Moog Little Phatty - Stage II

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• 37-keys transmit polyphonic MIDI note On/Off with velocity2 Voltage Controlled OscillatorsVoltage Controlled FilterExternal audio inputCV and KB gate inputsConnect directly to a computer running the Little Phatty Editor/Librarian100 presetsFull MIDI controllerMIDI over USBMIDI Clock SyncArpeggiatorTap TempoBlack finishMonophonic audio out1/4" TRS headphone jackLCD display 2x16 charactersMaster and preset mode switchesPitch and Modulation wheels

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There are heaps of positive reviews for all things Moog, so I will share the drawbacks I've found from two years of playing this synth, rather than all the things I love about it.

First of all, to the people who might not have immediately understood this: this synth only plays one one at a time. It's a monophonic analog synthesizer. No chords, nothing that involves playing more than one note at a time.

Now that we got that out of the way.

This synth excels for the same reasons that a very well made guitar or saxophone excels. The character of the notes that comes out of it is extremely high quality, meaning that it's a very round, full sound with a rich spectrum of harmonics, plenty of bass, and something indescribable that just sounds expensive, rich, and creamy about the notes you play with it. Just like the notes that emit from a multi-thousand dollar saxophone sound rich, pure and refined.

This synth, however, is not what you might call surprising. While there is an extremely wide range of tonal character and bizarre gurgly or bleepy-bloopy sounds--along with big fat bass notes or bombastic lead sounds--it's not an infinite sound machine. If you are new to synthesis, much of the Little Phatty might even sound dated or simplistic to your ears. Do you love new, aggressive dubstep? Complex sound-design genres like UK Bass, IDM, ambient, or atmospheric minimal techno? If so, you will find that the Little Phatty makes a certain type of sounds from those genres, but it will not create lush atmospherics, shockingly complex dubstep drops, otherwordly ghost sounds, or anything requiring the complex character of a digital, wavetable-based synthesizer like you might find in a software product like Native Instruments' Massive. It will not replicate physical instruments like strings or flutes very convincingly. Synthesis-wise, it's creamy but not horribly advanced. I'd go as far as to call it rudimentary: no onboard effects, no polyphony, and only a couple modulation options without adding additional hardware modules.

What is it good for? In my opinion, the better the keyboardist you are, the more excellent it becomes. If you have sharp right-hand technique, know a bit of music theory, and have rhythm, you can absolutely kill it with this synth. Listen to James Blake's remix of Destiny's Child's 'Bills' (under his alias Harmonimix). Hear those funky, almost organ-y bass riffs he throws on top of everything? THAT'S what a machine like the LPhatty can do. If you can really run your right hand while juicing around the mod wheel with your left, you'll have a blast.

If you are just looking for a machine that will make amazing sounds when you press one key and play around with some knobs and faders, you should either buy a full featured virtual analog like the Novation Ultranova, which will give you a wider sound palette (and the ability to play chords!) but won't have that creamy analog sound, or you can jump up in price dramatically to get a polyphonic analog synth with lots of modulation capabilities.

Also: I gave it four stars because it's so damn expensive. I'm thrilled to own it, but I've gotten HOURS of fun and creative joy out of tools that cost a fraction of the price. Even for the quality that is Moog, you're probably adding $200 just for the Moog pedigree alone.

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This synth is a powerhouse! If you want to create sounds that are unique to the sound you are after that arent canned then this is the machine to accomplish this. I love this synth because its so intuitive. You will have a ton of fun playing with and experimenting with this Moog Synth.

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This synthesizer CRANKS!! Out of all the synthesizers that I have owned, this definitely had the best bang for your buck. People say it's good for its bass tones, but it's good for everything! I bought a used one for $1100 and I have never been so happy. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. It's good for just messing around on but also GREAT for gigs. It has such a smooth feel to it and creates the most incredible tone. It's small and compact on the outside, but enormous on the inside.

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This little synthesizer is a powerhouse! With 100 factory presets to start with and tweak even synth newbies can enjoy this equipment. The controls are very intuitive and amazing to use. If you use volume control pedals with the control voltage outs you can also control filters, volume, pitch, and modulation which makes for amazing control and even better performances. If you are looking for an analog synth that can be replicated but never equaled, do yourself a favor and buy this gear. What are you waiting for if you're looking, you know you want it!

Alright, I want to start by saying I DON'T own this. However, I have played it for a few hours at a band mates house. I have to tell you that this IS my next synthesizer.

It took me about 2 minutes to get my barrings before I was making some awesome sounds. I have not toyed with the presets, just not my style, so I can't speak to their quality. However, if you are looking for a piano keyboard, you should probably look else where. There is one thing that I took me a moment to figure out. There are only 4 knobs on the whole unit. When you hit a button, Decay for example, it shows current setting on the knob. You turn the knob and the light around the knob displays the current setting. As is standard of analog synths you can hold down the key and hear the change. The only thing that was slightly confusing was that only 1 lit button at a time will display. The other buttons and changes are active. It was just a momentary confusion.

Pros:

1. The keyboard feels quality and nice on my fingers. I prefer the non-weighted/non-hammer keys. If that is your preference, this until simply doesn't have it.

2. I am playing Industrial, Future Pop and Synth Metal music. The analog sounds I am getting from this is second to none. I will have this teamed with my vintage Yamaha DX-21 for live shows.

3. Ease of Use. I have tried many synthesizers and none have been as easy to use or understand. There is a learning curve to all of them but this is the easiest I have worked with. I have played on $3000 Nord's and Roland Fantoms. They can't reproduce THIS sound and have a much steeper learning curve than the Little Phatty.

Cons:

1. I wouldn't suggest this for a general use keyboard. If you are looking at synthesizers you should know this but I feel it should be said.

2. I imagine, unless you are playing the same style of music you will find the Little Patty a noise maker more than an instrument.

Overall, I really like the Little Phatty. Saying I would purchase it is a strong recommendation on my part.