Moog-Synthesizer
Under Moog synthesizer means the electronic musical instruments of the company founded by Robert Moog Moog Music.
The first experiments with electronic sound production Moog introduced in the 1950s. Only when replaced the electron tube in the 1960s, the transistor, it Moog was possible to produce a on the power consumption and the size of her studio acceptable device. He came in 1964 with a modular synthesizer system on the market, which resembled a cabinet with a piano keyboard.
In 1968 appeared a music album, which suddenly made known the Moog synthesizer as a serious musical instrument, especially among pop musicians: Switched-On Bach by Wendy Carlos ( who was called before her gender reassignment in 1972 Walter Carlos ). This album has interpreted the music of Johann Sebastian Bach on purely electronic way. It sounded so revolutionary and counterintuitive that Switched-On Bach was the then world's best-selling classical album. Recorded Carlos had the album in New York with a modular Moog system. Because the Moog monophonic, so unanimously sounded and did not exist in MIDI, personal computer and sequencer programs, she played the music in many runs a hand on an eight -track tape machine.
However, the company's economic breakthrough came only with the Minimoog, the first portable compact synthesizer with integrated keyboard.
In the 1970s the unit was lacking in almost any studio. Famous was the use of the synthetic sound, for example in the music of Keith Emerson and Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder, Uriah Heep, Manfred Mann, but most notably in electronic bands such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Pink Floyd put the Mini - Moog 1975 in the play Shine On You Crazy Diamond, in order to imitate the sound of a trumpet. Steve Winwood recognized the potential of the synthesizer for powerful bass sounds. From 1978, the Canadian heavy rock band Saga used the Moog synthesizer for its keyboard - dominated music. In the 90 years of the Moog synthesizer was considered a " retro synth ". Typical examples of its use can be found in the position taken by Warren G and Dr. Dre G-Funk. In addition to the rich bass the unit made especially for high-frequency, provided with portamento Pfeifklänge.
A whole album series devoted Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook the synthesizer and its inventor under the title Dark Side of the Moog.
The Minimoog is still used as a reference instrument for phonetic assessment of current synthesizer and PC synthesized sounds. However, the Minimoog missing MIDI capabilities, velocity and the ability to store sounds. In addition, the Minimoog was only monophonic playable.
Therefore, the company Moog developed over the following years, other models, such as the Memorymoog or 1976 " Polymoog ".
To make the legendary Moog sound and affordable for everyone, Moog later developed the " Prodigy ". This very compact synthesizer should be the most successful model for the Minimoog. The band The Prodigy named after this synthesizer.
By special visual presence, the model "Liberation " fell to the first keytar mass-produced. It was made popular by, inter alia, Nena, Spider Murphy Gang, Asia and Jan Hammer. It was based technically on the Moog Opus 3 and provided a rating based on the frequency divider system polyphony.
Meanwhile, legendary is the rare bass pedal " Moog Taurus". This pedal synthesizer is played with the feet and produces a very full sound. Built by Robert Moog for the composer Max Brand at the 1960 prototype of the Moog synthesizer is in Max Brand Archive in Langenzersdorf ( Austria ).
Jean Michel Jarre uses a variety of different models of Moog in his productions. For example, on Oxygene come inter alia, Moog Modular, Minimoog and the Liberation Keytar used.