Moog Muse: Moog Teases New Polyphonic Analog Synth

Last Updated on July 4, 2024 by IDS Team

It’s been a while since its initial announcement, but we couldn’t help but cover a brand new addition to the Moog family. The Moog Muse was first teased at the Super Bowl earlier this year, but there has been plenty of speculation since then. In this article, we’ll take a look at what we know so far about this new moog hardware synth, what is still under wraps – and our predictions for its eventual release. 

What is the Moog Muse? 

The Moog Muse is a brand new polyphonic analog synth from Moog, making it a truly exciting addition to the family of analog hardware the company has amassed over the years. Yes, you heard that right – a new analog Moog synth! 

However, the catch is we don’t quite know for sure what exactly the Muse will feature. Estimations that it is a polyphonic analog synth come from a single photo posted to Instagram, which has since been deleted. Nevertheless, screenshots provided plenty to get the internet talking.

When Was It First Announced? 

The first news about a new synth came courtesy of YouTuber Andrew Huang, who thanked Moog online for letting him play around with a new model of synth, claiming that he was ‘excited to share more when it launches.’ The synth was first used at Usher’s live set back in February alongside a Moog One and Matriarch. In fact, the moog muse SuperBowl performance was so synth-heavy if it wasn’t for Huang, the newcomer might have got lost in the midst.

However, a subsequent leak from producer Mike Dean saw the moment that he posted a snap of the synth’s interface. to his Instagram story. After this, it ended up on reddit – which was what really got the internet talking. 

How Does It Compare to Other Moog Products? 

The Moog Muse comes directly after the Spectravox, the latest in the Moog Family of hardware instruments. Compared to the Spectravox, the Moog Muse could be a trip back down memory lane. In fact, it looks like it’s set to be a classic analog synth with the same high quality sound as others in the family. Spectravox caused some waves as a unique semi modular analog spectral processor that can double as a vocoder when hooked up to a microphone. However, the Muse looks set to be a more classic instrument that may or may not be semi modular. This is all depending on whether it follows the pattern of the other instruments in the family. 

This puts it alongside machines such as the Moog One, the Moog Matriarch (which many consider one of the best moog hardware synths), and the Moog Grandmother. However, apart from this, we can’t tell much else about it. Many of the analog instruments in the Moog family are semi-modular, but it’s hard to say with the Muse. What we do know from the photos is that much of the synth’s design seems to take after the Matriarch. It comes with two oscillators, an LFO, and a detune button, though beyond this there is not much way of knowing what other features it has in store. We also don’t know the moog muse price, although we can guess as a moog hardware synth it won’t be that cheap, especially with all the hype.

How Big a Deal Is It? 

Ok, it’s quite a big deal. In fact, this is the first new Moog instrument since the Mavis, with Moog’s previous synth being the Model D – the return of a retro instrument from Moog’s heyday, reimagined for 2022. 

On the contrary, the Moog Muse looks like it’s going to be an entirely new instrument, with fresh design, meaning it is the first new Moog hardware synth since 2014. This was when Moog introduced the Mavis, a patchable semi-modular synth. Moog’s legacy up until this point has been faithful reimaginings of other products from its heyday. It’s range has also included slightly more left-field offerings such as its theremin, and the spectravox. The latter was its most recent hardware instrument, which they market not as a synth but as a spectral sound processor. The Moog Muse, therefore, is the first machine in a long while that fits the mold of a classic analog synth ready to explore. 

What else do we know? 

Unfortunately, we don’t know yet when the Moog Muse will actually hit the market. There were some official name changes beforehand, too, with rumor claiming that it’s title was the Moog Mirror back in February with the initial teasers involving Andrew Huang. 

Furthermore, information about its actual features comes mostly from close analysis of the photos posted during these teasers. This means we cannot say for sure what its exact specs are and can only speculate about the general patterns, without going into the final details. 

We DO know it looks pretty exciting. With glowing backlit pads and its own keyboard in the first photos, we suspect that for fans it will more than live up to the quality and character that followers have come to expect from the legendary synth giant. Whether it will differ significantly from the Matriarch is hard to say. However, we speculate that if Moog has invested the time and money into designing and creating a whole new analog synth then there are bound to be some new features. These should make it different in terms of playability and design, with hopefully enough for fans to get their teeth into. 

For now, however, it’s hard to say, and as of June, there still has been no further news about the Muse’s release date nor any further features it may have. The internet has been pretty silent too. 

Final Thoughts 

All in all, we’re pretty excited even just about the teaser. While we can’t say for sure whether the Muse will hold up as an instrument in its own right, or just be a pale imitation of the Matriarch. The fact remains it’s been a while since Moog has released a simple, classic analog polyphonic synth that is at the same time a completely new design. And for that, we’re hotly anticipating it, so watch this space. 

Liked this article? We have our review of a great Moog VST emulation from Cherry Audio. Plus, if you like hardware and analog gear in general, check out our wider hardware section here.