Moog Matriarch - Paraphonic Pad Fun

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This was a request from a couple of fellow youtubers. My first Matriarch exploration video was mostly in Monophonic mode, not for any particular reason other than I was having fun. A couple people asked me to do some work in paraphonic mode to show some chords and pads on the Matriarch. I was happy to oblige!
Theres something to be said about an inspiring instrument. I can really see the draw towards modular setups after playing with the Matriarch the last few days. You never want to stop manipulating the tone. The possibilities feel exciting, and endless. One more patch here, one more tweak there.
This video is based off very simple chord progressions, for the first couple minutes just a 4 to a 5 chord in E, having fun with the sound. Although I do change the oscillator waveforms in the video, I change them uniformly. My Crumar Stratus has a mode that allows you to seesaw oscillator waveform (between Square and Sawtooth, I think) with every keystroke. Although I love my Stratus, I always thought that feature sounded dumb. With the Matriarch I was more concerned with making it sound pleasant to my ears. And it does. Hopefully you enjoy it, and it shines some light onto some nice warm pad sounds you can make with this beautiful synth.

[@HotStrange]

This one is gonna go down as one of Moogs greatest creations. Everything from the looks, to the features, and especially to the sound is just 1000% on point. Can’t wait to get mine in.

[@ExpandingSound]

If you got It, i hope you love it :)

[@christopherpederson1021]

I think it goes down as Moog’s best synth ever in my opinion

[@Supremeteamcaptain]

@@christopherpederson1021 I think it shares that title with the Moog One. Even tho the One is unattainable to practically everyone, you can’t forget it

[@studentsmusic]

also own a matriarch. besides dozens other synths, also vintage ones, this synth is my favourite since i bought it. A real instrument for a lifetime!

[@ExpandingSound]

It really is a great one

[@RetroPlus]

One of the nicest synths I've ever heard, you could get lost in this for hours

[@MilesAwayOfficial]

This is my favorite sounding synth on the market currently. Absolutely getting one. Great demo!

[@ExpandingSound]

Miles Away thank you :)

[@peter-utrblk]

A very nice machine that creates emotions.

[@analogsynthtim8823]

Thanx for this Video. I own the dark Edition and I think it is one of the greatest synths ever build. The sound is outstanding

[@ExpandingSound]

Glad you like it :)

[@christoroppolo8742]

I absolutely love this synth ! Peace Christo 👽🛸🐕🎶☮️

[@mistergenerator5430]

Love the Matriarch!

[@ExpandingSound]

Me too :)

[@ChillMode34]

Got one recently and I must say the chords sound so unique. They have a brokenness or awkwardness to them but in a good way.

[@ExpandingSound]

thanks man, was going for kind of a hollow feeling :)

[@eriklucasmusic]

It’s probably the overdrive circuit that causes the ‘brokenness’ that you mentioned. Clips the waveforms (in a good way).

[@tarikmeziab3948]

I was iffy about buying a Matriarch, but your videos actually convinced me to get one. There are a lot of great demos of it, but you do a good job of exemplifying the sounds that I wanted to hear from this synth. Mines on its way, so thanks!

[@ExpandingSound]

Thank you, that is nice to hear. Appreciate your positivity!

[@lifesynthtance]

My goodness this sounds so good ! Excellent demo of its lushness ! Need one.

[@ExpandingSound]

Thank you :)

[@awpMusic1]

Just discovering these videos as I've just added a Matriarch to my studio. Good move I think!

[@ExpandingSound]

Agreed!

[@InvertedPopesMusic]

Matriarch goodness. Still thinking about getting one (actually it is a no brainer but the funds are not there yet) What a wonderful sounding synth.

[@ExpandingSound]

Yea man it’s a real treat. Beautiful sound and a ton of modulation options

[@mmhcreates]

Thank you for sharing this. I now have more awareness of it sonic capabilities.

[@ExpandingSound]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Junterhack]

I’m a guitar player. Best instrument I’ve bought in a long while. I run it through an EV evolve 50 and it sounds absolutely gorgeous!

[@ExpandingSound]

Yea it sounds great :)

[@v3lin3on]

Wow. Just wow.

[@SRV2013]

Can't wait for mine to arrive.

[@SRV2013]

And my Matriarch did arrive, and do I love it? Yes.

[@ExpandingSound]

awesome :) its definitely a lot of fun. very easy to get lost in.

[@JonManness]

Amazing use of the filter EG! Great performance!

[@ExpandingSound]

Thank you :)

[@ChazSeamus28]

Sounds beautiful.. thank you for sharing

[@ExpandingSound]

ChazSeamus28 happy to :)

[@user-th6rh8zp3t]

i'm sure it's not difficult to get beautiful sounds out of this thing, but you nailed these

[@AutisticCuriosity]

No it’s REALLY DIFFICULT I have one and I’ve no Clue … doesn’t help if you don’t see it straight on … just like=ke this video most KZbinrs don’t show you so there’s no Way to duplicate and learn.

[@ExpandingSound]

I was basically learning myself, I had only had the keyboard for about 2 days at that point

[@AutisticCuriosity]

@@ExpandingSound well done it’s a superb sound!!

[@ExpandingSound]

@@AutisticCuriosity thank you I appreciate that!

[@xinjoy6236]

Still, it needs practice and learning the interface.

[@mastermachetier5594]

This video convinced me to return my grandmother and grab the matriarch . Now just waiting till it’s in stock

[@ExpandingSound]

Hope you love it

[@ItsThatJahncke2]

@@ExpandingSound The matriarch came back into stock about a week ago for me and I just ordered it about 10 minutes ago lol. My emotions have been all over the place as of late so I'm curious to find out what journeys this instrument will take me on. Love this video btw and hope you get to continue making amazing music you like

[@Lagspike99]

@@ItsThatJahncke2 Do you love it? Can the behringer monopoly compare?

[@chestpimps]

Beautiful sounds mate! Gonna be buying one as soon as I can afford it.

[@ExpandingSound]

Nice man it’s a really fun synth very happy with the purchase

[@wolfpackpresets]

Great demo with this impressive synth, thanks!

[@ExpandingSound]

I’m glad you like it, thank you :)

[@rareform6747]

Looking for the ELP sounds . Love the Grandmother !

[@ztkspace5885]

FUCKIN ELL!.................."........The courtship between moog and musician, is never born of words........." xxx

[@joeyxl3456]

The Matriarch sounds like a record cut and playing on the radio

[@TheArchiveOfWonder]

I wish the Moog One sounded as good as this, strange as it is to say. This thing just has the it factor despite all its drawbacks compared to other synths.

[@paradiddle16]

Yep, just got one 2 days ago and it's a beast. It's crazy the amount of sounds you can come up with. Seems infinite.

[@ExpandingSound]

I love the sound of this board but I think the moog one sounds unbelievable. One of those boards that I don’t think everyone’s completely got the handle of yet if that makes any sense

[@mackmccord3743]

@@ExpandingSound Eye'd say give it 20 to 30 years and people will really start getting it

[@pablumpicasso9207]

I’m with you. I actually have both synths, the Matriarch and a 16-voice One, and find that the Matriarch has a much richer tone. The Moog One sounds like a polyphonic Sub 37.

[@mtward100]

Nice, I was trying follow the patch work to duplicate.

[@ExpandingSound]

Michael Ward awesome! Hope you enjoy yours like I do. Love this synth

[@sonicretard4537]

very nice

[@ExpandingSound]

thank you :)

[@jeremythornton433]

Cool! Thinking I might need one of these!

[@ExpandingSound]

Jeremy Thornton yea man, I’ve been having a ton of fun with it

[@ModularLanding]

Awesomesauce

[@eladreltuc]

Thank you!!

[@RobbekenSynthMusic]

Lovely!

[@mk1st]

Even on my phone this synth sounds great.

[@ExpandingSound]

I’m a big fan

[@vaspers]

Nice demo. Thanks. I love my Sub 37, but think the Matriarch might be different enough to justify buying it. However, the Hydrasynth and the Voltage Research Lab are also tempting me. Not sure if Matriarch is really that much different sonically than Sub 37. Matriarch stereo delay is cool for sure, but an Eventide Time Factor will do a better job, I think. Love the 90 patch points of Matriarch.

[@ExpandingSound]

Steven Streight thank you :) I have a sub 37 as well, they sound very different to me.... for a while I was thinking I’d sell the sub37 after getting this but I feel like they’re different enough to both have a purpose for me

[@vaspers]

Thanks for the reply. Others share your view.

[@edsinclair4047]

This is the video that sold me a Matriarch, just FYI.

[@ExpandingSound]

Awesome I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. And I hope someone from Moog sees this and wants to send me stuff lol

[@TurnerRecordsTRS]

Great stuff! The beginning part sounds like the intro to Portlandia.

[@ExpandingSound]

Thanks man..... that song is called feel it all around by a group called washed out..... they’re actually really fantastic if you appreciate that tune. I’m a big fan

[@prospectnyc]

Very nice demo!

[@ExpandingSound]

prospectnyc thank you :)

[@K00LD00D]

Love it!

[@ExpandingSound]

Thank you :)

[@varde6965]

This is amazing ! :)

[@ExpandingSound]

Thank you :)

[@romichjordan]

so cool

[@ExpandingSound]

Thanks :)

[@MickaLuna]

Very nice demo sir! Did you use any external effects at all? Keep it up

[@ExpandingSound]

Thank you! No this was straight out of the keyboard

[@MickaLuna]

@@ExpandingSound Great sound then. I really like the paraphonic sound, I find it more nostalgic somehow, like about to break

[@albertobellavia]

Amazing .... Which is the different between MATRIARCH DARK and MATRIARCH ? Only color ? Thank you in advance

[@ExpandingSound]

Thank you :) and Yep just color

[@xinjoy6236]

colors may seems eccentric but it can help the brain to see more clearly what’s going on and what to do.

[@mattderosier9771]

You sold it to me.

[@ExpandingSound]

Matt Derosier awesome :) hope you love it.

[@nachundnach]

🤘🏾🎹⚡

[@xinjoy6236]

Is that possible to place a phaser (or any other fx) before the internal delay?

[@owenkitto27]

Can you guide me though how you created this patch ? I have this synth and I am quite new to the programming aspects of it

[@ryanpwm]

How is the release set up? I have my matriarch in paraphony, no unison, and when I release a chord just one note is left, not all 4 of them... Lol right after this I found it. Even if you have unison off, if you have update unison off (even though the manual states its only active with para-unison on), the notes will jump to the last held key. It still tries to make the unison happen, but without the function, it just rings that note in mono.

[@MadelnMachines]

Why doesn't the moog one sound anywhere near this warm. I'm much more drawn to the Sub 37, the Grandmother and even the Mother 32 in terms of sound.

[@fawkkyutuu8851]

I think Baloran The River also sounds like what Moog One should've sounded like , but Moog One has alot of the features you wish these others had. I'd take a Memorymoog over a One , but I'd still take a One over a Matriarch ( even though Matriarch does sound naturally better ) because One has more features.

[@ExpandingSound]

I picked up an 8 voice One a few months back. A lot of people seem to feel like you do about it but I really don't know why. It blows me away. It's just a ton to learn. I haven't even tried to make any videos with it yet because I'm getting a handle on it still. Its capabilities feel limitless. if you want warmth and presence with that synth, its pretty simple to achieve. Don't listen to patches with effects on them. They seem to mask just how upfront and huge the synth can be in my opinion. I love the Matriarch too don't get me wrong. Just the One is a pretty insane synth.

[@Heatwave1988]

Nice psychedelic vibe

[@ExpandingSound]

Дмитрий Х thanks :)

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Would love to hear some classic string machine type patches run on this thing. Perhaps run through a Phaser or chorus.

[@HotStrange]

EverettDudgeon138 it’s not real polyphony so it may not sound 100% like you think, but I agree. An attempt to create a brass or string patch would probably yield some interesting results.

[@JosefK93]

@@HotStrange The Solina String Ensemble is also a paraphonic machine, so string machine kind of patches should be possible with the Matriarch :) with some help from chorus and/or phaser of course, unless some clever modulation can get a chorusing effect going, shouldn't be too hard maybe

[@xinjoy6236]

@@JosefK93the typical sound of solina is 95% because of the chorus which isn’t the usual chorus. it’s a very special 3BBD chorus ensemble that is featured in solina and almost all the string machine family. without that chrorus, not string machine sounds!

[@eladreltuc]

Sub'd You are a good man. I am so on the verge of buying a Matriarch..from day 1. I know we should never just compare synths as they are all their own, but whats your thoughts on the Matriarch VS say a Rev2? Again so awesome you did this video. I t really helps me. i live in northern Canada where we don't have stores to just go try one. The closest place would be Vancouver and thats a 12 hour drive. If you have a chance search my "Dale Cutler Music" channel. I am new to synths as of last November when I bought my Grandmother and became insta hooked. I'm a multi instrumentalist and a singer but everything bores me in comparison to the synth!I plan on making songs as much as possible and uploading them so I can hear my progress over the years. Thank you.

[@ExpandingSound]

No problem man happy to do it, I’m having a ton of fun playing with it so I don’t really want to stop lol. As far as a comparison to a rev 2, that’s tough they are different animals. I think they both sound great honestly. If you already have the grandmother something like the rev 2 where you can save presets might be more of a different flavor. I think of all instruments as paint brushes, they all have a different quality that can really add to your canvas. Even the worst sounding instrument in the world might be just what you need on a certain song. If you’re deciding between the rev 2 and this I think you’ll be happy either way. :)

[@ChazSeamus28]

I can identify.. I'm trying to make a similar decision myself.. Grandmother, sub 37 or matriarch.. tough one.. I'll probably end up with a sub 37 if I can catch a holiday sale.. somewhere in the middle but this thing is making it very difficult!

[@ExpandingSound]

ChazSeamus28 so I own the matriarch and sub 37 now. from the short time I have had with the matriarch it’s so much fun. The paraphonic aspect opens it up more than the sub37. But the sub is a great synth for gigging, memory presets are huge and it has a great sound as well. I’d say sub is great for performance, matriarch great for production and just experimentation

[@puma8373]

Dale Cutler ugh get a prophet 08 I have a rev 2 and I like the pro 8s sound better, rev 2 is to beefy... and Curtis chips aren’t really supposed to be beefy to me at least

[@puma8373]

This matriarch thing sounds way fatter, due to that stiener Parker filter

[@johnnyraphaell]

Sounding good, but stereo effect makes headake with headphones hhh

[@jazdosanjh1566]

this is a dope patch what are the settings?

[@raffitchakmakjian]

why is all the sound stacked on the left?

[@maxferency9971]

I love the lushness of the chords. How do you configure it so you can play more of a melody line, or even an improvised solo line over 3 note chords? I was playing on in a store and the melody line got lost in the chords.

[@ExpandingSound]

Yea it’s a great sounding synth. There’s a paraphonic mode you can switch on the keyboard, should do the trick!

[@maxferency9971]

Expanding Sound Yes, I was using the Paraphonic 4 mode but I was wondering if there was something to make it so the right hand melody stood out more from the left hand chords.

[@ExpandingSound]

Max Ferency hmmm, well when you use a paraphonic board the oscillators will be used in succession depending on when you hit them... so if you hold down a 3 note chord, the 4th voice will be available for lead... the oscillators do have a volume section so you can raise the volume of the oscillator that’s being used for your lead to help it stand out

[@maxferency9971]

Expanding Sound ok, thanks!

[@auxorion]

​@@maxferency9971 On a proper polyphonic, you could set the 'keyboard follow' such that the lower chords you hold will be warmer, and the lead you're playing to the right side of the keyboard has its respective filter more open (thereby more prominent and louder). Whereas on this synth, there isn't a full voice structure per note (like VCO/VCF/VCA), there is only one filter it all feeds into, so you just can't. This is gonna be more like the "duo mode" on the Sub 37, where it all kind of mushes together under one filter. It's a very different sound than a poly, but sounds gorgeous in the right context.

[@Charlyaraya]

Do you still recommend this in comparison with Prohpet Rev2, mellotron mini, korg prologue or access virus ti2 ?

[@ExpandingSound]

I think its very very different than all of them, i think you'd have to spend a little time with each to see what you like best. they all have different strong points that are very different from each other

[@EllChapmosteasterly]

Hold my poignancy...

[@justinupchurch1773]

I'm lost in translation

[@travroy]

Great pads but the hard pan is kind of jarring

[@ExpandingSound]

That’s on the delay, through speakers it’s more mellow and pleasant, sorry! I was playing through my PA system, it gave such a nice effect

[@puma8373]

I like the grit that it sounds like it can produce, Dave smith has got nothing on this thing

[@SPAZZOID100]

OB6

[@ExpandingSound]

Its a very different sound for sure. I am a fan of pretty much every piece of gear lol including most dave smith stuff. But yea they both can do things the other one can't