The filter financial institution is what makes the Spectravox distinctive in Moog’s lineup of midrange semi-modular devices. It’s a dynamic 10-band filter financial institution with high- and low-pass filters, plus eight bandpass filters in between. These can be utilized to easily form incoming audio like an elaborate EQ. However the bands can be shifted round with assistance from an LFO for creating phaser- and wah-like results. In the event you actually crank stuff it might even offer you pseudo-ring modulation. Is spending $599 on a desktop synthesizer a bit overkill simply to play some funk guitar? Completely. Nevertheless it’s a enjoyable little trick the Spectravox has in its again pocket.
The filter financial institution can be used to provide sound all by itself should you join a midi controller or sequencer with CV (management voltage) output. In the event you flip up the resonance of the filter and patch the EG (envelope generator) to the service enter, then join the pitch output of the controller to the spectral shift and the gate to the set off enter, then you’ll be able to coax fascinating marimba-like tones out of the Spectravox with none further audio enter.
The Synth
{Photograph}: Terrence O’Brien
In fact a part of the requirement for a vocoder is a service sign, on this case a synthesizer. The Spectravox contains an extremely easy however fairly decent-sounding single-oscillator monophonic synth. It has sq. and sawtooth choices, with variable pulse width on the sq.. There may be additionally a noise supply you can dial in to soiled up the one oscillator, however it goes from nonexistent to overpowering fairly shortly, and I typically simply left it off.
The synth could be mixed with a keyboard or sequencer which has CV output and is performed like every other synth. Or, you’ll be able to pair it with some exterior results to create risers, drones, and different sound results. Much like utilizing the Spectravox as a phaser although, whereas it’s a pleasant trick, you don’t have to spend $600 to get a fundamental monophonic synth. This can be a good perk however not essentially a purpose for it to leap to the highest of your purchasing listing.
The place Spectravox begins to get fascinating as a synthesizer is while you begin combining all of its numerous parts in barely surprising methods. As an illustration if, as an alternative of vocals you ran a drum loop into this system enter, it might impart its rhythmic ebb and circulate to the inner synth, or no matter you had been feeding into the service.
Higher Collectively
{Photograph}: Terrence O’Brien
I feel the Spectravox actually reveals its versatility while you use it as a intermediary between two totally different sources of audio. For one, a monophonic vocoder can really feel a bit skinny. However should you plug one other synth into the service, you’ll be able to sing in attractive polyphonic synth chords. If I wished to get some wealthy vocoder motion going I’d simply plug my Korg Minilogue XD into the service enter. And utilizing issues like drum loops so as to add rhythmic curiosity to different synths and even my guitar was all the time a blast. The truth is, certainly one of my favourite tips was feeding a drum machine into this system enter, my guitar (by an amp sim pedal first) into the service, after which feeding the output of the Spectravox by some refrain and reverb. The result’s one thing that doesn’t sound precisely like a synth or precisely like a guitar. I don’t know the way typically I’d use such a wierd impact, however I’m dying to place it to the check on a guitar solo.
It’s this form of experimentation that makes the Spectravox so compelling and enjoyable. The truth is, it’s what retains me coming again to Moog’s line of desktop semi-modular synths just like the Subharmonicon (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and the DFAM. I really like the sound of Mini Moog as a lot as anybody else, however these all supply some new experimental tackle Moog’s legacy. My one main criticism concerning the Spectravox is that it’s noisy. I needed to minimize a number of the excessive finish to get it to be usable on recordings.
In the event you’re available in the market for a vocoder it is best to in all probability skip the Spectravox. There are higher and cheaper choices for simply conventional vocoding, like a MicroKorg ($429) or Arturia’s MicroFreak ($359). However if you would like one thing extra playful—one thing that may be a vocoder should you want it to be however is de facto extra of a sonic playground—the Moog Spectravox may effectively be definitely worth the $599.
