Its the perfect building block for the synth-curious
Moog
Moogsnew Mavisis a build-it-yourself semi-modular synthesizer with all the basics.
It might just be the perfect beginners synth, and its totally analog.
you’ve got the option to just plug speakers or headphones in.
Moog
Synth Basics
All synthesizers consist of three main sections.
One is the oscillator, which generates the sound.
This is the electric version of a vibrating violin string.
Moog
That sound then goes through a filter, which is what it sounds like.
You turn a knob, and it cuts off ever-more of the high frequencies of the sound.
That’s the door acting as a filter.
Finally, there’s an envelope.
This dictates the shape of the sound.
It could be a long, slow ramp-up to full volume, like that violin.
Or it could be a pluck, like a guitar, or kick drum.
And that’s it.
Anything else is just variations on these basics.
“Synthesizers can be scary at first.
I remember so many years ago, I was just playing around with buttons randomly.
And it sort of worked.
But over time, I realized that at the base, synths are the same,” says Theriault.
But at the base, they all start from the same place.
So, as you learn, your skills are useful on other synths as well."
Once built, you’re able to tweak the controls and play on the little button-keyboard.
The Mavis can manage anything from crying cellos to fat, room-shaking bass to delicate electronic pings.
But things really get interesting when you start plugging cables into those holes on the left side.
The Mavis is described as “semi-modular.”
That means that you might connect its internal modules using that patch bay on the left.
But that would be missing the point.
The Mavis comes with an Exploration Patchbook, which has sound recipes in the form of diagrams.
This is an excellent way to learn how synthesis works and make some wild sounds.
Moog also has a bunch ofgreat tutorial videoson its site.
It also looks super fun.
