Moog unveils the Moog One, its first polyphonic synthesizer in three decades

Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Glasper, Dr. Lonnie Smith & more demonstrate the forthcoming polysynth’s capabilities in a coinciding promo clip.

Moog are releasing a new synthesizer.

The Moog One marks the pioneering company’s first commercially available polyphonic instrument in over thirty years, following the legendary Memorymoog which was discontinued in 1986.

The newly-announced instrument is set to be available in eight-voice and sixteen-voice iterations and has been described by the company as being composed of “the most advanced architecture ever conceived for a Moog synthesizer”. Said architecture has been dubbed “tri-timbral”, meaning that within one preset you can play three separate voices simultaneously with the ability to stack, split or layer the aforementioned across the instrument’s 61-key Fatar keyboard.

In addition to three VCOs each voice features two independent analog filters (Moog Ladder and state variable) and three envelope generators. Furthermore, the voices also have independent access to their own sound parameters including arpeggiator, note range and sequencing. Elaborating on the feature, Moog state in their press release that it allows for “rich ensemble performances and deeply layered, evolving soundscapes”.

The polysynth also possesses a dual-source variable analog noise generator, analog mixer, four assignable LFOs and space for thousands of presets.

Onboard effects featured in the One include bit reduction, chorus, delay, phase, ring modulation, a vocoder and reverbs supplied by Eventide. The synthesizer’s effects are digital, however can be bypassed for an entirely analog signal path.

Coinciding with the announcement is a 19 minute promo video. Entitled Moog One – A Meditation On Listening, the clip is quoted as “a modern re-imagining of the original 1976 demo video for the Polymoog, Moog’s first polyphonic synthesizer” and demonstrates the One at work with help from Ryuichi Sakamoto, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Robert Glasper, Dev Hynes of Blood Orange fame and more.

Watch below.

The Moog One will retail at $5999/$7999 with both configurations available to pre-order at Sweetwater now.

Words by Sam Wilkinson.

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