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| Robert Moog. |
Moog synthesizers have been a standard brand of electronic instruments since the mid 60’s. Dr. Robert Moog developed the first Moog synthesizer in 1950. The “Moog sound” can be found from rock to hip/hop, pop, experimental, electronic and more styles of music.
The American composer and electronic instrument inventor, Raymond Scott, influenced Moog by showing him “there were more elegant ways of controlling an electronic circuit”, (Moog, 1970s). This made Moog to progress with his own company (created when he was only 19 years old) and develop new technology to manipulate sound and “shape” the way you want.
If were not of Moog’s creations albums like “The Dark Side of the Moon”, “St. Pepper’s Lonely Harts Club Band”, and “Led Zepplin IV” would not be created or be at least the same as they are now. The unique capabilities of Moog Synths are not even replicated equally by other companies.
Moog Synthesizers had and still have a huge impact in electronic music by giving the musicians more capabilities to create new sounds by using its different VCOs (Voltage Controlled Oscillators), filters, pads, etc. Bands like Kraftwerk, one of the pioneers in the electronic music (Please see “Electronic Music” entry for more information about this band) helped to make this technology more “industry standard” with their use of the Mini moog in the “Autobahn” album, (Bussy, 1993). Also, Moog Synths can be found on well-known electronic bands from today’s society like MGMT, Justice, Deadmou5, Skrillex, Tiesto, etc.
In my opinion, Moog was one of the few pure scientists that revolutionized the music or added another “color palette” to music. Mr. Moog was not a musician and did not have any background in music education. He knew what to look for and what musicians demanded. Moog Synthesizers have become a standard instrument in the music industry for almost any music genre since the 50’s.
Your coverage of the advancement of Moog’s work is spotless. From the birth of an idea to the founding of an empire. Without Moog’s influence, no single genre of music would be what it is now. Your’ writing is impeccable, detailed, and conveys the history very well. I honestly could provide no criticism, as you seem to have the details and the writing skill. Moog’s recent death in 2005 was a world-wide shocker, and many people mourned the passing of such a great man who had come to shape the worlds sound. He is, and will be missed, and will go down in the history books as a defining factor in human expression.
ReplyDeleteYour explanation and in depth detail of Moog and his influence on music of the past and present was phenomenal. I can tell you have a passion for his work and contributions and have researched this topic in depth. His influence on albums such as the dark side of the moon lead to the most unique and influential albums of all time. The fact he was a scientist trying to cater to musicians and their creativity was a sure example of giving back to others at it's finest. There should be a national Moog day where people listen to and appreciate his contributions all over the world. Our ears have been blessed by this mans creation. I really like how you included the abilities of the Moog synthesizers and how diverse the sounds out of them can be.
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