Question about Korg MOSS EXB...

[Karma1]

Just wondering what kind of sounds the MOSS board would add to my Korg Karma? From the little I've read about it, it seems more focused on real instrument sounds, although I could be wrong about that. The kind of sounds I go for are ambient, ethereal, evolving pads, special effects, and complex layered motion soundscapes. Would I find much of those kinds of things in the MOSS? It's an expensive option and I want to make sure it fits my needs before considering buying one.

[Ob Com]

Hello

 

Moss is completley out there.

 

Its the guts of a Z1, one of the deepest most programable digital synths and Korg's masterpiece imho.

 

The Moss has so many oscilator types and flexible mod routings- it is a programmers delight.

 

Defo great for ambient/soundscapes.

 

Here's the skinny:

 

 

Oscillators - 2 osc (13 types including pulse, saw, tri, sine, organ, electric piano, piano, brass, reeds, strings, more) 1sub-osc, noise

LFO - 4 LFOs; 18 waveforms including sine, tri, saw, square, sample/hold, stepped

5 EG's

Filter - Resonant low, hi, dual band pass

Effects - 2 effect units with 15 effects including Reverb, Parametric EQ, chorus, phaser, flanger, rotating speaker, overdrive, auto-wah, talkbox, decimator, compressor

 

the FM mode is sick and with 4 lfos and 5 envelopes and very flexible mod routing you can really get your freak on

[ElectricPuppy]

I heard that MOSS boards are scarcer than hen's teeth, though...?

[Ob Com]

You're right EP, they are.

 

I'm working on the assumption that the OP has managed to find one

[midinut]

When I had my Karma I always wanted a MOSS board but at the time they were selling on ebay for as much as I paid for my Karma so I never got one. I sold my Karma to fund my M3-73 but in hindsight wished I'd kept it. Maybe one day I'll pick up another one. Never heard the MOSS board installed on one but always heard it was deep. I never scratched the surface on what all the Karma would do and need to dig deeper into the M3 (mine came with the exb-Radias board already in it - and it is awesome in itself). As EP says, they are getting harder and harder to spot.

[Son of HuHefner]

i have the MOSS EXB stuffed inside my Extreme 76

 

Inseparable

[Karma1]

 

Hello Moss is completley out there. Its the guts of a Z1, one of the deepest most programable digital synths and Korg's masterpiece imho. The Moss has so many oscilator types and flexible mod routings- it is a programmers delight. Defo great for ambient/soundscapes.

 

 

 

Thanks to all for the responses so far.

From the above description, it seems like the kind of sound I'm looking for. If anyone else uses the MOSS and has anything to share I'd be happy to hear it.

 

As far as being rare, they are to a degree, but I see one come up on my local Craig's List every few months or so, and there are three or four of them on ebay right now. But they are expensive and are not like most technology where after a few years, the price really drops.

[iphoenix]

I have a Z1, ( from which the MOSS board is derived) which Ive gotten to know over 10 years, however it is such an incredibly deep synth that I will always be getting to know it.

 

Sometimes I find its sound a little 'brittle' on some settings, but it is a very powerful instrument that is more suited to sound design than anything else, in my opinion. It sounds very good though generally & lends itself to highly complex & evolving soundscapes.

 

The acoustic models are very good too, particularly the electric pianos & organs. Very realistic & pleasing Wurlitzer & Rhodes & the organs are excellent.

You can do very interesting & abstract things by using the acoustic models out of context, eg : 25 meter strings etc.

 

The saxaphone patchs from the wind/ reed models are very authentic, ( much more so than any sampled saxs Ive heard) particularly using the X/Y pad ( like the Kaoss Pad)as a controller, which varies the sound in a very convincing way., but unless you have the Z1 or a way to similarly map a controller or joystick ( eg maybe the Korg WS or WS AD, I think you have one?), that would not be possible with just the Moss board .

I find I use the analogue models & the cross mod & FM models most for sound creation. Though I use the stock electric pianos a lot too.

There is a huge potential for deep sound creation with all the lfos & the massive range of modulation possibilities in almost every parameter & stage of the sound creation.

 

I doubt that the Moss board has the arpeggiator included, but the Z1s arp is brilliant with many user created patterns & it can be used as a step sequencer & its polyphonic. One of the best arpeggiators . Its so much more than an arpeggiator.

 

In basic architectural terms the Z1 has 12 voices with 4 oscillators per voice, two being main oscillators (Eg:Standard/ PWM /Comb Filter / VPM ( Korgs FM) etc & 1 sub oscillator & a noise oscillator, or acoustic model oscillators ie: plucked string, organ, reed , electric piano.

 

The Acoustic model oscs when selected dont allow you to also select the other main oscillator models except for the odd exception.

I think the MOSS board is identical to the Z1 except it has 6 voices , & no arpeggiator .

 

There is a way to make the voices modulate by pitch though ( without the arpeggiator) & step through whatever notes you program, using a complex LFO to pitch setting & therefore you can program complex step sequences or note patterns which is very powerful but tedious to program.

Programming in the Z1 consists of many menus within menus, which many would find intolerable but I dont have a problem with.

There was a computer editor & patch librarian available, though I never bothered with it.

[Karma1]

iphoenix - thanks so much for your detailed and informative reply.