moogerfooger question

[otto]

I asked this same question on the moog forum but I thought I might get a more objective response here:

Haven’t had the opportunity to own a moogerfooger pedal yet. I’m a simple effects pedal kind of guy and I’m not sure how much I would use the CV ins/outs. I understand the concept I just don’t like to get carried away for hours trying experiments when I could be making music, this is the same reason I don’t own a modular synth. Obviously, this capability is part of what you are paying for. So my question is, are these pedal worth paying for if you plan to use them in a more conventional “stomp box” style? I’ll ask in another way to clarify: Does the sound quality justify the expense even if they didn’t have the additional CV capabilities?

[space6oy]

i've had three, 102 ring mod, 103 phaser & 104z. all nice pedals, great build if it's not an issue how huge they are, but IMO the delay is incredibly overrated. obviously others do love it though, to each his own & all that BS. ring mod's the only one i've hung onto. i don't do anything more than run a signal through it. very nice that it lets you blend the effect and the dry signal, wish my zvex ring mod did that.

[aeon]

I have and use a CP-251 Control Processor, MF-104SD Super Delay, MF-105 MuRF, and MF-105b Bass MuRF.

Yea, to me the sound quality justified the price I paid, even without use of the CV. That said, these pedals truly come *alive* when using the CV in that they begin to respond in a cohesive manner that can be much more "musical" to my ear than running them independently of each other.

It doesn't have to be needlessly complex - even a simple effects pedal kind of guy can benefit from a single CV connection.

That said, I tend to go nutty with it all and patch in an Ebbe und Flut and an Encore Expressionist to them, and drive it all from a sequencer. Good times!


cheers,
Ian

[code green]

i own the ring mod, the delay (104z--the reissue), and the murf. they're great pedals, but i got them all as gifts (requested ones). so obviously i wanted them but not sure they would've made it to the top of the priority list for my limited resources if i'd had to buy them myself, and not sure, having owned them, that they would be if they vanished overnight.

it's kind of a matter of your finances. if the price isn't a major hit for you, i don't think you'll be disappointed in the pedals as "just" stompboxes. the ones i've experience sound great and have great versatility, even if you don't go all nuts with cv. the ring mod and the murf are the two aux sends for my synth mixer and, as such, are used all the time. i was going to single out the ring mod, but really i love all of them.

and even if it's a reach for you to buy one, i don't think you'd be disappointed. but there may well be other places in your studio where the cash would be better spent--only you know, of course. i'm not sure i'd call the delay "overrated" but i would say that--unlike the ring mod or (especially) the murf--there are cheaper options that won't leave you despondent.

then again, moog stuff holds its value very, very well...so should you decide they're not right for you, you can probably get fair value on resale.

hope there's something of value to you in all this equivocating....

[moogerfooger321]

I own the murf, the low pass filter and the cp-251. I think the pedals are as simple and as complicated as you want to make them out to be. The murf and the low pass filter are pretty much plug and play kind of pedals, more-so the murf. The low pass filter is still a plug n play kind of pedal, its just not the same kind of pedal you play through it and have that "preset" sort of sound come out . You fiddle with knobs here and there, mess with the filter cutoff, makes things dull sounding, make them bright sounding, make it self resonate stuff like that. The murf you plug in and play through and it does its little sequences and you can mess with them. The cp-251 isn't an overly complicated pedal. It's a good but powerful pedal to get into an EXTREMELY basic modular set-up and understand how it all works, comes with instructions on certain settings you can do with it and you can take it from there. The pedal is useless on it's own as it's not a regular audio signal type pedal. You need some other pedal or synth that has control voltages to have it control something. It's great paired with the low pass filter when you can hook up the Sample and Hold cv to the cutoff of the LPF and get the distinct sound of many recordings. That only takes one patch cable and obviously theres much more complicated stuff you can do with it. The sound quality of the pedals is well worth it and being able to put audio signals through the pedal rather than play an instrument directly through the pedals is where I think the fun really is. Like I said in the beginning, these pedals are as simple and as complicated as you want it to be. You can have a great sounding pedal with preset sort of sounds and than slowly work you way into tweaking them and understanding them further until you can do whatever you like with them. The possibilities on each of the moogerfoogers is infinite.

[otto]

Thanks moogerfooger. I understand CV/patching, etc. The question was really as to whether or not the tone and quality justified the expense over cheaper similar pedals that lacked CV. It seems to me that moogerfooger owners gush over the ring mod so I might start there.

[hfinn]

The Delay is my favorite. Ring mod is up there too. The Filter comes in handy from time to time.

[zmd]

i just got my first moogerfooger pedal, the ring mod. i sat and just marveled at it for about 2 hours last nite. i think i may do the same tonite.

[Solderman]

I've got the ringmod. But lately I've only used it to get a slightly saturated and somewhat more lofi(read: less clean sounding) sound out of my Voyager. The little amp knob can push it into mild saturation for line-level signals, and is not true bypass. It's not Little Phatty distorted, but sounds pretty good.
The ringmod effect itself is cool, and I seemed to get the best results using it in the Voyager's Mix Out loop. Perhaps the best feature is the ability to input your own carrier, which I've only messed with a bit, and seemed like it had alot of potential.
I did try using the LFO output into my Electrix Filter Factory's CV In once, but its amplitude was not adjustable, and wasn't really a wide enough sweep anyway.

[MPrint]

I think the Moog Pedals are a very specific sound that are definitely worth the money considering the sound quality and craftsmanship, but I don't think they are as "useable" as you would hope. They sound crazy, but it's just not something you would use at great lengths. I think Electro Harmonix have some pretty awesome effects pedals that are worth checking out. Quite a few analog pedals too that are shockingly low priced. I have a MemoryMan and I have a long list of other pedals I would like to get next.

[druzz]

i have the lowpass filter . i am very pleased with it. i plugged it in my mopho and now i use it more than the synth'S filter. it really changes the caracter of the sound . i get the impression of having a classic vintage sound at some point. not to say a moog sound . wich is enjoyable sometimes. since i cant afford a moog synth right now i will jubilate on my moogerfooger.

the mix knob is great to crossfade the dry signal with the wet one. the envelope is very useable and the filter is ... i can i say it ?? a moog filter

i guess if you already have vintage moog, korg , oberheim ... synths , its just another filter for you. But for me its a revelation. the problem is : now i want a moog synthesizer

i am positively impressed about the lowpass wich i got for 200$ . i wouldn't have paid more but now that i used it , i would pay more for a another one if i lost mine. if i find a good deal on a ring mod i might take it since every body says good about it and i had a good experience with the serie. the freaq-box is also poking my curiosity .

[code green]

I think the Moog Pedals are a very specific sound that are definitely worth the money considering the sound quality and craftsmanship, but I don't think they are as "useable" as you would hope. They sound crazy, but it's just not something you would use at great lengths. I think Electro Harmonix have some pretty awesome effects pedals that are worth checking out. Quite a few analog pedals too that are shockingly low priced. I have a MemoryMan and I have a long list of other pedals I would like to get next.

huh, can't say i really understand this opinion. it's hard to make many generalizations among a ring mod, delay, filter, phaser, and modulated filter. and insofar as one can generalize, it's easy as pie to go from completely whacked-out sounds to barely-there subtlety--even with the ring mod. they are no "crazier," in my experience, than any other pedals. and i use them all the time--the ring mod and the delay are the aux sends for my synth mixer and i use them both frequently, for both completely weird music and more conventional rock/pop.