Moog – The Forefather of Modern Music

Background

The year is 1964, a time in history in which many uprising stars in the sky of worldwide music culture emerged and evolved: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Simon & Garfunkel, and the list goes on….

But the hero of this book is none of the above. Instead, it is a brilliant engineering physicist named Robert Moog, who was about to change the way music and sounds were produced, forever.

A Bit of History

In the early 1960’s, electronic music technology was impractical and used mainly by experimental composers, exploring new ways of making sounds.
In 1963, Robert Moog, who designed and sold Theremins, met composer Herb Deutsch at a New York State School Music Association trade fair. Deutsch had been making electronic music using a Theremin, tape recorder and single-pitch oscillator, a time-consuming process that involved splicing tape. Recognizing the need for more practical and sophisticated equipment, Moog and Deutsch discussed the notion of a “portable electronic music studio”.

At the time, synthesizer-like instruments filled rooms, so Moog was inspired to build a more compact, affordable and maybe even mobile instrument that would appeal to musicians.

Back then, synthesizers made use of hundreds of vacuum tubes. Moog, being a revolutionary, used silicon transistors – a newly developed technology. With these, he created the voltage-controlled oscillator – known as VCO, which generated a waveform, whose pitch could be adjusted by changing the voltage, and used it also to control loudness with voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs).
He was now ready to create the first prototype, thus laying the infrastructure for the synthesizers we know today – and he sure did. Upon completion he presented it to Deutsch, and according to Moog, when Deutsch saw it, he “went through the roof” and immediately began making music with the prototype, attracting the interest of passersby: “They would stand there, they’d listen and they’d shake their heads … What is this weird shit coming out of the basement?”
And so, the first synth of its kind, in a long and honorable dynasty of Moog synths in years to come, was born.

Here is one of the earliest recordings of the revolutionary machine:

Impact of a rising star 

The Moog was much smaller than previous synthesizers, and much cheaper, at $10,000 compared to the six-figure sums of other synthesizer. In addition, while previous synths were programmed with punch cards, Moog’s synthesizer could be played in real time via keyboard, making it attractive to musicians.

Soon, many mainstream artists began using it:

In 1968, Wendy Carlos, American musician and composer best known for her electronic music, released Switched-On Bach, an album of Bach compositions arranged for Moog synthesizer. It won three Grammy Awards and was the first classical album certified platinum. The Doors (“Strange Days”), The Beatles (“Here Comes The Sun”), The Rolling Stones and many, many more wanted a ticket to this ride of new, exciting and revolutionary method of making music.

An interview with Wendy Carlos,1989, BBC Two :

Switched on Bach – Concerto for 2 Harpsichords BWV 1061: III Fuga :

Modern Moog Synths

Moog Subsequent 25

Moog ONE

Synths Nowadays 

Many, if not the vast majority of artist nowadays, are using synths to produce the most exotic sounds for their new songs.

Daft Punk, a French duo I love very much myself, known for their electronic music, have teamed up with the renowned electronic music producer Giorgio Moroder. Together they recorded what I consider, nothing less, than a masterpiece, for their later to be known as their last album, Random Access Memories. The piece is called (surprisingly) Giorgio by Moroder.

At the beginning of the track, you can hear Moroder telling about how it all began, and calling the synthesizer “the sound of the future”:

These days, synthesizers continue to evolve together with modern technology, thus creating more and more exciting new ways and options of creating sounds.

Who know, maybe Moroder was right, and the synthesizer is indeed the sound of the future. Only time will tell…