Moog's Source was their first to offer patch memory storage as well as some other new features. It boasted 16 memory locations so you could finally save and recall your synth patches. A casette-tape jack was also implemented to transfer your patches to and from an external tape and free up the on-board memory for additional new patches. But in an effort to modernize with the eighties, the Moog had replaced all buttons, knobs and sliders with flat-panel membrane buttons and a single data-wheel assignment format. At the time, this may have seemed far-out, but in all actuality it is the Source's downfall.

Parameters are edited not with hands-on sliders and knobs but by assigning a selected parameter to the dedicated data wheel. This is very tedious and does not allow for true hands-on tweaking during performances nor can you adjust different parameters simultaneously or while playing. These days, the membrane buttons don't always seem to work quite right either. However, those famous monophonic Moog sounds are still inside this synth which has two fat analog oscillators and the legendary 24 dB Moog filter.

The Source has been used by Tangerine Dream, Jan Hammer, Depeche Mode, Devo, Vince Clarke, New Order, Ultravox, Josh Wink, Front Line Assembly, Moog Cookbook, Kitaro, Imperial Drag, The Cars, Phish, The Rentals, King Crimson, Blur, and Gary Numan.

Dan

December 30, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

Benny...How can you say this synth is ugly? I think it is one of the best looking synths ever made. But that is down to individual taste I guess. The picture does not do it justice - you have to see it up close. Colour coordination is great and the brushed aluminum against the wood looks great in my opinion. Very individual and nice to see a bit of colour added to a synth. Then there is the sound! Very fat. The LFO goes so fast and despite some people not liking the fact that there is only one wheel to control the parameters, it is actually a good idea in my opinion as the wheel is free spinning and it is very quick and easy to navigate around. I think it makes live playing a lot easier with the memories. I think it sounds nearly as nice as a Minimoog - maybe not as sweet in tone but I think it is next in line of all the Moog range and by far the best sounding synth I have ever owned

Mr.B

October 1, 2009 @ 11:05 pm

I believe Oingo Boingo used this synthesizer. It makes a brief appearance on the music video to the song "Private Life" and it looked like it was being used as the synth bass in the song "wake up (it's 1984)" in an early live video I saw.

madrasputin

September 26, 2009 @ 10:06 pm

cosmetically speaking, SO WHAT! it's a moog source! one of the bes synths to come out at the time and it's got amazing sounds programmed into it. if you're worried about the fact that it looks like a "fisher price toy", and then all you can say is it's a colorful addition to any studio. you probably shouldn't own one! l@mer indeed.

Benny

August 5, 2009 @ 7:03 am

Wow, this is a nice sounding synth, but horribly ugly, looks like something Fisher Price would come up with for ages 2-5 :). However, its pretty unique and a colorful adition to any studio.

Fabrizio

February 9, 2009 @ 10:04 am

The source was my first Moog and i just love it. Folk moan about the single dial parameter access being slow and cumbersome but a lot of the functions are simple on/off sections (eg waveshapes) which work by just touching the membrane panel and don't even use the dial... In fact only the parameters coloured "orange" require you to use the dial.

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