Opinion? One synth or combo?

For basically the same amount of money would you go with a Moog Matriarch by itself OR a combination of a Korg prologue (8 voice) and a Moog Grandmother?

I understand it’s all about your specific uses but feel free to chime in with your uses and how that affects your response to the above question. Thanks!

I’ll bite!

I would take the latter option (Grandmother + Prologue) on the assumption of a greater breadth of sounds. That said, I am not particularly one for organ-style keyboards (modular guy here). For my partner however (a pianist) I might go Matriarch.

Here’s a recent album for reference (we’re possibly a bit unusual in our approach, and the first track might be particularly so):

Here’s an article that breaks this down a bit between the Moogs:
https://www.presetpatch.com/article/Moog-Grandmother-vs-Matriarch#:~:text=Matriarch%20has%20four%20(4)%20oscillators,2)%20oscillators%20on%20the%20Grandmother.&text=Matriarch%20has%20a%20four%20octave,unit%20with%20extensive%20modulation%20capabilities.

I’m sure you’ll make the best choice for you. Perhaps picking up a used Prologue from a reputable source would be a deciding factor. If you aren’t into it, you could likely move it along with very minimal loss.

Good luck!

This is a no brainer…make a list of pros and cons for both and compare… I bet you find out option 2 is the choice and don;t forget to add the features of both that you don;t use in your style of music.Its not like you can;t find any of the synths mentioned in the future… I found a roland JX8P last week and wasn;t even lookin,plus it was local,so no shipping charges!

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Thanks to both of you. Some good food for thought there. Since posting this I’ve come to realize the nature of paraphonic synths and I’m not sure I want to go there, at least not at the price of the Matriarch. Still not settled but the decision is getting closer. Thanks again!

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IME, you really need to find a way to get hands-on with all three before you commit if you’re trying to make a financially sensitive decision. Aside from that, keep in mind the Matriarch is 4-note paraphonic, nor really polyphonic. If you value being able to play triads or larger chords then your first option is probably best. TBH the only value I see in the second is for bragging rights to owning a more expensive, potentially slightly fatter sounding Moog.

I appreciate all the feedback. I did not mention that I currently own a minilogue XD but I’m through with the mini keys. I’ve been thinking about upgrading for several months and decided to go with the prologue 8 voice for now. I’m not making another purchase yet but will likely consider the Grandmother. The other two things I am considering would be the Strymon Nightsky pedal to use with the prologue, and a synth with vocoder. Just waiting for the minilogue to sell before deciding on the next thing. Thanks again to everyone!

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Dude 10000% go with two synthesizers. I don’t care how cool that really expensive one is, jamming out with two synthesizers (or more) is some of the best times. It is great to program the Moog or mono synth as a chunky bass and then use your poly for ripping leads, pads, or arpeggios. Not to mention the sheer child-like awe of being surrounded by synthesizers. It’s like walking into the control room of your favorite childhood space show. You got to get two! Got to get two!

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