NAMM 2020: Moog’s Subsequent 25 updates the Sub Phatty for modern studios

NAMM 2020: We first got word that Moog might have a new synth on the way thanks to a leak back in December, and now the US synth icon has confirmed the arrival of its latest, the Subsequent 25.

As its name suggests, this new instrument shares a lineage with Moog’s Subsequent 37 and its predecessor the Sub 37, although its closest relative is 2013’s Sub Phatty, which it replaces in Moog’s line-up.

The Subsequent 25 is a two-note paraphonic analogue synth paired with a 25-note keyboard, making it the most compact of Moog’s current crop of non-modular synths. It packs two oscillators, which are accompanied by an additional sub oscillator and noise generator.

These can be used in two ways – Unison mode, in which the three oscillators are stacked, and the new Duo Mode, which is inherited from the Subsequent 37 and lets users play two distinct notes with the individual oscillators.

The Subsequent 25 further modernises the design of the Sub Phatty with the addition of full MIDI implementation for the knob-per-function front panel, and a free editor/librarian application allowing users to save and recall an unlimited number of sounds. 

Other improvements inherited from the Subsequent range include increased headroom, reshaped gain staging for the ladder filter and an improved keybed. The Multidrive circuit – which combines OTA distortion and FET drive - has been retuned, too, and, according to Moog, this now extends far beyond the level of grittiness achievable from the Sub Phatty.

Other highlights of the synth include an input for processing external audio, CV inputs to control pitch, filter, volume and a gate trigger, plus a high-powered headphone amplifier.

To mark its release, Moog has created a short film harnessing the talents of Flying Lotus and graphic designer Julian House. Watch Building Your World above.

The Subsequent 25 is available for order now, priced at £895. Find out more at the Moog website.

Si Truss

I'm Editor-in-Chief of Music Technology, working with Future Music, Computer Music, Electronic Musician and MusicRadar. I've been messing around with music tech in various forms for over two decades. I've also spent the last 10 years forgetting how to play guitar. Find me in the chillout room at raves complaining that it's past my bedtime.

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