Professor Herb Deutsch worked with Bob Moog in the early 60′s to help define the modern control-voltage synthesizer. Continue reading
Herb Deutsch On The Minimoog
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Tag Archives: history of electronic music
Bob Moog’s ‘MiniMoogs’ Congratulate Him On His Induction To The Inventor’s Hall Of Fame
Electronic music pioneer Bob Moog is being inducted into the Inventor’s Hall Of Fame today, recognizing him for his work in creating the modern control voltage synthesizer.
His children came together to make this video congratulating their father and reflecting on his legacy, and how that legacy is carried on by the Bob Moog Foundation.
The U.S. Department of Commerce?s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame note: Continue reading
The Keytar Grand – A Short History
The 88-key piano action keyboard has always been the ‘gold standard’ for keyboardists. So it should come as no surprise that, over the years, synth designers have tried to bring the feel and playability of the grand piano to the keytar synthesizer.
Unfortunately, the Keytar Grand, despite 40 years of effort from the greatest synth minds of the last two generations, has failed to garner much interest from players. We asked keyboard historian Mark Fail why the Keytar Grand has struggled to find its niche.
“The early 70′s Keytar Grands were made with discrete electronics,” he notes. “As a result, they could easily tip the scale at 200 lbs or more.”
James Brown, above right, was one of the first musicians to attempt live performance with a Keytar Grand. His interest in the instrument was short lived, though.
In a contemporary interview, Brown had this to say about the Keytar Grand: “The first time I tried to play that thing,” he said about the Keytar Grand, “my back locked up in the middle of the song.”
“I shouted ‘Help Me!’, but no one did anything. So I cried ‘Ow!’ But, still – nobody helped me out.”
“Finally, I told the horns to take it to the bridge and drop it. I had to tell them to ‘Drop it!’ two times before they threw that thing in the river.”
Robert Moog Inducted Into Inventor’s Hall Of Fame
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame have announced that Robert Moog (1934-2005) will be inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame for his invention of the modern synthesizer.
They note:
In 1964, Moog introduced the first complete voltage controlled modular synthesizer, an instrument capable of producing a wide variety of electronic sounds. His synthesizer helped revolutionize the face of music, giving artists and composers the capability to create a brand new palette of sounds.
The Music & Sound Effects Of Forbidden Planet
Here’s an excerpt from Geoff Elliot’s tribute documentary about the classic film Forbidden Planet. Continue reading
Dave Smith & Roger Linn Interview
This video, via DJ Tech Tool’s Ean Golden, captures a recent interview with electronic music pioneers Dave Smith (the Prophet V, MIDI) and Roger Linn (the LinnDrum, the MPC).
The interview focuses on the key technologies that Linn & Smith have been involved with and their uses for making electronic music.