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Synthesizer Pioneer Bob Moog Dies
Sigalarm writes "CNN is reporting that synthesizer pioneer and all-around vanguard of electronic music Bob Moog has passed away at age 71. Dr. Moog built his first electronic instrument -- the theremin -- at age 14 and made the MiniMoog, 'the first compact, easy-to-use synthesizer,' in 1964. He was the first to bring the electronic synthesizer within reach of most musicians, and his MiniMoog is still highly praised and often emulated, to this day."
Since Moogmusic is ./'d to hell, try
Moonarchives
"Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Thoreau
about how his idea has developed. Moving from valve oscilators and mixers to digital music synthesizers and samplers...
FYI, proper pronunciaction of Moog is 'Moag', like 'moat' with a 'g', and not like 'Moo'-g, like a cow would say it.
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso
Where would haunted houses be without the theramin?
And where would boardwalks be without haunted houses? Childhood as we know it would collapse.
I'll have to listen to all my Wendy Carlos CD's that are encoded on my iPod in a memoriam.
My music technology professor knew (and worked with, I think) Bob... He's got a signed picture from Bob from the 70s in the teaching lab at the music school.
...a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. I found out he had a brain tumour a few weeks ago. Hope he died surrounded by friends and family.
I am NaN
As a tribute, I'm queueing up one of the first mainstream albums to use a Moog: The Beatles' "Abbey Road".
So long, and thanks for all the samples!
--- question = 0xFF;
The following is link from his biography on the same website:
The Man Behind the Machines
What would the world of modern music be like without the inventions of Bob Moog? One answer would be: very boring. Bob Moog's namesake analog synthesizers have affected popular music in ways he might not have expected back in 1954 when he began building theremins with his father. But 50 years later, Bob's musical instruments have catapulted so many styles of music into the future, and his contributions to both players and technicians grow even more profound in retrospect.
Where would R&B, rap and hip-hop be if groups like Parliament and Funkadelic hadn't used Moog keyboards? Where would rock and roll be if groups from Yes to the Beatles hadn't used Moog keyboards? Would jazz music have branched off into fusion without Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea using Moog keyboards? And would classical music have enjoyed such resurgence without Wendy Carlos and her modular Moog synthesizer? The questions are hypothetical, of course, because synthesizers have infiltrated every style of music, and so many companies have tried to recreate that analog sound. But above all the copycats and spin-offs, it always comes back to one name: Moog.
After ten years of making theremins, providing unearthly sounds to science fiction movies and avante garde musicians, Bob Moog met experimental composer Herbert Deutsch, whose search for electronic sounds inspired Bob to create the first Moog Modular Synthesizer. Though Bob took on the project just for fun, when he premiered it at the Audio Engineering Society Convention in October of 1964 the response was immediate and Bob started taking orders on the spot. By the time he received a graduate degree (PhD in Engineering Physics, Cornell University) in the summer of 1965, the R. A. Moog Co. had delivered several modular synthesizer systems, mostly to academic and experimental composers. But it would be a few years later when public awareness of Moog synthesizers would leap ahead beneath the nimble fingers of Wendy Carlos.
Carlos' renowned album "Switched-On Bach" was released on Columbia Records at the
end of 1968, achieving immediate success. The album went on to sell over a million copies, creating a sharp demand for Moog modular synthesizers throughout 1969 and early 1970. Many "switched-on" records were produced during that period. By the end of 1970, the now incorporated R. A. Moog Inc. introduced the Minimoog®, a compact performance synthesizer based on the technology of Moog modular products, enabling keyboardists to take the Moog on the road. And that began a decade of music that would be forever altered by the Minimoog and its incomparable sounds.
R. A. Moog Inc. officially changed its name to Moog Music Inc. in 1971 and became a division of the now defunct Norlin Music in 1973. Moog synthesizers were widely used by professional musicians and the "Sound of the Moog" became an integral part of our musical culture. The list of songs is far too long to print here, but from rock to R&B, from jazz to classical music, the Moog sounds were everywhere.
At the end of 1977, Bob left Moog Music and in 1978 founded Big Briar for the purpose of developing and building electronic musical instruments with novel player interfaces. Actual Moog keyboards were made for the better part of the next decade by Norlin Music, but with the heart and soul of Moog gone, Moog keyboards ceased production by 1986. Though gone from his namesake company, Bob's interest in synthesizers and instruments could not be quelled. From 1978 to 1992, Bob operated Big Briar on a small scale and kept building custom instruments. He was also representing Synton, a Dutch manufacturer of modular equipment, and providing consultation services to other music technology manufacturers. In addition, Bob served as Kurzweil Music Systems' Vice President of New Product Research from 1984 through 1989, and taught music technology courses at the University of North Carolina at Asheville from 1989 to 1992.
Someone should posted a MIDI version of Taps.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
A documentary about Robert Moog, called simply "Moog", came out last year, directed by Hans Fjellestad. A site about the movie is here:
http://www.zu33.com/moog/
While the movie doesn't work for everyone (it's a little arty and a little weird), it has a lot of interview footage with Bob Moog and his unique outlook on life. It's well worth getting and a very dreamy, very loving portrait of the man.
How lucky we are that Fjellestad took this project on.
Synth dad. :(
...Makes ya think, is he really gonna settle for just playing a harp 'up there'?
So long, and thanks for all the BASS.
respect,love, and continuation,
jamesr.
Hehe, Moog, that's a sweet name!
Since the site's dead, here's some cool info about him: www.obsolete.com/120_years/machines/moog
As far as I know, the original article is wrong. Moog synthesizer in 1960's were modular. They were indeed easier to use than the competition because at least they included normal musical keyboard (oddly enough, Bob Moog was one of the rare engineers who understood that musicians want to play their synths just like piano or Hammond organ). Minimoog was the compact one, but it wasn't released until around 1970.
I remember meeting Robert Moog at a music technology convention in 1981. He was still designing new instruments, but was in the paradoxical position of not being able to put his own name on them...thanks a lot CBS Music.
He was able to get his trademarks back and his designs, and a new version of the Minimoog came out at the most recent NAMM convention in California in January. Here's a non-sponsored link to it.
He was a geek's geek, and put the tech in techno. He will be missed.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
As a friend said "...that guy was a legend.
Robots, Computers and Satan would have nothing to dance to if it weren't for him."
"Plans are for fools! Oglethorpe, the plutonian (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)
Thank you, Bob, for all the joy you have given to so many musicians through your electronic instruments. Rest in peace.
Switched on Bach by Wendy Carlos, especially the last track (Initial Experiments). You can hear Wendy working with a prototype Moog pressure-sensitive keyboard, trying various settings and arrangements. Wendy's narration provides great background to the experiments. As a geek, it is (by far) my favorite track on the CD.
RIP, Bob.
powered by +/-12V DC, with lots of silver toggle switches, red LEDs, black plastic knobs, and a big patch panel of jacks for audio and Control Voltage in/out.
Oscillate wildly, Robert Moog.
See also: Robert Moog Wikipedia page.
Wikipedia article on Robert Moog.
How many fulltime jobs can one man have?
"Whose synthesizer is this?"
"It's a sampler, baby."
"Whose sampler is this?"
"Bob's."
"Who's Bob?"
"Bob's dead, baby. Bob's dead..."
Join Tor today!
It's a shame to see he's gone. His work lead to generations of synthesizers, dominating the music scene of the 80s. Plus you just gotta love that little riff from The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" :)
Some think the Internet is a bad thing. I just think that AOL is a bad thing.
Or, for the /. crowd:
It's pronounced "moag", as in, "Worf, son of".
The Man Behind the Machines
What would the world of modern music be like without the inventions of Bob Moog? One answer would be: very boring. Bob Moog's namesake analog synthesizers have affected popular music in ways he might not have expected back in 1954 when he began building theremins with his father. But 50 years later, Bob's musical instruments have catapulted so many styles of music into the future, and his contributions to both players and technicians grow even more profound in retrospect.
Where would R&B, rap and hip-hop be if groups like Parliament and Funkadelic hadn't used Moog keyboards? Where would rock and roll be if groups from Yes to the Beatles hadn't used Moog keyboards? Would jazz music have branched off into fusion without Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea using Moog keyboards? Where would Rob Malda be without all of the handjobs he gave to Moog? And would classical music have enjoyed such resurgence without Wendy Carlos and her modular Moog synthesizer? The questions are hypothetical, of course, because synthesizers have infiltrated every style of music, and so many companies have tried to recreate that analog sound. But above all the copycats and spin-offs, it always comes back to one name: Moog.
After ten years of making theremins, providing unearthly sounds to science fiction movies and avante garde musicians, Bob Moog met experimental composer Herbert Deutsch, whose search for electronic sounds inspired Bob to create the first Moog Modular Synthesizer. Though Bob took on the project just for fun, when he premiered it at the Audio Engineering Society Convention in October of 1964 the response was immediate and Bob started taking orders on the spot. By the time he received a graduate degree (PhD in Engineering Physics, Cornell University) in the summer of 1965, the R. A. Moog Co. had delivered several modular synthesizer systems, mostly to academic and experimental composers. But it would be a few years later when public awareness of Moog synthesizers would leap ahead beneath the nimble fingers of Wendy Carlos.
Carlos' renowned album "Switched-On Bach" was released on Columbia Records at the
end of 1968, achieving immediate success. The album went on to sell over a million copies, creating a sharp demand for Moog modular synthesizers throughout 1969 and early 1970. Many "switched-on" records were produced during that period. By the end of 1970, the now incorporated R. A. Moog Inc. introduced the Minimoog®, a compact performance synthesizer based on the technology of Moog modular products, enabling keyboardists to take the Moog on the road. And that began a decade of music that would be forever altered by the Minimoog and its incomparable sounds.
R. A. Moog Inc. officially changed its name to Moog Music Inc. in 1971 and became a division of the now defunct Norlin Music in 1973. Moog synthesizers were widely used by professional musicians and the "Sound of the Moog" became an integral part of our musical culture. The list of songs is far too long to print here, but from rock to R&B, from jazz to classical music, the Moog sounds were everywhere.
At the end of 1977, Bob left Moog Music and in 1978 founded Big Briar for the purpose of developing and building electronic musical instruments with novel player interfaces. Actual Moog keyboards were made for the better part of the next decade by Norlin Music, but with the heart and soul of Moog gone, Moog keyboards ceased production by 1986. Though gone from his namesake company, Bob's interest in synthesizers and instruments could not be quelled. From 1978 to 1992, Bob operated Big Briar on a small scale and kept building custom instruments. He was also representing Synton, a Dutch manufacturer of modular equipment, and providing consultation services to other music technology manufacturers. In addition, Bob served as Kurzweil Music Systems' Vice President of New Product Research from 1984 through 1989, and taught music technology courses at the University of North Carolina at Asheville from 1989 to
Terry Gross interviewed Robert Moog back in 2000. The interview is available online here:
y Id=1113447
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?stor
"He's like an Einstein of music," Carlini said. "He sees it like, there's a thought, an idea in the air, and it passes through him. Passing through him, he's able to build these instruments."
Wow, deep stuff, man, but don't bogart that joint. At first sight, I though Mr. Carlini must be some hack that CNN tapped for a quote. Turns out, Carlini is a force in the NYC entertainment industry -- http://carlinigroup.com/pdf/bio.pdf. Sorry for the PDF.
Let me join the rest of the music world in wishing Dr. Robert Moog peaceful journeys. Without his genius, we might never have experienced music as we know it today.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
I`m gonna listen Rick Wakeman all day
Robert Moog playing in an abandoned nuclear reactor hall at KTH after being awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2001. movie+pictures
When I moved to Asheville, NC a few years back I was pleasantly surprised to find that Moog, who work I had long admired, was also living here.
e ?AID=/20050822/NEWS01/50822006/1001
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl
Good-bye, and thank you.
If was your instrument and Walter--later Wendy--Carolos'work, which brought me to classical music.
Steven
its sad how another one bites the dust. May he rest in peace
dont cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?
Only the ancient synth geeks among us will have understood this emu pun/reference.
See here for emu info.
did you mean "fiction"?
Buchla Lives! But seriously, that guy deserves way more credit for advancing analog synthesis than Moog.
It was ELP's Lucky Man, and when I heard that thing I said "Man, I've got to do that." When my Vox Continental keyboard kept breaking down I got started in electronics, and when the Fairlight came out I switched to software.
I got to meet him once at an Audio Engineering Society convention; just shook his hand and said "Thanks".
He was the real thing.
The revolution will NOT be televised.
I think what we think of as "modern music" would not sound the same without it.
Keith Emersons' heart stopping sounds at
the close of the single "Lucky Man" was
probably my first exposure to synthesizer
music. I later heard Switched on Bach as
well as many of the electronic german bands
who specialized in synthesis.
Some synthesizer-predominant artists
such as Tangerine Dream, Synergy,
Kraftwerk, Michael Hoenig, Klaus Schulze,
Ash Ra Tempel, Vangelis, Wendy Carlos,
and SFF among many, many others simply
wouldn't sound the same OR actually
sound at all without them.
I think of an interview with the canadian
band Saga who at one time owned "one of
everything" that Moog made and was offered
an endorsement deal from Moog and they said
"why bother? We already own everything you
make!" That's a ringing endorsement.
And the secret to the Moog sound was the filters
in those instruments. Every synthesizer made
had their own unique sound. But everyone tried
to copy the Moog filter sound and didn't quite
succeed.
I bet they will still be buying Minimoogs' in
100 years - something about that design and
sound with tweakable knobs urges playing.
Small wonder that in the 80s when synth
makers went to touch panels or increment and
decrement buttons players liked them less
even though the sounds were unique because
the interface made you play a certain way.
The sound was more alive when you could
manipulate the sound with knobs while
playing.
Notable makers who used the "knobs as sound
shaping devices" were Wolfgang Palm of the
venerable PPG (and later Waldorf) as well as
Roland who resurrected the "plethora of knobs"
idea with their JD800. Knobs work and Mr.
Moog must have just understood this. Some
others did too.
But the Moog sound was instantly identifiable.
And it is still used today. And very likely
100 years from now. That Minimoog voyager
with blue LEDs is an object of lust for more
than just a few.
Bon Voyage, Robert:
Let's hope he'll rest in peace or spend eternity
driving God insane with giant filter sweeps on
the biggest modular in the universe.
Any ham radio types out there with a 'grid dip meter' can easily play the therimin: just tune your ham rig to a frequency that the dipper is on, and wave your hand near the coil. I was doing it last night and it's strangly addictive. There's no volume control like on a real one tho.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
beeep boop booooooop beeep boop booooooooop beeep boop booooop, beeep boop boooooop, beeep boop booooop...
I'll form my OWN solar system! With blackjack! And hookers!
ah.. He'll be missed. I built a digital theremin in 7th grade for a science fair. One of the most awe inspiring instruments I'vehttp://hpweb100.interact.nonreg/iiAdmin ever seen.
I'm going to have to listen to my Walter Carlos version of "Switched on Bach" - on vinyl.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
If you have it somewhere: I Feel Love by Donna Summer. Baseline is Giorgio Moroder and the classic MS-10/SQ-10 pair. Must have been the first introduction to a sequencer for most people. Little did they know.. He will be missed.
Oh, come on.
Were you even born when the events you allude to happened?
Everybody with any familiarity with electronic music knows that Switched-On Bach had a different name on it. So did the first couple of others, including my favorite The Well-Tempered Synthesizer.
Nobody over the emotional age of five gives a shit.
My old man owned a copy of Switched on Bach when I was little, and I loved Walter (later Wendy) Carlos' interpretations.
As I grew up learning the piano, then getting to love electronics and later computing, the Micromoog was in my electronics lab right beside the soldering iron, so I could riff while I worked. I got it as a cast off gift from a musician when I repaired his new synthesizer.
While the micro is now long gone (experimented on to death by my brother and I), synthesizers still hold a special place, and I own a Yamaha DX7 to this day, which is still awesome.
Rob Moog will be missed by this programmer dearly.
Newsfollow.com
...in tribute to Bob Moog:
bweeep boop bweep
/me queues up some Rush out of respect.
"Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone..."
Well, the AC got modded as troll, probably because of his wording. But I'll rephrase his point of view and present the opposite as well:
Pro-electronic music: synthesizer and samplers are instruments, just like a harpsichord or a bassoon. Instruments are just tools that channel the creativity of composers and performers. Therefore you still have to be a good composer or performer to make good music with electronics.
Against electronic music: synthesizer and samplers sounds very good with little to no effort or talent. Therefore, a whole generation of people without talent, or the ability or patience to learn to play an instrument through years or practice, started to spew out what they think is music, but really isn't much more than a cold, soulless collection of sounds at best.
My opinion is: yes, both.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
>> I Feel Love by Donna Summer
Either that or just shoot yourself in the kneecap with a nailgun. Same effect.
Why is this modded troll? It's good information for anybody interested in the life work of Moog.
We will miss you Bob!
To get an idea of how powerful and diverse a Moog synthesizer can be, check out Joy Electic. Ronnie Martin is by no means everyone's cup of tea. His music brings to my imagination an atari on crack, or a manic Trent Reznor on a sugar rush.
At the least, check out images of Ronnie's Lab.
In honor of one of the great electronic music pioneers i'll go out an buy a "mooger fooger" first this tommorrow.
( dispite the fact that I still dont have a clue about what a "mooger fooger" does. But the name is fucking awesome! )
Retep Vosnul
Posted anon for obvious reasons. Disclaimer: I'm an electronica fan, and of Goa-Psy trance especially, so this kinda stinks as my music enjoyment owes a lot to what this guy did.
I was fortunate to meet Bob at the Theremin festival, in of all places Erie PA, when I was working on my senior thesis, a visual guide to playing the theremin.
I traded emails with him for a while and he reviewed my work which was a visual communications prpblem more than anything. He was extremely nice and down to earth. I even asked if he would be interested in publishing it and I think he might have even considered it for a minute or two, though nothing ever came of it.
I was amazed how approachable and interested he was in talking to people about his work even 30 years or more! He seemed quite introverted and shy, and a bit put off by the psychos who are typically obssessed with analog synths,
He gave a lecture on the history of electronic music, followed by a classically trained Thermenists performance.
I hope Big Briar will continue without him they make some amazing stuff...
Not a lot of people know this, but this classic dance machine from '83 actually uses Moog's transistor filter stack.
Arturia, for those of you with a few hundred bucks to spend, has a software model of the both the Minimoog and the wall sized Moog Modular. It's one of the best ways (that i've found) to get warm, analog synth goodness out of my machine. Bob Moog will surely be missed - and his contributions to the electronic world will live on, with or without the original, gargantuan equipment.
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. - Albert Einstein
Though Bob Moog was obviously a genius of electronic instrument design, he is often credited with being the first to develop the voltage-controlled oscillator and voltage controlled filter. Actually the credit should go to Dr. Freidrich Adolf Trautwein and his Trautonium, a vacuum tube behemoth constructed in Germany in 1930. The VCOs were thyratron tubes (similar to solid state SCRs) that were used as relaxation oscillators, which were tuned by applying a negative voltage to their control grids. There are schematics available for similar tube synth circuits available at Metasonix, which also has tube synth modules for sale.
The Moog Cookbook is a cool duo from LA that does cover versions of 80s/90s/00s tunes using (primarily) Moog instruments. Available on iTunes, they have some great covers of Lenny Kravitz, Green Day, Nirvana, Soundgarden, an others.
Bob Moog proved that the term "honorable businessman" is not an oxymoron, at least not in his case.
Bob had the occasion to visit Raymond Scott in his studio, and see one of Scott's secret inventions-- the sequencer. Scott unfortunately, was very protective of his ideas-- so much so that he undoubtedly took many of them to his grave. Scott didn't want his secret invention to get out-- though apparently needed some confirmation from someone qualified to appreciate it, else why would Bob be seeing it in the first place?
Consequently, the Moog Synthesizers did not have sequencers until the competition came up with them and started beating Moog up in the marketplace, so finally Scott let Bob off the hook and allowed Bob to manufacture sequencers for his synthesizers. Bob probably could have just stolen the idea, though in fact it's likely he would have arrived at it independently, but because Bob was honorable, he didn't use the sequencer concept without Scott's OK.
Just one of a wide variety of great stories. They don't make them like that anymore...
I got to meet Bob briefly in L.A. at the unveiling of the Fairlight CMI in the 1970s (or was it early '80s, I forget)-- he was involved in some of the PR of the instrument. It was a small group, and Bob gave a nice talk on music technologies. Great guy...
The Moog VCF is still being emulated (along with most of his other components) in digital "virtual analog" synthesizers today. I had a chance to pick up a classic Moog modular setup in the '70s for about $500. I still kick myself for passing it up. (big darn thing though, I had an Arp 2600 at the time (still have) and preferred the convenience of it, but while the 2600 has increased in value, not nearly as much as an original Moog modular-- plus the coolness factor now of a big 1/4" jack patched synth would now be pretty hard to beat)...
Same person. Walter became Wendy between "Switched on Bach" and "Switched on Bach 2" She also did the soundtrack Tron, among others.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Oh fuck. I have that record too. On vinyl. But nothing to play it on...
... real. The warmth and inprecision of the analog synths make it sound natural, even if the sounds themselves are crazy.
When I still had a record player, I played it a lot. Really great stuff. When you compare it to the awful "sampled on Bach" you'll notice that although the latter uses samples, the former sounds more
Rush playes music live which requires synthesizers, since there are only 3 of them sometimes Geddy Lee has to play bass and play synthesizers at the same time using the Moog Taurus bass pedals. Even though it's just triggerd sounds the coordination needed takes talent to pull off.
Back in the late '80s I found one for sale at a used record store in Miami
Only $300...
That thing was fun to play with...
I kept going to the store and amusing the owner with all the weird noises I made with it, but I just kept procrastinating over buying it and eventually someone else got it...
Goofy, Geeky Gifts and More!
As a fan of Walter (now Wendy) Carlos, Tangerine Dream, Tomita, Brian Eno and Stevie Wonder I bid you farewell sir and offer these few words of thanks.
Regards
Ed Almos
Budapest, Hungary
The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. - Tacitus, 56-120 A.D.
I think what we think of as "modern music" would not sound the same without it.
Keith Emersons' heart stopping sounds at
the close of the single "Lucky Man" was
probably my first exposure to synthesizer
music. I later heard Switched on Bach as
well as many of the electronic german bands
who specialized in synthesis.
Some synthesizer-predominant artists
such as Tangerine Dream, Synergy,
Kraftwerk, Michael Hoenig, Klaus Schulze,
Ash Ra Tempel, Vangelis, Wendy Carlos,
and SFF among many, many others simply
wouldn't sound the same OR actually
sound at all without them.
I think of an interview with the canadian
band Saga who at one time owned "one of
everything" that Moog made and was offered
an endorsement deal from Moog and they said
"why bother? We already own everything you
make!" That's a ringing endorsement.
And the secret to the Moog sound was the filters
in those instruments. Every synthesizer made
had their own unique sound. But everyone tried
to copy the Moog filter sound and didn't quite
succeed.
I bet they will still be buying Minimoogs' in
100 years - something about that design and
sound with tweakable knobs urges playing.
Small wonder that in the 80s when synth
makers went to touch panels or increment and
decrement buttons players liked them less
even though the sounds were unique because
the interface made you play a certain way.
The sound was more alive when you could
manipulate the sound with knobs while
playing. Malda's tendencies to to penetrate himself
with a stalk of celery also accelerated this trend.
Notable makers who used the "knobs as sound
shaping devices" were Wolfgang Palm of the
venerable PPG (and later Waldorf) as well as
Roland who resurrected the "plethora of knobs"
idea with their JD800. Knobs work and Mr.
Moog must have just understood this. Some
others did too.
But the Moog sound was instantly identifiable.
And it is still used today. And very likely
100 years from now. That Minimoog voyager
with blue LEDs is an object of lust for more
than just a few.
Bon Voyage, Robert:
Let's hope he'll rest in peace or spend eternity
driving God insane with giant filter sweeps on
the biggest modular in the universe.
(1) See Fletch: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089155/
I used to hang out on the Analogue Heaven mailing list a few years ago. At that time the news that Mr. Moog would come out with a modern version of his classic Minimoog synth was all the hype.
Lots of people were willing to fork over $2500 for this monophonic synth... many even paid a few hundred bucks extra for a "Signature Edition" which the man had personally autographed. I thought this was all a bit ridiculous, but it was evidence of his synth superstardom. I wonder if these autographed Minimoogs will raise in value now that the man has passed away...
"synthesizer and samplers sounds very good with little to no effort or talent."
But there are a whole host of people for whom songs built from a loops and a few simple keyboard phrases don't appeal.
Therefore, it's a question of the listener's taste rather than musician's ability.
When it came to technology and art, Bob Moog actually "got it" compared to nearly everyone else in the IT world. (See my Slashdot profile for my statement about why I believe technology exists) He knew that he was the engineer (a brilliant one at that) and not the musician. He knew that the musician was the one with the "magical connection" to the instrument. This is what seems to be lacking in the rest of IT when thinking about the end users. He "got it" and nearly everyone else doesn't.
-"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
if the RIAA( recording ass. of america) could be as innovative. MQQGER FOOGERS!
C'mon... the Polymoog?!? Who in their right mind would buy a glorified organ when the Prophet-5 was available for the same price? Typical tale of small business owner who got caught up in the hype and innovation died. He milked the mini-moog for over 10 years and didn't have a true polyphonic sucessor until the Memorymoog... and it's tuning issues are legendary.
His latest products rock! I have the MF-101 and 104 and they are truly a delight. Hope his sons further the business.
The basis of electronica is the Darmstadt electronic compositions of the 1950s, when Karlheinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti were active, some years before Moog became known to the public.
Back when I was a kid my dad made one for my mom, that used optical sensors. It always fascinated me, and I enjoyed the way it was used in so many shows and movies, everything from The Outer Limits to The Day The Earth Stood Still.
Guess I'll get it out tonight and play a song for Bob, and thank him for all his many contributions that have enriched so many of our lives.
"Can there be a Klein bottle that is an efficient and effective beer pitcher?"
I believe that Simon and Garfunkel's "Save the Life of my Child" was the first song to utilize a Moog; stick that in your playlist and smoke it.
As an aside completely unrelated to that last bit, it's a wild song; very psychedelic, and not what one would expect from S&G.
sound of taps on a theramin (if you ever knew what the hell a theramin was playing)
Second, our design work is an ongoing collaboration with many technically-trained people. For instance, many Moog products, including our recently-introduced Minimoog Voyager, have benefited from our collaboration with Rob Malda, a child molesting pervert. And of course, the Piano Bar, our latest product, is an ongoing collaboration between Don Rinkles and us. Jeff Bates has been molesting boys since he was a teenager, and his shit-encrusted meat popsicle has popped more ass-cherry than all the niggers on death row."
not 1964...
She, uh, switched between Bachs eh?
I'm sorry to disagree. Synthesizers didn't create a whole generation of talentles musicians. The record companies did, the public that bought the records did. A good composition isn't defined by the sounds you use. Composing is an art and no musical instrument be it a violin or a sampler will ever disguise lack of talent. I know.....I'd be rich and famous by know instead of producing pages and pages of php code and just playing in my own free time.
You and the ones who moderated you up: Get a sence of humor.............
Born in 1934 in New York City, Moog paid for his studies at Queens College and Columbia University by building and marketing theremins, which are played by passing the hand through and around vibrating radio tubes. Theremins were used create the spooky "eww-woo-woo" sounds on the soundtracks of science fiction films such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
Um, no. Theremins are not played by "passing the hand through and around vibrating radio tubes."
There are two ANTENNAS protruding from the cabinet and you wave you hands around the antennas.
FFS, how can someone be so blinking ignorant?
I saw an old film of the Theremin being played by Termen and I fell in love with it. I have found schematics and other instructions to build one with tubes. I'm currently scrounging around garage sales for the stuff I need to build one as they were originally designed.
I've read that the tube based ones sound much better than the IC based ones..
Aren't we forgetting the hordes of technically talented guitarists, bassoon players and whatnot spewing out album after album of bland chords and scales with no artistic content?
The synthesizer (or actually the sequencer) disconnected technical quality from talent, but to this day creativity has very little to do with neither electronics nor fast fingers.
Then consider this: guitars and drums make anyone look cool playing them, thus no need for worthwhile music being played. Synths (or laptops...it's the 2000s now ya'know) on the other hand, look so geeky that the creative output will be judged (more fairly) by ears alone.
There's no 'on' position on the Slacker switch!
what is UP with you liberals and your total disrespect for life? every god damned liberal i've ever had the misfortune of encoutering has always bene quick to make jokes about people's deaths or advocate killing babies or shrugging off the hell and damnation they will face when they die
maybe you're all juts so scared to die because you've got an eterinity of hellfire ahead of you
it's time to stop this nonsense. forget about your techno "music" and your "culture" and start going to church where you'll get some good quality music for a change!
Oh crap..
From this link (or Google cache,
So what do *you* listen to, captain taste?
As a fan of analog synths (ok, so emo is big on it, but so is retro pop), the sounds produced by an analog synth are much different than those produced on a digital synth. Most people have probably not played an analog synth, but the tones are, er warmer. They have a distinctive sound (aka: The Cars, The Rentals, Blondie, The Get Up Kids, The Sounds, The Beastie Boys...) but they do not have that "cheap" sound that digital (aka your first Casio Tonebank keyboard) synths have.
Not to mention it takes work to find good analog tones, they are not push button (analog modeling synths sometimes are) or at least you have to program them first. And the expression inputs affect the sound as well.
So the troll is really way off base here. Bob Moog really added to modern music. Sampling has nothing to do with Moog synths, sorry bud. Plus I love his ring mod guitar pedals (too bad they are $300 a pop).
As an aside, maybe they could lower the price of the new mini-moogs to below a couple of grand, or re-issue the prodigy models (I want one!).
I've got the "By Request" Album (vinyl) with `Walter`'s caricature and credits on it.
Needless to say, I also have SOB and WTS as Walter. SOB-II album I have and Sonic Seasonings has `Wendy` on it.
20 years ago, I build my own monophonic synthesizer using (I think, it's been a while) 755 and 756 Voltage Controlled Oscillators with Bob Moog and Wendy clearly being the motivation.
We (had a friend in with me) built a 1-octave key bank and kept most everything on breadboards.
We did etch a few copper plates for our circuits but it was a cool project.
if you steal from one source, that is plagiarism, if you steal from many, well, that's just research.
I wasn't happy to hear about the news of his death. I just sent him some cheerfull words a month ago after learning of his illness, my mother went through the same but she survived. I am so sick of hearing about brain tumors, the thought make me sick. Anyway, if you are a fan of any type of music, Moog has influenced it in some way. I still dream of owning a Minimoog and/or micromoog. I havent seen anything that could replace one of these on the market today. Even virtual instruments. No one has been able to capture the magic of those instruments. ... I fade away thinking about a moog bassline.
RIP Mr. Moog, your contributions will never be forgotten. Thanks.
I remember being a kid and listening to this album over and over and over again on my father's 4-channel system (while tripping out on the cover art).
My father still has that old Sansui quadrophonic setup (and the original speakers).
Come to think of it, he might still have this vinyl sitting in the middle of his "Kingston Trio" collection...
I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
Clarification: MS10 and SQ10 are Korg models, although of the same popular analog design as Moog's pioneering equipment about 10 years earlier.
Regarding I Feel Love (1977), it's likely the first sequencer track heard by the big audience, and yet today it's got an interesting balance between catchiness and experimentation. Also uncannily true to later formulations of techno...
There's no 'on' position on the Slacker switch!
just change the wikipedia entry, and then he will have it right.
A punk rock website beat you to this news...punk...rock. This is a tech website...a tech site that lost to a dinky (by /. standards, at least) site ostensibly dedicated to a style of music that has historically eschewed the use of such techie devices (not strictly, mind, but by and large). I have actually lost most of the respect I had remaining for good ol' slashdot...
"How like you to drag your keyboard to a gun fight." - Aaron Bedard (BANE)
He came to speak at a music store where I was working in Chicago about 10 years ago that sold Theramins. I knew a little about what he'd done, but didn't really grasp the bredth of his life and experiences at the time, which is probably good, because I just had a normal conversation with him in the storage room about soup and travelling in Africa. I recall that he was not afraid to pass gas audibly in front of you, which was somehow almost endearing, when juxtaposed with his candor. He was interesting to talk with and kinder than I expect someone with his fame to be.
When I was about 8, I remember hearing Switched on Bach in someone's car. The sound of the Moog synthesizer intrigued me, and after that point I tried to find recordings and information about synthesizers. In my teens, I started tinkering with electronics kits to make various oscillator circuits, and I continued to collect synthesizer related material. I went into electrical engineering in college and have since made a career out of electronics.
Just last year, I bought a Moog Theremin, which included an instructional DVD with an introduction by Bob Moog. It was nice to see one of my childhood heroes on the DVD. Some kids are inspired by people like football players, baseball player, or firemen; my inspiration was Bob Moog.
Dr. Moog was perhaps the best at bridging the gap between artists and technology. He'd be the first to admit he was not the first synthesizer inventor, but he is widely regarded as the synthesizer pioneer because he worked closely with musicians to bring the technology out of the lab and into the studio. Many of his modules are the direct result of trial-and-error testing: he would build a module, say a coincidence switch, then have for example W. Carlos try to work with it and get feedback on what it did well and what needed improvement. It was several years of this sort of engineering->field use->feedback cycle that resulted in the Moog 15, Minimoog and so on. This was Bob's true skill: being able to turn the desires of the musician into something they could actually use.
Bob's booth at NAMM was a dozen feet from ours from 2001-2003. Bob was such a low-key guy, he often did what lots what other highbrow names in the music industry wouldn't do: he would do things himself. I still remember when he was there alone in the booth, tweaking one of his Minimoog Voyagers, and needed to borrow a soldering iron. Our booth's boss--who like the rest of us staffing the booth became EEs and synthgeeks *because* of the affable white-haired Doctor--had one when Bob walked over to politely ask to use it:
http://www.oldcrows.net/synthshop/moog_setup.jpg
That picture is what Bob was all about. Always tweaking, never afraid to do whatever was needed himself, even when it was showtime.
Goodbye, Bob--you were a great teacher but an even greater friend.
> The basis of electronica is the Darmstadt electronic compositions of the 1950s
:-)
Well, they were preceeded by the Theramin, so 'basis' may be a bit strong.
But a key point is that Stockhausen and Ligeti were composers who, like Harry Partch, created instruments as a biproduct of creating their music. To a significant degree, when the music was done, so was the instrument.
Moog was an instrument builder only, and his efforts toward perfecting his machines continued for decades.
In summary, his contribution is that of enabling musicians, not that of creating works per se. And we can hope that his impact will far outlast that of Stockhausen
My goal is to live my life such that I am mentioned on a slashdot blurb when I die.
or else!
The audience went absolutely apeshit. Everyone there knew about him, about the instruments, and to say they were glad to see him was an understatement --- the way it was reported to me he got more applause than the band did.
Does anyone remember this story? Can anyone provide references?
Assuming for the moment that you're right about the skill required for real electronic synthesizers rather than the toys. What is the problem? I get the feeling that we're supposed to defer all creativity to a group of elite musicians. Ie, if you haven't practiced for X period of years, then you're not supposed to generate music good or bad?
First Stephen King, now Dr Moog. Truly American icons.
I own a Moogerfooger Low Pass Filter (and a Control Panel) and it is way cool as an effect pedal. It's also an engineering momument.
The music world will miss you Bob. I hope Moog Music lives on and continues to produce innovative products.
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
Better shit than any of you asswipes care about. Whitesnake, Warrant, Poison, any of them could kick your sorry ass.
The Chamberlin came before the Mellotone.
Lawpoop, as in rhymes with "scoop", not "ope" like the Catholic leader. ;)
Ignorance is not a crime; neither should it be a way of life
Congress control $ = inmates run the asylum
A collection of electropop records. Most of them feature the Moog as the main instrument.
Off the top of my head, these are the albums I own that utilize the moog:
Hugo Montenegro - Moog Power
Hugo Montenegro - Neil's Diamonds
Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior
Edan - Beauty And The Beat
There is a distinct sound with the moog. I'm not a musician, so maybe it's an effect I'm making up, but I notice it.
Still looking for a copy of Moog Indigo on vinyl.
From 1968 to 1973, I worked with Robert Moog.
... along with Bode ring oscillators, third-octave vocoders, two flat-plate echo chambers, and a handful of multitrack Ampex tape decks.
... a creative engineer, artistically aware, supportive of everyone from egocentric musician to a hopeful but uncertain technician.
I was just an undergraduate, assigned to maintain the synthesizer at the University/Buffalo; Bob would often visit and show me nifty wrinkles and hacks for the system. It was a time when your fingers were likely found on a sliderule, an oscilloscope probe, or the cork of a soldering iron.
For his large synthesizers, Moog's circuit cards were etched and soldered by hand, and fitted into a wood frame work, with a spiffy black anodized front panel. The potentiometers were a constant headache: even milspec pots developed noise after a month of hard use by musicians.
Bob standardized on one volt per octave for his voltage controlled oscillators; my job was keeping these working
A visit from Bob Moog might mean experimenting with nonlinear mixers, measuring how an audio expander could minimize apparent noise, or the Fourier transforms of trumpets and coronets. With patch cords hanging around his neck, Bob helped rewire my homebrew Theramin to minimize drift, using a 2N107 germanium transistor as a thermal sensor.
Thirty five years later, I've been an astronomer, computer jock, writer, lecturer, and Klein Bottle mogul. But I'll never forget Bob Moog
- Cliff Stoll 2005/8/22
...to the realization of the civil war. It is the working class vs. the non working class, and as our time traveling friend John Titor teaches us. He told us this war will start between 2004-2005 and we won't fully realize it until 2008. None of it will come as a suprise, it will be organized police establishments vs. rednecks with automatic shotguns. It will happen slowly in phases. People in rural areas will be marked as terrorists, and seen as a threat to the new, totalitarian government. Everything will be so gradual, we will never even notice it. Thanks to Russia, they will step in and speak for the non working class, and put an end to it. In 2036 our generator will be seen as the generation who had it all and pissed it away. We will be seen as lazy as we watched our government take away our rights, and our country. Things like this raid will become more and more common as time passes, and noone will think a thing about it. Titor said since he told us these things, we have a chance of stopping the civil war, but he thinks we won't. Three billion people will die, and the world is gonna have to start from scratch.
Sig: I stole this sig.
there's a great documentary on the life of Leon Theremin called Theremin - an electronic odyssey, in which Bob Moog is featured prominently. It also has a hilarious interview with Brian Wilson, who appears to be stoned out of his gourd. A definite must-see...
"the first compact, easy-to-use synthesizer"
Having used a Mini-Moog, I can tell you it is far from compact, and it is certainly not easy to use. Other than that, the Mini is nothing short of brilliance. Two VCOs form the basis of its authoritative sound. It falls short of a full blown ADSR, but it gets the job done.
One interesting thing I read is that there was a club that used to have jam sessions where guys would bring out their Minis and set them all to the same EXACT settings and exhibit completely different sounds.
The digital reproductions can't hold a candle... but those analogs could NEVER stay in tune...
Yeah, right.
Poison is one of the most talentless group of instrument owners ever to walk on a stage. The drummer couldn't keep a beat to save his life.
Warrant and Whitesnake played tasteless boring crap like most hair metal bands, but at least they knew how to play.
I bet you're a Skid Row fan too. Wanker.
...perhaps would be more fitting.
Well, Gottlieb Daimler invented the basis for the automobile, but Henry Ford made thost technologies much more accessable to the masses.
Snipped Off Cock... or something
Enjoy your "advanced apes banging on skins and thrapping amplified metal cords" music, you unsophisticated dipshit. Just don't try and beat us over the head with your lack of breadth, mmkay?
Stockhausen isn't as bad as he sounds.
But there are a whole host of people for whom songs built from a loops and a few simple keyboard phrases don't appeal.
Yes.
Therefore, it's a question of the listener's taste rather than musician's ability.
Yes. Taste is subjective. But that doesn't change the fact that talent does matter. Within any genre of music, or any kind of art, certain people will have wider and deeper appeal than others. Those people are generally called 'talented'.
"All bad poetry is honest." said Oscar Wilde. And by that, he meant that 'bad' poetry had great emotional significance to the person who wrote it, but very little for everyone else. You can say the same for all art, really.
Now that we've established that there is a certain general definition of 'good' and 'bad', even though it is subjective on the individual level. It follows that within different art forms the proportions of work which is 'good' versus that which is 'bad' could be different.
What I think the grandparent meant, was that the lower the barrier to entry of an art form (such as electronic music versus classical), the higher the proportion of 'bad' stuff.
One rationale for this would be that the barrier of entry to the medium matters less to a person with a strong need to express themselves. And that a stronger need to express yourself generally corresponds to an expression which resonates with more people. (and thus is 'better').
A poem takes less effort to write than a complete book, so you'd expect a bigger proportion 'bad' poetry than 'bad' novels. (and that's my experience, anyway) It takes more effort to write a symphony than a pop song. So the same goes there. And it takes less effort to write a minimalistic electronic piece than a song requiring a full band.
That doesn't mean that one medium is worse than the other! You can't compare works of art between different mediums. But I believe it does say something about the proportion.
In the field of minimalistic electronic music, Kraftwerk is perhaps the biggest group. They've sold millions of records. I don't think any have been as successful. So that means a large group of people out there must like Kraftwerk, but not other music in the same medium.
So no, it's not about the medium itself. There is a difference which comes from the artist's own ability.
Switched on Bach. Got it on Vinyl Should make a CD for the car
The 7555 is the low power CMOS version of the 555 timer chip (and the 556 is two of them on one chip-the 558 is a quad version), but perhaps you mean the 565 Phase-locked Loop and 566 Voltage controlled Function Generator (which were also used in conjunction with the 567 tone decoder in home brew Touch-Tone systems).
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
The irony of this is that one of Whitesnake's guitarists (Steve Vai) mourned Moog's passing.
Were there any drugs during the concert?
,yeah, maybe you are living that mini Orwellian nightmare we perceive from outside the US.
If yes, sorry, no simpathy, it is illegal, you should change the assholes that govern you.
If not, then
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
20 years ago, I build my own monophonic synthesizer using (I think, it's been a while) 755 and 756 Voltage Controlled Oscillators with Bob Moog and Wendy clearly being the motivation.
20 years ago.
1985.
Seems like an awful lot of trouble. Why didn't you just go down to the music store and buy a DX-7?
Check it and sign it:e thod=executeInit
http://www.caringbridge.com/cb/viewGuestbook.do?m
QUOTE: Where would Rob Malda be without all of the handjobs he gave to Moog?
Very clever. :rolleyes:
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
If the only interesting thing about Wendy Carlos is the different name on her earlier albums you're missing a very important point (and have big problems with your own sexuality).
I've heard being transgendered compared to a prison sentence: you've done your time, you've paid your debt to society, but some assholes just won't let you move on and forget something you'd really rather put behind you.
Personally, I'd rather listen to her breathtakingly beautiful (and deliciously weird) Beauty in the Beast. Of her early stuff, my fave remains The Well-Tempered Synthesizer.
...laura
Well, the other thing interesting about it is that a name-change is involved, so not everybody realizes that its the same person.
The only point I was making was that the Walter Carlos who recorded "Switched on Bach" was the same person as the Wendy Carlos the grandparent was raving about.
Not every mention of a sex-change is an assult on the person's lifestyle choice. Try not to be so hypersensitive.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
And it doesn't change the facts that he had his name on this crap gear and where was the innovation after the mini-moog? The Multi-moog? The Micro-moog?? Just repackaged.
Well I don't know about Robots and Computers but Bob Moog had nothing to do with Satan. Many people might be surprised to know that he was a devout Jew. He and his wife frequently hosted seders in his home for their friends and family. There's a beautiful photo of him on the caringbridge.com site showing this.
There is a fine line between accuracy and assholism, and many of the postings in this thread are on the wrong side of the line.
Sad, but this is Slashdot, so I'm not disappointed. Just embarrassed.
...laura
I wonder if the troll was confusing sequencers and synthesizers. A sequencer could substitute for talent but a synth could not.
But, I wanted socialized health insurance!
Fond memories of Keith Emerson
If I'd been a little richer I'd have bought one, but I had to settle for a crappy Arp 2600 with tiny girlie jacks.
RIP
-- www.globaltics.net
Political discussion for a new world
(why anonymous?)
DX-7 was too expensive and we didn't have any money.
We nickeled and dimed everything we could. We worked in an electronics lab environment in the entertainment sector so most of the tools and supplies were readily available.
The only things we had to buy were (as I remember):
switches for the keys
most of the power supply
565 and 566 chips
We used spare plastic sheets for the keyboard and had tons of spare wire.
We wanted to by a keyboard shell for our keyboard but that was $200. The other option was use a toy piano and that was $60 which was too much at the time for our budget.
So we used enough switches for 1 octave and had a dial that changed the frequency for the other octaves.
It was a pretty cool experiment/project
if you steal from one source, that is plagiarism, if you steal from many, well, that's just research.