Moog The Source - A Synth I Always Wanted

US Irrational desire justified - how about you? 07/10/12

Buying Choices

Affilliate Links help support the site

If you're into synths, the chances are you have a list. With one, quite possibly more entries - lets face it, there are so many to choose from. I confess I have a list. Top of which is the Moog The Source - there’s just something about it that seems to call to me.

I dont know if it's the Moog "thing" but I’m guessing not, I’ve never really been able to fit a Moog into anything I do - it must be something to do with the tiny spectral range of my mixes - In my defence, I started out with a Roland D110 and a Mirage sampler, I just can never find the room for the Moog largess, though in my heart I know it's no excuse.

No, I think it's more superficial, something about the colours and the design of the front panel, and that beautifully weighted scroll knob - you only get one, so they made it the king of potentiometers and quite possibly one of the first implementations of the rotary encoder on an instrument? I am more than likely to be proved wrong here by those with far superior knowledge on such matters....

I do know that it is their first programmable offering with a princely 16 memory locations. At a time when RAM must have been ludicrously expensive, I bet that was one factor that made it as much as many polysynths back in 1981..

I’ve also heard that it's not really considered to be one of the finest Moog synthesizers - certainly not a classic. I mean not really designed for real-time parameter tweaking - what with only the one knob, the rest of the expression can only come from the mod and pitch wheel. Though rumour has it that it can still produce those large bass and lead lines. Assuming the membrane switches still work - these are some of the most troublesome things to fix on old instruments.

However, it surely must have inspired a few great tunes - Mr Vince Clarke has one and thats good enough for me. I also have the fantasy that 90s remix duo The Source (Featuring Candi Statton “You Got The Love”) might just have got their name from it, and in my imagination, that classic blassline from the Frankie Knuckles mashup is played on a Source, or rather The Source.
Take a listen...

I know that this is not true, but I still do want one. Though they dont come up all that often, and still fetch up to a grand or so (UK)
What’s your secret synth desire?

Moog Social