Bob Moog

Keith Hilton · From: 248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721

Bob Moog is credited with inventing the music synthesizer. He has a web site and is building and selling his devices. He also builds and sells "Thermins". There are sound clips on his web site that are really wierd and interesting. His company is called Big Briar Inc. The web site is http://www.bigbriar.com/ Do any of you use any of his equipment? This fellow is really interesting to me. He is really the music man of engineering.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

A quick search on Leon Theremin led to
http://www.amps.net/newsletters/Issue9/09_there.htm

where I found this very short bio
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Leon Theremin, inventor of the Theremin musical instrument died in Moscow during November of last year [1993]. He was 97.

Born in Russia and educated in music and physics, he developed the synthetic music instrument that became known by his name during the 1920's.

The Theremin used hand movements in the vicinity of an antenna, which causing capacity changes enabled control of the pitch of an oscillator , with a second antenna for volume control.

He spent some time in the USA during the 1920's and early 30's. He was abducted by the KGB in 1938 and returned to Russia. Accused and convicted of spreading anti-Soviet propaganda, he was sent to Siberia.

In 1991 he returned to the USA to receive Stanford University's Centennial Medal in recognition of his contribution to electronic music.

The Theremin is probably best known for its use to produce the eerie recurring musical effect in Alfred Hitchcock's 1945 movie 'Spellbound'. Many rock music groups also used it to good effect. Robert Moog built a Theremin while he was still at school and we know what that led to.

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... Here's another short one: http://www.press.uillinois.edu/f00/glinsky.html

Keith Hilton · From: 248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721

Well, Earnest, kind of fits with a inventor, wouldn't you say? Since 1965 I didn't mention I worked on the Lunar Landing Module that went to the moon in 1969. This last year I have started telling people. Once I get production of my pedal under control, I want to investigate Bob Moog. I E-mailed him and never got a answer. Bob probably knows more about electronic music than anyone.

Kevin Mincke · From: Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA

I recently read a write up in the Mpls. Tribune about Mr. Moog and his invention(s). The coincidence is the bass player on our worship team at church, worked for Bob in the early 70's just prior to being hired by Roland. He has been a Roland/Boss rep ever since & was interested in the article as it seems Mr. Moog is still at designing/tinkering w/ new inventions & ideas!

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

All in a day's work for you inventors, is it? It sounds so romantic, getting waked up by the secret police and whisked away to a prison camp until age 91.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

This has nothing to do with Bob Moog, but one of the upper level managers where I used to work was Bill "Moog". Also the next major street south of me is "Moog" road.

Sage · From: Boulder, Colorado

Just goes to show that while music ain't rocket science, being a rocket scientist still helps! I saw a really cool little documentary on Theremin a couple of years ago- don't remember the title. It was in one of the little "art film" rental places in the city. Worth finding- I'll see if I can dig up the title. Moog was mentioned prominently there as well.

[This message was edited by Sage on 03 February 2001 at 08:29 AM.]

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Theramin, Wyoming is about 20 miles east of Casper.

Rick Barber · From: Morgan Hill, Calif. USA

Keith,

There is another company called Moog Custom Engineering which has products as well.

See
www.moogce.com/

Rick Barber
Morgan Hill, Calif

Keith Hilton · From: 248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721

I always thought that a Theremin sounded similar to a musical saw that was amplified. Both these things sound similar, in some ways, to a E-Bow used on one string of a steel. I always thought it would be interesting backing up a singer using a musical saw. Getting serious; When I saw the devices on Bob Moog's web site, it appeared to me they could be used on steel guitar. Just plug your steel in. They appeared to be effect boxes. I think the key component to a lot of Bob Moog's musical electronics is the voltage controlled oscillator.

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

I recall going to a Bob Moog concert in the 60's at the Jamestown, NY, high school auditorium. He spent some time at the front of the show explaining the equipment. The first set was music that was recognizable, and the second set showing what was possible to do with the instrument. The second set was weird city.

Our band was the standard two guitars, bass and drums. I remember thinking the Moog stuff was cool, but they had one keyboard player and 3 techs plugging things in and out between songs. Not exactly a viable thing for a bar band.

Still, it's nice to look back and say I saw a part of history that was to evolve into all we have available today. Thanks, Bob Moog.

Keith Hilton · From: 248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721

Electronics has evolved, like computers. Only a few years ago a computer that would do what your house hold computer does now, would be a block long. In 1970 it took 127 transistors and about 570 other parts to do what is in a 8 pin chip. It is interesting to look at Bob Moog's equipment then and now. Go to a library in your area and look at electronic magazines from the late 1960's and early 1970's. The rage of the day was audio electronics and Bob Moog. Hartley Peavey and many others followed Bob Moog's experiments. Many people used the "usefull" things Bob Moog invented. You bet, Bob Moog could get as wild as you want. If you want outter space, then Bob Moog could get you that. Modern day music electronics only give you 1 % of what Bob Moog developed. Credit needs to be given to a person that was the originator of modern day effect units. Just my opinion.

Matt Farrow · From: Raleigh, NC, USA

I double on keyboards, and since my band is more or less into "vintage" style stuff, a few years back I got rid of most of my MIDI rig and went to old combo organs and synthesizers. Depending on time ans space requirements for the venue, I take either a Vox, a Farfisa, or a Kustom combo organ, a sampler (strictly for Mellotron sounds) and a Moog Rogue, which is a really simple 2-oscillator monophonic (1 note at a time) synth. Old Moogs were "modular," which means that each block in the signal chain was a separate module. So if you wanted to make any sounds at all, you had to patch a few things together (At least the keyboard, a VCO, and possibly a VCA.) Newer synths (from the Mini-Moog onwards) are called "normalled," or "stage" synthesizers. Meaning that the "modules" are already hooked together in a preset order. My Moog = Keyboard -> VCOs -> VCF -> VCA -> output. I use my Moog for leads and bass parts, since you can't play chords on it. Nothing sounds like a real Moog, no matter what people claim. And nothing sounds like a steel, either! Cool thing about my Moog is that it has an audio INPUT, so I can use its filters for processing other sources, like my steel or guitars.

The Big Briar stuff is pretty much effects boxes (ring mod, filter, phaser, etc.) and can be used with any audio source. Dig the rate knob on the phaser with the markings "stun" and "kill!" Ha ha.

Matt Farrow

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Matt Farrow
'74 Emmons GS10 / '72 Kustom Sidewinder JBL
http://surf.to/pharaohamps

Dave Boothroyd · From: Staffordshire Moorlands

Have a look at
WWW.obsolete.com/120_years
It covers the history of Electronic Music, including Moog and the Theremin, and every name in the list is a link to a page, some of which have sound files of the instrument.
We actually set student a page of questions to answer based on this site.
Those of you who complain about having to set up big rigs, just be grateful you don't play a Telharmonium!

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Cheers!

[This message was edited by Dave Boothroyd on 05 February 2001 at 01:36 AM.]

[This message was edited by Dave Boothroyd on 05 February 2001 at 01:37 AM.]

HOWaiian · Posted 5 Feb 2001 6:29 am

the movie "Theremin," as previously mentioned, is wonderful. I'd recommend it to everyone. The scene in which Theremin is re-united after 40-odd years with Clara Rockmore, his disciple & lost love, is truly one of the most touching moments I've ever seen on screen.

Keith Hilton · From: 248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721

Dave, I liked the web site you listed. Matt, I liked what you said. I agree, nothing sounds like a real Moog. I really want to get to work on experimenting. Right now making my volume pedals has me snowed under,and I don't have time for experimenting. I may do something about that soon.

[This message was edited by Keith Hilton on 06 February 2001 at 09:50 PM.]

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