Meet Mavis: Moog’s Budget-Friendly Analogue Semi-Modular Synthesizer

Moog Music has announced Mavis; what the company describes as a powerful, low-cost, build-it-yourself semi-modular analogue synthesizer – inviting creatives to begin their journey into the Moog ecosystem or expand their existing synth setup.

On its own, Mavis is an analogue synthesizer with patchable modular utilities and unmistakable Moog sound and quality. When removed from its enclosure, the instrument becomes a 24-point CV-controllable module (44HP) ready to be installed into any Eurorack setup or Moog semi-modular system. Mavis’s semi-modular design and one-octave keyboard also allow for immediate musical exploration without the need for additional equipment (except for a speaker or headphones).

Mavis features Moog’s oscillator and filter circuits alongside a diode wavefolder — the first analogue wavefolder to appear on a Moog instrument. Moog says Mavis’s clever presentation of synthesis modules and utilities makes for intuitive, creative experimentation and musical connection.

With Mavis, users of any skill level can quickly build their analogue synthesizer with minimal tools and experience (no soldering required) by using all the components included in the instrument's carefully curated packaging. Once the instrument is built, the owner is guided on their journey with Mavis through a selection of patch books and educational materials that encourage creative patching and sound design.

Key Features

• 24-Point Patch Bay: Mavis is eager to play along with other voltage-controlled devices (especially with Moog’s other semi-modular instruments: Mother-32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, Grandmother, Matriarch). Its useful collection of utilities and flexible control voltage routing allows for intricate dialogue between them.

• Full Range Analog Oscillator: Mavis’s Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) with pulse-width modulation (PWM), waveform mixing, and mod source mixing delivers rich harmonic character and motion.

• Voltage Controlled Filter: Sculpt your sound with the -24dB Moog Low Pass Ladder Filter, delivering the sonic power behind the distinct sounds of Moog basslines and leads.

• Audio Rate LFO and 4-Stage Envelope Generator: Mavis uses crossfaders in its modulation routing instead of switches, allowing you to blend between a variable shape LFO and 4-stage envelope generator for interesting and unusual modulation contours.

• Wavefolding and Modular Utilities: Mavis features Moog’s first-ever wavefolding circuit, allowing for additive synthesis to sit alongside traditional subtractive synthesis, unlocking sounds not heard from a Moog before. Mavis also features a broad modular utility section complete with attenuators, offsets, mults, and a flexible DC-coupled mixer providing the tools needed for creative patching and sound design.

• Patchable Sample and Hold (S+H) Circuit: This circuit generates a random CV pattern that can be patched to modulate other parameters, including setting Mavis into a “random sequencing” mode of performance.

• Protective cover for taking Mavis on the go.

Ultimately, Mavis is designed to make learning synthesis or expanding an already-advanced studio setup more approachable for anyone looking to explore the classic Moog sound in a new way. The instrument is now shipping worldwide for $349 USD / £339.