Arturia has just launched a new virtual synthesizer which aims to brings the sounds of Moog Music’s early ’80s Memorymoog to your DAW. Aphelion’s Orbit shares his thoughts on the Memory V.
Legendary
Arturia’s Memory V feels like someone bottled the unruly soul of the Memorymoog, fed it protein powder, and then dared it to behave. Spoiler: it doesn’t. And that’s exactly why it rules.
From the moment you load it up, Memory V hits you with that unmistakable front‑of‑mix weight the original was famous for — the kind of tone that doesn’t sit in a track so much as plant a flag in it. Arturia describes it as “dense, front‑of‑mix presence” built for “powerful leads and towering analog brass”, and honestly, they’re underselling it. This thing is a wall of analog attitude.
First Impressions: Modern Upgrades That Don’t Break the Vibe
Arturia didn’t just clone the Memorymoog — they gave it the upgrades it always deserved: It’s still a Memorymoog, but now it actually behaves in a DAW.
The sound is fantastic, the presets are well designed and highlight the power of Memory V perfectly. If you like to tweak and sound design, the interface and layout are easy enough to edit for newcomers and advanced synth users alike. There is something here for everyone.
Arturia’s eco-system is always spot on. Memory V integrated with my Minilab 3 with virtually no setup, it just worked. And lets not forget about light and dark mode theme availability.
- Multi‑Arpeggiator
- Drag‑and‑drop modulation
- MPE support
- Expanded voices (6 → 12)
- Sync 1→3 for gnarlier tones
The Ladder Filter: Smooth, Mean, and Ready to Bite
Arturia’s modeled ladder filter is the real MVP here. It’s got that classic Moog roundness, but when you push the “Drive” (a modern addition), it goes from warm saturation to full‑on analog snarl. Arturia even calls out the “non‑linearities” and the added Drive control as part of the modern enhancements.
Translation: this thing gets angry in a very musical way.
Voice Modulation: Per‑Voice Weirdness, the Good Kind
One of the Memorymoog’s quirks was its per‑voice modulation — Osc 3 or the filter contour could modulate pitch, pulse width, or the filter on a voice‑by‑voice basis. Arturia kept that intact:
“the third oscillator or filter contour of each voice can control that voice’s frequency, pulse width, or filter”.
This is where Memory V stops being a polite polysynth and starts being a living organism. Chords shimmer. Pads drift. Keys feel like they’re made of electricity instead of samples.
Unison Mode: 18 Oscillators of Pure Disrespect
Let’s talk about Unison, because this is where Memory V goes full kaiju.
Stacking “up to 6 triple VCO voices into a single, massive mono voice” for a total of 18 oscillators is… honestly irresponsible. In a good way. It’s the kind of sound that makes you involuntarily say “oh hell yes” and then immediately check your monitor levels.
Sound Quality
The heart of Memory V is the same architecture that made the Memorymoog a legend: three voltage‑controlled oscillators per voice, each capable of saw, pulse, and triangle, and all stackable into absurdly rich waveforms.
You can practically hear the circuitry sweating.
And because Arturia modeled the original’s instability — that subtle drift, that “is this thing alive?” wobble — the synth never feels static. It breathes. It misbehaves. It has opinions.
Pros
- Exceptional Sound Quality
- Ease of Use
- Unlimited Sound Sculpting
- Presets
Cons
- None
Alternatives
- Memorymode by Cherry Audio
Final Thoughts
Memory V is not a polite synth. It’s not here to be subtle or tasteful or well‑behaved. It’s here to dominate, to fill space, to roar, to shimmer, to wobble, to punch you in the chest with 15 oscillators and then ask if you want another round.
It’s the Memorymoog you always wanted: the power, the weight, the instability — but without the maintenance bills or the fear that one voice card is plotting its escape.
If you want a synth that feels alive, that sounds huge without effort, and that carries the swagger of a vintage Moog without the fragility, Memory V is absolutely that beast.
Memory V is available for Windows and macOS in VST/VST3, AU and AAX plugin formats. The synth is currently priced 149 USD/EUR at the Arturia store and from distributors such as Plugin Boutique, and existing Arturia customers may login to their account to check for a personal offer.
