Moog Moogerfooger MF-108M Cluster Flux

The Moog Moogerfooger MF-108M Cluster Flux is an analog effects pedal that produces flanging, chorus and vibrato, built around high-voltage Panasonic bucket-brigade delay (BBD) chips. Announced by Moog Music in June 2011 as the newest addition to the Moogerfooger line of analog effects, it reached Moog dealers worldwide in Q3 2011¹. Premier Guitar's reviewer described it as a relatively more conventional multi-effects unit compared with other Moogerfoogers, but one that offers Flange, Chorus and Vibrato effects with the ability to tweak them wildly².

What it does to your sound

At the core of the circuit are a set of high-voltage Panasonic bucket-brigade devices, the same kind of delay chip that classic chorus and flanger pedals were built on². MusicRadar's review describes the pedal as mashing up delay-based effects with multi-form LFO modulations to produce complex yet playable chorus, flange and vibrato sounds³. The reviewer heard a rich, jet-like flanger sound recalling Bowie's Station to Station or the Beatles' Blue Jay Way, and a lush chorus free of the tinny digital vibe of inexpensive '80s analog emulators³.

Premier Guitar's reviewer summed it up this way:

Controls and connections

The face of the pedal is laid out in three sections. The left-hand Delay section controls the delay Time and Feedback with its Time knob². In the center, three mini-pots cover input Drive, Output Level and Mix, and a red rocker switch moves between chorus and flange³. Two more pots adjust the LFO oscillator's Rate and Amount, and beneath them the LFO Tap Tempo and Bypass switches complete the control panel³.

Round the back, the rear panel carries a good number of 1/4-inch jack points: CV inputs for Feedback, Time, LFO Rate, Mix and LFO Amount sit alongside Left and Right outputs, a MIDI jack, and a Feedback Insert that uses a standard 1/4-inch TRS patch cable³. The LFO Rate, LFO Amount, Feedback, Time and Mix parameters can also be controlled separately through expression pedals plugged into the crown of the unit², which makes the pedal a natural fit alongside other expression pedals on a board.

The MIDI input allows for MIDI-control interfacing, useful for computer sequencing or syncing with a drum machine². Moog's press release lists what MIDI IN can reach: Delay Time, Range, Feedback, Output Level, LFO Waveform, LFO Rate, LFO Amount and Mix¹. Molten Voltage reported in 2013 that the Cluster Flux is among the devices capable of synchronization to MIDI Clock⁴, so it can lock its modulation to a sequencer or drum machine's tempo.

Build and availability

The Moogerfoogers are big and heavy pedals, with hardwood sides made of walnut, and Premier Guitar's reviewer called the Cluster Flux a beautiful piece of US-made, analog craft². MusicRadar noted that Moog planned on keeping the Cluster Flux in production as long as their supply of BBD chips held out, since the pedal is built from the remaining supply of high-voltage Panasonic BBD chips still out there³. Players looking for a more compact take on the same bucket-brigade sound may also come across the later Moog MF Chorus from the Minifooger range, and Moog's related Moog Cluster Flux and Moog MF-108M Cluster Flux pages cover the same pedal family. For context on the effect types themselves, see Chorus Pedals, Flanger Pedals and Vibrato Pedals.

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