Moog Messenger

The Moog Messenger has been conceived with the clarity typical for the entire family of Moog synthesizers. Its principles of sound generation are straightforward and easily mastered, although there a number of idiosyncrasies that separate the Messenger from an ordinary mono synth. For example, the oscillators, sub-oscillator, and the LFO all implement waveshaping, and the VCOs also feature wavefolding. Users can choose between high pass, band pass, and two different low pass filters, as well as using the RES BASS function to compensate the attenuation of the low frequencies with increased resonance. All this means that musicians have access both to every element of the classic Moog sound and to entirely new dimensions: The integrated sequencer can record notes but also parameter adjustments, it can generate random values, and it can even be used as an arpeggiator. And thanks to its USB-C, MIDI I/O, and CV/gate I/O, the keyboard is ready to go in any setup.

The US manufacturer of synthesizers, based in Asheville, North Carolina, is one of the pioneers in this field and has legendary status. Robert Moog had been involved with electronic sound generation since the 1950s and his first experience was with the manufacture of theremins. The breakthrough came in 1968 with the Grammy-winning album "Switched-On Bach" by musician Wendy Carlos (then know as Walter Carlos), recorded in multitrack with a mono synthesizer. The Minimoog, released in 1971, became the most popular synthesizer of the 1970s and is still considered the benchmark for the quality of synthesised sounds. It and the following devices, like the Memorymoog, Polymoog, and Prodigy, shaped the sound of countless albums, from Stevie Wonder to The Police and from Saga to Kraftwerk.