RECORDING October 2022 - 42
REVIEW
Moog Music Mavis
An affordable DIY entry into the analog synth realm!
REVIEW BY DAVID BLASCOE
M
eet Mavis, the latest monophonic, semi-modular analog, DIY
synthesizer from Moog Music. In many of my previous reviews,
I have made it no secret that I am a Moog fan. My Moog Sub
Phatty has become essential to my workflow in the studio and finds its way
into almost every song on which I'm working. I was quite impressed by the
semi-modular Moog Sound Studio reviewed in June 2021. Their approach
to synthesis endlessly inspires me, and the Mavis proves to be no different.
What is Mavis?
As mentioned, Mavis is a
monophonic, semi-modular analog
synthesizer. Mavis is similar to the
Moog Werkstatt-01, a DIY synth kit
introduced at a Moogfest workshop in
2014. Werkstatt-01 had a commercial
run after that but is now discontinued.
In my opinion, Mavis takes the
Werkstatt-01 concept to the next level.
Mavis is superior in every way. It has
a single voltage-controlled oscillator that
can morph variably between sawtooth
and square waveforms with the added
option of pulse width modulation. There
is a low-frequency oscillation (LFO) that
can morph triangle and square patterns,
and of course, it has the legendary
Moog ladder filter (-24dB low pass).
There is also a diode wave folding
circuit--more on that later.
42 RECORDING October 2022
On the Surface
Mavis sports a 13-key button " keyboard "
similar to the Moog Mother-32.
While you are not going to play ripping
leads on it, it gets the job done.
You can always connect Mavis to an
external CV-equipped keyboard. On
the left, a 24-point 3.5 mm patchbay
provides you with total CV control over
the signal path. This is an excellent upgrade
over the straight wire patching of
the Werkstatt-01.
Mavis is powered by an included
external power adaptor, or if Eurorack
is your thing, Mavis can fit quickly and
comfortably into any Eurorack setup
with 44HP of free space.
Can we build it? Yes, we can!
Like the Werkstatt-01, Mavis comes as
a kit that you must put together yourself.
Luckily, there's no soldering or anything
like that involved. The circuit board is
already put together. Essentially you
are just attaching the circuit board to
the bottom plastic plate of Mavis and
then sandwiching it together with the
top plate. Just a few screws and you're
good. However, the tiny patchbay washers
were a bit fiddly. You even get a
sticker to place on the bottom with your
serial number and a " built by " box you
can fill in. Moog also includes a frosted
plastic clip-on dust cover that protects
Mavis during transport. Overall the
build took 10 to 15 minutes, and it starts
you out at a surprisingly intimate level
with Mavis.
How Does it Sound?
Like a Moog! At just under one pound,
Mavis is small and light, but every bit as
massive in the low end as my Sub Phatty.
While Mavis is only a basic single oscillator
synth, I was quickly able to dial
in huge and warm bass sounds to sharp,
aggressive high lead sounds.
Exploring the patchbay opens up
an entire world of possibilities. Moog
includes five playful cardboard preset
overlays to get you started and help you
understand what you are affecting by
plugging certain patch cables into certain
inputs.
I connected Mavis to a Moog DFAM
and Mother-32, and while Mavis is
smaller and made of plastic, sonically, it
holds its own, and its patchbay helps it
play creatively with the big boys.
RECORDING October 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING October 2022
Fade In
Fast Forward
Warm Audio WA-47F & WA-CX12X
The Nostalgic, Futurist Piano Man: Daniel Lanois Player, Piano
Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre
Session Log: Ribbon Microphones
ADK Microphones: Munich-7-T T-FET
Moog Music Mavis
Inside The Studio With Mark Hornsby: Cool Mics by Non-Mic Companies
Heiserman Audio H251
Plugin Outlet: sonible smart:comp 2
AEA TRP500
Inside The Box with Joe Albano: Virtual Preamps
Pearlman Microphones TM-12A
MasterWriter
Sequential Take 5
Mojave MA-D
TIERRA Audio New Twenties
RECORDING October 2022 - Intro
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover1
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover2
RECORDING October 2022 - 1
RECORDING October 2022 - 2
RECORDING October 2022 - 3
RECORDING October 2022 - Fade In
RECORDING October 2022 - 5
RECORDING October 2022 - 6
RECORDING October 2022 - 7
RECORDING October 2022 - Fast Forward
RECORDING October 2022 - 9
RECORDING October 2022 - Warm Audio WA-47F & WA-CX12X
RECORDING October 2022 - 11
RECORDING October 2022 - 12
RECORDING October 2022 - 13
RECORDING October 2022 - 14
RECORDING October 2022 - 15
RECORDING October 2022 - The Nostalgic, Futurist Piano Man: Daniel Lanois Player, Piano
RECORDING October 2022 - 17
RECORDING October 2022 - 18
RECORDING October 2022 - 19
RECORDING October 2022 - 20
RECORDING October 2022 - 21
RECORDING October 2022 - 22
RECORDING October 2022 - 23
RECORDING October 2022 - 24
RECORDING October 2022 - 25
RECORDING October 2022 - Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre
RECORDING October 2022 - 27
RECORDING October 2022 - 28
RECORDING October 2022 - 29
RECORDING October 2022 - Session Log: Ribbon Microphones
RECORDING October 2022 - 31
RECORDING October 2022 - 32
RECORDING October 2022 - 33
RECORDING October 2022 - 34
RECORDING October 2022 - 35
RECORDING October 2022 - 36
RECORDING October 2022 - 37
RECORDING October 2022 - 38
RECORDING October 2022 - 39
RECORDING October 2022 - ADK Microphones: Munich-7-T T-FET
RECORDING October 2022 - 41
RECORDING October 2022 - Moog Music Mavis
RECORDING October 2022 - 43
RECORDING October 2022 - Inside The Studio With Mark Hornsby: Cool Mics by Non-Mic Companies
RECORDING October 2022 - 45
RECORDING October 2022 - 46
RECORDING October 2022 - 47
RECORDING October 2022 - Heiserman Audio H251
RECORDING October 2022 - 49
RECORDING October 2022 - Plugin Outlet: sonible smart:comp 2
RECORDING October 2022 - 51
RECORDING October 2022 - AEA TRP500
RECORDING October 2022 - 53
RECORDING October 2022 - Inside The Box with Joe Albano: Virtual Preamps
RECORDING October 2022 - 55
RECORDING October 2022 - 56
RECORDING October 2022 - 57
RECORDING October 2022 - Pearlman Microphones TM-12A
RECORDING October 2022 - 59
RECORDING October 2022 - MasterWriter
RECORDING October 2022 - 61
RECORDING October 2022 - Sequential Take 5
RECORDING October 2022 - 63
RECORDING October 2022 - Mojave MA-D
RECORDING October 2022 - 65
RECORDING October 2022 - 66
RECORDING October 2022 - 67
RECORDING October 2022 - 68
RECORDING October 2022 - 69
RECORDING October 2022 - 70
RECORDING October 2022 - 71
RECORDING October 2022 - TIERRA Audio New Twenties
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover3
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover4
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