A family of affordable all-analog stompboxes should appeal to guitarists and bass players and … sort of everyone.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never witnessed a hotcake sale. I can’t say how “selling like hotcakes” goes down.
Now we’re seeing more details of the affordable analog stompboxes from Moog. Looking like the ideal stomp effects for both musicians on a budget and the guitarist/bass player, these Minifoogers should sell as fast as hotc– well, as Minifoogers.
What they have in common:
- Analog signal path, with “true bypass” (so when they’re off, they’re off)
- Aluminum enclosures
- Optional battery power
- Single expression pedal input for hands-free control (badly missing on many other nice analog effects)
- Control voltage input, if you like, via that expression in
- Moog-y sound design features
As we reported before, you get a number of choices here in flavors, including an exceptionally-interesting Drive effect and some classic Moog effects. Since we summarized these before, here are the full Moog PR descriptions:
The MF Drive is a filter-based overdrive pedal employing a Moog Ladder Filter, boutique FET amplifiers, and OTAs in its drive section making it highly reactive to picking dynamics. The panel features a bipolar tone control and sweepable filter that work dynamically with input gain to offer each player unique and customizable sounds that retain the core timbre of their instrument. A filter Peak switch shifts harmonic content to the filter’s cutoff position, adding new tonal creation and dirty wah performance possibilities not found in other drive pedals. MSRP: $179.
The MF Boost is a selectable topology boost pedal that allows the player to switch between an “articulate VCA” signal path and a “colored OTA” signal path. Each is tailored to deliver boutique amplifier sound and responsiveness from any guitar/amplifier combination. The design also imparts natural compression to an input signal, which brings out note articulation and significantly increases the performance of other effects pedals. When paired with an expression pedal, the MF Boost can be used as a tone enhancing volume pedal, sweepable-gain boost pedal, and VCA. The expression pedal input also provides access to higher gain values not available on the panel. MSRP: $149
The MF Delay features 35 ms – 700 ms of completely analog delay time. At shorter set-tings, repeats are fast and bright for creating classic slap-back and plate sounds. At medium and long settings the repeats become darker and naturally trail into reverb-like state. A Drive circuit allows the player to adjust the tone and feel of the MF Delay as well as overdrive the Bucket Brigade Delay line, and the input of a guitar amplifier for bigger sound and feel. Also, the expression pedal input is switchable between feedback for expressive swells and delay time for tape delay and chorus/flange effects.
MSRP: $209.
The MF Ring is an analog ring modulator that is based on the world’s best selling Ring Mod, the Moogerfooger MF-102. Its refined frequency range and tone voicing circuit add new musical elements to ring modification, making it easy to dial in everything from octaves and choral dissonance to harmonic undertones and synthesized lead lines. The expression pedal input provides hands-free control of the Freq parameter for sound sweeps, pitch shifting effects, and playing between two scales on the fly. MSRP: $159
The MF Trem is an analog tremolo pedal designed around a balanced modulator and Sub Audio VCO. This design creates a wide range of effects that are based on phase cancellation and addition. Players can create classic optical tremolo, hard tremolo, rotary effects and more that react dynamically to harmonic content. A variable Shape control interacts with Tone and Mix to craft subtle swells and gallops to rhythmic percussive, and swirling effects. When pushed, the MF Trem can also approach the beginnings of phasing and chorus. The expression pedal input adds control of the Speed parameter for hands-free swells and rotary effects. MSRP: $189
“Tremolo” also describes what happens to my credit card looking at these.
It is really nice to see Moog-style effects in a more affordable, accessible box, in units that appear to retain the maker’s sonic character and versatility.
The units ship this month.
If you have questions for Moog, let us know and we can pass them along. (The most frequently-asked question was about CV, so nice to see that there, but let us know if you’ve got any other queries.)
Video
Passion Pit:
…and Queens of The Stone Age guitarist, Troy Van Leeuwen:
Ooh, careful, though, Moog, these are calling out for a “shreds video” variation. 😉
Nova Musik has an extensive hands-on video – hat-tip, Synthtopia: