Moog Etherwave discontinued or just sold out?

"...I do also prefer a purely analog instrument, no risk there of software becoming outdated/incompatible and buggy firmware that doesn't get any updates, as seen from the Moog Theremini."  - DreadVox

There's a lot to be said for purely analog, WYSIWYG.  I wish there were a more transparently obvious and durable form of digital, as it can do lots of basic & fancy stuff that is difficult or next to impossible to do in analog, and much cheaper.  The Claravox seems OK for what it is, but I don't like blends like that as they tend to be the worst of both worlds - go analog, or as digital as possible, or go home.  Anything with a processor shouldn't need a plastic hex tuning tool to pull it out of a factory-induced coma.

I find it both strange and not strange that Moog Inc. has trouble with software, it's the wild wild west, coupled I suppose with a certain amount of indifference. And you never want an instrument tied to an external operating system or digital interface, chances are good the HW will outlive the rapidly shifting sands of our current computing platforms.  Almost no such thing as future proofing these days.  Don't fall in love with anything electronic.

Moog's main strength has always been analog. It's only in the past few years that they have dived into digital very much, and even that has been for automation and parameters, rather than actual sound production. In the art of digital audio paths, they are miles behind Korg, Alesis, and the likes of Hydrasynth. 

Personally, I find hybrid designs to be very compelling. I'm not sure that they "tend to be worst of both worlds," more that it is difficult to blend them in a way that pleases both utility and art. But I agree that if you have digital control of things, it seems a bit weird that you need to tune an inductor! 

One of the other things about Moog, is that they largely live in their own self-made world. I don't even think they pay much attention to their "competitors," and certainly their offerings have little in common with the directions that other companies take. I actually find it surprising that so many of their synths are compatible with eurorack in the ways that they are. Many people in the synth world have a lot of respect for Moog, doing it's own thing, and (largely) doing it in a way that sets itself apart from other options...so that there aren't really any other options for certain types of sounds. 

I love theremins that make their own sounds. But if what you really want is a truly tunable gestural controller, linked to an infinite digital source, wouldn't a video game gesture controller hooked to a great digital eurorack be a better choice? 

Ah, let the digital vs analog debate begin!

"I'm not sure that they "tend to be worst of both worlds," more that it is difficult to blend them in a way that pleases both utility and art."  - Flounderguts

Yes, there's really no blending going on on the Claravox, "traditional" and "modern" mode are selected via a switch, and one loses a lot of basic functionality when one picks "traditional" so I imagine few will actually use it.  But "traditional" mode requires a double resonant oscillator (hence the crazy hex tool) that's actually a hindrance to the proper implementation of a "modern" mode, and clearly creates user maintenance (and factory calibration!) headaches.  If one absolutely must go the double resonant route, fully engage the user and put a knob on the front panel, not some brass ringed hole for a hex tool with vague "call Moog if something seems weird" instructions in the manual.

"But if what you really want is a truly tunable gestural controller, linked to an infinite digital source, wouldn't a video game gesture controller hooked to a great digital eurorack be a better choice?"

No, there's nothing quite like playing synthesized female vocals with genuine capacitive fields!