16 thoughts on “Moog One Build Live Stream”

1. Behringer over here like “ok, step one attach little blue wire to silver thingie…”

   1. Lol

2. It would be smart for them to have some Moog One sounds playing on this stream!

   1. They must build it first

3. So the feed shows the last step of attaching the bottom plate, turning it over, and then popping on the knobs.

   Would be nice to see the pick and place machine placing the components on the boards. We can’t be shown that though as all the critical high value guts are built overseas, and it’s not really made in USA at all, just a small amount of final assembly.

   1. The high value work is the engineering and overall design. Everything else is just the mechanics of getting it done.

      The reality is that there are no US-based contract manufacturers capable of competitively manufacturing and assembling circuit boards and sub-assemblies in the USA. If there were, we would all be using them. Don’t forget that most components are made in Taiwan, Malaysia or mainland China, too. Shipping them to the USA just to run through a pick-and-place machine would be very expensive by air and slow by ocean freight.

      North American assembly is a critical step for a high-end company like Moog, because it allows them to use local case suppliers and test each and every sub-assembly, switch and knob before and after installation. It takes considerable time to build and test an analog synth and needs to be done right. That skill and expertise is best kept in-house.

      1. I would hesitate to make such sweeping statements. t depends on the volume and margin of the product. My US based city has several successful PCB assembly houses and some companies run their own pick-n-place lines, where manufacturing in Asia is too risky/difficult for modest volumes. Moog One seems in fact like a good example of a niche product that would be more efficient to build domestically.

      2. There are lots of CM’s the US that can do the entire assembly, including contracting out the PCB manufacturing to US-based houses. The problem is $$$$$$. For example, just for PCB assemblies for moderate quantities ~1000pcs etc.. the average price for PCBA’s is greater than 3x!! between the US and China. No joke. This even includes shipping costs from Shenzhen back to US (or wherever). In fact, you can source all your own parts, ship them to China, have the boards made, shipped back, and you’re still much much less expensive than having it all done in the US. You just can’t compete the other way.
         This is why DSI’s CM uses Cheer Time in China and others use Gold Phoenix or whoever. Moog claims to make some of their PCBA’s in the US (up to 50%), even in this case it’s likely the bare PCB itself is coming from China.

         1. In 2018, market time is fast, and one has to be able to make revisions to designs and adapt in the blink of an eye. The turnaround and uncertainty of overseas is acceptable for slow changing old time products, but not for anything that is state of the art. For that, local manufacturing makes more sense.

            Yes there is a cost advantage for China. First on average about half the cost savings as you mention might be shipping. But that’s not China’s advantage. That’s a treaty by which the USPS has to ship and deliver things from China for free. That’s a bad treaty. Should be renegotiated for sure, or tossed out, since it creates an artificial economy. One that benefits me as a designer in some ways, but is overall bad for society. Second, China has no enforced environmental laws. When I manufacture chips and boards in the US half the cost is dealing with environmental issues such as responsible disposal. China absolutely does not follow any of these laws even when they are on the books there. Toxic wasted is dumped there into rivers, lakes, ponds, oceans, vacant lots, sink holes, whatever.

            Level field US manufacturing costs about the same. But we don’t have a level field. We’re as US people subsidizing those Chinese shipment freight costs each time we buy a stamp. And were stomping on the environment for billions of people each time we choose to buy from a place that circumvents environmental regulations.

            Moog can build these at the same cost and a reasonable profit in the US. Some chips will be made in Taiwan and Malaysia. But the boards can be made here, even in North Carolina, and the P&P machines should be there already for prototyping already since they are building 1981 machines in 2018 and this is not the way to have a sustainable business. They need to learn faster turnaround. Alas it seems hopeless. They are addicted to the teat of cheap slave labor and environmental destruction all for a few quarters when they would have saved thousands of quarters by switching back to their homeland.

            1. Awesome how armchair quarterbacks can solve all the world’s problems, without the need to deal with any practical realities like design, marketing, business models, branding, logistics or institutional knowledge!

               It almost makes me wonder why you don’t have a successful synth company of your own!

               1. Rabid Bat – agree 100% w/ the additional comments. The shipping treaty is well-known and 100% accurate.
                  Torgood we aren’t armchair QB’s, we ‘are’ the people in the industry – having worked for very large and small companies alike – dealing with these issue on a daily basis for many years. That’s why we’re adding our thoughts.

   2. I was 100% convinced that for this premium price it would be certainly all “built” in the US and that was part of the reason for the incredibly high $$$. Not just the final bit “assembled”. Kinda disappointing to find out its not the case

      just imagine how much more stratospheric the price would be if they actually tried to make and assemble boards in the US….its already out of the reach of most mere mortals such as myself.

4. I was born and raised in the Flint area from 1971 to 1989. Left when I went to serve You in the US Army in the 10th SFG(A) as a Signal Imtelligence Analyst / Electronic Warfare Specialist (Military Intelligence & Airborne). I started making electronic music when I got out in 1992. This site never a plays the stuff I send it. Any way, my dad worked at General Motors. Everybody lost there jobs when they left America in the 80’s. I have used Moogs since 1992. I was a democrat for 26 years. I’m not a republican. Independent. This site and Moogs anti President comments make me dislike this community. You all need to wake up. Paying more is ok. Saying your an American company when all you do is assemble and test here and then complain about our President imposing tariffs on China upsets you? When do you want fairness to start? I say now. Yes it will hurt, but wtf, brings jobs here!

   1. Yes there are some type o’s. Deal.

   2. Whom among us will be the first to help return America to “greatness” by taking a $2.50/hr assembly line job? I think Roman should step up and take back that sweet, sweet job we’ve lost to China. 😉

5. Factories in USA are substandard including this one Anyone claiming “Made in America” is better than China probably has never seen a good factory from the inside.