50th Anniversary of the Moog Modular Synthesizer

October 12, 2014 marks the 50 Year anniversary of the unveiling of the Moog modular synthesizer at the Audio Engineering Society's (AES) New York convention. On that day in 1964, Dr. Robert Moog introduced the world to a completely new type of instrument that would go on to change the course of music history and influence decades of future instrument design. Told by a Moog engineer, Moog Historian, and Bob Moog himself, this mini-documentary explores Moog Music's quest to resurrect the original methods, materials and designs used in the foundational modular synths. Through recreating Keith Emerson's modular system, Moog Music rediscovers the power, elegance, and enduring legacy of its first instruments.

Footage of Keith Emerson from the film "Isle Of Wight" used with permission of Murray Lerner.

Photo of Keith Emerson & Bob Moog at 4:28 by Mark Hockman

[tstop]

Having played, tuned, turned, pushed buttons, bandage repaired and tweaked Keith's original MOOG ( I was his tech from 2005 to 2010, and his friend for years before and after his passing) I can honestly say that Gene and Brian have done a thorough job reconstructing a true copy of Keith's MOOG, down to the WW2 airplane rocket FIRE switch I had installed in the upper left corner ( How they found one, I don't know). Bob said it well, Keith would listen to a new thing, fiddle with it, listen, and make it his own, incorporate the sound to make it his sound. The presets, the VCO's, the inner's part I can see, are all the same as I saw in the back of Keith's. And that "S" trigger. Yeeeehah. The mysteries . Thank you MOOG foundation, for this great video. And I still dearly miss my friend Keith, a genius, and a generous man. A brother to me. Marc Andre

[Achilles]

Nobody mentions Tangerine Dream. Keith Emerson and ELP put the Moog on the map but Tangerine Dream took the Moog to another level. Listen to TD's Alpha Centauri, Phaedra, Cyclone and Ricochet albums. The sounds from the Moog on those albums are amazing! TD takes full advantage of Moog's prowess. Listen to the albums, you will be amazed, I promise.

[apollolanding]

Damn it hurts that Bob and Keith are no longer with us. RIP gentlemen.

[Zymondo]

My mother brought home "Switched On Bach" when it first came out . . . not long after that I heard Lucky Man on the car radio one night after H.S. Jazz Band rehersal. Thank you Bob Moog, Wendy Carlos and Keith Emerson... truely the greatest of the greats ! ! !

[jameslee]

Keith Emerson RIP - Dude's DNA is forever hardwired into the circuitry of monumental beasts like this. The legend lives on.

[GraemeSPa]

Bob Moog's greatest inventions were logarithmic control node for oscillators and filters that gave a standard 1V/Octave response that made electronics musical .... his diode ladder filters that gave great rolloff and it was all packaged in a modular build that made sound creation possible for anyone with imagination who could afford one. I couldn't afford one but I had imagination, so built my own. Thank you Mr Moog for creating the future.

[arnaldotabosa]

Keith Emerson and Robert Moog, two genius ! Forever!

[cliffcarr]

R. I. P. Keith Emerson, you brought out the best from Moogs amazing equipment.

[MrPisster]

The richness of the Moog sound is just incredible.

[jadethom]

"Let's pass it on...let's share...let it be enjoyed". Beautiful words we can all apply to our life and those of others.

[mauriceclemens]

When I think of Moog Synthesizer I think of Keith Emerson. He did more for Keyboards and synthesized music than anybody else. He was a musical genius. Rest In Peace Keith, your fans love and miss you! I was lucky to have seen ELP from their first US tour till I went into the USAF in 1974. I wouldn’t give up those experiences for anything. ELP and Jethro Tull were my favorite bands to see in concert.❤️❤️❤️

[grandmasterjo]

Dr. Robert Moog
The gentleman, The genius,
The man who was responsible for the best music that came out of his synths from the best musicians.
Thank you Sir, your contribution to Analog synthesis is heard all over the world everyday.
Every time a Moog synth is heard, we hear your soul that you put in each machine.
RIP
Respect always.

[rbstevenumber]

I remember when I bought Emerson lake and palmer's first album in 1970, I'd seen Keith in the Nice in the late 60s here in the UK and there music done it for me. I was hooked, but when I heard ELPs first album the Moog solo on Tank blew my head of, I'd never heard this sound before so powerful, intense and exciting, even now when I play it, it makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. RIP Keith, you bought my much musical pleasure from when I first saw you in the Nice when I was 16 right up until you passed away. There will never be another keith Emerson or Band like Emerson lake and palmer.
RIP . Keith and greg, and Bob Moog.

[karlp]

The thing I love about Robert Moog's synthesizer is that it's instantly recognisable. When you see for example the cover of "Switched on Bach", you will from that point onwards recognise a Moog anywhere. It's a piece of industrial art.

[HighCrystal]

There will never be another Keith Emerson.Long live Moog.

[mediclimber]

Using "Lucky Man" as a closing song was perfect. Keith is sorely missed.

[loueckert]

I had a center-stadium seat at Emerson Lake and Palmer, and we sat just behind the control panel at the center of the quad spin. What a dream come true. Thanks Bob, we love you.

[javiersanchezdelabarquera]

It's as if these guys restored a cathedral. the same patience and the same care required by a historian, an archaeologist and a deep knower of how it was perceived in an era. Respect!!

[brooksbutler]

Keep the legacy alive; donate to The Bob Moog Foundation. Their Dr. Bob's SoundSchool initiative brings the science of sound into elementary schools to inspire the next generation of musicians and scientists. Today my 2nd graders watched wave forms in an oscillator as we discussed pitch and loudness. Then my 3rd graders played on our school's Moog Voyager after a keyboard lesson on improvisation on the black keys. Being a music teacher in Asheville, NC, just a few blocks from the Moog Music factory and The Moogseum is pretty awesome! Long live Dr. Bob.

[RichSad]

I saw ELP in the Hartford Civic Center. That was the best use of a modular synth live I've seen. And Lake and Palmer brought their A games too. I got to play with a Moog several years before that when one visited my middle school. Sitting down as a young teen to play with such an exciting emerging musical technology was mind blowing. RIP Bob, Keith, and Greg.