roadies loading the stage with moogs…. Feels like heaven. The XY pad, ring mod, and pulsewidth options, and that extra EG for noise. So many nice touches.

  40. I think this is a fantastic synth (on paper at least).
    Do these specs mean that you can have 3 minimoogs at any time or…
    …a minimoog bassline plus 2 layered poly synths in the same instrument. Each with their own effects. or…
    …each synth with their own sequencer (can you have a sequence on one timbre and then play a split live with the other two??????) or…

    If this is true, this is not a poly synth, this is an analog synth workstation

  41. That is a beautiful synth! Just an incredible assortment of great features, the build quality looks gorgeous — a future classic no doubt. Respect to the Moog folks, this seems to knock it out of the park.

  42. Fatar keybed… Meeh… No long ribbon? The synth engine looks nice on paper, but I’d like some more playability built into a thing like this. I thnik it’s kinda sad when expensive high end synths still show up obvious cut backs. When will they ever learn?

  44. Those VCOs are legendary… 2 shapes simultaneously?!

    The noise generator is fascinating as well. Leads one to wonder what exactly is the color used on your favorite synths.

  45. Hamtai, regarding polyphony and multitimbrality, I think this quote from an article in FACT will hopefully answer your question: “The Moog One is what what the Asheville company describes as “tri-timbral”, which means it can play up to three individual synths simultaneously – split, layered or zoned across the keyboard, within one preset.” What I’m truly curious about is, with such a wonderful synthesizer being displayed NOW, what is yet to come? Particularly from KORG, Roland, Yamaha, Kurzweil, AKAI, Alesis and Waldorf; not to mention any others I might have forgotten. This MOOG is exquisite indeed.

    1. Thanks. That’s why I asked in response to someone else if there was indeed the same synth around for less money. I’ll take my bet that there isn’t for any price
      (can you notice my lack of moderation as a way of stimulating the internet experts to look for one instead of me doing the work? genius? maybe. Troll? most probably, but is for a good cause)

  47. Really for what this is, it is a great deal……a deal I could not afford unless I sell my car. X’D

    It’s time I start making some serious money so I can buy this beast.

  48. it will go nicely with my mini + memory + liberation …… ( thats is for all the haters ….) similarly priced to the memory moog in the 80’s

  49. I’ve always wanted a Moog synth. However investing in another mono synth never resonated (pun intended) with me. I have a Pro-One I bought in ’81. Fast forward to now…I am seriously excited about this synth. I agree that full MPE support would be awesome, but the thought of a hand crafted Moog poly synth is too much to ignore. I’m ready to sell a lot of gear to help cover purchasing this.

  53. Korg, Yamaha, Prophet Roland and others have much better price point and features
    At this price point, you can buy a house ?

  56. For the price of the Noog 16 voice, I could buy a Korg Prologue, a DSI Prophet X, and a Dexibell S7. I’ll pass on the Moog.

  58. In spite of Moog’s various political incursions against discrimination, the price tag on this one seems very discriminating to me. I wonder how many less fortunate can afford such a toy….I guess it’s the Vst version for them.

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