€149 / $149, arturia.com
Many consider the Memorymoog to be a polyphonic version of the ever-popular Minimoog, and while purists may point to the Memorymoog’s Curtis oscillator chips as being inferior to the Minimoog’s discrete oscillators, the two classics certainly have a lot in common: Three oscillators, the third able to flip between tone generation and LFO duties, the classic Moog ladder filter built from discrete circuitry, and even the general layout follows the same pattern.
The closest most of us will ever get to this super-rare beast is a digital model. Cherry’s Memorymode already scratches that itch, but now Arturia, which knows a thing-or-two about synth modelling, has joined the fun with the new Memory V. This is no slavish copy, though. Let’s take a look.
A tidier control panel
Although capturing the aesthetics and general appearance of the Memorymoog, Arturia has woven changes into Memory V’s control panel. Immediately apparent is the reduction in the number of buttons, the original having used these extensively to help with its new-fangled patch storage and recall feature.
Gone too are some of the quirkier labels printed below the controls (‘Unconditional Contour’, anyone?). And of course, given a plugin’s near-limitless patch storage, the Memorymoog’s name-defining feature – a calculator-like panel of buttons and LED displays used for patch management – has been replaced by a newly minted Unison button and Detune dial, alongside a handy oscilloscope. Touted as being context-aware, this oscilloscope switches what it shows depending on which control you’re working with. However, it can show only four sources (Main Mix, Oscillator 3, LFO, and Voice Modulation signals). I find the context-aware switching more hindrance than help.
Does Memory V sound authentic?
Visual modifications aside, Memory V’s modelled innards are a close match to the vintage hardware, so-much-so that the synth comes with the original’s entire preset collection… all 100 of them! Sadly, I don’t have a Memorymoog kicking around my studio so can’t make a direct comparison, but the sound matches up well to the many recordings and videos that are out there. Of course, no two Memorymoogs would sound exactly the same anyway!
I’m old enough to remember the early eighties, and listening to those presets is like being transported back to that time when sounds like this were interesting and novel, but my modern ears don’t find these sounds so appealing. Yes, they’re rich and fat and cutting and creamy, and all the other things we expect from a Moog, but they’re authentic to the point of sounding dowdy and old fashioned.
Thankfully, and true to form, Arturia hasn’t stopped at recreating the original instrument, retrofitting Memory V with modern features that give the synth a thoroughly contemporary and exciting voice, all without sacrificing the unique, and sometimes quirky, qualities of the original. Some of these changes are relatively minor, such as the option to double the polyphony to 12 voices, the ability to switch the filter from the standard 24dB/octave slope to a gentler 12dB/octave, and optional bass compensation for the resonance control. But some have a far greater impact, adding entirely new synthesis tools to Memory V’s vintage core.
Memory V’s modern modulation
The first of these is the addition of three modulation slots, each able to load any of five modulators taken directly from Arturia’s flagship synth, Pigments.
Envelope provides a graphical ADSR envelope with variable curves between nodes, velocity sensitivity, and the ability to delay the attack phase by up to four seconds. The Function modulator creates a curve that can also operate as an envelope, or can be looped for a more LFO-like outcome. Curves can be intricately shaped by hand, and there’s a library of common shapes included for loading.
Random does exactly what it says, and is perfect for producing sample-and-hold effects and to apply unpredictability to synth parameters.
The last pair are essentially pattern sequencers. Voice Modulator provides one such pattern per synth voice, stepping through the sequence with successive key presses. It’s ideal for mimicking the subtle voice circuit variations of analogue synths. Finally, Mod Sequencer creates repeating patterns with which to modulate parameters.
There’re a number of real-time modulation sources too and, as with the continuous modulators, these are assigned via simple drag-and-drop. Mod wheel, keyboard tracking, key-on and key-off velocity, channel aftertouch and MPE Slide are all supported.
Additionally, there’s a set of four macro controllers. By default these use the same vague names across all presets – Brightness, Timbre, Time and Movement – but these can be changed on a per-patch basis, and you can of course use them to drive whatever parameters you like.
Other enhancements on Memory V
Unsurprisingly, Arturia has added a comprehensive effect section to Memory V. The four effect slots can operate in send or insert mode, and can choose from 18 effects, again taken directly from Pigments. There are reverbs, delays, a wide selection of filters, EQ, distortions, and modulation effects. The collection also includes a couple of effects modelled on classic hardware, namely Flanger BL-20 and Chorus JUN-6 (a Roland chorus on a Moog synth? What next, cats lying down with dogs..?).
Last, but by no means least, there’s the polyphonic and polyrhythmic Multi-Arp. This runs up to four simultaneous arpeggiator lines, each having its own note pattern, rhythmic pattern, gating, length and synchronisation. The novel interface breaks things down into three sections: Arp defines the note pattern (there are 30 to choose from), Rhythm the rhythmic pattern, and Note defines gate, velocity and note repeat.
Each section has its own visualisation and settings, two of which are intuitive and self-explanatory. The Arp visualisation, however, uses patterns drawn on a five-by-five grid of dots to give a loose visual representation of a note pattern. But it’s too loose, the visual pattern often bearing little resemblance to the note pattern. There’s also no means to program custom patterns, which is disappointing.
Thankfully, a more concrete real-time readout of the notes is shown along the bottom of the Multi-Arp panel and, if all else fails, individual arpeggio lines can be soloed and/or disabled so that you can focus on just the line(s) you’re interested in.
Despite my gripes, I really enjoy working with this arpeggiator. It just begs to be fiddled with, and the results of that fiddling are always fascinating, usually complex, and often inspirational. Polyrhythms are a doddle, you can dial in velocity and gate randomness, various arpeggio parameters can be modulated, and you can even force arpeggios to match a chosen key and scale.
Should I get Arturia Memory V?
Once again, Arturia has breathed new life into an old synth that few of us would otherwise get our mitts on. Memory V oozes classic synth sensibilities and delivers an authentic Moog-like sound – why, you can almost smell the heady aroma of dust being baked on hot circuitry!
Such raw authenticity may not excite contemporary ears (although synth wave producers will love it), but Arturia’s additions bring the synth bang up to date, and make Memory V a far more versatile and satisfying instrument than the original could ever hope to be.
Key Features
- Plugin instrument for VST, AU and AAX hosts
- 100 original Memorymoog presets
- 200 all-new presets
- 3 oscillators blending square, saw and triangle waves
- Option to double original 6-voice polyphony to 12-voice
- Oscillator 2 to Oscillator 1 syncing
- Unison mode with detune
- Vintage dial for mimicking aging hardware
- Model of original discrete Moog ladder filter
- Optional 12dB/octave filter slope
- Optional filter resonance bass compensation
- Dedicated ADSR envelopes for amp and filter
- 4-channel Multi-Arp polyphonic arpeggiator
- Effects stage with 4 processing slots
- 3 slots for hosting advanced Pigments modulators (Envelope,
- Function, Random, Voice Modulator, Mod Sequencer)
- MPE Slide support
