David Van Koevering Has Passed Away

Update: this post will be pinned on top for the day. You can find newer posts below.

Brian Kehew wrote in to let us know synth legend David Van Koevering passed away yesterday at the age of 77. Per Brian, "So many people in the industry knew him; such a long and varied life!" Indeed. The following is the obituary sent to him from Van Koevering's family.

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Bob Moog Foundation Announces 2016 Calendar

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"Rare Photos Highlight Van Koevering Archival Collection

Asheville, NC - October 13, 2015... Today the Bob Moog Foundation releases its 2016 calendar, Moog Is Now: The Moog Legacy Through the Lens of David Van Koevering. The calendar is based on historical photos and memorabilia tracing David Van Koevering's 45-year professional relationship with electronic music pioneer Bob Moog. The images and materials used in the calendar belong to the David Van Koevering Collection, part of the Bob Moog Foundation Archives.

Van Koevering is often cited as playing a pivotal role as the first to pioneer the sales of the iconic Minimoog synthesizer in the early 1970s, a time when the instrument was little known and poorly understood. His unusual and compelling sales techniques helped to popularize the instrument, which would eventually be regarded as the most iconic synthesizer in the world. Van Koevering would go on to become Vice President of Marketing for Moog Music in Williamsville, New York. He continued to collaborate with Bob Moog throughout the years, culminating in their work together on the Van Koevering Piano. David Van Koevering and Bob Moog remained friends until Moog passed away in August, 2005.

'It is an honor to see the professional history I shared with Bob highlighted by the Bob Moog Foundation," notes Van Koevering. "Bob was an inspiration to me, as he was to legions of people around the world, and his instruments inspired waves of creativity that are still rippling through the world of music today. It was a privilege to work so closely with a true pioneer in the world of electronic music, and to help popularize his revolutionary instruments.'

The calendar can be purchased through the Foundation's online store. In addition to rare historical images, it features a narrative history compiled from interviews with Van Koevering, as well as noted dates in Moog history. The photos and vintage promotional materials featured in the calendar are sure to fascinate electronic music enthusiasts as well as historians.

'It was exceptional for Bob to have a collaborative, professional, and personal relationship that lasted for over four decades," observes Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation. "We are thrilled to be sharing David's story through the fascinating archival material that he donated to our ever-growing archives.'

Proceeds from the sales of the calendar will benefit the Bob Moog Foundation Archives and other historic preservation projects of the Bob Moog Foundation."

An Interview with David Van Koevering on Astronauta Pinguim

via Fabricio Carvalho on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

"David was one of the main [people] responsible for the Mini Moog becoming a very popular instrument in the early seventies, when he decided to travel thru the USA demonstrating and selling the instrument. David Van Koevering was also the developer of the Orchestron, an instrument that was based on Mattel's Optigan, that became very famous when musicians like Patrick Moraz and Kraftwerk members used in their records!"

You'll find the interview on Astronauta Pinguim here.

Pictured:

Top: "On stage: David Van Koevering (2nd from left) and Robert Moog (seated)."

"ASTRONAUTA - How did you meet Robert Moog for the first time?

DAVID - I was traveling and doing musical educational programs in the public schools. There is a picture of my educational presentation in Trevor Pinch's book "Analog Days". I saw an ad in the Music Educators Journal that had a photo of the R. A. Moog Studio in Trumansburg, NY which said "Come Visit Our Backroom". I was performing in the area and decided to visit. Bob Moog was in Europe so I did not meet him then. Awhile later I was performing at a school in Long Island, NY and the principal said "I want you to meet Bob Moog". He had come from Trumansburg, NY to meet me and see and hear my show. Bob and I talked about the last song on my show where I performed on a "Theremin". I had made it from and article that Bob had published in an electronics magazine. After meeting Bob that day he asked if I would like to join him and his family at Carnegie Hall in New York City. It was the first ever live performance of the "Moog Quartet" with Gershon Kingsley. During that concert something switched on in my spirit, I knew I needed to be involved! I had a huge audience and showing the future of music to the younger generation became my goal."

Left: David Van Koevering with Moog theremin.

www.davidvankoevering.com

Bob Moog Foundation Shares David Van Koevering Collection of Archival Material with Bob Moog

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"The 40 Year Friendship: David Van Koevering and Bob Moog With Images from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives || Van Koevering Collection

On this very special week leading up to Bob's birthday, we are delving into some of the fascinating archival material donated to us by Bob's longtime friend and colleague, David VanKoevering.

These materials, part of the VanKoevering Collection within the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, give new insight into David's unparalleled ability to market little understood instruments as well as his role conceptualizing new instruments with Bob.

Read the entire blog, which incorporates interview material with David, and feast your eyes on several never before seen documents here."

David Van Koeverings Prototype #1 Orchestron

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction, also on Reverb

"What we have here is a museum find. This is David van koeverings #1 Proto type synthesizer one of a kind. From a collection owned by David. Moog super salesmen responsible for the launch and success of the minimoog. In great condition comes in Viking case. I plugged the orchestron in it powers up but I have no discs to test it..."

via Wikipedia: "Vako Synthesizers Incorporated, founded by electronic instrument pioneer and former Moog technician and salesperson David Van Koevering, started to build improved versions of the Optigan under the name Orchestron in 1975. Intended for professional use as an alternative to the Mellotron (hence the name Orchestron), it featured improved recorded sounds over the Optigan. The Optigan was an organ that played its sounds from light scanned graphic waveforms encoded on film discs. The sounds with the highest fidelity were on the outer rings of these discs. These outer rings were used for the Orchestron sounds to improve the sound. Although the Model A Orchestron is identical to the Optigan, the models B, C, and D follow the designs of the Chilton Talentmaker. The Talentmaker was taken out of the market after Optigan's manufacturer – Optigan corporation, a subsidiary of toy company Mattel – threatened to sue Chilton because of patent infringements..."

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Moog Minimoog Model D Rev 2

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

Update: It's come to my attention this listing could have been a scam. Remember, ALWAYS go through Reverb and eBay for their buyer protection as listed on Reverb here, and eBay here. If you try to make a deal outside of Reverb and eBay to save a few bucks, you will not be covered.

Here is the listing for reference:

via this auction

Note auction links are affiliate links. See the site's privacy policy for more info.

"Purchased in 1995, I've cherished this piece. However, after months of contemplation, I've decided it's time to part with it. Everything functions perfectly. Includes owner's manual, tuning instructions, and an ATA road case.

Some believe that Rev-3 offers the steadiest tuning, but it feels commonplace to me. Rev-1 had an erratic power supply, resulting in its distinct sound. Personally, I favor Rev-2—slightly unstable, yet it preserves Rev-1's unique character."

Regarding revs I almost thought this was a Don Martin Minimoog Model E aka Donimoog or the Welsh Minimoog as the Reverb listing had 1995 in the title. I realize that was the date purchased by the seller in the listing description.

I was curious how many different revs were documented and decided to see if Wikipedia's Minimoog article might mention them. They don't (and they don't mention the Doninmoog or Welsh Minimoog, but they do have this interesting bit on a Taco Bell connection:

"Moog Co released the first Minimoog in 1970.[3][4]: 232  Moog said it was conceived as a portable tool for session musicians, and the team expected to sell "maybe 100 of them".[5] 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'."

Think about that the next time you have Taco Bell.

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Moog Sanctuary (MemoryMoog+) SN 3136

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via ISLA Instruments Reverb

Note auction links are affiliate links. See the site's privacy policy for more info.

Video in the listing previously posted here.

"The Moog 'Sanctuary', of which only 100 units were ever made was the brainchild of David Van Koevering. Moog Music brought Van Koevering in to guide their marketing efforts when the company had developed a stronger national presence. David worked with local church groups to find a unique marketing outlet for a custom-named set of Moog instruments (the Sanctuary and Joyful Noise designs,) re-branded versions of Moog instruments designed and programmed to appeal to more traditional church markets.

This was recently serviced (November '22) by 'SynthPro' Jareth Lackey. (invoice for works carried out included) and also now includes a modern, bespoke internal powersupply from 'Synthtaste' for added reliability.

Everything works as it should, pots and switches are all behaving perfectly.

The cabinetry is in stunning condition, it really is a synth to behold.

A short video is attached which Jareth recorded after repairs were carried out."

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NAMM 2016 | Moog Island Of Electronicus

via Moog Music

"The Moog booth at the 2016 Winter NAMM show celebrated the first major Moog 'Happening', The Island Of Electronicus.

Conceived and organized in the early 70's by Moog marketing guru, David Van Koevering (pictured above), The Island of Electronicus was presented as a mind-expanding series of immersive electronic events held on an island off the coast of Florida. Inspired by Van Koevering's event, the Moog Island of Electronicus encouraged visitors to 'come together in an immense creative explosion of thought & feeling.'

Special thanks to Carlos and the crew at The Echo Park Cactus Store for adorning our island with a sublime collection of entrancing desert plants, and to illustrator Kyle Platts for his ingenious Mother-32 inspired drawings.

For those of you who could not make it out to this year's NAMM show, please enjoy these photos from the event."

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Selling Moog in Taco Bell

"[I]n music stores throughout the country, young kids bought the Minimoog because of a former evangelist David van Koevering, whom [Robert] Moog had enlisted to sell the new product.

Like a traveling medicine show, Van Koevering moved thousands of Minimoogs by using innovative marketing techniques. In Florida, he hooked up with Taco Bell, handing out free coupons to the restaurant, and then showing up later in the evening to play to diners. He promoted the "Island of Electronicus," an artificial land mass connected by a causeway to the Florida coast, where a Moog concert was scheduled. The radio ads announced, "Where is the Moog synthesizer? It's here now ... to stimulate your feelings, thought, and your love for your fellow man."

Title link takes you to more. Via Music Thing.

MOOG Meets Taco Bell and Goes to Church

I'm currently reading "Analog Days" by Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco. You can find the book in the Synth Books section on the right of this site. I just got to the part were the Minimoog Model D finally came into fruition in 1970. According to the book, it was first introduced to music stores by David VanKoevering. David was putting on a show with a theremin when he first met Bob Moog. Bob went to his show and invited him to come see Gershon Kingsley perform at Carnegie Hall with the MOOG modular. Soon after, David ended up picking up a MOOG Model 10 according to this site. What was particularly interesting was how David first began to promote MOOG.

"Like a traveling medicine show, Van Koevering moved thousands of Minimoogs by using innovative marketing techniques. In Florida, he hooked up with Taco Bell, handing out free coupons to the restaurant, and then showing up later in the evening to play to diners. He promoted the "Island of Electronicus," an artificial land mass connected by a causeway to the Florida coast, where a Moog concert was scheduled. The radio ads announced, 'Where is the Moog synthesizer? It's here now ... to stimulate your feelings, thought, and your love for your fellow man.'"

Yes, this Taco Bell. :)

The above quote comes from this article from the San Antonio Current. BTW, I couldn't find an image of the Taco Bell flyer although there is one pictured in Analog Days. If anyone knows where I can find one online, feel free to comment. The image in this post is of David's "The Island of Electronics" which he formed shortly after. You can also read more about this on VOTAGE::MAIN where I found the image. Be sure to check out all the links in this post for more of the fascinating story and of course "Analog Days."

David later repackaged the Memorymoog as the "Sanctuary Synthesizer" and sold them to a number of churches. I wonder how many are still sitting in storage... (image via this post)

Note: according to some on AH and other sites there are inaccuracies in the book, "Analog Days." I haven't discovered a comprehensive list. If you know of such a list, please comment. If you know of the inaccuracies also feel free to comment. If there is enough interest I could create the list with a sticky post for us. Regardless, the book is a great read. It is well written and a fascinating story of the birth of MOOG, and it touches on Buchla.

Update via marr in the comments:

"There's a scan of the flyer on moogarchives...
http://moogarchives.com/vako2.jpg
http://moogarchives.com/vako3.jpg"

VAKO Orchestron Model Double D

via this auction

"This unit was most likely the last unit built by the company which was called Technical Research Institute, Inc at the time it was manufactured. Orchestrons were formerly built by a company called Viking, and prior to that, they were called VAKO. The extremely brilliant and talented former Moog sales rep David Van Koevering started and operated the three companies, all of which existed within three-four years of one another and were basically the same company with different investors.

There were two or three odd one-off prototype models (model X for example) that were never fully realized or fully functioning, however this super rare Model Double D was actually a Standard Model and fully realized. It is also perhaps the most usable and reliable model, and only two are known to exist that were made under the Technical Research Institute Inc label. There was one (not as nice) made and labeled VAKO (built for the band America).

This particular example I am offering was never sold by the factory as the company dissolved soon after its completion and this unit remained in limbo while the company was dissolved. It has also never been played or used by anyone. Its retail price in 1976 was $7,000. I own and have owned many Orchestron instruments. The Model D versions are the best designs and any double drive / double keyboard Orchestron is especially useful. This unit is the most desirable and rare of all Orchestrons built and it is literally new old stock. The unit has sat unplayed its entire life and may require some tweaking and general servicing. It is being sold without warranty or statement of operating condition. Sold in “AS IS” condition only with NO RETURNS BEING OFFERED.

Fortunately the wonderful Pea Hicks at optigan.com offers remastered, remanufactured disks of all original 8 Orchestron sounds plus 6 additional sounds (14 total). Unfortunately some of the remastered disks are already out of production, however for $100 each I will agree to sell one new copy from my collection of any or all of the 14 remastered disks to the buyer of this unit. I have already had a crate made professionally (see pics) which may be useful for transportation. Anyone wishing to have the unit freight shipped will be offered the unused crate for $375 in addition to the purchase price..."

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Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH!

Happy New Year everyone!

First I want to thank everyone who takes the time out of their busy schedules to come visit the site. I want to give an extra thanks to everyone who supports this site, including the sponsors you see above and on the right. Without them this site would not be possible.

As many of you know, running MATRIXSYNTH is a labor of love. The site has been running for over 13 years and hopefully will continue on for many years to come. Every single post goes up by hand, seven days a week, including holidays and "vacations." Some of you may not know this, but MATRIXSYNTH is a one man shop by me, matrix. I have not missed a single day of posting since back on August 6 of 2005 when I first launched this format of the site. I say "this format of the site" because I actually registered matrixsynth.com back in October of 1997. You can still see the old site here. On the left were links to sites I visited back in the day. It's actually a pretty neat snapshot of what was around on the web back then before the days of YouTube and social media. I launched this version of the site back on July 20 of 2005. As of this post there have been 175,117 posts on the site. We had 13,302 posts in 2018. Every single one went up by hand. I am extremely humbled and grateful of those who choose to support the site. Thank you so much!!!

Now, for some numbers. I haven't shared them in a while as they started to feel a little redundant year after year, but I figured why not? The image above is a map of visitors to the site in 2018. We had 540,712 users visit for a total of 3,418,064 pageviews. We finally have a visitor from North Korea this year! The numbers are from Google Analytics and should filter out bots. BTW if you look at this all time map, the only country to not have visited MATRIXSYNTH to date is the Central African Republic. It's pretty amazing to think someone from every single other country in the world has visited the site.

The following are the top 10 countries to visit by traffic:

1 United States 4,564(35.30%)
2 United Kingdom 1,070(8.28%)
3 Germany 866(6.70%)
4 France 653(5.05%)
5 Canada 544(4.21%)
6 Italy 512(3.96%)
7 Japan 464(3.59%)
8 Netherlands 357(2.76%)
9 Poland 331(2.56%)
10 Norway 314

(Update: I originally had the list by language which duplicated DE and FR. The list has been updated for country only).

A couple of years ago I started tracking new gear for the year with "new gear" labels. For 2018 we had the following:

695 new items never featured before on the site. This includes 49 posts on older gear never featured before.
111 new makers
92 new synths
63 new soft synths
67 new sound/noise machines
36 new synth effects
266 new modules
42 new mobile apps
11 new drum machines
111 new DIY projects
26 new controllers
40 new tools
7 new cases

And finally we had 52 posts to get the exclusive label for the year. These are the rarest of the rare featured on the site.

Note there is some overlap and the primary focus of MATRIXSYNTH is hardware synthesis. Rather than go into a top 10 list (which I never was into because all gear has its use imo), click through any of the links above to see what came in by category.

On the mega synth front, we saw the release of the Sequential Prophet X and XL (DSI changed names to Sequential as well), the Moog One and Grandmother, Yamaha MODX, Korg Prologue, and the Waldorf Quantum finally made it to release. You can also recap what was featured at NAMM 2018, SUPERBOOTH18, Knobcon, and SoundMit and other events.

This year we lost the following in the synth world. Note this does not include discontinued gear, although with Erthenvar being featured as a company, I may include gear in the the future.

Erthenvar Closes Shop
RIP John Leimseider
RIP Shirleigh Moog
The Candlelight Vigil: A Synth Cover in Memory of Jóhann Jóhannsson (From Prisoners)
David Van Koevering Has Passed Away

-----

And that's it for 2018. Happy New Year and onto 2019! Thank you to everyone that enjoys, contributes, and supports the site! I started MATRIXSYNTH to track everything synth. It's rewarding to know people out there still enjoy the site. MATRIXSYNTH is my gift to you.

Moogfest Workshops

"MOOGFEST 2010 ANNOUNCES RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY MOOG WORKSHOPS AND PANELS AT THE MOOGAPLEX

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND – 10/29-10/31 IN ASHEVILLE, NC
MoogFest 2010, the extraordinary three-day festival which celebrates the innovative spirit of sonic pioneer Robert Moog, during Halloween weekend, October 29-31, in Asheville, NC, has already announced most of its outstanding lineup. Now, in addition to MoogFest’s excellent musical offerings, the festival will also give attendees the opportunity to dig deeper into the world of Moog with a wide range of panel discussions and workshops.

The Red Bull Music Academy has teamed up with AC Entertainment, Moog Music and the Bob Moog Foundation to bring together top minds in history, technology and education of Moog. Experts, ranging from Bob's colleagues in the seminal days of synthesis to the more contemporary sound sculptors of today, are coming from around the country to share their ideas and vast experiences. The Bob Moog Foundation will be responsible for the historical content at MoogFest, including items from Bob Moog's archives such as rarely seen vintage photographs and historic audio clips from recently restored reel-to-reel tapes.

News on the other activities will be announced in the coming weeks. With all of these exciting elements solidifying, MoogFest is proving itself more and more to be an essential experience for music fans and sonic adventurers from all over the world.

MoogFest 2010 Red Bull Music Academy Moog Workshops, Demonstrations & Panels:

SYNTH HISTORY PANEL – THE BIRTH OF THE MINIMOOG
Featuring:
Herb Deutsch (co-collaborator on first Modular in 1963)
Dave Van Koevering (first salesman for Minimoog and VP of Marketing at Moog Music in the 70s)
Tom Rhea (Former clinician, design consultant, and director of marketing at Moog Music; wrote Minimoog manual)

Moderated By:
Brain Kehew (Bob Moog Foundation Historian and keyboardist (Moog Cookbook)
TARA BUSCH – ARTIST PERFORMANCE & DISCUSSION ABOUT REMIXING WITH MOOGERFOOGERS
Tara is a synth siren well known as a prominent analog synth-blogger for AnalogSuicide.com. Her performances are ethereal explorations of analog sound.

TECH. PANEL - ADVANCED APPLICATION & SYNTHESIS
Featuring Cyril Lance, Head Engineer at Moog Music, and other Moog engineers.

SYNTH HISTORY PANEL – EXPLORATION OF THE BOB MOOG ARCHIVES

Featuring:
Brian Kehew (Bob Moog Foundation Historian, Keyboardist)
Michelle Moog-Koussa (Executive Director, Bob Moog Foundation)
Seva David Ball (Archive Preservationist, currently restoring Bob Moog's reel-to-reel tapes with a grant from the Grammy Foundation)

TECH. PANEL - MODERN DAY SOUNDSCULPTING

Featuring:
Richard Devine (acclaimed sound designer)
Tara Busch (prominent analog synth-blogger and synth-performer)
RICHARD DEVINE – ABOMINATRON II PERFORMANCE

Richard is one of the world's most acclaimed, young sound designers. His clients include top names in film and advertising. Richard will be performing on Moog Music's Abominatron II, a homage to Bob Moog’s original synthesizer prototype, created with current Moog synthesizers and effects processors.

SYNTH HISTORY PANEL - EXAMINING THE LEGACY OF MINI SYNTHS
Featuring:
Craig Anderton (Founder EM Magazine, signal processing guru, editor EQ Magazine)
Geary Yelton (Associate Editor of Electronic Musician, freelance journalist)
Steven Fortner (Editor, Keyboard Magazine)

Moderated By:
Brian Kehew

THEREMIN PERFORMANCE & LESSON WITH DORIT CHRYSLER
Dorit is an accomplished musician and composer best known for her ethereal Theremin style. After Dorit's performance, Moog Music will distribute 20 Theremins to the audience and participants will receive an interactive lesson from Dorit.


TECH. PANEL – THE POWER OF MODULAR SYNTHESIS
Featuring:
Erik Norlander (Synth rock legend, Moog aficionado, accomplish synth designer)
Amos Gaynes (Moog Music engineer)
The Wall of Doom (Erik's massive custom Moog Modular synthesizer)

MOOG GUITAR SOUND SCULPTING WITH SAUL ZONANA
Saul is a killer guitarist who has worked with Adrian Belew, Ace Frehley, Crash Test Dummies. He will integrate the Moog Guitar, Moogerfoogers, Multi-Pedal, and Little Phatty into an exploration of the guitars amazing capabilities.

All panels, demonstrations, and workshops will take place between Noon and 6:30 PM EST at the Moogaplex, located at the Haywood Park complex. They are first come, first served for those who bought either weekend passes or have a pass for that particular day. The dates, and times will be announced in the coming weeks.

MoogFest 2010 tickets are on sale now. To purchase weekend passes or single day tickets and for more information about the festival visit moogfest.com. To see the weekend schedule visit http://moogfest.com/2010/moogfest-2010/schedule/friday/.

MoogFest 2010 Lineup:

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Bob Moog Foundation Commemorates Sixth Anniversary

YouTube Published on Aug 20, 2012 by moogfoundation

"Bob Moog's legacy lives on in the rock stars and panelists at Moogfest 2011. Find out why Bob's extraordinary legacy deserves to be carried forward.

Featuring: Moby, Wayne Coyne, Diego Stocco, Eric Persing, Bryan Bell, Dick Hyman, Terry Riley, David Borden, Joel Cummins, Alan Vega and Torley."

"Asheville, NC - August 20, 2012 - Tomorrow marks seven years since beloved synthesizer inventor Bob Moog passed away in 2005. It has also been six years since his family formally established the non-profit Bob Moog Foundation. The BMF continues to advance Bob’s legacy by announcing several recent projects ranging from educational videos to a Web page tracing the history of synthesizers. The “Moogmentum” that the BMF initiated in the summer of 2006 continues picking up steam.

In cooperation with macProVideo.com, the Bob Moog Foundation introduces a tutorial series titled The Foundation of Synthesis with Marc Doty. Six videos cover the History of Synthesis; Oscillators; Filters; Control Voltage; VCAs, Ring Modulation, and S&H; and Applied Synthesis. Education specialist Doty, best known for his YouTube-based synth instruction, has created custom animations and uses a variety of instruments to demonstrate these six concepts. In addition, keyboardist Erik Norlander makes an appearance to give a brief tour of his massive modular synthesizer affectionately known as the Wall of Doom. The first three videos from this exclusive series will be available on August 23 for individual downloads or to monthly or annual macProVideo.com subscribers. A large portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the BMF.

A new promotional video, produced by Flying Pig Studios in Asheville, highlights the Bob Moog Foundation’s unquenchable desire to inspire innovation and ignite creativity. It features performers and panelists from last year’s edition of the annual music festival held in Bob’s honor, Moogfest 2011. Musicians such as Moby, Dick Hyman, and Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips talk about Bob Moog’s lasting impact on the world of music and the importance of continuing his legacy. You can view the video at http://youtu.be/VO-9JtN5-a0. [embed above]

This week the BMF is also releasing free online video coverage of “History of the Minimoog,” one of the most spirited and informative panel discussions of Moogfest 2010. Watch and learn as legendary Moog collaborators Bill Hemsath, Tom Rhea, Dave Van Koevering, and Herb Deutsch discuss their individual roles in developing the Minimoog synthesizer in 1970 as part of a team effort with Bob Moog.

Anyone who has researched the history of synthesizers knows how frustrating it can be to find consistently reliable information. As part of the Foundation’s relentless effort to rid the world of misinformation, the BMF announces its comprehensive Timeline of Synthesis, which will be posted on its website beginning this week.

Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool is making news, too, with its ongoing mission to teach the science of sound through the magic of music. After concluding its pilot program in 8 Asheville second-grade classrooms this past spring, DBSS is expanding to 25 classrooms in Asheville and Buncombe County schools for the 2012–2013 school year. Using traditional and electronic musical instruments with custom educational materials, the BMF plans to expand DBSS to 100 classrooms in North and South Carolina by 2014.

For more information and announcements, visit www.bobmoogfoundation.org."

Maximize Your Moogfest Experience

"GET THE MAXIMUM MOOG AT MOOGFEST 2010 HALLOWEEN WEEKEND – 10/29-10/31 IN ASHEVILLE, NC

Going to Moogfest 2010? Be sure to get the most out of your festival experience. You’ll enjoy the music even more if you take advantage of these unique opportunities to immerse yourself in the world of Moog:

PROJEK MOOG
Saturday, 6:00pm – 6:50pm at The Orange Peel

A stellar lineup of some of today’s most proficient multi-instrumentalists (including Moog Chief Engineer, Cyril Lance), Projek Moog has composed a specific piece of music for Moogfest, one that highlights the various instruments for which Moog Music is renowned. Joining the group will be Brian Kehew, a close friend of Bob Moog’s and best known for his work in the Moog Cookbook as well as being the historian for the Moog Foundation. If you want to see the many facets of Moog Music at work, this has to be on your must-see list.

The inspiration in creating this show was to feature new instruments and the artists whose valuable input helped perfect them. Both Brian Kehew and fellow Projek Moog musician Billy Cardine have been involved in helping create instruments that are truly inspirational. Brian has been associated with Moog for years and Billy recently helped with a brand new stringed instrument which will make its debut at Moogfest.

Having these great musicians involved in product development is emblematic of what Bob was all about and the legacy of Moog Music. Instruments are collaborative - they need to be intuitive and soulful. Brian and Billy's involvement have kept this spirit alive and Projek Moog is about celebrating that legacy.

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