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{{Short description|Analog synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music}} | |||
{{Infobox_synthesizer | | |||
{{Infobox synthesizer | |||
image = Minimoog.JPG | | |||
| image = Minimoog.JPG | |||
| image_caption = | |||
synth_manufacturer = ]| | |||
| synth_name = Minimoog | |||
synthesis_type = ] ]| | |||
| synth_manufacturer = ] | |||
polyphony = None| | |||
| synthesis_type = ] ] | |||
vco = 3 ]s, ]/]| | |||
| polyphony = ] | |||
timbral = 1| | |||
| timbrality = ] | |||
vcf = 24dB/oct, 4-pole ]<br> with cutoff, resonance, <br>] generator, <br>keyboard tracking| | |||
| oscillator = 3 ], ]/] | |||
vca = ADSR envelope generator| | |||
| filter = 24dB/oct, 4-pole ]<br /> with cutoff, resonance,<br /> ] generator,<br /> keyboard tracking | |||
lfo = Oscillator 3 can function as LFO | | |||
| attenuator = ADSR envelope generator | |||
keyboard = 44-note, low-note priority| | |||
| aftertouch = | |||
left_control = ] and ] wheels| | |||
| lfo = Oscillator 3 can function as LFO (original and 2016 reissue), dedicated extra LFO (2016 reissue only) | |||
ext_control = ]/gate| | |||
| synth_hardware = | |||
fx = ]<br> using oscillator 3/noise| | |||
| keyboard = 44-note, low-note priority | |||
dates = 1970 - 1982| | |||
| left_control = ] and ] wheels | |||
price = US$1495| | |||
| ext_control = ]/gate, ] in/out/thru (2016 reissue only), glide and decay via 0.206" dia Switchcraft S-260 plugs (not on 2016 reissue) | |||
| sample = | |||
| velocity = | |||
| memory = | |||
| fx = ]<br /> using oscillator 3/noise | |||
| dates = 1970–81, 2016–2017, 2022-present | |||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Minimoog''' is |
The '''Minimoog''' is an ] first manufactured by ] between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular ], it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popular with ] and ] musicians and found wide use in ], ], ] and ]. | ||
Production of the Minimoog stopped in the early 1980s after the sale of Moog Music. In 2002, founder ] regained the rights to the Moog brand, bought the company, and released an updated version of the Minimoog, the ]. In 2016 and in 2022, Moog Music released another new version of the original Minimoog. | |||
== Design == | |||
The Minimoog has six sound sources. Five of these (three ]s with switchable waveforms, a noise generator, an external line input) pass to a mixer with independent level controls. The mixed output of the sources is then passed through the ] (VCF) and a ], each of which has its own ] generator. The VCF can itself be made to oscillate, thus comprising the Minimoog's sixth sound source. | |||
== Development == | |||
The output of the third oscillator and/or the noise generator can also be routed to the control voltage inputs of the filter and/or oscillators. The amount of pitch or filter modulation thus realized is controlled by the modulation wheel, which is the right one of the two plastic disks located to the left of the keyboard. In this way the third oscillator is frequently used as a ] to control pitch. | |||
] | |||
In the 1960s, ] manufactured ]s, which helped bring electronic sounds to music but remained inaccessible to ordinary people. These ]s were difficult to use and required users to connect components manually with ]s to create sounds. They were also sensitive to temperature and humidity, and cost tens of thousands of dollars.<ref name="Red Bull">{{Cite web|url=http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2017/10/instrumental-instruments-minimoog|title=Minimoog: The First Truly Portable Synthesizer|last=Weiner|first=Sophie|date=October 20, 2017|website=]|access-date=2018-11-28}}</ref> Most were owned by universities or record labels, and used to create soundtracks or ]s; by 1970, only 28 were owned by musicians.<ref name="Red Bull"/> | |||
Hoping to create a smaller, more reliable synthesizer, Moog engineer Bill Hemsath created a prototype by sawing a keyboard in half and wiring several components into a small cabinet.<ref name="Red Bull"/> Moog president ] felt the prototype was fun, but did not initially see a market for it.<ref name="Red Bull"/> Moog and the engineers created several more prototypes, adding features such as the suitcase design to aid portability.<ref name="Red Bull"/> | |||
The Minimoog can be controlled using its in-built, 44-note keyboard, which is equipped with modulation and pitch-bend wheels or by feeding in an external one-volt-per-octave pitch-control voltage and triggering the envelope generators with an inverted trigger. | |||
External pitch control does not pass through the glide circuit, nor is presented to the VCF tracking switches and thus, the external inputs were not designed for external keyboard control. The lowest note played on the keyboard determines the pitch, a condition that is referred to as low-note priority. The envelope generators do not retrigger unless all notes are lifted before the next note is played, an important characteristic which allows phrasing. | |||
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] --> | |||
The modulation and pitch-bending wheels were an innovation that many instrumentalists found to be extremely playable. The pitch-bend wheel is on the left of the modulation wheel. It is normally kept in the centered position. It is not spring-loaded; the player must return it to the centered position to play in tune. There is a delicate detent mechanism to help the player find the center position tactually. In sharp contrast to later synthesizers that also have pitch-bend wheels, there is no ] near the center of the wheel's travel; the wheel produces minute changes in pitch no matter how slightly it is moved in either direction. The wheel can therefore be used to introduce slight vibrato or nuance, as well as accurate pitch changes. | |||
However, Moog later recommended adding a deadband mod and published this mod in their factory service notes. | |||
In early 1970, Moog Co began losing money as interest in its modular synthesizers fell. Fearing they would lose their jobs if the company closed, the engineers developed a version of Hemsath's miniature synthesizer, the '''Minimoog Model D''', while Moog was away.<ref name="Red Bull"/> Moog chastised them, but came to see the potential in the Model D and authorized its production.<ref name="Red Bull"/> | |||
== Usage == | |||
David Borden, an early associate of Moog, has said that the Minimoog "took the synthesizer out of the studio and put it into the concert hall".<ref>Franklin Crawford (], ]). . Cornell University News Service. Retrieved ] ].</ref> ] ] and ] ] used one of the first Minimoogs, a prototype lent him by Moog in 1969: "We loaned it to him and Sun Ra’s way of working is that when you loan him something you don’t expect to see it back."{{Fact|date=May 2007}} <!-- Previous link,http://www.sunraresearch.com/html/robert_moog_conversation.html, does not produce the source, not has extensive googling --> | |||
As the engineers could not properly ] the ], the Minimoog's three ] were never completely synchronized. Although unintentional, this created the synthesizer's "warm, rich" sound.<ref name="Red Bull"/> Its ] was unique, allowing users to shape sounds to create "everything from blistering, funky bass blurps ... to spacey whistle lead tones".<ref name="Wired">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/07/new-minimoog/|title=Clear Some Space on Your Synth Rack: The Minimoog Returns|magazine=WIRED|access-date=2018-11-28|language=en-US}}</ref> The Minimoog also was the first synthesizer to feature a ], which allows players to bend notes as a guitarist or saxophonist does, allowing for more expressive playing. Moog's associate ] felt that Moog would have become extremely wealthy had he patented the pitch wheel.<ref name="Red Bull"/> | |||
Many essential pitch-bending techniques were first demonstrated by ], in his work with the ] and especially on ]'s album ''Wired''. Many keyboardists learned how to pitch-bend by following his example. | |||
== Release == | |||
] ] says of the Minimoog's invention "for the first time you could go on and give the guitarist a run for his money... a guitarist would say 'oh shit he's got a minimoog' so they're looking for eleven on their volume control -- it's the only way they can compete" (a reference to the film '']''). Wakeman said the instrument "absolutely changed the face of music."<ref>] (2004). '']''</ref> | |||
Moog Co released the first Minimoog in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |last1=MoogMusic |title=The Minimoog Model D in Full Production |url=https://www.moogmusic.com/news/minimoog-model-d-full-production |website=MoogMusic.com |publisher=Moog Music |access-date=22 March 2021}}</ref><ref name=Pinch>{{cite book |last1=Pinch |first1=Trevor |last2=Trocco |first2=Frank |title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer |date=2002 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=0-674-01617-3 |page=232 |edition=First}}</ref>{{rp|232}} Moog said it was conceived as a portable tool for session musicians, and the team expected to sell "maybe 100 of them".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/may/23/robert-moog-interview-google-doodle|title=Robert Moog: 'I wouldn't call this music' – a classic interview to mark a Google doodle|date=2012-05-23|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-11-28}}</ref> Moog became acquainted with former evangelist and musician David Van Koevering, who was so impressed with the Minimoog that he began demonstrating it to musicians and music stores. Van Koevering's friend ], founder of the restaurant chain ], allowed him to use a building on a private island Bell owned in Florida. There, Van Koevering hosted an event he billed as Island of Electronicus, a "pseudo-psychedelic experience that brought ] (minus the drugs) to straight families and connected it with the sound of the Minimoog".<ref name="Red Bull"/> | |||
The Minimoog was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores.<ref name=Pinch/>{{rp|214}} Despite the success, the company could not afford to meet demand, nor had credit for a loan, and in November 1971 Moog sold R. A. Moog, Inc. to rival company muSonics and stayed on as an employee until 1976.<ref name="Red Bull"/> Van Koevering was hired as head of sales and marketing, expanding the sales of the Minimoog worldwide.<ref name="Pinch" />{{rp|238–255}} The Minimoog was in continuous production for 13 years and over 12,000 were made.<ref name=Pinch/>{{rp|215,317}} Production of the Minimoog stopped in July 1981. In 1993, Moog Co ceased all production.<ref name="Wired"/> | |||
Due to the design of its 24dB/octave filter, its three oscillators, and tuning instabilities which tend to keep the oscillators moving against one another, the Minimoog can produce an extremely rich and powerful bass sound. Despite the advent of low-cost ] and ], the Minimoog remains in high demand with producers and performers of electronic ] and ]. | |||
=== Later models === | |||
The Minimoog was highly popular in 1970s and 1980s ] and has been used by several artists. For an incomplete list, see ]. | |||
In the 1980s, the rights to use the Moog Music name in the United Kingdom were purchased by Alex Winter of Caerphilly, Wales, who commenced limited production of an updated Minimoog in 1998 as the '''Moog Minimoog 204E'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/moog-minimoog-204e|title=Moog Minimoog 204E|website=Soundonsound.com|access-date=22 April 2021}}</ref> The 204E added ] and ] to the Model D specification.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Voyager By Bob Moog|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/voyager-by-bob-moog|access-date=22 April 2021|website=Soundonsound.com}}</ref>] | |||
In 2002, Robert Moog reacquired the rights to the Moog name and bought the company. In 2002, Moog Co released the ], an updated version of the Minimoog that sold more than 14,000 units, more than the original Minimoog.<ref name="Wired" /> Although the Welsh incarnation of Moog Music went into administration shortly afterwards, Winter retained the rights to the Moog name in the UK, with the result that the ] was launched there as the '''Voyager by Bob Moog'''.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
In 2016, Moog Music began manufacturing an updated version of the Model D, with an independent LFO and MIDI, and an aftertouch and velocity-sensitive keyboard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/moog-minimoog-model-d|title=Moog Minimoog Model D|website=Soundonsound.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-11-28}}</ref> Production ended around August 2017, after a little under a year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/moog-is-ending-production-of-the-minimoog-model-d|title=Moog is ending production of the Minimoog Model D|work=MusicRadar|access-date=2018-11-28|language=EN-GB}}</ref> In 2018, Moog Music released the Minimoog Model D app for ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.factmag.com/2018/03/26/moog-minimoog-model-d-ios-app/|title=Moog turns its iconic Minimoog Model D synth into a fully-featured iOS app|date=2018-03-26|work=FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music.|access-date=2018-11-30|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, after being out of production for over five years, the Model D was reissued a third time. The basic architecture remained the same as the previous version, but also included new features like a spring-loaded pitch-bend wheel and updates to the previous unit's MIDI specs.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/moog-minimoog-model-d-2022 | title=The iconic Moog Minimoog Model D synth is back in production and looking better than ever | date=17 November 2022 }}</ref> | |||
== Notable recordings == | |||
* ]'s album ''Wired'', on which ] demonstrates pitch-bending technique using the wheel. | |||
* ]'s album ''Six Wives of Henry VIII'' which demonstrates many of the Minimoog's characteristic sounds. | |||
* ]'s 1974 album '']'', which was a revolutionary record in the development of electronic music. | |||
* ]'s ''Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra'', recorded with a Minimoog, an ] expander module controlled by an early Oberheim DS-2 digital sequencer and a ]. Also, the second album, ''Sequencer'' has several Minimoog and Moog 15 modular synthesizer-based compositions. | |||
== |
== Impact == | ||
According to TJ Pinch, author of ''Analog Days'', the Minimoog was the first synthesizer to become a "classic".<ref name=Pinch/>{{rp|214}} '']'' described it as "the most famous synthesizer in music history ... a ubiquitous analog keyboard that can be heard in countless pop, rock, hip-hop, and techno tracks from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s".<ref name="Wired"/> It was also important for its portability.<ref name="Wired"/> ], an associate of Moog, said that the Minimoog "took the synthesizer out of the studio and put it into the concert hall".<ref>Franklin Crawford (August 23, 2005). . Cornell University News Service. Retrieved 4 May 2007.</ref> According to the '']'', "Tweaked now so that the synthesizer could reliably perform as either a melodic lead or propulsive bass instrument (rather than just as a complex sound-generating machine), the Minimoog changed everything ... the Moogs oozed character. Their sound could be quirky, kitsch and cute, or pulverising, but it was always identifiable as Moog."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/02/moog-synthesisers|title=Hey, what's that sound: Moog synthesizers|last=McNamee|first=David|date=2010-08-02|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-11-30}}</ref> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
The Minimoog changed the dynamics of ] bands. For the first time, keyboardists could play solos in the style of lead guitarists, or play synthesized ]s.<ref name="Red Bull"/> ] keyboardist ] said: "For the first time you could go on and give the guitarist a run for his money... A guitarist would say, 'Oh shoot, he's got a Minimoog,' so they're ] on their volume control - it's the only way they can compete." Wakeman said the instrument "absolutely changed the face of music".<ref>] (2004). '']''</ref> | |||
==Notes== | |||
The Minimoog took a place in mainstream ], most notably in the work of ].<ref name=Pinch/>{{rp|8}} Its use for basslines became particularly popular in ], as in the ] track "]".<ref name="Red Bull" /> It was also popular in ], and ] became perhaps the first musician to perform and record with the instrument (on his 1970 album ''My Brother the Wind'').<ref name="Red Bull"/> ], ] and ] were other early adopters.<ref name="Red Bull"/> | |||
The Minimoog became a staple of ]. In the early 1970s, ] of ] added the Minimoog to his modular 'Monster Moog' as an occasional part of his performances.<ref name=Pinch/>{{rp|200–212}} Wakeman used five Minimoogs on stage so he could play different sounds without having to reconfigure them.<ref name="Red Bull" /> It was also used by electronic artists such as ], who used it on their albums '']'' (1974) and '']'' (1978)'','' and later by ], ], and ].<ref name="Red Bull" /> In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, it was widely used in the emerging ] genre by artists including ] and ].<ref name="Red Bull" /> | |||
In 2005, the Minimoog was inducted into the ], an honor given to "products and innovations that have had an enduring impact on the development of audio technology."<ref>{{cite web|title=TECnology Hall of Fame, 2005|url=http://legacy.tecawards.org/tec/05TECnologyHOFdetails.html|website=TECawards.org|date=2005|access-date=December 12, 2024}}</ref> In 2012, to celebrate Bob Moog's birthday, ] created an interactive Minimoog ] ] as its ].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/05/google-doodle-moog/|title=Google Outdoes Itself With Moog Synthesizer Doodle (Play It Here)|magazine=WIRED|access-date=2018-11-28|language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
In 2024, JoE Silva published a 384-page coffee table book about the Minimoog, "The Minimoog Book".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Silva |first=Joe |title=The Minimoog book: the synthesizer that changed music forever: sounds, stories, and technology |last2=Lee |first2=Geddy |date=2024 |publisher=Bjooks |isbn=978-87-975391-0-1 |editor-last=Metlay |editor-first=Mike |location=Frederiksberg |editor-last2=Smethurst |editor-first2=Diana}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
==Further reading== | |||
*{{cite magazine|title=MiniMoog|magazine=Future Music|issue=74|date=October 1998|issn=0967-0378|oclc=1032779031}} | |||
*{{cite magazine|title=Expanding the Patchability of the Mini-Moog|page=19|first=Marvin|last=Jones|magazine=Polyphony|date=April–May 1978|volume=3|issue=4|issn=0163-4534|oclc=1090378445}} | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
* | * | ||
* | * | ||
* | * Moog Music's | ||
* | |||
{{Moog Music}} | |||
] | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] |
Latest revision as of 22:56, 26 December 2024
Analog synthesizer manufactured by Moog MusicMinimoog | |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Moog Music |
Dates | 1970–81, 2016–2017, 2022-present |
Technical specifications | |
Polyphony | Monophonic |
Timbrality | Monotimbral |
Oscillator | 3 VCOs, white/pink noise |
LFO | Oscillator 3 can function as LFO (original and 2016 reissue), dedicated extra LFO (2016 reissue only) |
Synthesis type | Analog subtractive |
Filter | 24dB/oct, 4-pole lowpass filter with cutoff, resonance, ADSR envelope generator, keyboard tracking |
Attenuator | ADSR envelope generator |
Effects | Frequency modulation using oscillator 3/noise |
Input/output | |
Keyboard | 44-note, low-note priority |
Left-hand control | Pitch bend and mod wheels |
External control | CV/gate, MIDI in/out/thru (2016 reissue only), glide and decay via 0.206" dia Switchcraft S-260 plugs (not on 2016 reissue) |
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popular with progressive rock and jazz musicians and found wide use in disco, pop, rock and electronic music.
Production of the Minimoog stopped in the early 1980s after the sale of Moog Music. In 2002, founder Robert Moog regained the rights to the Moog brand, bought the company, and released an updated version of the Minimoog, the Minimoog Voyager. In 2016 and in 2022, Moog Music released another new version of the original Minimoog.
Development
In the 1960s, RA Moog Co manufactured Moog synthesizers, which helped bring electronic sounds to music but remained inaccessible to ordinary people. These modular synthesizers were difficult to use and required users to connect components manually with patch cables to create sounds. They were also sensitive to temperature and humidity, and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Most were owned by universities or record labels, and used to create soundtracks or jingles; by 1970, only 28 were owned by musicians.
Hoping to create a smaller, more reliable synthesizer, Moog engineer Bill Hemsath created a prototype by sawing a keyboard in half and wiring several components into a small cabinet. Moog president Robert Moog felt the prototype was fun, but did not initially see a market for it. Moog and the engineers created several more prototypes, adding features such as the suitcase design to aid portability.
In early 1970, Moog Co began losing money as interest in its modular synthesizers fell. Fearing they would lose their jobs if the company closed, the engineers developed a version of Hemsath's miniature synthesizer, the Minimoog Model D, while Moog was away. Moog chastised them, but came to see the potential in the Model D and authorized its production.
As the engineers could not properly stabilize the power supply, the Minimoog's three oscillators were never completely synchronized. Although unintentional, this created the synthesizer's "warm, rich" sound. Its voltage-controlled filter was unique, allowing users to shape sounds to create "everything from blistering, funky bass blurps ... to spacey whistle lead tones". The Minimoog also was the first synthesizer to feature a pitch wheel, which allows players to bend notes as a guitarist or saxophonist does, allowing for more expressive playing. Moog's associate David Borden felt that Moog would have become extremely wealthy had he patented the pitch wheel.
Release
Moog Co released the first Minimoog in 1970. Moog said it was conceived as a portable tool for session musicians, and the team expected to sell "maybe 100 of them". Moog became acquainted with former evangelist and musician David Van Koevering, who was so impressed with the Minimoog that he began demonstrating it to musicians and music stores. Van Koevering's friend Glen Bell, founder of the restaurant chain Taco Bell, allowed him to use a building on a private island Bell owned in Florida. There, Van Koevering hosted an event he billed as Island of Electronicus, a "pseudo-psychedelic experience that brought counterculture (minus the drugs) to straight families and connected it with the sound of the Minimoog".
The Minimoog was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. Despite the success, the company could not afford to meet demand, nor had credit for a loan, and in November 1971 Moog sold R. A. Moog, Inc. to rival company muSonics and stayed on as an employee until 1976. Van Koevering was hired as head of sales and marketing, expanding the sales of the Minimoog worldwide. The Minimoog was in continuous production for 13 years and over 12,000 were made. Production of the Minimoog stopped in July 1981. In 1993, Moog Co ceased all production.
Later models
In the 1980s, the rights to use the Moog Music name in the United Kingdom were purchased by Alex Winter of Caerphilly, Wales, who commenced limited production of an updated Minimoog in 1998 as the Moog Minimoog 204E. The 204E added pulse width modulation and MIDI to the Model D specification.
In 2002, Robert Moog reacquired the rights to the Moog name and bought the company. In 2002, Moog Co released the Minimoog Voyager, an updated version of the Minimoog that sold more than 14,000 units, more than the original Minimoog. Although the Welsh incarnation of Moog Music went into administration shortly afterwards, Winter retained the rights to the Moog name in the UK, with the result that the Minimoog Voyager was launched there as the Voyager by Bob Moog.
In 2016, Moog Music began manufacturing an updated version of the Model D, with an independent LFO and MIDI, and an aftertouch and velocity-sensitive keyboard. Production ended around August 2017, after a little under a year. In 2018, Moog Music released the Minimoog Model D app for iOS. In 2022, after being out of production for over five years, the Model D was reissued a third time. The basic architecture remained the same as the previous version, but also included new features like a spring-loaded pitch-bend wheel and updates to the previous unit's MIDI specs.
Impact
According to TJ Pinch, author of Analog Days, the Minimoog was the first synthesizer to become a "classic". Wired described it as "the most famous synthesizer in music history ... a ubiquitous analog keyboard that can be heard in countless pop, rock, hip-hop, and techno tracks from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s". It was also important for its portability. David Borden, an associate of Moog, said that the Minimoog "took the synthesizer out of the studio and put it into the concert hall". According to the Guardian, "Tweaked now so that the synthesizer could reliably perform as either a melodic lead or propulsive bass instrument (rather than just as a complex sound-generating machine), the Minimoog changed everything ... the Moogs oozed character. Their sound could be quirky, kitsch and cute, or pulverising, but it was always identifiable as Moog."
The Minimoog changed the dynamics of rock bands. For the first time, keyboardists could play solos in the style of lead guitarists, or play synthesized basslines. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman said: "For the first time you could go on and give the guitarist a run for his money... A guitarist would say, 'Oh shoot, he's got a Minimoog,' so they're looking for eleven on their volume control - it's the only way they can compete." Wakeman said the instrument "absolutely changed the face of music".
The Minimoog took a place in mainstream black music, most notably in the work of Stevie Wonder. Its use for basslines became particularly popular in funk, as in the Parliament track "Flash Light". It was also popular in jazz, and Sun Ra became perhaps the first musician to perform and record with the instrument (on his 1970 album My Brother the Wind). Herbie Hancock, Dick Hyman and Chick Corea were other early adopters.
The Minimoog became a staple of progressive rock. In the early 1970s, Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer added the Minimoog to his modular 'Monster Moog' as an occasional part of his performances. Wakeman used five Minimoogs on stage so he could play different sounds without having to reconfigure them. It was also used by electronic artists such as Kraftwerk, who used it on their albums Autobahn (1974) and The Man-Machine (1978), and later by Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Gary Numan. In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, it was widely used in the emerging disco genre by artists including ABBA and Giorgio Moroder.
In 2005, the Minimoog was inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame, an honor given to "products and innovations that have had an enduring impact on the development of audio technology." In 2012, to celebrate Bob Moog's birthday, Google created an interactive Minimoog softsynth web application as its Google Doodle.
In 2024, JoE Silva published a 384-page coffee table book about the Minimoog, "The Minimoog Book".
See also
References
- ^ Weiner, Sophie (October 20, 2017). "Minimoog: The First Truly Portable Synthesizer". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ "Clear Some Space on Your Synth Rack: The Minimoog Returns". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- MoogMusic. "The Minimoog Model D in Full Production". MoogMusic.com. Moog Music. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2002). Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer (First ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 232. ISBN 0-674-01617-3.
- "Robert Moog: 'I wouldn't call this music' – a classic interview to mark a Google doodle". the Guardian. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- "Moog Minimoog 204E". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Voyager By Bob Moog". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- "Moog Minimoog Model D". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- "Moog is ending production of the Minimoog Model D". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- "Moog turns its iconic Minimoog Model D synth into a fully-featured iOS app". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
- "The iconic Moog Minimoog Model D synth is back in production and looking better than ever". 17 November 2022.
- Franklin Crawford (August 23, 2005). "Robert Moog, Ph.D. '64, inventor of the music synthesizer, dies of brain cancer". Cornell University News Service. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
- McNamee, David (2010-08-02). "Hey, what's that sound: Moog synthesizers". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
- Hans Fjellestad (2004). Moog
- "TECnology Hall of Fame, 2005". TECawards.org. 2005. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- "Google Outdoes Itself With Moog Synthesizer Doodle (Play It Here)". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- Silva, Joe; Lee, Geddy (2024). Metlay, Mike; Smethurst, Diana (eds.). The Minimoog book: the synthesizer that changed music forever: sounds, stories, and technology. Frederiksberg: Bjooks. ISBN 978-87-975391-0-1.
Further reading
- "MiniMoog". Future Music. No. 74. October 1998. ISSN 0967-0378. OCLC 1032779031.
- Jones, Marvin (April–May 1978). "Expanding the Patchability of the Mini-Moog". Polyphony. Vol. 3, no. 4. p. 19. ISSN 0163-4534. OCLC 1090378445.
External links
- Minimoog at Synthmuseum.com
- Minimoog D info, pictures and audio clips
- Moog Music's Minimoog Model D app
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