Vintage analog emulation and modern per-note expression don't often show up in the same product announcement, but Arturia's new Memory V manages to combine both. The plugin recreates the Memorymoog, Moog's famously temperamental 1982 six-voice analog polysynth, and — notably for MPE users — ships with full compatibility for MIDI Polyphonic Expression, letting the original instrument's character be shaped note by note in a way the 1982 hardware never could.

What the Memorymoog was — and why it's hard to emulate

The original Memorymoog was Moog's answer to the polyphonic synth boom of the early '80s: six full analog voices, each built around three VCOs, at a time when most manufacturers were already moving toward digital or hybrid architectures. It became beloved for its huge, unstable, gloriously analog low end, but it was also notorious for tuning drift and reliability issues that made it a maintenance headache even when new. That combination — extraordinary tone, extraordinary fragility — is exactly what makes it a compelling target for software emulation, since a plugin can preserve the sound while discarding decades of hardware upkeep.

Arturia's version, part of its long-running "V Collection" emulation lineage, expands on the original's six-voice limit and adds drag-and-drop modulation routing on top of a modeled recreation of the analog circuitry, according to early coverage from MusicRadar and Gearjunkies.

Where MPE comes in

The MPE implementation is where this release becomes relevant beyond vintage-synth enthusiasts. Memory V supports full MPE compatibility, meaning aftertouch, release velocity, and keyboard tracking data arriving on a per-note MIDI channel can be assigned to any parameter in the synth via its Advanced panel. In practice, that means a player using a Seaboard, Osmose, LinnStrument, or any other MPE controller can apply continuous per-note pressure to filter cutoff, individual pitch glide to oscillator detune, or slide gestures to modulation depth — all independently, note by note, across a chord.

That's a meaningfully different playing experience from the original Memorymoog, which — like virtually all analog polysynths of its era — treated every key identically once a note was triggered. Arturia's decision to route MPE data through its Advanced modulation panel means users aren't limited to a handful of preset expressive mappings; any modulation destination in the synth engine can, in principle, become a target for per-note pressure or pitch data. For sound designers working in orchestral, ambient, or cinematic contexts, that opens up a instrument that behaves less like a fixed analog polysynth and more like a continuously controllable performance instrument — while still keeping the underlying Memorymoog tone intact.

Availability and pricing

Memory V is available now as a standalone plugin and within Arturia's broader synth collection, priced at $149. It runs as VST, AU, and AAX across major DAWs. For confirmation of specific MPE routing behavior with a given controller, Arturia maintains a dedicated MPE compatibility FAQ covering which of its instruments support the standard and how expression assignment works across its plugin catalog.

The bigger picture

Arturia has been gradually extending MPE support across its V Collection line for several years, and Memory V's release continues that trend into one of the company's most requested vintage emulations. It's a reminder that MPE adoption isn't just happening at the controller level — plugin developers recreating classic analog instruments are increasingly building expressive, per-note control in from the start, rather than treating it as an afterthought bolted onto a fixed-voice architecture. For MPE controller owners who've been waiting for more vintage-synth emulations to catch up with modern expressive control, Memory V is one of the more significant additions to that growing list.