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.
Find out more at www.moogmusic.com/products/mod...
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

[@tstop8]

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

[@Rhythmicons]

Sorry for your loss.

[@jmack619]

Great comment! Thankyou for sharing a piece of music history with us mortals.

[@Emerson278]

Thank you for posting this message. You were truly a "Lucky Man" to have known Mister Keith Noel Emerson, a man whose music will live on forever !

[@0patience4flz]

Have you ever met Dick Hyman? ...He composed The Minotaur...

[@doctortono]

Beautiful comment and history!

[@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 ! ! !

[@0patience4flz]

Yeah....but...Dick Hyman...The Minotaur ?...no mention?

[@hifibrony]

Bob built the spacecraft and Keith flew it.

[@jameslee4285]

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

[@0patience4flz]

Dick Hyman?...no mention?

[@Achilles5937]

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.

[@robertenglish9838]

Tangerine Dream's Moog IIIP (Serial number was #1062). came from Sound Genesis in San Francisco. I used to play it on my lunch break. It was awesome. 2 MC30 McIntosh tube power amps driving Altec A7 "Voice of the theater" speakers. Imagine getting to play with that in a concrete soundproof building. Fun blowing up glassware! 1970 was SO MUCH FUN you can't imagine.

[@apollolanding1972]

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

[@dcsapporo]

Joe Clemente So true

[@carlbowles1808]

RIP Dr Bob Moog and associates you changed the world.

[@Emerson278]

I bet they are up in heaven creating new things that even impress God ! RIP Keith Emerson and Doctor Moog. You will never be forgotten !

[@arnaldotabosa1680]

Keith Emerson and Robert Moog , two genius ! Forever!

[@brooksbutler2874]

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.

[@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.

[@mauriceclemens3286]

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.❤️❤️❤️

[@cliffcarr3632]

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

[@jadethom7908]

"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.

[@MrPisster]

The richness of the Moog sound is just incredible.

[@karlp8484]

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.

[@mediclimber]

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

[@arnaldotabosa1680]

Realy !

[@grandmasterjo1]

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.

[@JoelLopezH.]

Yo he escuchado más de 200 veces ese disco; "Switched on Bach" y siempre me parece impresionante.

[@rb5stevenumber903]

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.

[@loueckert4970]

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.

[@HighCrystal]

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

[@donaldheitger6731]

Listen to Rachel Flowers.

[@0patience4flz]

Dick Hyman...the minotaur...moog synth..And piano....keith borrowed HEAVILY....awwww😐

[@drewsmith6317]

RIP Keith Emerson.

[@mosiprop]

.. this is soo bad ass!.. I'm torn between smiling at this beautiful machine, and weeping for the premature passing of the great Keith Emerson ..good on ya, Moog Music !!!

[@davidthomas5118]

I recently got the DVD of the documentary "I Dream of Wires". It contains as much of the history of modular synthesizers as can be packed into three and a half hours. If you're into this stuff, it's very enjoyable.

[@javiersanchezdelabarquera4879]

wooooowww!!! 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!!

[@markgreiser464]

One of my favorite Albums on the Planet was "Everything you always wanted to hear on the Moog, (but were afraid to ask)". 1967. If you have never heard, please go enjoy.

[@Justin-hn1oj]

Love it. Even after 50 years the moog synth is still amazing.

[@RichSad45]

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.

[@Pr0fess0rSasquatch]

"When you crank it up in a stadium... it can hurt" lol

[@mrgears]

It hurt me... and I never looked back!

[@RichSad45]

True words. I remember Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the Hartford Civic Center and borrow a phrase from Phil Lesh "it was like the voice of god." To quote Mellencamp it Hurt So Good.

[@pdbordelon]

I just bought a Moog Sub 37...I can't put into words the inspiration from this video!

[@ELEKTROGOWK]

What a fascinating time. Equated with the first step on the moon. It still gives me goosebumps. So old, but the sound is still 10 years ahead of us.

[@AlainHubert]

This anniversary predates mine by about 8 months. Very early on in my life I was drawn to the Moog sounds on recordings such as Popcorn (a Gershon Kingsley song cover by the band Hot Butter), Switched-On-Bach by Wendy Carlos, and of course, later on in my life, I was hypnotized by that famous lead by Keith Emerson on Lucky Man. Very interesting video. Kudos to the team that painstakingly and faithfully cloned this marvellous, amazing sound machine. It was also great to see Bob again. We miss you.

[@smitlag]

Imagine a new color that no one had ever seen. Not a shade or hue but a color, that is what synthesizers were to me. Today's kids don't appreciate as much because they have heard those sounds all of their lives in bits and pieces. I remember playing a Moog 15 years ago at a college that sat right beside a Putney VCS3 and the brand new Prophet 5. There was something to the feel of those knobs and patching one point to another that was even more satisfying than the very musical patches on the Prophet.

[@Boris_Chang]

I only saw ELP one time back in college in the mid ‘70’s and it blew me away. Inspired by Keith’s wizardry, I went on later to acquire a few synths: DX7, Chroma Polaris, Prophet 5, Ensoniq Mirage, and a few others I had to sell later to pay rent. All I have now is a MicroKorg, and a few software synths, but I’m toying with getting a Synthesizers Dot Com Box 44 right now. A shame I have little musical talent. But I have a passion for sonic exploration, so I have fun.

[@carlbowles1808]

I grew up with this I'm more amazed at this than ever. Thanks Dr Bob Moog for making the music of my 1980's the best and going forward. The young crowd should hear this. They must to appreciate the contribution's of those who blazed the musical path.

[@davidburne9477]

I love my Moog Grandmother 32! Right out of the box it sounded like a Moog. Can only imagine what sort of eidetic memory was required to remember how it make sounds on the fly with that magnificent original tech…

[@johnnyaxe2004]

I live in Geneva, NY which is only about a half hour from Trumansburg, NY which is where Dr. Moog invented the famous synthesizer. an amazing man indeed.

[@electricwally]

The concept and future of the design (as explained starting at the 13:44 mark) was the perfect ending to such a great documetary video on the re-crrated Moog Analog Modular. Thank you so much! Simply a miraculous achievement!

[@johnteves_music]

Breathtaking! No words can describe it. I could spend a year making sounds with this and be entertained the whole time!

[@robertthompson2237]

Ok this will be a very long comment. In the early 60’s in Trumansburg NY my aunt and two cousins worked along with a handful of other people producing early Moog synthesizers in a small store front “factory”. I was about 10-12 at the time. My mother took me inside and I got to see the people working. All I really remember was a lot of wires, a lot! The moved out there after a while to a bigger space somewhere.

[@bobbg9041]

Nothing i mean nothing sounds like one live in concert, and I got to see ELP live in concert it was beyond mind blowing. And its certainly odd we were traveling into space landing on the moon, and out comes this otherworldly sound, somthing you imagined came from OUTTERSPACE~~~~~~~

[@JMLRecording]

10:43 is a absurdly beautiful moment that encapsulates Moog filtering perfectly. I love this.

[@paulfletcher4613]

This is a remarkable piece of electronic engineering. The first time I heard the incredible sounds it made I loved it. Thanks to all the good people who kept this alive.

[@61lastchild]

These guys invented new sounds. Never heard before. Absolute creation.

[@williamhuston1]

This is a great little documentary, thanks for sharing. I've been a Moog geek since I was about 10 y/o when I discovered my brother's record collection, which included Switched on Bach, and also ELP's Pictures at and Exhibition. I think it's wonderful these big analog beasts are still being made! If only I had a big house and a pile of cash, I would have one of these in an instant!!!

[@denispoli7173]

The craftsmanship put into building such equipment is quite impressive

[@billpalmer2652]

Magnificent. I saw Keith Emerson using one over 25 times and just admire the technology. That it is still at the top of the synthesizer world today tells of the genius of Robert Moog. How great these guys have the passion to carry it forward.

[@cfenerd]

I felt like a king just being able to say hello in an email to/from Bob around Y2K.. He lived/worked over in Asheville, NC at the time. What an honor, and I never met him face to face.

[@scottluther2091]

I have always loved the sounds of synths when they came out!

[@NadjaLind]

happy birthday awesome Moog!

[@rts100x5]

Alot of what they were noodling with sounded much like the Aqua Tarkus solo work on the Live Welcome Back album...... Yes Keith was able to take this instrument to uncharted destinations in musical places that we who heard it will never forget .....

[@PromWolf]

Bob Moog was such a G. R.I.P.

[@vidsforsquids]

Moog/Emerson: A match made for eternity

[@BritishBeachcomber]

Emerson Lake and Palmer. Isle of Wight 1970. My first festival. Moog magic...

[@edysinsimon8646]

As a young man, this was mostly far out in the future! This timetable turned into 3 years later!

[@alternatingbitmusic]

Superb dedication to the mother of synths! Thanks for doing this, and inspiring us all to keep modular alive, before it turns to dust.

[@PacifierMusic]

Went on the Moog Factory Tour last year and I can say that it was the highlight of my life. This is the most amazing company with a passion for making people happy. Thanks Moog!

[@JetEarlewood]

@PacifierMusic 4yrs ago? Where was the factory then?

[@JMLRecording]

grateful for this amazing video. This is how KZbin benefits humanity.

[@adammassacre1981]

"And someday you realise that ALL of us are gonna be dust...so lets pass it on lets share" awesome.

[@zigun5280]

The photography in this is beautiful

[@axiomist1076]

Beautiful ! I love those sounds the Moog can make. Space opera comes to mind.

[@nomorebushz]

Performance with Mick jagger, 1969, I think there was a scene or two when he was using a Moog synthesizer. I have it on DVD I’ll have to watch it again.

[@Chris-is6xb]

Killer! Wonderfully educational.

[@DjamKaretVideos]

We're digging it!! I've owned and been playing Moogs for 30 years, so YES I love this synth company!!

[@joeluis6655]

Thank you...I smile every time...

[@MikeKleinsteuber]

Great stuff. I remember seeing Keith in the early 70s and the guy was a force of nature. Awesome...

[@johnhumphries505]

This might be my favorite invention. A significant invention that is beautiful only adds to its rarity. Even more that it's an invention designed to create with. I hope that Moog is regarded as a leading figure of the 20th century, he sure has been for me!

[@northXten]

You can't put a price on art.It is simply breathtaking to see and hear this in person.Only the earliest of minimoogs could mabie have the bandwidth and low end and more complex overtones but they are fixed systems.It looks like it sounds.Bring a crew and a truck if you move around alot.

[@porscha901]

1968 and Walter Carlos made history by switched on BACH with a moog must never be forgotten

[@erick-gd7wo]

I have Wendy Carlos CD. It's a treasure now

[@DeBodo]

we put a click on the 24 track which then was synched to the Moog Modular. I knew that it could be a sound of the future but I didn't realise how much the impact would be

[@jimcampbell1232]

aquaturkus wbmf 1974 the best use of the moog i have ever heard

[@BertGrink]

For me it will always be 'Lucky Man'

[@JohnSmith-mx8wp]

@jim Thank You! That is my 2nd favorite ELP track (behind "Toccata")...it is an absolute tour de force...they both are, now that I think about it.

[@0patience4flz]

Aquaint yourself with Dick Hymans The Minotaur...trust me...its eye opening...

[@donaldheitger6731]

The very best concert I ever saw was Emerson Lake and Palmer at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. A huge outdoor area right on the lake.

[@ViRtUaLmOnKeY023]

Happy 50th Moog, Love the synth.

[@notalkwalk]

saw this at AES 2014 in LA... it was freakin amazing!!

[@floatershaw]

What a Wonderful synthesizer,

[@hammondvoodoo9555]

Keith Emerson will always be remember as the best keyboard player in history!

[@williamhommel4252]

Add Greg to the list of souls we sure miss. I have to believe that ELP fueled my love of things analog. There is nuance and hand tuned goodness there.

[@RHF52]

In the Early 70s, I saw Emerson Lake and Palmer, at the Miami Jai Alai, Up Front and Close. At the End, when Emerson turned the Moog to the Audience, and Started the Count Down, followed by the Sonic Boom, the Energy Shut Down the Jai Alai's Power Grid!!!! FANTASTIC!!! 😀😃🙂

[@gheffz]

Unbelievable effort!

[@Sewnknit]

I have an album of MOOG music - love it.

[@mrake1000]

Great video thanks, i will never have a Modular Moog, but i have one in my computer. Thats great, not the real stuff, but as good as it gets.

[@johnnytarponds9292]

It's the instrument everyone loved in the '70s, but no one really knew.

[@SkinnyEMedia]

Didn’t even know the great Bob Moog was American until now. Considering electronic music is very much popular in Europe

[@synthprocess]

@ 8:30: i am a big fan of Gene Stopp but at this point it has to be said that Bob Moog chose the S-Trigger because it works potential free and can be used like an OR gate without producing a short circuit. love your work /k

[@lisbonlion1967]

Great video, gorgeous synth

[@friendlypiranha774]

That was SUPER interesting. Thank you.

[@noinhabitants8059]

Beautiful video

[@weatherpeoplemusic]

Truly inspiring people and machines.

[@soloharmonicsrobj8246]

The massive modular Moog is a dream instrument for me. I hope someday to get some time on one. Just to experience it would be phenomenal I'm sure.

[@JezebelDecibel]

Thank you Moog for such great work.

[@DJBENVERA]

I got to see this in person at AES 2014 in L.A. I can die a happy man now :)

[@mscformeditation]

Excellent, thanks, still love my old Minimoog :-)

[@airtonrodriguesdeoliveira9447]

Moog, Simply amazing this synth.

[@bobbg9041]

CERTAINLY WAS A LUCKY MAN. RIP Keith Emerson.

[@johninjersey]

Thanks for this! And I always assumed the Moog had vacuum tubes. :)

[@audiotomb]

All analog - but not tubes - run it through a tube amp

[@markkirschenmann3925]

Great post, thank you so much!

[@normanmacfarlane6724]

Look at this machine. Now you can get synthisiser modules that can be carried around in your pocket. An amazing machine.

[@BetamaxFlippy]

rip Keith Emerson and Greg Lake

[@flowerpower111]

Happy 50th anniversary!

[@matthewpaluch777]

Happy GOLDEN 50th Anniversary Moog! Now when the hell will you get to making something for us drummers/percussionist?!

[@flurng]

The beauty of the S-trigger system is that it can be implemented with a simple spst switch - no power needed! Better yet, put a potentiometer in series with it, and you can control the volume, as well!

[@napj3721]

Beautiful