One of the latest creations from the folks at IK Multimedia is SampleMoog – a SampleTank-based arsenal of real honest-to-God vintage Moog synths at your fingertips.

When it comes to sample libraries, vintage instruments are likely candidates.  They represent a collection of toys we all wanted at some time but could never afford to collect – toys that are now vanishing due to age, wear, and tear.  Right off the bat, Moogs are an obvious choice.

Nothing says “vintage synthesizer” like a Moog.  I’ve been a fan since I first heard Switched-On Bach.  And to ensure that they got it right, IK paired up with Sonic Reality and the Moog team at Moog Music.  Together, they were able to assemble, program, and sample a collection of outstanding instruments.

The collection of instruments used to create the library is formidable:

• Modular Moog 3C
• Modular Moog 15
• Modular Moog 55
• Minimoog Model D
• Polymoog
• Taurus 1
• Prodigy
• Multimoog
• Vocoder
• Realistic Concertmate MG-1
• Source
• Rogue
• Memorymoog
• Etherwave Theremin
• Minimoog Voyager
• Little Phatty

SampleMoog’s designers employ a customized SampleTank engine to manage and control the library of samples.  The samples can be tweaked using SampleMoog’s built-in synth controls, including ADSR, LFO, and an array of chainable effects.  The samples can also be layered for thicker and more unique combinations.

Among the most useful of sound manipulation features are the adjustable playback engine and the chainable effects.  Various settings can be employed to change the way SampleMoog renders the samples, causing them to become grainy, lo-fi, or positively destroyed.  The system also features several monophonic playback modes which create a distinctively “vintage” feel when playing single-note leads.  The effects are powerful and useful, ranging from the typical reverb / delay / chorus / flange effects to more destructive effects like lo-fi, distortion, phonograph, and rotary speaker.  You can combine up to four effects in the effects chain for expansive control over the sound.

Test Drive

Let’s start with the plusses.  For a Moog lover, especially someone who doesn’t already own a bona-fide Moog, the library is sure to spark a smile and a creative burst.  The sounds are definitely Moog: fat basses, zingy leads, lush pads.  The Theremin is outstanding and quickly made appearances on several recordings currently underway in the studio.  And there is an authenticity to using a “real Moog sample” rather than a Moog-like emulation that offers a certain satisfaction.  I don’t own a Moog, but SampleMoog makes me feel like I might.

The library is fairly large – some 1700 sounds are included – so you can spend a bit of time wandering around in the presets, and might just stay there and be perfectly happy.

But if you’re a synth person, chances are, you're going to want to get a little tweaky.  Of course, the SampleTank engine running under the hood provides ample synth control.  But here’s where I start to get a little iffy on the whole concept of sampling a synth.  Because as I start using SampleMoog’s ADSR and filters, and tweaking the sample playback engine, I’m not hearing what a Moog’s filters sound like – I’m hearing what SampleMoog’s filters sound like.

Think about how a Moog works.  You start with two or three basic waveforms: sine, triangle, and square.  Then you mix them together using a variety of filters and envelope controls, and voila!  you have a sound.  All analog synths work essentially the same way, and Moogs – while innovative – are no different.  Most of them are really quite simple, especially compared to today’s digital monsters.

What makes a Moog sound like a Moog?  The way the electronics are built.  The headroom in the circuitry.  The shape of the filters.  The purity (or lack thereof) of the tone sources.

So you sample the Moog and create a sample library.  So far so good: you’ve captured (not emulated) the exact sound made by a Moog.  But once you start manipulating the sound using SampleMoog’s controls – and, let’s face it, tone manipulation is what makes a synth a synth – you aren’t hearing Moog, you’re hearing SampleMoog.

Then there are the source instruments themselves.  The novelty of some of the instruments – like the Source and the Voyager – lay primarily in their features or user interfaces (the Source included an arpeggiator and a sequencer, while the Voyager was novel for its touch surface).  You can’t “sample” a sequencer or a touch surface.

So, in the end, I’m torn.  There is something timeless and true to form about this sample library.  The engineers have done a terrific job assembling and sampling an extensive range of instruments, ultimately creating a new instrument from the old.  I definitely feel like I’ve got my hands on something that is authentically “Moog” when I’m playing it.  The sounds are playable and usable.  The SampleTank engine is quite capable of powerful tone shaping, and the user interface (apart from the low-contrast red lettering) is easy to navigate and use.

Conclusions

Ultimately, it’s a good instrument.  If you’re a musician who likes the idea of having a collection of authentic sampled Moog sounds always at the ready, then SampleMoog is for you.

But if you’re a synth junkie who eats and breathes Moogs, I think this instrument is going to come up short for you.  For you, what makes a Moog a Moog is the beast itself – turning knobs and hearing the specific way the filters sound when you do it.  When it comes to reproducing the sound of a synthesizer, in my gut, I think imitative sampling like SampleMoog takes a back seat to well-designed emulators that don’t play back a sample of a Moog, but try as best as possible to reproduce the circuits and wires themselves.

In my opinion, the future of the “virtual Moog” lies not in sampling, but emulation.  I’d like to see IK Multimedia pull off a definitive Moog emulator.  This, I think, would be a worthwhile endeavor.

So this instrument earns my mixed blessing.  It’s a solid library and a fun, playable instrument.  But whereas SampleTron sets a standard for an “end-all, be-all virtual ‘tron”, I just can’t say the same for SampleMoog.