What Does a Moog Synthesizer Do?

The Moog synthesizer was the first electronic analog instrument. Developed in the early 1960s, it revolutionized music forever by introducing electronic sound modulations into the music-making process, and by significantly widening the kinds of sounds an instrument is capable of producing.

History

Robert Arthur Moog, an engineer by profession, began marketing another electronic instrument, the Theremin, in the 1950s. In the mid-1960s, he got interested in how electronic sound could be broken down into basic blocks, or modules, and then used in a variety of combinations controlled by electrical impulses. His groundbreaking 1965 paper, "Voltage-Controlled Electronic Music Modules," outlined a way to standardize voltage output to create various sound effects.

Features

By breaking down the Moog's components to modules that funneled electricity to create various sound effects, Robert Moog was able to produce a large variety of sounds and also control them through a piano-like keyboard. Since this was done in the pre-digital age, with no microprocessors available, the first Moog synthesizers were quite large, often the size of a small room.

Significance

The Moog synthesizer gave musicians the ability to create a wide array of sounds, and to customize those sounds to their needs. Many bands, from The Rolling Stones to The Doors, have used the Moog synthesizer. Most notably, The Beatles used the Moog on their final studio recording, "Abbey Road." The best-selling recording of classical music in history, "Switched-On Bach," was done entirely on the Moog synthesizer.

Time Frame

Moog synthesizers continued to rise in popularity through the 1970s, and had notable proponents like Stevie Wonder, Sun Ra and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Disco music used the Moog extensively as well, notably in such songs as Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love."

Effects

The newer versions of the Moog synthesizer are not as unwieldy as the original models, and are known as Minimoogs. One notable feature of the Minimoog is a wheel controller mounted into the keyboard. The player can control the pitch by moving the wheel, creating an effect similar to the one guitarists can produce by bending a string. Another innovation was a set of pedals underneath the keyboard that produced a very deep, bass-like sound; they were used by bands such as Pink Floyd , Genesis and Rush.

Resources

• Official Moog Website