Moog Music MF-107 FreqBox

This pedal is hard to characterize in terms of specific effects. According to Moog, it essentially takes your audio input and using that to control on internal oscillator. What you end up getting is some, in my opinion, completely unique distortion style effects. At least that's the best I can describe it. Like most MoogerFoogers you only have Audio and control voltage input/outputs. No you cannot edit this with a computer, just the knobs and buttons on the front (and of course the control voltages). This is purely a Analog monster. You can actually rack it with Moogs Rackmount kit designed to hold up to three moogers

UTILIZATION

There are 7 knobs and 1 button located on the face of the pedal that are very easily accessed and manipulated. I definitely recommend reading the manual as it is very informative and will give you a pretty good idea of what this baby is capable. However, I feel I had a better understanding of the device after spending an hour with it. The configuration is as simple as plugging in audio/control voltage cables and playing. Of course if you want to use CV then you need something to actually generate the control message such as Moogs CP-251.


SOUND QUALITY

I use this effect mainly with synths and guitar and occasionally my vocals. It is really a gritty intense effect that can be a little to much for a traditional keyboard. A friend of mine actually uses it for his Trumpet, and that is probably my favorite use of it so far. Due to its high quality components and true analog signal path, all the audio sent in retains all of its warmth and character. The effect itself however drastically changes that signal, which of course is it's intent.

OVERALL OPINION

What I like most about this unit is kind of hard to explain, only because it might not sound like a tone you would want, but trust me, you do. Basically, I find that this plugin reminds me of "Digital Clipping." Usually that is a tone avoided at all costs but imagine you get the grit and character of Digital clipping with the warmth and smooth control you expect with moog. For me, its AMAZING for any sort of music you want to sound "Dirty" which I happen to really want. The only complaint I have about all of the Mooger Foogers is they are all Mono. If they made stereo versions, I would own all of them in a heart beat. I actually don't own this one but spent a lot of time testing it at the Moog warehouse. It is one I will own soon but I spent enough money there this last quarter and have to exercise some restraint If you want some crazy, original style Hard Syncing distortion, then it is worth every penny. This is honestly a unique effect so I have not seen nor heard other similar effect units.

This box is a noise maker's analog dream. It is a Voltage controlled oscillator that can latch onto your guitars frequency (note) and add a layer of synthy goodness. Think of the synth sweeps in classic songs like Rush's Tom Sawyer ( the "bwaaaahh" sound during the verses) or any Pink Floyd song and imagine being able to cop that sound with your guitar.

Controls:
Freq.- controls the frequency of the oscillator
waveform- allows you to use sawtooth,square,tiangle, skinny pulse waves and inbetween sounds
envelope amount- changes how much the freq. is raised when the pedal gets a signal.
fm amount- sets the frequency modulation dependent on the audio signal
mix- blends your dry sound and the sound of the oscillator
sync- on allows the oscillator to track to your note and off mixes in whatever freq. you choose on the freq. knob
Input- adjusts the gain at input allowing you to achieve distortion before the vco. very useful
output- adjusts the gain after the VCO and mix knob



In typical MOOG fashion it has more inputs and outputs than most people will even understand how to utilize until they dive into the manual. You get a jack for each knob, except input and output, that allows you to plug in an expression pedal or voltage control device such as the MOOG cp-251. This gives you real-time hands free operation of every parameter on the pedal. In addition you get your standard 1/4" inputs and outputs plus an output to hook the envelope into other devices that support control voltages.
Previous MOOG pedals had an always active preamp that many guitar players complained about. MOOG wised up on this model and gave the unit a clearer bypass that does not overly color your signal. I say overly because there is a slight change but nothing that a quick amp EQ adjustment won't fix. There is also a rack kit (sold separately) that allows you to rack three separate Moogerfoogers together.

UTILIZATION

Getting a classic synth sweep is very easy to accomplish. Right out of the box you can start making some serious noise and once you tire from that you can get into the manual and start exploring the even wilder sounds. The manual gives you a quick and painless explanation of VCOs (voltage controller oscillators) and how to utilize the controls and rear jacks. This is not the type of manual that you want to throw away. Being analog there are no hidden features so everything is right in front of you for quick changes.

SOUND QUALITY

I mainly use this with my guitar. I have dabbled with synths but really I just end up zoning out and making sounds that will cause most animals to scream and cry. My rat terrier in particular. I always loved the sound of synths and tried for years to emulate that sound using many different distortion pedals, wahs, ring mods, etc... I was lucky enough to be in Asheville ,NC and took a tour of the MOOG factory just before this pedal was announced. I got a rather lengthy demo there and put in a pre-order as soon as I got home.

One thing I will say is that you honestly cannot get too much use out of this pedal without having some control devices to go along with it. At least an expression pedal will get you many more sounds and make the pedal much easier to work into something musical. I personally own almost all of the MoogerFooger line along with 3 exp. pedals and the CP-251. Some people would probably find this to be a specialty effect that can only be used once in a set. Using the mix knob makes it so you can add subtle textures that can liven up many sounds without being overpowered. It can also be used as a wild wah sound by plugging an EXP. pedal in to the frequency jack and manually sweeping through it. I would say that is probably the sound I use the most with it.

OVERALL OPINION

This pedal is surely not for everyone but for me it's perfect. The price may seem steep but after touring the factory and seeing how the workers are treated I would say the price is perfect. This is not built in a massive plant like other manufacturers. All of the people I met at MOOG were musicians and seemed to really care about what they were doing. Open up the lil guy and it looks like a tiny city inside.

There aren't many devices like it out there and the closest I've had was the electro harmonix micro synth. I can't really say which is better but I will say I still own both.
The MOOG line is a slippery slope though and could put a dent in your wallet. I started with the phaser in 06' then went on to buy the delay, murf, freq., and the cp251. If I had to I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Even without making any conventional music you can get hours of entertaining noise out of these boxes and it increases exponentially with each Moogerfooger added to the chain.

The Moog Music MF-107 Freqbox is a unique effects pedal that is compatible with any electronic instrument.  It has 1/4 inch connections and has the same look and shape as all of the Moogerfooger pedals.  It is an analog pedal and isn't rack mountable.

UTILIZATION

Using the Moog Music MF-107 Freqbox is fairly easy as there isn't anything too mind blowing going on in terms of parameters.  The pedal has a main section for a VCO that has parameters for frequency and waveform and a switch for synching and then has parameters outside of the VCO for envelope amount, FM amount, mix, drive, and output level.  You basically have a little synth right in a single pedal that will manipulate the signal that you put into it, resulting in some pretty incredible sounds!  I haven't seen the manual so I don't know if it would be helpful or not.


SOUND QUALITY

The sounds that are possible with the Moog Music MF-107 Freqbox are outstanding, varied, and extremely unique for an effects pedal.  Since it uses a VCO it makes it possible to get some real synth sounds even while using a guitar, which is a feature that I haven't seen in any other pedals out there, making this extremely powerful.  It has a warm analog tone to go along with this versatility and is made with the best parts as is the case with all of Moog's products.  I've only used this pedal a single time and when I did I believe I used a Fender Strat with a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb amp.


OVERALL OPINION

While I've only used the Moog Music MF-107 Freqbox a single time, I got a good feel for it and only has made me want to come back for more.  I played around with it for a bit prior to the recording session and was really impressed with the sound quality and versatility of tones that I could get.  Its really awesome to be able to get such crazy sounds with a guitar and this is the only pedal that I have ever used that is like this.  The price isn't cheap but definitely is reasonable considering the great pedal that you are getting.  If you love synth sounds but are a guitar player, the Moog Music MF-107 Freqbox is a must have.

Moog analog effects pedal, with the quality associated with the mark. A oscilatteur that interacts with an incoming audio signal. Possibility to control the various parameters via CV in. Ability to recover the direct signal from the oscillator.

UTILIZATION

; Very easy to use. Connect, turn the knobs; Please do not send audio in CV

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality is great. I have not found useful on my guitar. In contrast with another analog synth as LP2 (with MOD CV out in my case) or a Doepfer Dark energy, it becomes pretty darn good as it can if it is associated, for example a volume pedal to operate as an additional adjustable tilt at his behavior through the CV in.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a year. Essentiellemnt since I replaced the LP2 by the Dark Energy. Very good quality (Moog). If I abandon analog synth (for lack of time) I would separate because I have no other useful stuff with my guitar.