I Need a Memorymoog!!

nofretz · Post by **nofretz** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:12 pm

And i want it to be there when i need it. but i don't want to pay $6000+ for a LAMM, cuz i'm not rich.

am i dreaming? i've heard so many horror stories about these things, but all the recordings they are on sound AMAZING. Jan Hammer always spoke well of his. I see them on ebay for $2-3K sometimes, in "great shape".

i'm no dummy. could i learn to tune oscillators?

if you own/have owned a MM or MM+, please advise. Is there any other synth that sounds the same?

goldphinga · Post by **goldphinga** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:42 am

i own a memorymoog plus and it really has a magic sound that no other poly has, really its so organic and raw yet refined, subtle yet huge sounding.

i wouldnt give mine up ever. it needs a service but even when its being a little temperamental it still sounds better than most other synths.

the only problems it suffers from is the mod section only works after being on for a day or so and when i engage mono mode it slightly detunes but when i can afford it ill get it sorted.

probably the best synth ever imho.

nofretz · Post by **nofretz** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:47 am

if i had my choice, i would like a non+, non auto tune model. i have read these are easier to own and use regularly. any more comments?

and if you do have a + or auto tune, i still envy you

goldphinga · Post by **goldphinga** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:03 am

think you got it the wrong way round. the plus is more stable and generally more reliable

nofretz · Post by **nofretz** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:01 pm

Bitexion · Post by **Bitexion** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:22 pm

When speaking of detuning on old analogs, it's not the pleasant subtle oscillator instability that makes it fatter. We're talking completely wrong scale being played by the synth across the keyboard.

Like my Andromeda will be impossible to play anything useful on within 10 minutes after I turned it on from a longer hiatus. The oscillators are not near the same pitch on 2VCO patches, and the scale of the keyboard can be thrown off by a full semitone from the lowest C to the highest C.
When you hold down two C's, one octave apart, and it sounds like one is a C and the other a Bb, you know your synth needs an autotune or more warming up

This is not a good thing, but is present on all real analogs. But it stabilizes when heated up a little. On older Minimoogs, live players had problems with temperatural detuning. Meaning that if a cold wind blew across stage, the Minimoog might be thrown off by a half semitone and play out of tune with the rest of the band, so the player would have to improvise and play his leads a semitone lower, or start an embarassing retuning procedure in the middle of a song.

The Prophet-5 is also notorious for temperature instability, and would behave in the same way.

goldphinga · Post by **goldphinga** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 5:38 pm

my memorymoog generally needs to be left on overnight to become stable, though its useable about an hour after power up. once its stable it stays that way.if im gonna use it on a session i make sure its been on for at least 8 hours.

Bitexion · Post by **Bitexion** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 5:58 pm

Indeed. You get the good sound, but have to face the drawbacks aswell. Plus periodic, expensive repairs when 25 year old capacitors take their last breath.

nofretz · Post by **nofretz** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:10 pm

call me crazy, but i still think this is the analog poly for me...

Bitexion · Post by **Bitexion** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:14 pm

Not unless you have the $3000 dollars needed to buy an old specimen. And add a couple extra thousand for the LAMM upgrade.

The original Memorymoog was sold in a broken, unfinished state, kind of the last dying breath of Moog as a company.
So two companies popped up making two different improvements and making the synth a whole synth again, not just a glitchy mess with an unstable OS.
There is nothing charming about it, just a complete mess.

The guys who make the LAMM upgrade:
http://www.lintronics.de/lamm.html

And the guys who make the Plus upgrade (couldn't find a link). There are secondhand MM's for sale with both the plus and LAMM upgrades.

nofretz · Post by **nofretz** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:18 pm

not today, but i'm saving. good luck, right?

nofretz · Post by **nofretz** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:25 pm

thanks for all the info. let me say that anything that's available on the web about this machine has been read many times by me

that's why i started this post: to get more "testimonials", if you will. but thanks for the links/info anyways. maybe someone else who is reading this will get insight.

i have never played one though. just heard numerous recordings. any suggestions on trying one out before i buy? dreaming again?

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:46 pm

nofretz wrote:i'm no dummy. could i learn to tune oscillators?

Yes, you can. It's easy, and quick. Get a cheap Korg GT-3 and keep it handy. You'll learn to tune very quickly.
I've never played a Memorymoog, and I don't know what it's tuning requirements are... but I have owned a lot of analog synths, and still own 7. I have played with nearly all of them in a live setting, and had no tuning problems whatsoever. If the Memorymoog really requires being on for hours before it's trustworthy, then I would think it completely a useless synthesizer and suggest that you never buy one.
I used to play a Korg Mono/Poly on stage. As long as it was on for about 15 mins (which is the standard time suggested for reaching temperature equilibrium, but is certainly variable depending on synth model and specific synth) before performance, it would stay in tune just fine.
I have a Minimoog and have performed live with it. It's an earlier model, and while my second oscillator will drift over the space of several hours, I have never had any tuning problems beyond that. For live performance, it's fine. I keep a GT-3 plugged into the output I'm not using in case any problem would arise, and it never has. The first and third oscillators are usually still in tune when I turn it on.
I also had a Sonic Six which would require occasional tuning in performance (especially when playing with the oscillator tuning knobs, as you would want to do with the ring mod present)... but again, it can be quickly done, and isn't an issue any more than spot-tuning on a guitar.

nofretz · Post by **nofretz** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:59 pm

great info, thanks. but i still want a MM. if i ever do get one, and i burn out (or IT does, ha), i guess i'll sell it. at least it will be out of my system. there are other brass and strings that i like better (jupiter 8 ), but nothing else makes the MM brass and strings, at least in my study. how about you guys?

MM strings on Jan Hammer's "Turning Point" from Miami Vice CD is the best ex. i can think of. magnifico!!

goom · Post by **goom** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:48 am

My MM has a few buttons that don't work at all (switches need cleaning, but disassembly to do it is a real chore), one or two keys won't sound unless I press them very hard, and one voice ocassionally goes WAY out of tune. A good whack on the bottom of the synth usually will get it behaving again.

All I'll say is if you can put up with all of the potential problems and/or repair bills, this synth is plain incredible sounding. I plan to keep mine forever.

I Need a Memorymoog!!

Re: I Need a Memorymoog!!