Yes more scale options would be nice.
Yes.
Without knowing which synth you are using then presumably yes.
The SubH has a Trigger Output for the timing of its sequencer steps, and Seq 1 and Seq 2 Outputs for the pitches of its two sequencers. The former would go to the trigger or gate input on your synth; the latter to some pitch input on the synth. Which synth do you want to use?
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Yep, you could probably use another quantizer for the main VCOs to add other scales/modes to it, but it won’t keep the subs in the scale, because they just divide down the main VCO’s frequency to create subharmonics. That’s why using the just intonation quantize works best on the SubH, as that scale is based on whole frequency ratios, but equal temperament works best when playing with other gear, as that’s the standard. Of course, if the other quantizer has a JI option, you could use that on the other synths instead, which might work really nicely!
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I don’t know yet, I’m just planning things before I purchase something. But I’m leaning towards the Behringer Crave or Neutron. I want to extend the Tone palette of the SubH.
An EP made with Subharmonicon
(not by me, saw it on Moog twitter)
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Damn, it’s r beny. Means I’ll probably get GAS for the SubH again (yep, already there - one of those artists who could probably make me GAS for a toaster). This EP is not all SubH though, sounds like some Blooper or maybe Cocoquantus in there. (Nope, was wrong, it’s processed in eurorack.) Just went back and forth last week about the SubH and came to the conclusion I wouldn’t end up using it in my tracks enough to justify buying it. And now I’m being pulled back in. 
There’s also a good interview with r beny at Moog Music: https://www.moogmusic.com/news/r-beny-subharmonicon-ep
Mind you, the interview does not focus a whole lot on the SubH itself. But indeed the EP heavily features tape and granular processing (Strymon Magneto, Instruo Arbhar, MI Clouds etc., the whole thing recorded onto cassette tape) - the only sound source being the Subharmonicon.
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It is a wonderful synth, inspiring and tons of fun, especially with other (semi) modular gear! But from the cinematic-style music of yours that I’ve heard, I have to say I’d be cautious before letting GAS take hold. There’s the issue of ET vs JI quantization (JI is best for the SubH, IMO, but that makes it harder to use ith anything else). Also, with 2 main VCOs plus 4 subs it can take a up a massive chunk of the spectrum if you aren’t careful. I think it works best on its own or with a limited selection of other sound sources so it can really shine. It can work as a texture generator, too, but if you are pushing it far back in the mix, there are other things that might be interesting, too.
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You’re absolutely right. The biggest - basically the only - thing keeping me from getting one is that I can see it becoming somewhat of a problem fitting it into my stuff. It is beautiful on its own but the same exact thing happened to me with the Mother-32 - watched too many M32 + lush reverb videos and bought one, although that’s not really the music I make myself. I do think SubH sounds better and is more interesting than the M32, but I’d still probably end up using it as a texture generator and I already have A LOT of things that can do that.
Second-hand units are starting to become available in Finland though so it’s possible I’ll give the SubH a shot at some point. The s/h route is always my go-to move, I’ve never really lost money if I’ve ended up passing it on. I can definitely see the SubH making a nice duo with the piano, for example.
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Here’s what I think after a few months: The subharmonicon is alien to my normal workflow, but that’s one of the reasons I love it.
If you’re used to sculpting analog voices with a fair amount of independence and bite, then this instrument can be disconcerting. But the more you play with it, the more its logic seeps into your composition and sound design. I’ve scratched my wooly poll when people said they couldn’t find a place for it in a mix; for me, it’s a question of differentiating between what sounds great on its own and what will work with other parts. You have to be comfortable with envelopes being shared and only getting retriggered at the end of a cycle; you might have to use shorter decays, for example, instead of reveling in the din if the rest of your track requires that. You might find routing and programming that emphasizes certain individual notes at certain times, often with patched VCF changes.
If I keep in mind the piece I’m writing, but also leave myself open to “violating the outline” (as a novelist friend puts it), then I usually find a place for the SH spatially and dynamically. What I haven’t done enough is sequence other instruments with it. That should allow for more penetrating sounds to convey the polyrhythms, but I’m still getting to know the idiosyncrasies of the instrument on its own.
Even if you’re using it in the background of a track, it will add subtleties that another instrument might not. If it’s being used as a sixteenth-note zoetrope that adds momentum, then you can sculpt and EQ it so that the part you’re tracking acquires a fascinating iridescence, and the skeletal, implied harmonies and harmonics that flow past (since you will have adjusted the pitches and volumes of the oscillators and suboscillators accordingly) have a slow shimmer that isn’t reducible to an envelope or flanging effect. But it also won’t be limited to a drone that has to be heard on its own to become intelligible.
The ability to choose tunings, and octave and interval ranges, makes the sequence controls far less confining than I’d expected. I have heard people say that just intonation doesn’t work with other instruments, but I think it depends on which intervals those other instruments emphasize. Yes, you might drive someone with perfect pitch insane combining the two, but I’ve noticed that the slightly different tuning can also add depth to a track if the harmonies aren’t too complex, esp. if you emphasize fourths, fifths and octaves.
I can definitely see why some people here and on Lines and Gearslutz have returned their Subharmonicons: it’s a specific idea of synthesis that isn’t going to cover someone’s use case for a minimoog or Pro 3. But if you have the room, budget and time for a Subharmonicon, it will introduce elements into your thinking that probably wouldn’t have been there otherwise. It isn’t down to subharmonics and polyrhythms; it’s about the entire workflow, feature tuning, choices/limitations and set of variables for the controls. And for people with DAWs, the SH can introduce elements of chance and stochasticism that you won’t get with most other non-modular setups. You stop asking, why won’t it do X, and instead ask, what else can it do that I hadn’t considered before?
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My simple view : I love it and its sound. I am a TOOL fan though and have been for over a decade, so poly-rhythms are engraved in me.
I could listen to the same few notes over and over, let alone a chord progression, in varying rhythms for a long time, not dissimilar to John Cage’s compositions.
I can say don’t limit oneself by forcing it to fit with other stuff, use it as you feel it’s meant to be and people will enjoy listening and you will enjoy using it. I tried to use it with all my other gear but it just doesn’t work like that. It’s meant to be played, and it’s meant to be sampled, it doesn’t “work” extremely well with all my other pieces of gear. It does work very very well with a drum machine though, and all Moog’s semi-modular gear 
Really nice tune from r-beny up there, he’s pulling the bops out of the SubH!
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I think it’s important not to conflate limitations of the instrument with the idiosyncrasies of one’s own taste. Yes, the SH sounds good on its own, but I wouldn’t impose on other people the idea that embedding it in arrangements is using it in ways it was not “meant” to be used. Every instrument can have unexpected uses depending on the performer/composer. No use case is sacrilegious, and what seems pointless or impractical to one of us will prove an inspiring challenge or even feature to another.
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I believe we’re saying the same thing, I simply botched my take on it.
Don’t force it into use, whatever that may be to whoever is using it.
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I don’t think you botched anything, DIV1NITAL. I think it’s great that you love and use the SH as you do. I think I know what you mean about the sound of the SH, what it does, and your musical prefs (Tool, Cage, etc.). It leaps out of the box droning strange but captivating hemiolas.
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Yes, I didn’t mean to box anyone out from using it. I simply meant that it does have tendencies to fill up entire frequency spectrums and pop out in this 3D supersonic rhythmic aura… if one gets it for something very specific, it may be likely that it can’t fit the role. But through exploration perhaps they’ll find another use for it, or perhaps the original intention worked just fine!
It can be summed up by “unintentional intention”… a near perfect balance between man and machine…
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This is exactly my experience.
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That’s why I like that, on this device, the Resonance cuts the Low Frequencies
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So I went and traded my Lyra-8 for the Subharmonicon. Hadn’t used Lyra in a good while and after spending a couple of days sampling it (sampling Lyra is obviously an oxymoron) I realised it’s not gonna feature extensively in my music in the foreseeable future. I think it was a good deal and I’m really looking forward to playing the SubH!
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The Finnish Post with a nice surprise delivering the SubH to me on a Saturday! Still VERY early hours and won’t jump into conclusions whether it’s a keeper or not but already showing signs of both great potential and potential ”problems”.
Very much like the DFAM, I love how hands-on this is. I think the polyrhythm part of it is actually pretty intuitive. Not that I’ve been aiming at any specific signatures with surgical precision but a lot of fun anyway!
As to the rest of it, I find myself wanting to turn of the quantization but that will lead to trouble if I want to have this in a song with other instruments. Also the fact that it sounds massive if the subs are running at any significant volume.
A lot of this is obviously a matter of finding the sweet spots in the context of my music, and after just a couple of hours of playing with it I’d say I’m slightly more convinced they’re there than I was based on Youtube videos.
Edit: One more thing, in the age of quarter-page quick start guides, just gotta respect Moog for doing and PRINTING these awesome user’s manuals.
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I’ve picked up all three Moogs in the series over the last 6 weeks, my firsts, and I’ve gotta say they make fantastic manuals!
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