The Messenger Is the Medium
With Messenger, Moog delivers a groundbreaking, next-generation analog monosynth that seamlessly blends legendary sound with versatile modern features tailored for professional musicians, producers, and sound designers — and those who aspire to be. Given the innovative modifications of revered Moog circuits woven throughout its design, Messenger can produce any monophonic sound you can dream up. Fat, searing sync leads; frothy, evolving pad textures; massive juggernaut synth basses — it's all here. And with 256 presets, it’s all immediately accessible. Moog designed Messenger to be incredibly intuitive, so much so that it functions as an extension of your musical id. Equipped with a formidable sound engine, a silky smooth, 32-note semi-weighted velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive keyboard, and a comprehensive set of knob-per-function controls for real-time, hands-on tweakability, Messenger offers outrageous value. Indeed, a full-featured monosynth with aftertouch — let alone all the other pro features onboard — is virtually unheard of at this price. Factor in the genuine Moog pedigree, and Messenger is simply irresistible. For synthesists seeking unfettered sonic expression for stage and studio, Messenger is the medium.
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Formidable sound engine
Under the hood, Messenger is a state-of-the-art modern monosynth packing two muscular variable-waveshape voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) with wavefolders, sync, and FM (frequency modulation) capabilities; a variable-waveshape sub oscillator, and a white noise generator. As you would expect, given its historic lineage and mod-squad bona fides, Messenger also features an updated version of the famous Moog ladder filter, modified to deliver flexible multimode filtering. Implementing a novel pole-mixing design that allows for 4-pole lowpass and 2-pole lowpass, bandpass, and highpass responses, Messenger’s ladder filter offers multiple filter slopes and powerful Res Bass resonance compensation that generates epic, weapons-grade bottom end. In a new twist on the legendary ladder filter, the Res Bass switch lets you toggle between the traditional lowpass ladder filter response and preserving low end when resonance is dialed up. All of this makes Messenger exceptionally fat sounding and incredibly versatile — but there’s more innovation where that came from.
A creative powerhouse
Here at Sweetwater, keyboardists, producers, and music creators of all stripes are giddily digging into everything Moog Messenger has on tap. To complement the potent sound-shaping capabilities of its ladder filter, Moog outfitted Messenger with a pair of loopable ADSR envelopes and two LFOs (low-frequency oscillators). LFO 1 offers sync and reset, plus an independent modulation bus for PWM (pulse-width modulation), dynamic wavefolding, filter FM, and more. LFO 2 is a triangle-wave type that is hard-wired to the mod wheel and routable to multiple destinations. Oscillator 2 also offers expanded frequency and audio rate modulation options, further extending the palette of possibilities for introducing motion into static sounds. Also onboard is a 64-step arpeggiator/sequencer, which turns Messenger into a compositional powerhouse on which you can not only create sequences of up to 64 steps, but also humanize them by introducing generative probabilistic behavior, including random fluctuations, chance operations, and parameter recording. Messenger features a unique configurable arpeggiator that offers multiple pattern modes and rhythmic programming, allowing you to quickly whip up musical constructs in any style or genre.
Designed for stage and studio
With a synth this feature rich, you’d expect it to integrate easily into any studio or live rig, and here again, Messenger is an instant winner. Spec’d with comprehensive audio, 5-pin DIN MIDI, analog clock, and CV/gate I/O, Messenger seamlessly interfaces with legacy and Eurorack gear. Meanwhile, its USB-C/MIDI port facilitates convenient, one-cable connectivity to your Mac or PC for composing in your favorite DAW. Built into a roadworthy, sub-11-pound metal-plate chassis, Messenger makes a perfect gigging partner that can go from home to stage to studio and traverse airport terminals with a minimum of fuss, arriving at the show unscathed and ready to rock. And when you take the stage and launch into your first solo, you can employ Messenger’s assignable aftertouch to add a bit of tasty vibrato or other modulation to your sound without taking your hands off the keys. The 256 preset locations come preloaded with 256 professionally designed patches that include leads, basses, pads, arpeggios, percussion, and more — all ready for instant deployment!
What's past is prologue
Moog established itself as the undisputed synth industry heavyweight in 1970 with the iconic Minimoog Model D, which distilled the essence of the company’s behemoth modular systems of the ’60s into a portable monosynth optimized for live performance. Demand for polyphonic voicing in the mid-1970s led to the development of Moog’s first polysynth, aptly named the Polymoog. In the ensuing decades, ongoing R&D led to advancements in the company’s multi-voice designs, including the Memorymoog in 1982 and, more recently, the flagship Moog One in 2018. But through it all, demand for the beloved Minimoog has never let up. Moog has responded with limited editions through the years, most recently in 2018 and 2022. Ever prolific, Moog has also released other monophonic synths such as Voyager, Grandmother, and Subsequent 37, which are classics in their own right. With the DNA of these legendary synthesizers running through Messenger’s circuits, this is your opportunity to make music on a cutting-edge Moog monosynth at a price any musician can afford. Grab your Moog Messenger at Sweetwater today!
Moog Messenger Features:
- Portable monophonic analog synthesizer
- 32-note semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
- Pitch bend and mod wheel controllers
- Octave transpose and variable response glide
- 256 preset locations (16 patches x 16 banks), 240 professionally designed factory presets
- 2 continuously variable-shape VCOs with wavefolders, sync, and FM capabilities
- Sub-oscillator with continuously variable waveshape for enhanced low-end weight
- White noise generator for adding texture, depth, and grit
- Moog transistor ladder filter (pole-mixing) with 4-pole lowpass, 2-pole lowpass, bandpass, and highpass responses
- Resonance bass compensation (Res Bass) switch preserves and punctuates bottom end
- External input to filter, feedback, and VCO frequency modulation of filter cutoff for expanded audio processing
- Variable-waveshape LFO 1 with sync, reset, and independent modulation bus for PWM (pulse-width modulation), dynamic wavefolding, filter FM, and more
- Triangle-wave LFO 2 (hard-wired to mod wheel), routable to multiple destinations
- Envelopes: 2 ADSR (loopable) with velocity responsiveness and multi-trig
- 1 voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA)
- 64-step sequencer with 256 memory locations, generative probabilistic behavior, and parameter recording
- Configurable arpeggiator with multiple pattern modes and rhythmic programming
- Audio input: 1 x 6.5mm TS
- Audio output: 1 x 6.5mm TS (main), 1 x 6.5mm TRS (headphone)
- MIDI I/O: 5-pin DIN
- CV (control voltage), gate, and analog clock I/O: 3.5mm TS
- USB-C/MIDI port for computer/DAW connectivity
- Sustain, expression pedal jacks: 6.5mm TRS
- Robust 10.91-lb. metal-plate chassis
