Exploring The Original R.A. MOOG Modular Synthesizer System

CORRECTION: In this video (released in 2016), we acknowledge that Wendy Carlos is misgendered, and sincerely apologize for the oversight. We recognize that Ms. Carlos should be retrospectively discussed using her proper pronouns, and will do so in all future content.
In the world of synthesizers and electronic music at large, Bob Moog is a giant. His creations and his brand have become the standard by which all synthesizers are judged. In the late 1960's, R.A. Moog created their ubiquitous modular synthesizer and with it, electronic music history was changed. When Mike Borish heard that Roosevelt University in Chicago had one of these monolithic synths sitting in disrepair, he had to fix it up and get it sequencing once again. And so he did, and Reverb was lucky enough to sit down with Mike and the Moog Modular to hear some crazy sounds. Read more about the Moog Modular at bit.ly/2hqGw90

[@barlobarlo303]

Imagine finding one of these collecting dust in a storage room...

[@Matthewsavant]

I’ve literally dreamt of that on several occasions

[@thedrumunkey8582]

Thanks Reverb for taking the time to produce and share this kind of thing. One more reason you kick eBay's ass! :)

[@oneworld9071]

When he mentioned the guy who'd recognized the Moog and said he'd seen it at university I was reminded of the fact a community college was so well-equipped at that time. In 1978-ish Long Beach City College in California had a Moog modular, can't recall model number. It was reserved for next-level students; the first-level students had an ARP Odyssey, Oberheim 4-voice, Eventide Clockworks sequencer, TEAC 3340s 4-track with SimulSync, and possibly a MiniMoog....... not bad for a community college. At that time LBCC was known to be better-equipped than universities in SoCal.

[@jlucasound]

I worked with a guy that did video work for her (Wendy Carlos). Ben. If you have never heard "Switched On Bach" I strongly suggest you do. She is Master.

[@BetamaxFlippy]

Can we have a full version of that Bach invention? It would be the best thing

[@vaspers]

Moog Matriarch is as close as I can currently get to vintage Moog modules. Hope to get it in December. Thanks for uploading this video!

[@soloharmonicsrobj8246]

I'm a synth guru and this massive system 55 by Moog is a dream instrument for me. All I need is time off, a second mortgage, an extra room and send my wife to visit family for a month or so. Then I may be able to master this great legendary instrument.

[@zxbryc]

That is not a system 55 (1973+), it's a 3c (1967+) with optional sequencer cabinet at the top (sold as an option)

[@soloharmonicsrobj8246]

@@zxbryc My mistake, after closer examination and thoroughly watching this video, I see now it is not a system 55! I've only read about and seen videos of these classic analog instruments. I've never had any hands on experience. The only analog hardware synth I ever owned was an Octave Cat synthesizer, manufactured around 1978 I believe. Thanks for pointing it out! I also had Wendy Carlos' Switched On Bach vinyl LP years ago.

[@jettsom]

Just bought my first Moog today (Grandmother), so happy!! What a beautiful instrument. These are pure art.

[@Mr_ToR]

great video, the audio level is fluctuating terribly though. I'm constantly turning up to hear him talk and turning down when synth sounds are present.

[@jckknife]

They've got the 4th one ever made in Philly. That thing is beautiful! I wish I played haha

[@macman3175]

Wow , I played a module just like that at Western Michigan University in the late 70's And I believe that the model was 1020

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

I love the Bach composition being used in the beginning, "3-part Invention #15 in B Minor". Was that recorded just for this presentation? Have you heard the Don Dorsey version from 1986?

[@chrisgrimstad892]

Thank you for correcting the Wendy Carlos thing in the video description! Also I just realized that the album "Switched-On Marx" by trans woman Zoë Blade is a reference to Wendy's "Switched-On Bach," how cool!

[@SamLibman]

Trans women are men.

[@jpdesroc]

I have a technical question about wiring two 960 sequencers together without any 962 sequential switch connected. Here is the easy setup: - Sequencer#1 internal oscillator OFF - Sequencer#1 OSC-OUT connected to Sequencer#2 SHIFT input, - Sequencer#1 set to stage#1 (push button) The question is: Before you start the sequence using seq#1 ocillator's START button, To get BOTH sequencers to step on the same stages at the same time --> Do you need to set Seq#2 at stage#8 or stage#1 ? One of these settings will put Seq#2 one step earlier than Seq#1. Thanks for your reply !

[@TrakLite]

Mike is a cool dude man! Thanks for the oled install on my SP1200!!!!

[@jlucasound]

You are a genius. Thank you for the walk around. Moog. Gotta Love It.

[@allaboutthatphatbass2968]

wow...classical music on a moog synth doesn't sound completely like crap.... I'm impressed

[@The10000lbGorilla]

Check out the album "Switched on Bach" By Wendy Carlos (mentioned in the video) it helped popularize the MOOG.

[@barlobarlo303]

Then listen Morton Subotnick's Silver Apples of the Moon played on a Buchla for a well-rounded excursion.

[@teunputker]

I understood about 20% of this video, but this is amazing for sure

[@highthai7]

Where can i download this vst???

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Thairish This isn't virtual. And each of those black rectangles is a separate st plugin that was plugged into the board then hooked into the audio path with those colored leads.

[@mmcc8352]

Arturia

[@geoffk777]

Yes, Arturia has a decent VST version. Also Moog themselves sell a very good iPad version.

[@michaelbauers8800]

Digital synths don't have to be monotonous. There's ways to add movement to them, at least on some digital synths. Some digital synths even have some "slop" parameters to emulate oscillator drift.

[@cybclinic]

Correct.

[@christophermoyer6103]

My cousin and I had access to a MiniMoog when we were little. Damn I wish I had that thing now.

[@bitspacemusic]

I used to tweak sounds on a friend's dad's CS-80 when I was about 6 or 7 (1981). I had no idea what it was back then, but when I was well into my thirties, I found old photos of me playing with it. It was huge!

[@cybershark3095]

Check out a Behringer Model D. For a few hundred dollars you can get quite close.

[@Coastincolt]

Cyber Shark Belay that; get the new polyphonic Behringer Model D Warp. ( Thanks, Uli!)

[@geoffk777]

If you want hardware, a Behrehger Model D is very cheap, but you'll need a separate MIDI keyboard and it's monophonic. The Behrenger Poly D lets you play up to 4 notes and it has a nice keyboard built in. There are also VST versions for computer from Arturia and others and Moog themselves sell an iPad app which is excellent.

[@mickeysigrist]

This is one of the coolest videos I've seen on KZbin since this thing started.

[@BoyAditya]

why the sounds reminds me of Nintendo NES legend of Zelda

[@KeithCanisius]

massive sound. How many ocs are you running at once?

[@peterb7435]

Totally sick. I love these old modulars

[@delivrance3961]

fascinating thx! 7'46 sonic exploration

[@finalmattasy]

great bass on this video, nice sound. KABOOOM!

[@evol1488]

I bet Trent Reznor has one of these...

[@JaceCavacini]

From images of his studio, no, it seems he doesn’t. (??)

[@elyssapalmer2298]

He has things that are analogous to a moog ra or moog model 10 but not those exact models

[@3markaw]

Seems the Moog Voyager is his synth of Choice .......kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHKqpZ-drKuXnq8

[@theomnitorium7476]

He said in an interview that one of his main synths for a very long time was a MiniMoog Voyager.

[@jamesbrady2278]

How about Keith Emerson

[@dpalaoro]

Are there updates or new videos with this guy and instrument?

[@Default_1984_Official]

I am a student at CCPA, and have been messing with this a lot. I'll upload some videos to KZbin with it

[@jlucasound]

Wow. Wendy Carlos. Her work is incredible. Yes, she was a man. She is awesome.

[@NeuronalAxon]

A Clockwork Orange is a masterpiece.

[@Coastincolt]

NeuronalAxon Yes! Film ain't too bad, either!

[@elyssapalmer2298]

I don't really think her being transgender is relevant to conversations surrounding moog and the history of synthesizers. I was disappointed that was mentioned in the video, it should have just said Wendy Carlos did "x" *she* was blah blah blah.

[@VilleOikarinen]

@@elyssapalmer2298 I was also very disappointed at the man "correcting" the name Wendy to Walter and then continuing with "he". It sounded too deliberate not to be a statement. Pitiful. I expected to hear pure music tech from reverb.com without any conservative politics.

[@codeandroad3020]

@@VilleOikarinen He continued on to show the “Switched On Bach” cover which was indeed attributed to Walter Carlos. I bought it when it was first released. This was unlikely to be “Conservative politics”, don’t be so bloody touchy.

[@OFR]

Sonically, it's still the king. Others have many interesting and useful modules, but you can hear how incredible the sonics are on this. I like to run mine with non-tonal music patches that evolve over time. I use some non-Moog modules for control voltage, and the Moog stuff is used for the audio signals. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gn20n4mObdpnqLc

[@annother3350]

check out Tomita - snowaflakes are dancing - pure moog modular and multitrack -- he makes it sound like an orchestra

[@MichaelJordan-xp3yb]

thanks for the tip, awesome stuff!

[@annother3350]

@@MichaelJordan-xp3yb They played that to us in primary school -- it must have spurned my interest in synths!

[@zachhaywood1564]

Klaus Schulze too, his albums from 1976-1981

[@Jasonweckard]

But does it drone?

[@Rhythmicons]

7:40 wow

[@horowizard]

There is nothing, absolutely nothing that sounds like a Moog. End of story.

[@AshBashVids]

What about the digital filter of an SH101? XD Gobshite.

[@humanbeing_]

Mister Shledge well, you're both right. The filter on the Roland SH-101 is a fantastic filter. Even on their new 500 system the filters are awesome sounding. But still, the Moog filter had & has it's own sound. And add to this talk, the ARP 2600 as well; totally it's own sound across both versions/releases and filters, and Korg just released a recreation in partnership with the original designer. But the beauty is they all sound amazing, yet different. At least to those who are familiar with them, which I'm sure all three of us in this thread are, since we're having this conversation lol 👍 Sidenote. I just bought and received my Behringer Model D; the filter is fantastic! As is the rest of it. Having a ton of fun with that, VCV Rack and the 100's of free modules that are available. Plus it's open source which I'm a huge fan of since I've been in IT for 17 years. I used open source everywhere possible. Anyway. Cheers! -H.B.

[@steve1978ger]

not even another Moog ;)

[@Seekthetruth3000]

The sound coming out of this big synth should be stereo not mono. Good video.

[@zacdior9402]

Drop that synth! Hey, I'd love to drop this synth from approximately 100 metres up. These synths are huge, heavy and cool. Peace ✌️ out people

[@temporary_terpenes]

"let's create some chaos" *creates mostly static repeating sequence*

[@Hwral]

According to Klaus Schulze the Big Moog was very unstable and unreliable with regard to tuning. The slightest change in temperature would be enough to get it horribly out of tune. I don't think it was designed to be used as a regular instrument like the Mini Moog that followed. Rather a sound design laboratory, fit for use in a university basement, but not so much for living rooms or concert stages with variable temperatures.

[@OFR]

They work on voltage, so slight changes in voltage will affect it, yes. That can come from a power supply, transistors heating up or not, various drifts in resistors feeding them voltage. So - yeah- they had tuning issues, but you can now easily fix them by supplying good clean power and stabilizing temperature.

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

OFR In other words, a laboratory environment.

[@OFR]

@@johnfrancisdoe1563 Not really - it just needs a clean stable power supply to be built into the back and then you can play outdoors, or in heat etc. Even guitars have tuning issues in extreme temperatures but the power supply in the old would drift and put it out of tune.

[@douglas_drew]

@@johnfrancisdoe1563 , a proper recording studio environment.

[@sumaqstudios4553]

I think Nils Frahm have one of those ;)

[@devanarayanan1243]

Now we all need is a mobile phone

[@markviereck4547]

What about Keith Emerson. ???

[@garyspong]

I think he's still dead.

[@Gerald_Daniel]

That shiny hair(cut) almost distracts attention from the object of study. ;-)

[@rembrandvandooren8027]

is this a MOOG 3C or a 55?

[@Cescus82]

I think it's a 3C, because of the sequencer, but I'm not sure about

[@geoffk777]

@@Cescus82 The 55 also had a sequencer, but that was a 70's model. Because of its age, this is probably a 3c.

[@zxbryc]

This is a 3c, with the sequencer addition.

[@dpalaoro]

More demos with the same moog!❤🎉

[@MisterRorschach90]

Wouldn’t think twice about pressing a button that blows up an entire populated planet for the chance to own one of these. Lol

[@shookstylez]

Great. Another video with some dude turning the filter up and down with a mediocre 5 note sequenced loop.

[@challism]

8 steps ;)

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

Marcusmiller Well in this cases it was obviously supposed to be a basic example of what the instrument does, not an artistic performance. If this was a grand piano, it would be a video of the piano tuner talking about the frame restoration while playing scales.

[@michaelhoste_]

I’m going to excuse this one based on the rundown of modules - I’ve never heard anyone name each one before or give that amount of general information. But I agree about the number of Moog/synth demo vids out there that feature a flat out 2 oscillator sawtooth buzz and then... yep, lets make some nyerp nyerp noises with this here filter. Pass the earplugs.

[@allaboutthatphatbass2968]

what would happen if you placed a powerful magnet next to this, would something catastrophic happen? no,no,no.... don't do it, it's kind of a rhetorical question.

[@Coastincolt]

I'm thinking that if you could get one near enough to the inductors- chaos ensues!

[@michaelhoste_]

@@Coastincolt I think so. Particularly if you moved them around..

[@davidlewis1787]

But, will it blend?

[@cruseman77]

no

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

That filterbank

[@audioartisan]

What a rare treat. Thanks for sharing :)

[@biggrime]

Sounds soo rich

[@swaggedup6934]

Y did u deadname Wendy Carlos tf

[@frankjamesbonarrigo7162]

he took It off their hands for 100 bucks

[@ninobrown5385]

SiccAzzMachine🤘 I want one🤘

[@MoltenSon]

CRUNCHY

[@j.g.195]

Lol. have a digital copy of that syth. it's cool. But if I had the hardware I probably would throw it in the trash after playing it fo a while.

[@Guidotoons101]

Y'all misspelled "Boorish"...

[@rickenbacker40011]

Incredible

[@Vishnu-xn4vx]

rickenbacker40011 King Crimson, Rickenbacker fan of Prog Rock?

[@diregremo]

But, does it work in a vacuum?

[@NeuronalAxon]

Sure. Why not?

[@JanPBtest]

Why "infamous"? Weird.

[@markdwighttadina7655]

I dare modern Popstars to use these kind of synthesizers 😂😂😂😂

[@screwballvideos224]

Cool piece man. Interesting Mods. Recently purchased a 35 reissue. (See vid kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHe9dnaEjNNsoJY). Its a great piece. Very thick sound. I have a Arp 2600 as well. Also a good piece, but tonally no match for a modular Moog. Not my opinion, you can easily see it on a spectral display. Cheers man. Enjoy.

[@kostantinosmag2986]

Nice one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@dionysiaex5538]

Moog: the conservative's synthesizer.

[@ricardodorlando7496]

There are lots of Buchla clone modules in MU.

[@theboofin]

The only thing conservative about a synth like this is the player...

[@tonicjack9823]

At least it's totally analogue, and you can actually wrap your fingers around the knobs. Bur it needs to be played, not sequenced

[@quasarsphere]

@@tonicjack9823 It's got two sequencers.

[@Coastincolt]

I think I can see why you'd say that now, but back then there was nothing "conservative" about it! It was a very non- conservative era; musically and otherwise.

[@chieftp]

an amazing and awesome synth that - 1) cost as much as a Rolls Royce, 2) couldn't play chords, 3) was not of any use to 99.999999999% of people who play keyboard instruments. there was a reason these were only bought by universities and the wealthiest of musicians (the majority of whom used them for a fraction of one song and then put them in a closet somewhere.) if it wasn't for Keith Emerson, these things would be forgotten relics.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

It was not intended to be like a pocket calculator. It's purposefully meant not to be an every-man tool.

[@michaelbauers8800]

The mini moog was used by a lot of musicians, and it was just a hardwired and more limited Moog. I don't think it's reasonable to say modular synths are not of any use to keyboard musicians. Especially in 2017, when modular synths are actually quite popular options. The price of course, back in the 1960s and 1970s was prohibitive. But these days, if you build a small euro rack system, you can get a somewhat affordable modular synth.

[@graviton9282]

Hardly. It seems we’re still plagued by the same short sided thinking. Due to the lack of understanding...

[@douglas_drew]

All somewhat true, but have you ever seen pictures of early IBM computers? And who bought/used them? And the early computers' capabilities/limitations? Evolution is inevitable, but we should still value the originals and those that brought us so far along the way.

[@nutsosix7930]

i can see what you do with tech.

[@4711shaun2]

in regards to the statement from Reverb above, why should WC be discussed as if 'she' was a she back when 'he' clearly wasn't? if anything, this kind of PC BS just adds to the confusion. WC did not create 'Switched on Bach'.. the person that became WC did... ie, Walter Carlos.

[@favoriteblueshirt]

Well said.

[@louissheffield9513]

I have vinyl that says Walter. No disrespect intended, but she needs to let it go.

[@eido5438]

Damn.

[@ianskeggs5294]

Moge! Please cmon

[@douglas_drew]

???

[@DavidMinerMusic]

This thing is so dope.

[@yurhosed]

Doesn't anybody notice how OUT OF TUNE this thing is? And the way he has patched up the signals is very crude-sounding. In the late 1970's I had the good (or bad) fortune to be able to spend about 3 years using a Moog 55 system on a daily basis in a school studio. (The 55 was a somewhat more reliable version of the one shown here.) In order to get anything usable out of these old machines, you had to spend hours tweaking them. And then you needed to get your sounds on tape AFAP before the damn thing went out of whack again! Even Wendy Carlos abandoned analog synths as soon as she could get hold of a digital system (which she helped to design) in about 1984. That was called the DKS Synergy. It was a total commercial failure, but at least she got a couple of albums and a movie score (Tron") out of it. Restoring old Moog systems like this is a huge waste of time and money. There's almost nothing you can do with such monsters that you can't do in software.

[@iLikeTheUDK]

Wendy Carlos has been known by that name only and used she/her pronouns only for almost 50 years now. Please respect that too

[@SamLibman]

No.

[@Rhythmicons]

Why must people always say Wendy/Walter? Just say Wendy and get the fuck over it.

[@Hwral]

It would spare a lot of useless debate by simply sticking to "W.Carlos".

[@234cheech]

raw synthissis is fucking irritatting bit reverb then the dynamics change

[@synthanatomy]

Nice video :)

[@Guidotoons101]

Too bad you don't have anyone to demo what this can do.

[@gNatflaps]

Maybe I'm just being an entitled liberal about this, but he really didn't need to misgender Wendy like that. The way he did it actually took effort too.

[@Reverb]

We totally hear you, and agree. We recognize that gendering Wendy Carlos properly while retrospectively discussing her work is vital, and will absolutely do so in the future. Sincere apologies for the error, and thank you for commenting!

[@hattersgonnahat4928]

I want to point out, hopefully to inform Reverb for future videos that mention Wendy Carlos or other trans people, that you never refer to trans or nonbinary people by the pronouns assigned to them at birth, even in past tense. The guy said "he, or she", when he should have just said she.

[@irwellmedlock3326]

Well, some people do some times. It depends on your point of view - and trans people have varied opinions on the matter. I know I do.

[@eddy_sonik]

👍I LOVE ! 💙⚪❤

[@maddmannmatt]

Did Ms. Carlos complain or did someone who doesn't even know her get triggered? Calm down, Reverb. Seriously. Wendy could probably care less.

[@josiethompson2420]

it's wendy carlos, and it's she. period.

[@irwellmedlock3326]

He was referring to her in a historical sense, during both a male identified epoch and a female identified epoch, which constitutes multiple pronouns. I don't think being absolutist is helpful either. You're just working to deepen division. Let's all come together on this ey?

[@wheresmycar9559]

Josie Thompson Let's just focus on the friggin synth? I go to music to get away from politics and whatnot. God damn.

[@billybassman21]

Liberalism is a mental illness.

[@thepuppethead1188]

@Null You're a fucking loser. Wendy Carlos is a better musician than you'll ever be you ignorant fuckhead. Also,hate to ruin your childish fantasy (I mean look at the lack of nuance or substance in your li'l argument there,what're you on the spectrum?) but gender isn't determined by anything physical,it's something people made up to make conversation easier.

[@douglas_drew]

Out of respect, I firmly believe you address someone as they want to be addressed. Walter was preferred to a point in time, then Wendy was preferred. Indeed, Ms. Carlos was the consummate Moog programmer at a time when Dr. Moog relied heavily on her ability to demonstrate his wonderous machines.

[@marsupialmicron]

My microkorg sounds better ;)

[@gasolineandwine]

Not "or Walter Carlos". Wendy. Wendy Carlos. Period.

[@allisonwatling9565]

did anyone else think that the misgendering of Wendy Carlos was super unnecessary and disrespectful?

[@Reverb]

We totally hear you. Discussing the release of Switched-On Bach is tricky in this respect, as Wendy credited herself as "Walter" when it was released. However, we recognize that gendering her properly while retrospectively discussing her work is vital, and will absolutely do better in future videos (this one was filmed in 2016.) Thank you so much for watching, and for your comment!

[@Rhythmicons]

Just don't mention Wendy Carlos' gender, and don't print a retraction like it's solely about pronouns. She's a fucking human being and this is precisely why she never does interviews.

[@RageSondrayy]

don't deadname wendy next time. have some respect

[@gNatflaps]

Did he really have to misgender Wendy Carlos?