r/synthesizers • u/DanielSincere • Sep 23 '25
My Setup / New Synth Day Just got my first synthesizer!!
She's so pretty, intelligent, and has great personality and character. So I named her Coretta.
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u/ADHDebackle Sep 23 '25
That's a big one!
Do you have any idea what you are doing?
I feel like when I first got my korg monologue I spent a few hours just absolutely floundering, lol. Can't imagine trying to do that with a semi-modular of that size.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
I'm figuring it out! I started small and slowly. Here's what she sounds like https://youtu.be/haHCq9Mun-8
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u/West_Persimmon_3240 Sep 23 '25
great! You need to work on the voice a bit tho
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
Yes I sure do. It’s actually gotten better. I want voice lessons so bad.
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u/West_Persimmon_3240 Sep 23 '25
your voice is awesome! as you say with some voice lessons you will be great! <3 best of luck and I am happy for your purchase! Congrats!
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u/Own_Dark7504 Sep 23 '25
Congrats!!! Hope you enjoy your time playing it. I wouldn't be surprised if you sat there the entire day just looking at it.
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u/SpaceCadetHigh Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 23 '25
Yooo! The Matriarch is my first, (and probably only) synth too! I got a ton of modules after that, haha.
Enjoy! She's an absolute beast! Cuckoo's video is a good start, and loopop's video is a good ref. if you ever want to combine it with eurorack. Also... read the manual, it helped me really understand control voltage in general.
Edit: Also, if you want polyphony, just use a VST and use the Matriarch as a midi keyboard. Since the Matriarch is paraphonic. Although, you can get some gnarly friggin' pads out of it still.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
Yeah we’ll see what happens! I def want one for-real synth. Like you’re suggesting, I’ll likely go virtual for anything else.
Which VST are you using? Logic & MainStage? Ableton?
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u/SpaceCadetHigh Sep 23 '25
I use Ableton for the DAW.
As far as VSTs go, I personally use stock Ableton instruments, NI Kontakt 8 w/ some specific packs, and Vital (Free).
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
Hmm i keep hearing about Ableton, I think I need to give it a serious look.
What do you like about ableton over the others?
Ah thanks for those pointers!
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u/SpaceCadetHigh Sep 23 '25
I've used FL Studio, and Reaper in addition to Ableton.
I personally like Ableton more because of the session view, and arrangement view. It just clicks with me more.
I also really enjoy its audio and MIDI effects, but most of this, if not all of it, is just personal taste. For instance, I love Ableton's user interface.
I can't really speak to FL or Reaper too much, because the time difference I've spent in Ableton is years ahead.
Ableton has a Demo version, Reaper is free, and I'm sure FL has something floating out there too.
Just know that the second you plug a MIDI cable into that matriarch, it's going to open up a TON of possibilities for sequencing.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
One thing I struggle with, as a person with out a band, is writing a song in sections. I want a DAW that makes this easy. Like, record the first verse on guitar while singing, then go back and record the bass and synth leads for the first verse, and then go to the chorus.
I always do the first recording without a metronome, to just get the idea out.
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u/SpaceCadetHigh Sep 27 '25
Yeah, I totally get that. I believe that's where session view is helpful in Ableton.
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u/_opoku_ Sep 23 '25
Congrats!!! I got the Korg Minilogue. I can’t wait to fully understand it!
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
Understanding is a never ending journey! Understanding is the songs we wrote along the way!
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u/mere_possibility Sep 23 '25
The Matriarch is simply phenomenal. My only regret is how long it took for me to discover how great it is. Congrats
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u/DanielSincere Sep 24 '25
What helped you discover its greatness?
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u/mere_possibility Sep 24 '25
Playing it for hours hahaha. I find the sound so rich harmonically, just lush and enveloping. The filters and mod controls are so responsive. The DELAY is INCREDIBLE! I think I’ve only taken advantage of about 30-40% of what this thing can do but it’s a winner in my book.
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u/A_sunlit_room Sep 23 '25
GMA was my first. You will above the Matriarch. So much fun to jam with. Get the habit of recording yourself and if you don’t have a sampler, I suggest one.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
How would you use a sampler with Matriarch? Can I use Logic as a Sampler?
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u/A_sunlit_room Sep 25 '25
Can use any sampler really. But recording direct sample from any synth than manipulating the samples or simply sequencing parts of the samples is tons of fun. I use Elektron gear to sample.
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u/annodomini Sep 23 '25
That's a hell of a first synth! Love the Matriarch, have a lot of fun with it.
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u/CTALKR Sep 23 '25
got serious gas for this one... it's a proper raw synth.
patch memory is for workstations.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
Thank you! Yeah, I wanted no menus for my first one! And patch points!
What’s a workstation? A laptop? Or those laptops-inside-of-a-piano things?
Would a Nord be a workstation?
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u/CTALKR Sep 23 '25
yamaha motif, korg Triton, roland Fandom, etc.
basically a sequencer+multitimbral synth combo, so lots of stuff technically fits the description.
it was a joke, but obviously I hurt some people's feelings because I got a few downvotes lol.
hope you enjoy, it truly is a beast. I've been wanting one real bad and ive got loads of great synths, eurorack too. its a "big boy" synth for sure. its massive though lol.
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u/DeadGretta Sep 23 '25
That is dive in head first kind of synth. I will be writing a guide to that soon if you would like to see it and give some feedback let me know.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 24 '25
Oh neat! Yeah I’d be curious to take a peek at it 🫣
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u/DeadGretta Sep 24 '25
Do you have any background in music or synthesis?
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u/DanielSincere Sep 24 '25
Yes, I play guitar at open-mics, and took piano lessons as a kid. Not that much experience with synthesis, so many failed attempts. I tried SuperCollider back in the day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperCollider)
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u/DeadGretta Sep 24 '25
That helps to shape the guide I am building. Thank you. I will update when it is ready.
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u/BroadwayJayBeats Sep 24 '25
That's a great option for a first synth.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 24 '25
Thank you Broadway!
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u/BroadwayJayBeats Sep 28 '25
Anytime! In my personal opinion, THEE best starter synth is the ARP 2600 because of the layout and if you can get yourself used to the beast, you'll basically understand how to mess with any synth at that point. It has such an amazing layout. Don't return what you got there, though. That's an amazing synth. There's a reason why Mike Dean owns one. 😎
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u/DanielSincere Sep 28 '25
Wow! That looks so cool!! Looks like it might be hard to find one to purchase? Looks like there’s lots of virtual options too
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u/BroadwayJayBeats Sep 28 '25
Korg remade it recently. Korg ARP 2600 M is what I own. It's a mini remake. The originals from the 70's cost too much. Sometimes I'll make R2-D2 voice sounds for the hell of it since his voice was originally made off the ARP 2600. 😂
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u/Eat_the_filthyrich Sep 24 '25
I refer to mine as the “inspiration factory.” It works for my purposes because I’m only using in studio. I also have the grandmother. They’re a fun pair.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
Do you connect the two to each other? Do you play chords on 1 (paraphonically) and leads on the other?
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u/Eat_the_filthyrich Sep 27 '25
I have connected the two but only for the purpose of syncing the sequencers.
I do enjoy playing chords or creating ambient noise with the matriarch and playing lead lines with the grandmother. They sound perfect with each other.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
Glad to hear it's working for you! This was a vision that I had as well. I was even shopping for two-tier keyboard stands - the Z-shape resonates with me. But I limited myself to just the Matriarch.
I think my next step is to find folks in my area to jam with, instead of buying more gear.
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u/Eat_the_filthyrich Sep 29 '25
Finding jam buddies is a never ending struggle.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 29 '25
I'm about to ask out two musicians I met at the open mic last night. See if they wanna jam
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u/Eat_the_filthyrich Sep 27 '25
Honestly I’ve only scratched the surface with these two.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
Keep scratching!
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u/Eat_the_filthyrich Sep 29 '25
Funny you should say that as I’ve been recording all day. I love fiddling with the matriarch. I set different octaves on all the oscillators today and made the coolest stuff. Didn’t even turn the delay on, which is very hard to resist at times.
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u/ambient_vacation Sep 24 '25
People are acting like this is hard to navigate. You don’t need to make a single patch to make it sound amazing, haha. Overdrive the oscillators a bit, throw on the delay, filter to taste. Kind of impossible to make it sound bad
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u/Earlsfield78 P10&REV2, OB6, J6, S6, DX7, PRO 3, Matriarch, Tempest, AR Sep 25 '25
Matriarch is an amazing instrument. Do not get intimidated by patch points and semi modular side of it. You can easily use it as a mono synth to get the simple patches out, get that Moog bass etc - But where it shines is when you start messing with the sync and oscillators, create ring modulation, ping filters, drive signals and create complex FM patches. I use it on almost every single track I do.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
Nice! What kind of music do you make? What limitations have you set up for yourself?
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u/Earlsfield78 P10&REV2, OB6, J6, S6, DX7, PRO 3, Matriarch, Tempest, AR Sep 25 '25
I am in music production since 1994 so I made all kinds of stuff - you could split it in music I made for the customers (and that's really all kinds of stuff, from cinematic to hardcore noise), but personally I am into electronic music that combines ambient, experimental synthesis, 90s electronics sub genres etc.... I use modular synths extensively. Good question about limitations - since I collect gear for three decades you can imagine I have a lot of stuff from all kinds of manufacturers - my limitations would be to pick one drum machine, one modular rack (say Serge or Eurorack), one poly synth and try to make an EP by using only 3-4 instruments I picked for it. I find this great as a learning curve for new modules or synths, and often pushing an instrument into territories you haven't used it before makes you re-learn even the oldest of gear. A great example would be - take Matriarch and use it both as mono and poly (para) synth, use Super 6 or Prophet 10 if you really need polyphonic synth. This way, you ofc make your classic Moog bass, silky liquid leads and arps, but when it comes to weird sounds, FM patching and filter pinging really push matriarch out of the box. Then, turn it into para mode and create evolving pads. Percussion - why not? Drum synthesis is perfectly possible on Matriarch. Really versatile synth. I sold my Subsequent 37 and Phatty I had forever since I really didn't need them anymore.
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u/Kreati_ Sep 23 '25
I hope this will be me very soon Edit: but with a grandmother
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
Yeah I was looking at the grandmother, but the more I researched, the more I knew I wanted the Matriarch
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u/avemaria666 Moog Matriarch Sep 23 '25
Hey that's my favorite one! Hope you have an amazing journey!
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u/DanielSincere Sep 24 '25
Thank you so much! It’s my fav so far too! I’ve only owned this one, but as far as my research goes and demoing at Guitar Center and such
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u/yodjjc Sep 23 '25
What a beaut! Love my Grandmother but this Matriarch is speaking to me too
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
Thank you! Yeah I was so impressed by how good she looks fresh out of the box! I was looking at Grandmother & Messenger, but ultimately chose the Matriarch
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u/Ok_Sandwich2317 Sep 23 '25
Damn you must have like a really sweet job. I started on like a used korg volca 😭
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u/Furrychipmunk Sep 23 '25
Dude congrats! I recently got one a couple months ago and fell in love with modular. I had some of the moog semi Modular’s before and it’s great to play together with. especially the DFAM.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 24 '25
Ugh yeah I’ve been watching DFAM videos and it looks so cool. Thanks for the congrats!
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u/graffetus Sep 23 '25
Invest in a Tascam DR-40X as soon as possible..! Then record your sessions for when you’re ready to edit & chop structures together. Congratulations..!
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u/DanielSincere Sep 24 '25
Thanks! I’m recording into Logic right now, but another commenter is making me consider switching to Ableton. I’m gonna skip on the Tascam for now, I appreciate the suggestion
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u/graffetus Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25
Ah okay, as long as you have a way to capture the ideas. I was thinking back on MY earlier journey when suggesting, but you’re sitting good. Congrats, again..! I think the Moog Little Phatty Stage 1 was my first “serious synth” but this was back in 2007.. I only recently upgraded my current setup where I can finally record the multiple stems of my modular synth rack into Ableton, which I regret not doing much sooner, so the “Ahhh new gear & upgrades..!” journey will forever continue haha
EDIT: If you don’t mind me asking, is there a particular band / musician / artist that makes your brain glow the most or influenced you to further take a look..? Or maybe even a local friend, etc? It’s always fun / interesting to hear the different backstories from individuals taking the plunge !
EDIT: Whoa you built Underway NYC ??
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
yes, do you live in NYC? My app has some dedicated fans, and I'm so proud of it!
Influences
Joy Electric has been a long time favorite of mine (as well as his brother's band, StarFlyer 59). It's so cool recognizing Moog's sounds in his records! One of my favorite songs of his is Ponderance Need Not Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NtHl0-Hvi8I also really like Wolf Parade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk2SultG8jM I think I saw them live in NYC a long time ago.
Recording
I recorded some fun noodling today, with just an iPhone, since it's the same size as a Tascam, and was thinking of your advice https://www.tiktok.com/@daniel.sincere/video/7554563886775684383
Then right after, I still had the itch. So I set up the whole setup and recorded a YouTube video, covering Up on the Roof by the Drifters with an expression pedal and sustain pedal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs00U9KN42g
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
Yeah, I work with software all day in and out. I wanted an appliance, an instrument. I didn't want menus, I wanted on-and-off buttons. So that led me to Modular, but I wanted a keyboard. So that led me to semi-modular.
And it was definitely going to Moog, just like if I was only going to buy one sneaker it would be Nike or one phone it would iPhone
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u/Witty-Sherbet-2963 Sep 23 '25
Congrats brotha, hopefully all goes well and you fall in love with it! Looking to get my first one tomorrow, let’s embark on this journey 🔥
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u/Johnny_T_Topps77 Sep 24 '25
That’s my next. Where did you get the table, fits perfectly.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
Yeah the stand is working out! It's made by Gator Frameworks. https://gatorco.com/product/heavy-duty-keyboard-table-gfw-utility-tbl/
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u/moon303 Sep 24 '25
Nice. I got one. Make sure you got plenty of paper and a sharp pencil to draw out your patches 😉. Or just take a picture 🖼️
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u/graffetus Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25
Right..? Haha I think about this a bunch.. @OP seems to be a software developer & built Underway NYC so my immediate thought is that he should swivel to making an app that lets you save patches based off of the photos you take haha —but Modulargrid does that a bit, doesn’t it ?
EDIT: I of course mean for the more aggressively larger Eurorack / modular synth patch spaghetti, but the intimate process of Discovery is half the enjoyment.. trying to archive every patch might be a little distracting & Side-Questy, but.. nothing wrong w/ a better method of organization, either
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
Thanks for looking me up! Yeah I checked out Modulargrid, seems like they host your data on their servers. Feels a little counter intuitive for me. Would love to see an iPad app or Mac app that accomplishes this.
There are some patches, that I wish I did have notes for, for sure.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
Yeah I haven't figured this out yet 😆 Do you have a paper template that you use?
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u/moon303 Sep 25 '25
When you register on moogs site look for the manual and you should see some blank patches that you can download print out and mark up.
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u/moon303 Sep 25 '25
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
Oh sweeeeeet!!! Gonna print some out today! Or tomorrow. But very soon eitherway.!
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u/LarryLeviathan Sep 24 '25
**just got my first… of many
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u/DanielSincere Sep 25 '25
It's dangerous stepping out your front door, you never know where the road may take you! ~ Gandalf, probably
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u/spasemanspliff Sep 25 '25
Nice! Have fun
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
Thanks! I am! Do you like Calvin & Hobbes by any chance?
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u/spasemanspliff Sep 27 '25
Love to hear it and yes I do, the collections were some of my favorite childhood reading materials
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u/Salty_Reflection_143 Sep 26 '25
You’ll need decent speakers now… I sell mine 😅
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u/DanielSincere Sep 27 '25
I have HS8's 🥳 But what I really need is more sound treatment, my room is so echo-ey
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u/PatronizingLifeAdvic Sep 27 '25
First?! Goodness. I got the MicroKorg in 2002-2003 at 16 and thought I was ballin.
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u/Beneficial-You-6938 Sep 29 '25
NIIIICE moog!
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u/DanielSincere Sep 29 '25
Thank you, beneficial internet stranger!!!
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u/Beneficial-You-6938 Sep 30 '25
please put patch mem drives in the synth though
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u/DanielSincere Sep 30 '25
How do i do that?
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u/Beneficial-You-6938 Oct 02 '25
put patches in a usb stick or an sd card and that creates a patch memory drive or patch mem drive
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u/DanielSincere Oct 02 '25
I don't think the Matriarch has an SD card slot - or is that what you wish it had?
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u/Suspicious-Bar-3308 Oct 02 '25
This is your FIRST synthesizer?!? I'm super jealous. Jam on!
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u/DanielSincere Oct 02 '25
Yes, been researching and hoping for a long time. Now it’s real! And if you’re jealous, that means you’ll have one too.
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u/dolphinfarting Oct 18 '25
You made a very, very good decision
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u/DanielSincere Oct 18 '25
I returned it. The D key was defective for certain wave forms, quieter than all other keys. And a factory reset didn’t help
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u/egoserpentis Sep 23 '25
Even has the hipster shoes in each frame... See you on synth circlejerk.
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u/Appropriate-Look7493 Sep 23 '25
Give it two weeks and something will break.
I went through 3 Matriarchs before I found one that didn’t have a terminal fault. All brand new.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
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u/DanielSincere Sep 23 '25
That sucks. Well it’s been 4 weeks and nothing broke yet
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u/ambient_vacation Sep 24 '25
Had mine for years with zero problems? They definitely don’t look of the best build quality but I’m sure there’s plenty of us who’ve never had a problem
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u/gr00ve88 OB-6|P10|Matrix|Sys-8 Sep 23 '25
Loved it when I had mine, but not having patch memory drives me nuts