Moog Grandmother Reviews

Best Value Moog

I waited a full year to write the review so I could give a user's opinion; it's been in the studio and used on stage and I can't fault this little synth, it's a gem.

Touted as a semi-modular it can be used without patch leads as a standard 2 VCO monosynth with LFO modulation and a silky filter based on Moog's 904a ladder filter. From deep bass to searing leads the GM has a character all its own, it doesn't pretend to be a minimoog nor is it a Rogue.

Combined with some unique features, I love the arp and sequencing functions, this is a very capable synth at a bargain price. Real quality keybed (take note Korg) make it a joy to play live too.

Patching capability really brings this life, from very simple like patching the LFO to the mixer to so its a 3rd VCO/Sub Osc to more complex - I utilise two way patching between GM and eurorack to get the best out of it - shows what this lil Moog is made of.

Overall - it's the best value Moog out there, and I might just get another and patch them together.

Good bits - everything, its a real Moog

Bad bits - like most new gear, I wish the power was inside and took an IEC cable

Great synth!

I am really happy with the Grandmother. I specifically wanted to dedicate an analog synth for bass sounds in my live electronic music duo and the Grandmother exceeded my expectations. She is powerful, strong and beautiful!

It's great to be able to get into the modular patching world as well. The sounds can really be manipulated through the modular options.

The grandmother just has an overall beautiful sound that I can use not just for bass, but just about anything that comes to mind.

The spring reverb is decent. I would have loved if the Grandmother also came with some type of delay, but that's being picky. She's awesome!

My first semi - modular synthesizer...

And it is Huge synth ! And it helps me to produce House and Melodic Techno .Really fat sound and very versatile thank to the patch points. Also want to get sub 37 in pair

My favorite Grandmother...

An excellent synthesizer by Moog that is perfect for learning synthesis, because it encourages you to pay attention and memorize what module does what to the sound, and also comes with a proper manual that also has tips for sound creation.

Possibilities of creating patches are endless and the spring reverb adds a lot of character to the sound.

Build quality is great, but the power supply could be better (it appears like its the first thing that is going to break).

Beautiful, inside and out

After owning a few budget synthesizers I decided it was time to get myself a big boy monosynth for studio and live use.

The Grandmother delivers on all fronts and does not sound like your typical Moog synthesizer. The flexibility of this device is vast.

It sounds amazing and is built to last. It has a very nice keybed.

While the Matriarch has more features it is priced very steep.

It would be nice if it could store more than 3 sequences, but I am extremely happy with this synthesizer.

Great synth by moog

this is definitely one of the best synths moog has ever created in my opinion.

love the retro design.

can create really classic sound waves or new when using this great piece of hardware

great build very solid will last a life time., if taking care of properly.

endless amounts of possibility's with this hardware.

5 stars all day highly recommend this synth, its a must have for lovers of the synth world!

All you will ever need from a synth.

I cannot being to describe what I felt the first time I plugged it in and started messing around with it. Two hours have passed by and I found myself mesmerized by the warm and fat sounds that the instrument can so easily produce.

Every module has character and sounds amazing. I produce a lot of music in my home studio and this will go on everything from now on. The bass sounds you can synthesize with Grandmother are by far the best sounds I ever heard. It probably has to do something with the oscillators. You can immediately feel the analog quality and true tone of the instrument. I strongly believe that we humans respond better to this kind of sound and that's why it is so pleasing for us. It's just...natural!

I totally recommend this beautiful instrument to anyone that wants some fat bass sounds and some pristine lead tones.

A musical instrument

This product makes the difference between an electronic equipment and a musical instrument. It is devoted to sound. It brings identity. Pre-wiring is well thought. Handy spring reverb.

On the limitation side, it is a bulky piece of equipement. No way to save your work. Odd fragile little white switches on top not aligned with the concept of the massive solid built of the rest of the unit.

An Instant Classic

I was looking at either this or the Sub 37 (I actually ended up with both, but that's another story)

I loved the idea of having access to the old modular circuits because let's face it a big Moog modular will only be a dream for most of us.

The one thing that struck me about the grandmother is the immediacy and playability of the synth. Everything feels like it's where it should be and the keybed is so very nice to play. Dare I say one of my favourites. The build quality is top notch and comparing it to my old Moog Rogue in a similar form factor it's like night and day. The Rogue is cheap and plastic whereas the Grandmother is heavy, solid and feels like no expense has been spared. Two criticisms on the build, I would have like to see bigger toggle switches. Not a big problem though. I would have also liked an IEC power supply as opposed to a power brick with IEC connection. Not a big problem but I'd prefer a universal option that are easy to come by.

In terms of sound this thing sounds HUGE!!! It's that classic Moog sound in the lows and can soar when it wants too all passed through a butter filter. I'm mainly using it for basses so I'm getting lots of dirty sequences and arpeggios from it. The mixer past 12 is just gritty deliciousness.

In terms of features It's got all the ingredients a mono synth should have and they've even thrown in a spring reverb. I'm not one for mental modulation so happy enough with the LFO. Sequencer is great, easy to program and 256 notes!

I bought this and a Prophet Rev 2 at the same time and have barely touched the prophet. I can just get where I want to be so quickly with the grandmother but I also feel like it has depths that are as yet unexplored.

For me it's just beautiful. My favourite Moog I've owned so far.

Fantastic piece of analogue beauty

I've always been fascinated with Moog instruments and I've owned a few, including Big Briar Etherwave Theremin, Moog Taurus 3, Voyager Old School and Sub 37. I should say, the Grandmother seems to produce the sweetest sounds of all. The synth is well-made and is a pleasure to use. It's my first semi-modular machine, and I look forward to exploring the possibilities this may open. I wish you could save patches, but I guess this is a compromise that had to be made to keep the price down.

Fantastic synth, my favourite from Moog. The price is also nice for what you get. Really fat sound and very versatile thank to the patch points. The spring reverb sounds fantastic too! The only downside for me is the isolation of the power cord, it produces some disgusting sounds when touched (and I have had two different units -the first one was even worse). But overall I would recommend it, I am really in love with this instrument.