I’ve been an enthusiast on Moog Apps since the launch of the first Animoog on iOS. Their latest adventure on software synthesizers brought us the Mariana, a bass directed/inspired synthesizer. Let’s check what it can do!


Some Background
For this review, I’ve used the Windows version of the Moog Mariana. Installation was easy but I had some breaking while trying to activate it for the first time on the standalone version – this was remedied by using the VST3 version inside Ableton Live 11.

I use a very decent i7 11th generation processor with 32GB RAM and SSD Windows based PC, capable of running multiple instances of heavy software synthesizers like U-He Diva and RePro 5 on their maximum quality.

For sound comparisons I’ve mainly used two hardware Moog synthesizers – Little Phatty and Grandmother – and two software synthesizers with a Moog-like tone (Arturia Mini V4 and U-He Diva with the Moog emulations).


What is it?
According to Moog, “Mariana is a cutting-edge software bass synthesizer designed for the modern production environment and capable of reaching the deepest depths of low-end tone and weight.”

On a deeper analysis it is a bass oriented software synthesizer with some Moog-like characteristics and some modern software synthesizer possibilities. It is not intended to substitute conventional Moog bass sounds, but can cover some of that and also bring some modern vibes with it.


Interface
Here you get some good and some bad UI design choices. On the good side, everything is visible, with a nice looking hardware-like interface that is resizable and can even be used fullscreen without any graphical loss. Easy to read and the overall editing of the sound is quite accessible.

Everything is done thru pages, which allows more parameters for each of the two different synth sounds you can use for a single preset. The bad aspect of this is that you need to constantly move between different pages for simple envelope adjustments for example. Each synth sound uses 2 pages of editing and there’s an additional output page where you can edit level, panning and effects parameters.


Synthesizer Capabilities
Everything stated here is doubled, since it acts with two synth sounds combined for a single sound – you can obviously ignore the dual sound structure and keep only one layer active. Other than that, notice that this is a monophonic or duophonic synth only, so no polyphony for your giant pad sounds is available.

Oscillators
Starting with the oscillator section, it is not exactly how I would imagine it. Being a Moog synth owner of several different models, I expected a more conventional offer. The oscillator is more on the lines of how it works on the Minitaur – you get a single waveform selector that is used for both oscillator 1 and 2, which can be detuned in relation with each other, while also getting some extras like phase adjustment and reset, PWM, glide and a nice stereo spread. You can also hardsync, which isn’t something I’d heavily use on bass sounds, but it’s welcome. There’ s a suboscillator which passes thru a different filter and certainly brings some extra oomph to the sound.
Sound-wise, the oscillator section can be interesting on its own, but I find the “hardwired” single waveform limiting. Other than that, there’s some raspiness not typical of the Moog sound and isn’t exactly to my liking when listened raw. The hardware Moog synthesizers have a bit more bass content and not as “raspy” as on Mariana. Arturia Mini V does a closer sound to what the hardware does.

Filters
The filter section is quite interesting, as it includes a dual filter structure with LP and HP filters, in either series or parallel. There’s also some interesting routing with the noise alone passing thru the HPF, while the main oscillator goes thru the LPF. Sound-wise it is closer to what you’d expect on a Moog filter than the oscillator section, but it certainly has a sound of its own and not meant to replace a conventional Moog filter. It sounds modern and carries some bite with it, especially when resonance is beyond the 60-70% mark.

Envelopes
There are three different envelopes available: a simpler ADSR envelope for the filter and amplifier separately and a deeper DAHDSR envelope for modulation (which can be send to pretty much anything. They’re fast enough and comparable to the hardware I’ve used, certainly diverse enough for any bass needs.

LFO
There are three of them, again, with the expected controls and can be sent to pretty much any synth parameter. The maximum rate is not as high as I enjoy, with a capped 50 Hz, so don’t expect great audio rate modulations.

Random Generator
Two extra random generators are also available and complete the modulation sources. You get noise, S&H and a smooth S&H (Perlin) variation, again, easily sent to anything. Rate is also limited to 50 Hz.


The Synthesizer In Use
As said on the interface part of this review, limitations and choices on interface design might be a problem while using the synth exclusively with a mouse. MIDI might mitigate this a bit but still far from ideal. The constant jump between different pages might be annoying for many, even with an interface that is clear and accessible.

Many of the included presets make very good use of what Mariana has to offer and also shows where it shines: modern sounding cutting basses. The part that was a bit unexpected is that it fundamentally isn’t as good on recreating conventional analog-like bass sounds as easy. The harmonic content on the oscillators might be the culprit here. I wasn’t able to make it alias, not even at higher pitched sounds with everything I could throw at it.

Filter-wise I think that it’s very good. There’s some rawness to the sound that you can’t always find on software synthesizers. The combination of resonant lowpass and highpass filters can be used for not so “Moogy” sounds, and is surely welcome, as it goes way beyond the basic Moog tonality. Combined with the saturation on the effects, the filter also comes to life and can be quite satisfying to hear. One thing that bothered me was the lack of a dedicated keytrack control for the cutoff.

Modulation sources are vast in comparison with hardware synths. Applying modulation to different sources is easy, but also might require some page jumping. Even so, there are some deep levels of adjustments that can be done with every single modulation source and destination combination, including modifiers/controllers for each of them. I’ve not used CV extensively but might be worth it if you own their Moogerfooger collection, as it will greatly expand on them.

The dual synth structure is well thought out and you can create some very interesting binaural sounds with ease, either complex or simple ones. I’ve quite enjoyed creating some big chord sounds with binaurality. On the other hand, the lack of audio rate modulations is a big down-side for me.


Effects
The ouput page includes effects for each of the sounds. Both get a selectable saturation, synth 1 gets delay and synth 2 gets chorus. There’s also a global compressor that does its job. Overall I’d say they’re good enough and a nice addition to the thing, as it can be saved with the presets – I tend to use my own “external” effects with every software synthesizer.


The three flavors of saturation sound very nice, and I’ve enjoyed using it with every sound I’ve made. It seems that more aggressive sounds is where the Mariana truly shines, and the saturation effect has a big impact on that.

Delay is simple and effective. Not the best software delay out there, but good. It simulates an analog delay with HPF, with a maximum of 1,4s. Can get very interesting when combined with modulations, which is something I’d encourage you to try. Chorus sounds good and works as expected. The expanded range for the chorus can sound beautiful with the most basic sounds. The sad part is the “hardwired” structure once again. I’d like to select either effect for each layer.


CPU Hit
One thing that caught my attention was how CPU heavy it is, even with a single instance while idle inside Ableton. I didn’t get any hiccups on a single instance performance, even with the most “complete and complex” sounds I’ve tried but watching the 40% CPU use with just one track was kind of saddening. Maybe it should be optimized to be more efficient, since several other complex software synthesizers do a better job on this matter.


Final Considerations
The Moog Mariana is an interesting software that has a sound on its own. It is very capable of producing some modern sounds that are not limited only to bass, although only mono or duophonic. It’s not as Moogy as some might expect, but it diverges on that expectation in a positive way.

If you’re looking for a simple Moog bass emulation, this might not be the product for you. It does a bit of that, but not as good as other synths I’ve used. For some more modern sounding Moog bass sounds, like the ones on the Sub37 and relatives, it is a bit closer. In the end, I think it is a better product for iOS owners (although I didn’t try that version myself). If you own a lot of stuff, this might not be for you, but if you’re just starting a collection or simply want to explore something new and different from the usual pack, it might be worth it at promotional and introductory prices.

Although I’ve enjoyed it in general, the constant jumping between pages was annoying at times, and the big CPU hit would make me avoid using it for my own compositions – it is very nice to explore as a synth, but hard to use for actual production because of this. Just four instances of Mariana were enough to get me several sonic artifacts with Ableton, even when idle. This isn’t something I get from Diva with 10+ instances on divine.

In the end, it must be said that Moog really did deliver something different from their hardware world once again. Just as Animoog, Mariana is a thing on its own and isn’t tied to the conventional Moog synth structure, while also sounding modern and enjoyable to use.

Pros:

• Good presets
• Great dual filter structure and saturation effect
• Excellent modulation capabilities

Cons:

• Monophonic or duophonic only
• Absence of audio-rate modulations
• Oscillator section is limited and lacks the expected bass content

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