Review
Designed by electronic instrument pioneer Bob Moog, the Moog MuRF is not just another effects pedal. It is also not a synth. It is a chunk of analog circuitry that Bob has perfected into a size that is designed for guitarists and melds these 2 worlds together.Those familiar with Moogs work in the analog synth world understand his passion for pushing the envelope<no pun intended>with new creations for the music world.
While covering phasing , filter effects , strings , synths, trem, faux leslie and many other over the top effects, the MuRF is an analog instrument in its own right that will have you tweaking for months and possibly years to come. The MuRF in my mind should not be used to replace those time tested effects but is a melting pot of all of these and many other new effects in a single unit that can be blended together to create new unheard of sonic chaos and beauty. In other words discounting the MuRF as a <insert effect here> replacement does the Murf an injustice and is truly in my eyes a beautiful instrument on its own merit. More importantly it is a part of Bob Moogs legacy that will live on for many years to come.
At home with guitar, bass or really anything that can trigger it , the MuRF features 22 preset rhythm sequences that are controlled by the Pattern knob that interact with the 8 filter sliders. These sequeces can be turned off so the silders can be used alone. It seems everything control wise is interactive and is a sort of "pandoras box" of sounds that could keep a tweaker happy for a very long time.
Alot of the technical aspects of the MuRF can be read in other articles and on Moogs website, I am more into the "wow" factor of this machine and frankly want to convey my excitement for the MuRF rather than a regurgitation of the manual which can be read at www.moogmusic.com.
If you really want to get a good feel for what the MuRF is capable of please do yourself a favor and go to www.moogmusic and listen to the sound files. You will not get those tones from a digital box. This is pure analog control of synth circuits that Bob had perfected in his 50 plus years of work and put into a portable box that a guitarist or bassist can manipulate in the studio or in real time on stage. An optional expression pedal can control 4 of the MuRFs main parameters< Rate , Envelopes , Mix, or LFO / Sweep> and is HIGHLY recomended for live use. If improvising and unique analog sounds are a goal or a staple of your live performance, the MuRF could very well be an indispensable tool for your live show. Moog also offers a tap tempo pedal that controls the animation<sequence> rate if you need to sync up with another musician live.
As a studio tool the MuRF could literally be used on multiple songs and have a totally different flavor. Its kind of like the model that never wears a dress twice unless she chooses to. A digital box in my opinion could never match the interactive and organic qualties the MuRF can offer and lets face it, turning knobs and tweaking is much more fun and satisfing than programming.
Moog has an ad that says "beyond words". After a little pondering and time with the MuRF , had I been chosen to write the ad copy and could only use 2 words I would use these two.
Be original.
Usually with a guitar effects unit the word " features" is a staple in a units description. With the MuRF I think the word " possibilities" is much more suitable and seemingly endless at that.
