Memorymoog

Back in 1982, this beast packed 18 voltage-controlled oscillators into one chassis, essentially stacking six Minimoogs for that unmistakable Moog roar in polyphonic form. It was Moog's bold swing at the poly synth wars, blending their ladder filter legacy with memory storage just as digital patches were becoming a game-changer.

Each of its six voices rocks three analog CEM 3340 oscillators offering sawtooth, triangle, variable pulse waves, and Osc 2 sync to Osc 1, plus a dedicated 24dB/octave low-pass ladder filter, dual ADSR envelopes for filter and VCA, and deep modulation from LFO (with triangle, saw, square, S&H), voice mod sources, and pink noise. The front panel brims with hands-on knobs for everything from KB tracking and glide to arpeggiator modes, pitch/mod wheels, and octave switches, all controlled via a single set of panels that program all voices homophonically, backed by 100 patch memories. Its 61-note keyboard feels solid under your fingers, with mono/poly modes, unison for fat 18-osc leads, and stereo outs for wide soundscapes.

Players still chase these vintage icons for their raw, dominating tone that cuts through mixes like nothing else, though some note the original tuning stability and basic MIDI (on Plus models) can be finicky without upgrades.