Professor William Hoskins and His Mystery Moog

Pictured to the left is Professor William Hoskins (via). What you see there is not the mystery Moog, but his Moog modular system. This post is about another Moog synth, one most likely based on the Sonic VI. If you have any information on what this synth might be after reading this, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly. My contact info is on the bottom right of the site. I have already contacted Michelle Moog-Koussa and Brian Kehew author of Kaleidoscope Eyes A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper, as well as Trevor Pinch, author of Analog Days [Amazon hardcover & paperback, preview on Google books], and featured in this exclusive post. I also contacted James Husted of Synthwerks, George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular, Steven Jones of Synthwood, and Carbon111, all of whom know their synth history. None were familiar with what the synth might be.

The story: I was recently contacted by a Paul Rego with the following:

"I've been searching the Internet for over a year now and have not been able find a specific synth. Since you seem to know and work with every type of synth known, I thought I'd ask you...

Around 1973 - 1974, I took private synthesizer lessons at Jacksonville University (Florida). The instructor was Professor William Hoskins and the synth was a custom Studio Moog assembled by Professor Hoskins.

One day, Professor Hoskins showed me his personal, portable synthesizer. He brought out what looked like a brown suitcase. When he opened it, I saw a Moog Sonic VI.

This is nothing new. I've seen lots of images of this synth on the Internet. The one aspect of this particular synth, that I cannot find anywhere, is that it had a touch-sensitive keyboard. The keyboard was made of plastic and had a gray / brown color. Outlining the keys (showing the location of the 'white' and 'black' keys) was an almost medium blue color (about an eighth-inch thick). (He and I tinkered with this synth for about a half-hour to an hour.)

Professor Hoskins passed away several years ago, so I can't ask him about it. I did contact his family but they don't remember anything about this synth.

I do remember Professor Hoskins telling me that he and Bob Moog had 'gone to school together'. I think he was referring to electronics school but I never asked him more about it. I thought I had read somewhere that Professor Hoskins and Bob Moog had briefly worked together on a Sonic VI prototype but I don't know if that's true. (Even if what I saw was a prototype, someone has to own it now and should be proud enough of it to post some photos somewhere.)

I thought the background story might help in your own research on this.

Basically, I'd just like to know if this synth ever existed or am I just not remembering it correctly.

Thank you for your time and attention."

My first obvious guess considering the blue was the Buchla Music Easel or separate Buchla touchplate keyboard modded into the case of a Sonic VI. I sent Paul a couple of links to various images.

Paul replied: "the synth I saw didn't look like the Buchla Easel. Good call though.

The 'blue', which outlined the keys on the Sonic VI I saw was a bit lighter in color than the blue in your photos and maybe had a bit of green in it (closer to turquoise). There was no red or other color on the keyboard (that I can remember) and the entire keyboard seemed to be one piece of plastic with only the blue / green outlines separating the 'keys'.

I also read a story recently about the time when Musonics bought Moog and had a synth ('Sonic V'?) of their own, at that time, but I haven't research this too much yet. One thought I had was the synth I saw was something from Musonics but was never officially released (until it had the 'Moog' name placed on it). I'm pretty sure the synth I saw had the 'Moog' logo and the word 'Sonic VI'. (Not 100% sure but it seems clear in my memory.)"

I also sent Paul images of the EMS Synthi AKS. Paul replied it was the closest, but definitely not it.

I contacted Michelle Moog-Koussa and Brian Kehew to see if they knew of anything. Michelle replied: "...I can tell you that we have several of William Hoskins reel-to-reel tapes in the archives, so there was obviously a significant professional relationship between he and Bob.

I don't ever remember reading anything about the Sonic VI, but maybe Brian does. One thing I can tell you for sure is that Dad began working with John Eaton in 1970 on the Multi-Touch Sensitive keyboard [left via]. The main component of the MTS was the touch-sensitive keyboard, of course. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Dad would have used his work with John to push boundaries on another project."

Brian replied: "Bob didn't design or build the original Sonic V (from Musonics before they bought Moog) that was Gene Zumchak: The Sonic V did have a brown wood style. It's even unlikely Bob did much on the Sonic Six as it was the same thing with a new outer case.

The Sonic VI was the version Moog made in 1972 and later, in a plastic suitcase version. Many of these were made vs the very few Sonic V's. So one might think they saw a Sonic VI when it was the V (same front panel and features). But the brown suitcase and colored keys and touch sensitive thing are ALL unusual. I know a little about Prof Hoskins from the paperwork of the past, but no mention of this synth. Definitely unusual to have keys like that anywhere, anytime!" Followed by: "And there IS touch (velocity) sensitivity on Wendy Carlos' synth by 1971 for Clockwork Orange, but it's used under the normal keyboard. THIS velocity was very possible, but would not make the keys look different. Again - maybe a Sonic V was retrofitted with a cooler keyboard later in the 80s, but why not do so on a BETTER synth!?" :)

On a separate thread, Trevor Pinch got back to me with the following: "Bill Hoskins was important in that he was one of the first people David VanKouvering approached about minimoog reiail sales etc. I have a good album of his somewhere! I think he may have been Bob's favorite composer for a while.

I have no idea about the touch key board but I'm in touch with Gene Zumchak the guy who designed the Sonic Six, so I'll ask him. (I guess you know the joke that the Sonic Six was known by Moog engineers as the Chronic Sick!)

Actually its story might be kinda interesting - Zummy (as he is known) told me that it was made with 741 op amps and in many ways was more advanced than the minimoog.
Maybe it has had an unfair press. I never heard one or saw one for real."

James Husted sent me the image of Professor Hoskins at the top of this post. I sent it to Paul to see if maybe it brought back any memories that might help.

He replied: "The custom Moog modular in that photo is the same one I took lessons on. However, this is an early photo and when I saw that Moog modular, Professor Hoskins had already added a top layer to that cabinet — which included a Moog sequencer. (I have a photo of it, that I took around 1990, but the top part of the photo, showing the upper section, is cut off.)

The reason you didn't see Professor Hoskins' 'Sonic VI' is... I'm guessing that he didn't bring it to the university very often. When I saw it, I was at his home. He had invited me over one Saturday afternoon to see HIS custom Moog modular. It was in his garage, which he had made-over into a nice studio. It also had a two-manual organ, at least two reel-to-reel tape decks and LOTS of recording tape. Later, during that same session, he said 'There's something else I want to show you. Come inside.' We went into the living room and I sat on the couch. He said 'I'll be right back.' After about a minute, he came back carrying a brown 'suitcase'. He set it on the coffee table in front of me and sat down on the couch. He opened it up and... Whoa! I had never seen one of these and it was the first time I had seen a Ring Modulator!

---

I remember seeing Professor Hoskins play his Sonic VI during a live performance of his album 'Galactic Fantasy / Eastern Reflections'. The Jacksonville University orchestra played most of his composition but at one point his Sonic VI was brought out and he played it while at center stage. I could see it clearly from my seat but, of course, I could only see the back of it, which simply looked like the back of a brown suitcase.

---

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Since I think this is important, I thought I'd try to recreate the 'Sonic VI' I think I saw. I 'Photoshopped' a production Sonic VI and attached it to this message. It's the best image of what I think I saw.

Modifying the image forced my memory to go into more detail. Here's what I'm fairly certain of:

• The outer color of the "suitcase" was almost dark brown.

• The outer shape was more square than the production Sonic VI.

• The thickness of the top and bottom sections was thicker than the production Sonic VI model.

• The keyboard was made of slightly textured plastic, otherwise completely flat, was brown / gray in color and had a vibrant blue outline between the keys. (I'm not 100% sure if the "black" keys were outlined or solid blue.)

• The background color of the back panel and the area surrounding the keyboard was almost dark brown. It looked like it was made out of either pressed cardboard or thin wood. It really reminded me more of the thin 'wood' used in old, tube televisions and radios (during the 1960s).

What I'm not 'fairly sure' of:

• I can't remember if it had a Mod Wheel.

• I think there was more space between the modules.

• I think it had two speakers (placed on the left and right side of the back panel). Each might have been the size of the center speaker-grill in my photo.

• I can't remember if there were any connectors, switches or knobs on the keyboard section."

Update: via Aaron aka theglyph in the comments: "Holy shit! That's the guy from JU. There was an electronics repair/pawn shop here in Jacksonville called Active Electronics that had a bunch of synths back in 90's. The owner had a sign in the store explicitly stating that the synths were not for sale and that customers were not allowed to walk up and look at them or touch them. I walked in day and walked close enough to notice that the MiniMoogs had very low serial #'s. It wasn't until I read Analog Days that I found out that the earliest Mini were sold here in Jacksonville. There so much more to this story that I don't know where to begin but I can say that I did an obscure Moog at the store that I've never seen photographed since and I simply thought I was loosing my mind recollecting it. WOW!

Cheers,
theglyph"

Update: Above, Brian originally mentioned Bill Hemsath as the person that designed the Sonic V. He meant to say Gene Zumchak. This has been updated.

Updates: via Dorothy in the comments:
"HI, as a Hoskins kid, I watched Dad perform on the synthesizer and I know we had the Sonic but I thought it was a "V". Dad had several custom modules built for him by Bob Moog. They were friends but didn't go to school together -- Dad went to Trumansburg NY to work with Bob on the synthesizer that they got for Jacksonville University (in 1969, I think). I will have to go digging in the Will Hoskins letters that I have. Those of you who knew Dad know that he was very meticulous about writing up the components that he bought and what they were for.
Late in Dad's life, when he was basically letting go of most composing effort except for revising existing scores, Bob helped Dad find a collector (in Germany, as I recall), who bought all of Dad's big home synthesizer. I think some of the smaller units were in the hands of Steve Smith, who was Dad's right-hand man at the JU studio for some years. Whatever happened to them, I don't think Dad would have cared as long as someone was using them to create music. He wouldn't have collected synthesizers as museum pieces, he actively used everything he got from Moog until he was ready to let it go."

Followed by: "BTW, that last time I spoke to Bob Moog was after Dad died, when Bob came to Rochester NY http://www.esm.rochester.edu/news/?id=132 which is near where I live now. Bob spoke very fondly of working with Dad, because Dad cared as much about the science of music synthesis as any composer Bob knew. Dad did some work with him on modulators and other components for JU and the Hoskins home studio."

Followed by: "Hoskins synth photo --not a Sonic -- in news article 1970 [link]"

Update 6/6/2010:

Some more interesting bits of Moog history:

Trevor Pinch checked with Gene Zumchak who had the following to say:

"I am not aware of a touch sensitive keyboard on the Sonic V or 6. It did have a two-note keyboard and the highest key pressed and lowest pressed could be routed to Osc 1 and Osc 2.

They removed the keyswitch bus and superimposed a highpitch (100KHz?) tone on the voltage string. This might have been the source of a whine that some users complained about that wasn't present in the Sonic V."

via Josh Brandt: 'Okay, I did hear back from David Mash [VP of IT at Berklee and friend of Bob Moog], who says that the story he was telling me several years ago was about a keyboard Bob was building for John Eaton. I asked about the story he'd told me and if the pictures you posted could be of the instrument he'd been talking about, and he said:

"The story I was no doubt telling was definitely about the keyboard Bob built for John Eaton [middle pic above]. Bob was going to show us the completed instrument (which my friends Jeff Tripp and Paul Derocco helped complete), but we never got to see it due to the way the conversation turned over dinner. I did see the instrument several times during the design/build stages and again later after it was complete.

The keyboard was simply a controller and not a synth, so definitely not the portable synth the blog is referring to. I know Brian, and was involved briefly with him and a bit more with Michelle Moog on the NAMM Museum exhibit, and they used a couple of my photos for the exhibit. They're great people and working hard to preserve Bob's legacy.'"

Update via WmJHeart in the comments:

"Thanks Matrix, for hosting this page. I own a copy of Will's Galactic Fantasy & Eastern Reflections (my personal favorite) recording on vinyl. But I also discovered and listened to the entire album on YouTube recently! Here:"

Galactic Fantasy - Eastern Reflections (1979)[Full Album]

video upload by

Published on Jul 12, 2017 TheHomecoming

"Rare electronic/synth/moog private pressing LP

TITLE 'Galactic Fantasy - Eastern Reflections'

William Hoskins, "Galactic Fantasy, Eastern Reflections" [CP-158]
TRACK 01 AUDIO TITLE "Overture : Stars Are Suns" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO TITLE "Intermezzo : Interplanetary Communique" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 06:39
TRACK 03 AUDIO TITLE "Star Nocturne" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 08:11
TRACK 04 AUDIO TITLE "Scherzo : Comets" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 16:35
TRACK 05 AUDIO TITLE "Beyond Beyond" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 18:54
TRACK 06 AUDIO TITLE "Prolog : Theme and Variation" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 23:40
TRACK 07 AUDIO TITLE "Lower Heterophonie" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 27:55
TRACK 08 AUDIO TITLE "Song : Open Skies" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 31:22
TRACK 09 AUDIO TITLE "Drum Chime" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 35:28
TRACK 10 AUDIO TITLE "Upper Heterophonie" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 39:41
TRACK 11 AUDIO TITLE "Epilog : Processional" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 41:30

A1
Overture: Stars Are Suns
A2
Intermezzo: Interplanetary Communique
A3
Star Nocturne
A4
Scherzo: Comets
A5
Beyond Beyond: An Entropy Study
A6
Eastern Reflections
Eastern Reflections
B1
Prolog: Theme and Variation
B2
Lower Heterophonie
B3
Song: Open Skies
B4
Drum Chime
B5
Upper Heterophonie
B6
Epilog: Processional

Criminally under-rated set of Early American Moog Modular Synthesizer Music - the sole release by composer William Hoskins, the 'Director of Electronic Music and Composer-in-Residence at Jacksonville University in Florida.' Issued in 1979 by the Harriman, NY-based Spectrum - a 'Division of UNI-PRO Recordings, Inc.' the LP consists of a pair of discrete pieces, with each taking up a side of its own."

Update via Kimberly S Beasley in the comments:

"Hello, everyone. I am the current chair of the Department of Music at Jacksonville University and I have the original Sonic VI manuals and one of Hoskin's Moogs....happy to share photos tomorrow."

Kimberly sent in the images with the following:

"This has been in the possession of our Professor Emeritus Dr. William Schirmer as it was given to him by Hoskins. Hoskins' granddaughter Dorothy is also aware of the instrument. We also have a large collection of manuscripts of Hoskins.

There is also a mini-Moog we just refurbished in our recording studio."

You can see WM. Hoskins written on the top right of the manual. Note "Home Copy" on the blue cover. It's kind of neat to think of him perusing through the manual in the comfort of his home.

Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer

"The History Center in Tompkins County Debuts Bob Moog Exhibition

Ithaca, NY - April 2014... The History Center in Tompkins County, in partnership with the Bob Moog Foundation, has announced the opening of the exhibition Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer.

Illustrating the story of Dr. Robert Moog and the creation and evolution of the groundbreaking electronic instruments bearing his name, Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer provides museum visitors with a wide-ranging, interactive insight into Dr. Moog's inventions and the creative process behind their design and development.

Based on interviews with family members, colleagues, and contemporaries, including Herbert Deutsch, Bernie Worrell, Shirleigh Moog, David Borden, and many more, the exhibition provides a unique view into the creative genius of Bob Moog, one of the founding fathers of modern electronic music. With rare Moog instruments such as a vacuum tube theremin, a Trumansburg-era Minimoog, and one of only three R. A. Moog Company PMS-15 amplifiers ever sold, Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer will be the first major exhibition on Bob Moog and Moog Synthesizers to occur in the region, and will run through May 31st, 2015.

Robert Moog came to Ithaca, NY in 1957 to begin his PhD work at Cornell University. He founded the R.A. Moog, Co. in the late 1950s, selling theremins and theremin kits throughout Ithaca. In 1963, Moog opened a storefront for his small factory in nearby Trumansburg, NY. It was there that the Moog modular synthesizer and the iconic Minimoog were born. The factory grew to become a mainstay in the region until Moog sold the company in 1971, and the new owners moved it to Williamsville, NY.

Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer tells the story of Moog's Trumansburg years, through the oral histories of those who knew him, worked with him, and shared his path in shaping a revolution in sound, technology, and music.

More information on the exhibition can be found at www.thehistorycenter.net"

Left: R A Moog Co PMS-15 Amplifier

Below: the 201 R.A. Moog,Co. (Flushing) theremin and the pre-production Minimoog that will be on display.
Photos by Roger Luther.

Arturia Releases iMINI Polyphonic Minimoog for iPad

iMini Tutorial Video

Uploaded on Feb 25, 2013 Arturiaweb·80 videos

"Mike Hosker presents to you a tutorial video of the iMini, Arturia's first application for Ipad.
iMini is an application recreating the classic Minimoog™ synthesizer that is based on the TAE™ technology found in Arturia award winning Mini V software.
iMini is designed to allow users the classic sound, look and feel of this iconic synthesizer.

iMini endorsers include Stephan Bodzin, Richard Devine, Banco de Gaia"

iTunes:
iMini - Arturia

"COMPATIBILITY
iMini is compatible with iPAD 2, iPAD 3 and IPAD Mini

DESCRIPTION
iMini is a recreation of the classic 1971 Minimoog™ synthesizer, one of most iconic synthesizers of all time.

Based on the TAE® technology found in our award winning Mini V software, iMini offers a level of sound quality never before found on the iPAD as well as over 500 sounds by leading sound designers.

We have also partnered with the Bob Moog Foundation so that a portion of each sale goes to support their work in music education via the Dr. Bob Sound school program, making available the archives of Dr. Bob Moog and funding the dream to build the Moogseum.

The Minimoog™ synthesizer was made famous by artists and bands such as Stevie Wonder, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Keith Emerson, Devo, Jean Michel Jarre and more. We now bring the features and sound of this classic to the iOS platform.

The iMini not only recreates the look and feel of the most legendary synthesizer, it does it with unparalleled sound quality. iMini is based on the award winning Arturia Mini V software that was created in partnership with Dr. Robert Moog himself, back in 2003. Thanks to this heritage, continuous research and refinements over the years, iMini comes with amazing sound quality and a large collection of preset sounds created by top sound designers such as Klaus Schulze (Tangerine Dream) and Geoff Downes (Asia).

What will you do with it?
First you can play the iMini’s numerous sounds from the iPad keyboard. You can create your own sounds and start building your personal sound palette.
If you are an owner of the Arturia Mini V software on your Mac or PC, you can import and export sounds between your laptop or desktop Mini V and iMini.

You can also control iMini from a MIDI keyboard via CoreMIDI and integrate it into your studio or live performances.

But this is not all; iMini is ‘Tabletop Ready’. Tabletop is a free iPad application that allows you to integrate iMini into a full studio of devices. With Tabletop you can build an entire song, with drum machines, FX's, sequencers... and of course the inimitable Minimoog™ sound.

Tabletop Ready™
The connect page is also your avenue to open up a whole new world of possibilities with iMini via Retronyms Tabletop application.
Tabletop™ is a free app for your iPAD that allows you to integrate iMini into a complete studio environment. In Tabletop you can use multiple instances of iMini; record your performance into a real-time sequencer; automate any of the parameters; add effects; process other modules through the iMini filters, etc. Tabletop also features number of in app purchase options to add more effects and instruments from other 3rd party companies.

Features include
Classic Minimoog™ sound.
3 Oscillators
24db per octave filter.
Simulated headphone jack/external input feedback.
2 Assignable XY pads
Chromatic or tuned scale keyboard modes
Polyphonic mode
Full featured arpeggiator
Repeat
HOLD and MEMORY latch modes
Octave span
5 note order modes
Speed and sync controls
Virtual Analog Chorus
Virtual Analog Delay
Owners of both the iMini and Mini V software apps can transfer sounds from one platform to the other via iTunes.
Full user MIDI mapping of panel controls.
Supports WIST sync with other iOS devices.
‘Tabletop Ready’
Soundcloud seeder (via Tabletop)
Render to .wav file (via Tabletop)
‘Audiocopy’ to paste your audio into another iPAD application. (via Tabletop)

The Minimoog™ name used here is a trademark of the respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Arturia. These trademarks are used solely to identify the products whose sound and features were modeled during the development process."

iTunes:
iMini - Arturia
Tabletop - Retronyms
iOS Devices on eBay - Daily Tech Deals

Update: new video and the press release:


Published on Feb 26, 2013 Arturiaweb·80 videos

And the press release:

"Arturia advances history-making Minimoog to iPad musical masses!

"The iMini turned my iPad into an ‘old skool’ analogue bass monster! Its sound is irresistibly ‘phat’ and very close to the original. If you want that typical dirty Moog sound then the iMini is all you’ll ever need. It’s by far the most powerful and hypnotising synth app on the market.”
- Stefan Bodzin, 2013 (DJ/producer, remixer of Depeche Mode, Booka Shade, and more)


GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software and hardware company Arturia is proud to announce availability of iMini, an authentic recreation of the all-time classic Minimoog monosynth for Apple’s all-conquering iPad, as of February 27...

iMini is based on the TAE® (True Analog Emulation) synthesis technology found in Arturia’s award-winning Mini V soft synth, meticulously modelling the distinctive tones and analogue nuances of the legendary Seventies-vintage Minimoog Model D monosynth. Moog changed the musical world with the Minimoog and Arturia helped change the music software world with the Mini V.

Arturia now brings the still-sought-after classic Minimoog sound to the musical masses, transforming any iPad mini, iPad 2, or iPad with Retina display into the ultimate analogue synth emulation! Those timeless three oscillators and that 24dB per octave fabled filter are all present and accounted for in iMini. It also successfully sports the look and feel of Dr Bob Moog’s namesake iconic synthesizer for all to see (and hear). But being a game-changing iPad app for 2013 and not an analogue synth design dating back to 1970 means there’s a whole lot more to iMini than first meets the eye...

Any serious synthesizer connoisseur will instantly recognise the MAIN mode screen as an eye-catching rendering of the Minimoog Model D front panel, albeit with welcome additional ‘analogue’ CHORUS AMT. and DELAY AMT. level controls, as well as a POLY switch for playing polyphonically — impossible in 1970, obviously! Other subtle supplements include a gearwheel icon above the keyboard — press to reveal GLIDE, DECAY, LEGATO, and SCROLL switches for performance keyboard control, plus a SCALE function to choose from no fewer than 26 different scales and modes. Meanwhile, iMini comes complete with hundreds of superb sounds showcasing its supreme sonic versatility; press LOAD from the menu bar and choose from sound designer or category — couldn’t be simpler!

But ‘behind’ that familiar-looking MAIN screen lies a wealth of truly 21st Century audio action: the PERFORMANCE page accesses an arpeggiator with two latch modes and two assignable XY pads for creating all kinds of patterns and real-time morphing sounds; the FX page provides iMini with the same wide-ranging CHORUS and accurate ANALOG DELAY models found in the above-mentioned Mini V software — subtle sound thickening to wildly modulated effects (chorus) and sync to external tempo (stereo delay) possibilities abound here! Handily, all onscreen knobs and switches in each iMini page can easily be assigned to MIDI CC allowing automation from any external MIDI source. The default MIDI map will automatically work with Arturia MiniLab or Analog Player 25 Universal MIDI Controller keyboards!

And that’s not all: the CONNECT page is the gateway to making iMini talk to the outside world (using the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit) — use WIST (Wireless Sync Start Technology) to sync the arpeggiator and delay to other iPad or iPhone apps, and integrate iMini into a complete studio environment via Retronyms Tabletop. This free iPad app allows multiple iMini instances to be simultaneously run; real-time performance recording into a sequencer; parameter automation; processing of third-party, Tabletop-ready apps through the iMini filter, and more. “iMini is an ideal Tabletop-ready app,” says Retronyms Co-Founder John-Paul Walton. “It’s a fresh take on a legendary synth, and comes packed with a ton of amazing presets — everything from retro space sounds to contemporary bass noise.”

Thanks to iMini, today there’s really no excuse for not taking that history-making Minimoog sound anywhere anytime. And in recognition of the groundbreaking instrument to which it owes its very existence, for every iMini sold, Arturia will make a donation to The Bob Moog Foundation, whose Executive Director, Michelle Moog-Koussa, kindly adds: “We are grateful to Arturia and Retronyms for donating part of the proceeds from the iMini in support of our mission to ignite creativity at the intersection of music, science, history, and innovation. A portion of this funding will go to support our educational initiative, Dr Bob’s SoundSchool, which teaches children the science of sound through the magic of music.”

For Frédéric Brun, Arturia’s President, the feeling is mutual: “We are delighted to donate to The Bob Moog Foundation and acknowledge our gratitude to Robert Moog, who helped us when we released our first virtual instrument, the Modular Moog V, back in 2003. We are also thrilled to work with Retronyms, who are a great company and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to iOS. The iMini sets a new standard for what a virtual instrument should sound like on an iPad.”

So let’s make music and help history come alive with iMini in more ways than one, and also support the dream of building the Moogseum (Bob Moog Museum), the convergence of The Bob Moog Foundation’s goals of inspiring and educating people through electronic music.

Appropriate iPad owners can purchase iMini directly from Apple’s App Store during a three-week introductory launch pricing period for €8.99 EURO/$9.99 USD (rising to €19.99 EURO/$21.99 USD thereafter)."

Bob Moog Foundation Continues to Expand Education Initiative

"Asheville, NC - March 2014... In less than three short years, the Bob Moog Foundation's hallmark educational initiative, Dr. Bob's Sound School, has become a powerful learning tool for teachers across multiple school districts, and continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.

First launched as a pilot program in Asheville City School District in 2011, Dr. Bob's Sound School (DBSS) is a 10-week experiential curriculum that educates second grade students in the science of sound through the magic of music. Using acoustic and electronic instruments, oscilloscopes, and custom educational materials developed by the Bob Moog Foundation educational team, students gain a new understanding of vibrations, waveforms, sound propagation, pitch, loudness, and other properties of sound.

The initial first-year pilot brought the program to eight classrooms, with several dozen students being treated to what proved to be a truly unique learning experience. The following year, the addition of Buncombe County School District grew the program to 32 classrooms. Since then, the program has expanded into neighboring Madison County, growing to serve more than 1000 students in 55 classrooms across the metropolitan area.

As the Bob Moog Foundation's Executive Director, Michelle Moog-Koussa, explains, the growth is part of a long-term plan to bring the program to educators everywhere. "We've seen the dramatic effects of enlightening students about the science of sound early in their education, and we know the impact that exposure to music has on young people," she observes. 'Ultimately, our goal is to see Dr. Bob's Sound School in 500 classrooms across several states in the next three to five years, and eventually take it nation-wide.'

As the word has spread about the Bob Moog Foundation's work, support has continued to grow. Recently the BMF announced a strategic partnership with leading EDM concert promoters Disco Donnie Presents, with DDP sponsoring a one-day Dr. Bob's Workshop for more than 300 fourth grade students in the Houston area, and opening a new BMF donation portal on their ticketing website.

"The Bob Moog Foundation shares our values and belief in the importance of education and creativity in the teaching of music, math, and science," remarked Donnie Estopinal, CEO of Disco Donnie Presents. "We are proud to support such a wonderful organization, and excited for the potential behind this collaboration."

"There are few things in life as gratifying as seeing the looks on these kids' faces - the way their eyes light up in those 'ah-ha' moments is the single best reward anyone could ever receive," concludes Michelle Moog-Koussa. 'The embrace of Dr. Bob's Sound School by administrators, teachers, and students alike has exceeded our most optimistic expectations. We're so grateful for the support we've received, and we're truly excited for what lies ahead for the efforts of the Bob Moog Foundation.'"

About the Bob Moog Foundation

"The Bob Moog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Asheville, North Carolina. Our mission is to ignite creativity through the intersection of music, science and innovation. The Bob Moog Foundation was founded to honor the legacy of Bob Moog by inspiring people of all ages through the genius of Bob's legendary work in providing innovative musical instruments to musicians, giving them a new voice for creativity. The Foundation provides much-needed innovative and effective educational opportunities to today's youth - tomorrow's generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers.
The Bob Moog Foundation is not affiliated with Moog Music."

Bob Moog Foundation Announces impOSCar2 Controller Raffle Touch Digital Controllers™ and GForce Software Unite in Tribute to Moog Legacy

"ASHEVILLE, N.C. – September 19, 2011 – A raffle to benefit the Bob Moog Foundation begins today. Two lucky winners will each receive the new impOSCar2 Controller from Touch Digital Controllers and an entire suite of five virtual instruments from GForce software—a prize package valued at nearly $2,500. The raffle will continue until all 500 tickets have been sold. Because the BMF will be awarding two complete packages, each entry has a 1 in 250 chance of winning. Tickets are $20 each, or you can improve your odds by buying six for $100.

Raffle tickets are available from the Bob Moog Foundation’s Web store. Be sure to enter before all 500 tickets have sold out. Two winners chosen by a random-number generator will be announced once all 500 tickets are sold. The winner will be announced within 24 hours after that time. Raffle participants should check the Foundation’s website and social media outlets to learn when all 500 tickets have been sold and who the two winners are. The winners will be contacted by email.

The new impOSCar2 Controller provides a physical user interface for both the standalone and plug-in versions of GForce Software’s acclaimed impOSCar2 soft synth. The combination of software and hardware offers the sound and functionality of one of the most sought-after analog/digital hybrid synthesizers ever made—Oxford Synthesizer Company’s OSCar—brought up to date with automation, effects, 16-note polyphony, and tons of patch storage.

As a tribute to the memory of Bob Moog, Touch Digital Controllers donated not one, but two impOSCar2 Controllers to the BMF. One is produced in a hand-finished natural mahogany and the other in ebony black on oak. These beautifully made controllers deliver plenty of visual and tactile feedback to make programming impOSCar2 a pleasure, just like programming the original OSCar but with total recall. With 101 high-resolution knobs and buttons, every parameter is available from the controller’s front panel to remotely operate the software. In addition to its dedicated impOSCar functionality, the controller can be configured to control any software instrument that supports MIDI Learn.

“The impOSCar2 Controller is our first product, and we are proud of what we have been able to achieve with this handcrafted music instrument,” said Richard Lawson and Kent Spong of Touch Digital Controllers. “As synthesists, and as a manufacturer, we have been deeply inspired by the one man who pioneered the whole thing: Bob Moog.”

Released in July, GForce’s impOSCar2 breathes new life into the popular previous version, first launched in 2004. New features include more comprehensive modulation routing, an improved arpeggiator, ring modulation, panning mono and poly unison modes, and more than 1,000 signature patches. Add nine filter types, six portamento modes, and a programmable additive synthesis grid, and you have one powerful soft synth.

Want more? The BMF’s raffle winner will also receive licenses for M-Tron Pro, Minimonsta, Oddity, and Virtual String Machine, which realistically emulate the Mellotron, Minimoog, ARP Odyssey, and numerous polyphonic string synthesizers, while adding dozens of innovative touches. In addition, GForce Software has included the ChamberTron and OptiTron Expansion Packs for M-Tron Pro.

BMF Executive Director Michelle Moog-Koussa said, “Through the ImpOSCar2 Controller, Richard and Kent bring their love of vintage synthesizers into the design and ethos of this very special piece of handcrafted hardware. Bob’s goal was always to give musicians the highest level of expressivity, and his interface design was a big part of that. The construction of the ImpOSCar2 Controller echoes that commitment to musicians. Our many thanks to Richard, Kent, and the team at GForce Software for sharing their life's work with us. Their support is a tribute to Bob Moog's legacy and to the work of the Bob Moog Foundation.”

The Bob Moog Foundation (www.moogfoundation.org) honors the legacy of synthesizer pioneer Dr. Bob Moog through its mission of igniting the innovative and creative spirit at the intersection of music, science, and history. Its projects include Dr. Bob's SoundSchool, which brings electronic musical instruments into the schools to teach children science through music; the Archive Preservation Initiative, an effort to preserve and protect the inventor's extensive and historic archive; and the future Moogseum, an innovative educational, historic, and cultural facility that will bring Bob Moog's spirit alive to ignite innovation and creativity in children and adults. It will be located in Asheville, N.C., in the years ahead, pending necessary funding. The Bob Moog Foundation is an independent, donor-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is not formally affiliated with Moog Music, Inc."

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."

Moog Filtered Ale Brewing in October

It's back! via The Bob Moog Foundation:
"Asheville Brewing Company and the Bob Moog Foundation are proud to announce the release of the second limited edition of Moog Filtered Ale, a pale beer named in honor of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. The two organizations partnered in 2010, releasing the first edition to international acclaim. The Ale will be available October 6, 2011, through November 7, 2011. Proceeds from the sale of the beer will be donated to the Bob Moog Foundation to benefit their mission of igniting the innovative and creative through science, music and history. The timing of the beer’s release coincides with Moogfest, the three-day electronic music festival to be held in Asheville, N.C., on October 28, 29, and 30, 2011.

Moog Filtered Ale is an American-style pale ale with distinctive notes of caramel and pine. It will be distributed nationally and internationally in 22-ounce bottles through Asheville’s Bruisin’ Ales and will be distributed locally by Budweiser of Asheville at various locations throughout Western North Carolina, on draft and in 22-ounce bottles.



Asheville Brewing has been making outstanding craft beers since 1998 and has won several awards for its beers. As an active supporter of local non-profit groups, they are thrilled to be working with the Bob Moog Foundation, whose work is innovative and historical. Through Moog Filtered Ale, Asheville Brewing aims to support the interactive educational programs that the Foundation is developing to teach science through music, as well as to support the eventual creation of the Moogseum.

Asheville Brewing Company President Mike Rangel says, “We are honored to be working with the Bob Moog Foundation again this year to help keep Bob’s vision and legacy alive. By donating the profits from Moog Filtered Ale, we will be supporting innovative science education through the Foundation’s Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool outreach program. Moog Filtered Ale is absolutely the most exciting project our company has been involved in, and after the success of last year’s collaboration, we couldn’t wait to do it again this year.”

The Bob Moog Foundation is extremely proud and grateful to be partnering with Asheville Brewing Company again this year. The funding from last year’s sales of Moog Filtered Ale was of tremendous assistance in helping us reach our goals. As a result, our programs are thriving and our organization is stronger than ever. Purchasing Moog Filtered Ale is a very tasty way for people to support both the work of the Bob Moog Foundation and Asheville Brewing Company, a small business that supports many local non-profit organizations all year long.

The label for the Ale is an original design by Asheville artist Phil Cheney. Featuring vibrant shades of purple, green, and orange, the label shows Bob Moog leaning over a keyboard with musical notes, synthesizer knobs, and patch cables floating above his head.

A line of t-shirts and other merchandise featuring the label will be available through www.shop.ashevillebrewing.com beginning October 10."

Bob Moog Lecture (Cape Town 2003) | Red Bull Music Academy

Published on Jul 14, 2017 Red Bull Music Academy

Note this originally went up in 2009, but has just been uploaded on YouTube. I thought it worth another post for anyone that might have missed it, or anyone that would like to see it again. It's always great to see Bob Moog. :)

"Bob Moog changed the face of popular music by producing the first ever commercially available synthesizers. The first Moog Modular was knocked up for fun as a project for his musician friend Herbert Deutsch. But pretty soon, after the first strains of synthesizer success by Walter/Wendy Carlos, the Moog stole its way into the heart of rock and jazz fusion, and helped instigate all types of electronic music. Though he may have left us for a higher plane, as we found out at the 2003 Red Bull Music Academy, Moog left an enormous legacy behind, having irreversibly changed the sonic landscape of the world.

TOPICS:
02:08 - Early synths
12:26 - Relationship between musicians and engineers
15:30 - Favorite Moog records
19:49 - Moog’s visual identity
21:59 - How the Moog works
36:24 - Instruments as technology
44:01 - The future of instrument design

The Red Bull Music Academy is a global music institution committed to fostering creativity in music. We celebrate music, its culture, and the transformative minds behind it. Begun in 1998, the Academy has taken the core principles that underlie its annual workshop for selected participants and applied this curatorial approach to events, lectures, and city-wide festivals throughout the year."

Restored First Ondioline—the original portable synth.

Electronisch muziekinstrument: Jenny Ondiolini (1948)

YouTube Uploaded by BeeldenGeluid on Oct 16, 2010


via this auction

"First-Generation Ondioline, one of only two known to exist. A historic instrument—the jewel of any collection—that is also completely playable.

Georges Jenny designed the Ondioline, the world's first portable synth, in 1941. The Ondioline was truly revolutionary: it was designed to mimic a wealth of instrument sounds—violin, cello, saxophone, trumpet, even guitar and mandolin. It did this with breathtaking accuracy, not only given the time period, but also when judged with modern ears.

The few similar instruments that preceded the Ondioline, like the Trautonium and Novachord, weighed hundreds of pounds, incorporated thousands of parts, and produced primarily futuristic tones. But the Ondioline was slim, lightweight and portable, and could produce scores of sound variations that included incredibly accurate imitations of a wide range of instruments.

The second version of the Ondioline is the most well-known: It features a keyboard sitting on top of a companion amplifier, both housed in handsome wooden cabinets. These began production in 1950 and are incredibly rare themselves (knowledgeable estimates have 700 of these keyboards having been produced, most of which stayed in Europe).

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Exclusive Moog Minitaur Review - All the Bass & More for Less

This is a MATRIXSYNTH review...

A brand new Moog Minitaur will set you back $599, a Slim Phatty, $795, an RME Voyager, $2695. So how does the Minitaur sound compared to its siblings? Pretty darn incredible.

For this review I had access to both a Minimoog Voyager and a vintage Minimoog Model D for comparison, and the Minitaur more than held its own. Actually it was capable of sounding identical to the Voyager with roughly equivalent settings. The Model D, whether due to age or physical design, has a brighter, fizzier, more unstable characteristic to it compared to both. It's kind of like the original Minimoog has a wild beast inside it while the Voyager and Minitaur have managed to keep that beast under control. I used to think of an analogy where the Model D sounds like it has a Tasmanian Devil inside it, while the Voyager has Darth Vader. Well, the Minitaur adds a massive fat bull. All three are extremely powerful sounding synths. The bass the Minitaur produces is as full as it gets and the filter gets wide open. It was a bit shocking when I first heard it. The Minitaur might be slimmed down in price, but sonically it has all the fat you will ever need.

As the Voyager sounded closest to the Minitaur, I primarily focused on it for comparison. For the most part I could get the Minitaur to sound identical, but there were subtle differences. An interesting thing I noticed was that the filter on the Minitaur seemed to open more than the Voyager, but then I realized that on the Voyager the filter opens up more if you apply the envelope to it. Once I adjusted the envelope on the Voyager, they sounded nearly identical. The saw waves were identical and the pulse waves varied a little, but I believe this was likely due to additional pulse width settings on the Voyager that the Minitaur does not have. I found myself spending more time attempting to get the Voyager to sound like the Minitaur vs. the other way around. This was clearly due to the extra parameters on the Voyager, and it reminded me that sometimes less can be more. With pulse waves, the Minitaur sounded a little more rounded, smooth and fuller. In many cases where I couldn't sonically hear a difference, I could feel it. A funny side note is I have an overhead lamp in the studio I did my testing in. The lamp has a metal hood over a small glass dome for the bulb enclosure that rattles with significant bass. It rarely happens but I noticed it happening quite a bit with the Minitaur. I decided to take the Minitaur, Voyager and Model D to town with a rattle test. The Minitaur won. It consistently produced the most intense lamp rattle. :) This is not too surprising considering Moog's reputation for bass, and that the Minitaur is based on the Moog Taurus 3 bass pedals, which in turn was based on the original Taurus I released back in 1975 (note the Taurus II unlike the I & 3 was based on the Moog Rogue - this is significant, and I'll comment on this in the summary). It's worth noting that although there are other dedicated bass synthesizers out there, there are essentially two types - TB-303 emulators and thundering bass pedals. The Minitaur of course is based on the latter, and few synths sound as full. The Novation BassStation keyboard which is also analog, for example, was geared more towards TB-303 emulation and does not really compare to the Minitaur.

Before we get into specs and finally the summary, there are a few things you need to know off the bat regarding the Minitaur:

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An Interview with Barry Schrader

Hi everyone! As you know Barry Schrader will be giving his farewell concert at CalArts on September 26. The following is the beginning of my interview with him. I opted to post the questions and answers as they come in.  New QAs will get a new post so you do not miss them and they will be added to this post so we have one central post for the full interview. This should make it easier for all of us to consume in our busy lives, and it will allow you to send in any questions that may come to mind during the interview process.  If you have anything you'd like to ask Barry, feel free to send it in to matrixsynth@gmail.com.  This is a rare opportunity for us to get insight on a significant bit of synthesizer history, specifically with early Buchla systems, and I'd like to thank Barry for this opportunity. Thank you Barry!

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Bob Moog Foundation Raffle for Minimoog Model D Signed by Gary Numan

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"The Bob Moog Foundation is pleased to announce that we are raffling off an early-1970s Minimoog synthesizer for $20 a ticket. And, as is the case with Bob Moog Foundation raffles, if you don't happen to win, you're contributing to the promotion and support of Bob Moog's legacy through your raffle money. So, you win either way.

But that's not all.

Signed by Gary Numan

The Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit in October of 2013 saw a variety of incredible musical artists visiting Asheville, NC. One of these artists was the iconic electronic pop music star Gary Numan. The Bob Moog Foundation caught up with Gary, and asked him to promote Bob's legacy by signing this Minimoog. The Minimoog was the inspiration for Gary to start using synthesizers, so he was glad to sign this one. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance not only to own a Minimoog, but to own what might be the only Minimoog ever signed by Gary Numan!

But that's still not all.

This synthesizer has been upgraded with a Studio Electronics modifications. The modifications include:

•Roland MIDI to CV conversion modifications: The Minimoog has been modified to integrate with a Roland MIDI to CV converter which allows features such as aftertouch to affect the sound production of the synthesizer.

•Second Oscillator Sync: The 2nd oscillator's waveform can be forced to restart with the first oscillator's waveform, causing the desirable effect called "sync."

•CV and Gate Out jacks: This Minimoog, unlike a stock Minimoog, or even a Voyager, can control other synthesizers via CV, allowing you to play them with the Minimoog's keyboard.

•Bend: the ability to change the range of the pitch wheel has been vastly augmented.
But even that isn't all. This raffle also includes the Roland MIDI/CV Interface it was modified to integrate with.

This unit converts MIDI signals to Control Voltage signals, and allows MIDI functionality to control various aspects of the Minimoog.

We have been told that this synthesizer was modified by none other than Rich Walborn. Rich worked for R. A. Moog while he was getting his engineering degree, and then was hired on to the original Moog Music as an engineer. From 1976 through 1987, Rich was the Chief Engineer at Moog Music. He was the co-creator of the Prodigy, the Rogue, the Liberation, the Realistic MG-1, and the incredible MemoryMoog. Rich was often asked to modify Moog products for big-name musical acts like Emerson Lake and Palmer (Rich was the keyboard tech for Keith Emerson for a tour in 1974!), Vangelis, and Jethro Tull. So, if anyone was to modify your Minimoog, this is the guy you'd want to have done it!

When asked about this particular Minimoog, Rich said that most of the modifications he did were for artists who had reached a fair level of popularity. We are working on uncovering the provenance of this particular synthesizer, but it's likely that it belonged to someone who was relatively accomplished..."

See The Bob Moog Foundation for additional details and pics.

Gershon Kingsley's Moog Modular System Up for Auction

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

This is the one featured in this video posted yesterday.

"This extraordinary and historic Moog modular system has been completely and expertly restored to full working conditon by E.A.R.S./The Analog Lab of New York City. They are New York's premier repair and restoration center for analog synths, and head tech Jeff Blenkinsopp has spent months (and I have spent several thousand dollars) on this restoration. All jacks, switches, and knobs have been thoroughly cleaned, all faulty modules have been repaired, the keyboard has new bushings for a smooth and consistent action, and it's tuning has been re-scaled, etc. In fact, the tuning is as good as you'll ever find on a 5 octave Moog keyboard- you can play the entire range and it will still be in tune with itself. Also, 3 of the oscillators had a factory mod done which makes the tuning more stable on them. This was done at the factory by Moog Custom Engineering, not by a third party. Everything else on the whole system is totally original and stock. A link to a video,below, allows you to hear the synth as well as see it, but first a bit more about what modules it consists of and it's history:
It is actually several things put together- the guts of the system , over half of it, was the original modular system first owned by Gershon Kingsley. He was a famous synth pioneer of the 60's and a good friend of Bob Moog's. He used it in a group called The Moog Quartet, who famously gave the first ever live public performances of a synthesizer at The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. By the way, Gershon will be celebrating his 90th birthday this fall with a performance in NewYork at Lincoln Center and has expressed an interest in using this synth for it. If the buyer is on the East coast of the U.S. I can put you in touch with him, and you might be able to rent him the system for that performance.
Several modules were added over the years, such as the reverb module (a great sounding spring reverb), and finally around 1977 the double sequencer cabinet. Most of the modules are dated Jan.1969 (they are stamped inside), some Oct.1969, some 1971, a few later than that.
It is a huge system, with 6 oscillators, 4 filters (2 low pass, one high pass, & one fixed filter bank), 2 VCA's, 4 envelope generators, and many other modules, some quite rare (such as the filter coupler) and topped off with 2 sequencers, complete with sequential switches and a sequential interface A complete list of the modules follows. with cabinet #1 being the furthest left in the photos, #4 all the way to the right:
Cabinet 1: 1x 904a Low Pass Filter, 1x 904b High Pass Filter, 1x 904c Filter Coupler, 1x 911a Dual Trigger Delay, 1x 903 White Sound Source, Control Voltages (no model #), 6 blanks
Cabinet 2: 1x 901 VCO, 1x 903a Random Signal Generator, 1x 905 reverb unit, 1x 995 attenuator, 1x 912 envelope follower, 3x 901a oscillator controllers, 5x 901b oscillators, 2x 4 channel mixer modules (no model #) Cabinet 3: 1x 907 Fixed Filter Bank, 1x 904a Low Pass Filter, Filter and Attenuator (no ID #), 2x 902 VCAs, 4x 911 Envelope Generators, 1x 911a Dual Trigger Delay, 2x 962 Sequential Switches, Envelope and Trigger Voltage Module (no model #), Mult module, Power Module w/ trigger and pitch in/out (no model#)
Cabinet 4: 2x 960 Sequential Controllers, 1x 961 Sequential interface,

Here is a link to a video made by The Analog Lab, who just completed the restoration. If you have trouble opening this link, try pasting it into your browser, or go to their website,www.theanaloglab.com and you will find the video You can hear the synth-the entire piece was recored on it a few days ago."

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MOOG MUSIC ANNOUNCES FILTATRON APP NOW AVAILABLE FOR IPHONE AND IPOD TOUCH

The official press release:

"Real-Time Audio Filter and Effects Engine Brings Signature Moog Sound to iDevices for $4.99

ASHEVILLE, NC – October 18, 2010 – Moog Music today announced that Filtatron, the real-time audio effects engine and powerful studio tool, is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch on the iTunes App Store at:



Filtatron is much more than your average sound app. The heart of the Filtatron is the Moog Ladder Filter; digitally modeled to approximate the warmth and character of Moog’s analog hardware. It musically shapes the sounds supplied by the Filtatron’s on-board oscillator, sampler and line/microphone input.

“We’re pleased to offer the first ever Moog iPhone app,” said Mike Adams, President of Moog Music. “The Filtatron’s digitally modeled filter and sound sculpting tools will be the next generation of musician’s first introduction to the world of analog synthesis.”

Filtatron comes loaded with edgy presets that kick-start users’ sound explorations, running the gamut from cutting rhythms and ambient drones to out-there effects workouts. Filtatron also comes with an array of loopable samples, and users can use the Sampler to record and play their own unique sounds. The app contains a feature-packed effects module sporting an incredible sounding Delay, and Amp controls that provide tones ranging from warm analog overdrive to extreme distortion.

Key Features:

Moog Ladder Filter – Four pole resonant Moog Ladder Filter, with Lowpass and Highpass modes and adjustable cutoff and resonance parameters.

Oscillator – A high-resolution, alias-free DSP oscillator with sawtooth and square waveforms, adjustable frequency from 0.3 Hz to 2kHz.

LFO – Five waveforms: sine, ramp, sawtooth, square, sample & hold, with crossfade and morph between adjacent LFO shapes.

Envelope Follower – Uses the volume envelope of sound inputs to sweep the filter, with controls for amount and speed.

Amp and Delay FX Modules – Amp provides warm, smooth overdrive with feedback control. Delay can be modulated by its own LFO (with rate and depth controls) and delay time is smoothly interpolated for analog-style delay time tweaks.

File Sharing – Easily move audio files back and forth between the Filtatron and your computer. Audio Copy and Audio Paste enables sharing audio between the Filtatron and other compatible apps. Built-in email function allows sharing presets with other Filtatron users.

Record and Playback – All audio processed in stereo, 16bit, 44.1kHz resolution. Filtatron will record samples up to 10MB. Tap and Drag sets start and end points for seamless looping. Playback control can be adjusted from double-speed playback all the way down through zero to double-speed reverse.

Links:

Filtatron on iTunes App Store: LINK

Filtatron product page: http://www.moogmusic.com/filtatron

Moog Music website: http://www.moogmusic.com

Conversations on Twitter: #moog #synth #iphone #filtatron"

Previous posts including video.




Update: a video demo just sent my way via Dan303

Moog Filtatron app demo track

YouTube via danmusicstoke | October 18, 2010

"The new Moog Filtatron app is now available in the appstore. Filtatron is a replica of the famous Moog ladder filter that can be found in most of their legendary synthesizers. Read more at.... http://dan303.blogspot.com/2010/10/mo..."

E-Mu Going Eurorack Under Rossum Electro-Music

If you click the image and zoom in, to the left of the Tiptop Z3000 you should see what looks like a eurorack E-MU module. It has the classic E-Mu modular knobs as the original system in the background. The image was shared by Dave Rossum of E-Mu himself. Hopefully we will know more soon.

Update in via Soviet Space Child (Evolution filter module further below):

Update2: pics and details on additional modules added.

"The Evolution of EVOLUTION

The fundamental core of the Rossum Electro-Music EVOLUTION Variable Character Filter is Bob Moog’s famous “ladder” filter, which was described in US Patent 3,475,623. This circuit uses the variation of the Bipolar Junction Transistor’s emitter resistance with current as the voltage variable element in an RC filter. In the Moog implementation, four identical stages each implemented a single real lowpass pole. The Moog 904A module included a “Regeneration” control that created a negative feedback path around the four poles. Since each pole provided 45 degrees of phase shift at its -3dB point, increasing this feedback produced a resonant peak at cutoff. The musical utility of the Moog filter is, of course, famous.

In 1973, E-mu Systems introduced their 1100 submodule, which was the heart of their 2100 lowpass filter module. The 1100 used a Moog ladder as its core element, but I wanted to isolate the innate audio characteristics of the filter ladder from those colorations resulting from the input level-shifters and output amplifier used in the Moog 904A. I also envisioned a DC-coupled design with a cutoff frequency range well beyond 10 octaves, as well as eliminating variations of the height of the resonant peak or oscillation amplitude with frequency control voltage.

I level-shifted the exponential generator to allow the filter signal input to be directly applied to the ladder base. I then designed a completely new output stage for the ladder; this circuit has never (to our knowledge) been used outside my designs. The entire signal path was DC coupled and the resonant feedback path phase compensated. The 1100 was my favorite filter (I liked it more than the SSM2040 I later invented, and kept the 1100 as E-mu’s modular lowpass in preference to a cheaper 2040 design). The operational range of the cutoff frequency was from about 0.1Hz to 25kHz, with stable Q’s throughout.

In launching Rossum Electro-Music, I chose a new implementation of the 1100 filter as the first all-analog module for our Eurorack offering, based on its unique and outstanding audio characteristics. I re-engineered the basic 1100 core using modern available surface-mount components and then added a number of features to the original 1100 design:

Ladder filters self-oscillate, and can be used as VCOs. I was able to design the Rossum Electro EVOLUTION’s frequency control exponential generator to be extremely accurate and temperature stable, rivaling the specifications of the best analog VCOs. I also added a novel temperature compensation circuit for the ladder emitter resistance.

The resonance (“Q”) of the original 1100 was not voltage controlled. I implemented voltage controlled Q using one cell of an SSM2164 VCA (sadly, the original 2164 is no longer produced, so a replica source is needed). Since the SSM2164 is based on my 1979 design of the SSM2010, this is an apt choice. The phase compensation has been maintained, but we added a “Q Compensation” control. The negative feedback resonance path in the 1100, like the Moog 904A, caused the amplitude of signals in the passband to be attenuated as the Q increased, which some users found undesirable. If instead the signal is inserted into the Q VCA, this effect is eliminated. In EVOLUTION, the Q Compensation control allows insertion of the signal with an arbitrary mix into either of these inputs, allowing the ratio of direct to resonant amplitude to be arbitrarily selected.

There is no inherently desirable taper for Q control. In highly resonant, but oscillation-proof filters such as state variable designs, it makes sense to exponentially control Q. But in ladder filters, oscillation is expected, and high Q’s without oscillation are not practically achievable. The Rossum Electro EVOLUTION implements linear control of the Q VCA.

The ladder design, as I implemented it, has no inherent distortion for signals far below the cutoff frequency. The characteristic timbre of the filter comes primarily from distortions of frequencies near and above the cutoff frequency. The degree of distortion depends on the signal amplitude. Consequently, it is sonically interesting to modulate the signal amplitude going into the ladder, and modulate the output signal with the precise inverse gain. This is the function of the Species control. A high voltage into the Species input will cause the filter to distort more audibly.

Because ladder filters produce their resonance by feedback, the relationship of that feedback to the drive VCAs is critical. The Rossum Electro EVOLUTION places the Q feedback within the drive VCAs. This means that the filter’s resonance is unaffected by the Species setting, but that the amplitude of any self-oscillation will be inversely proportional to the Species level. When using the filter as an oscillator, the Species control can be used to amplitude modulate the output. If oscillation is combined with an input signal, the results become even more interesting. Like the Q circuit, SSM 2164 cells are used for the drive VCAs.

With these additions, the preliminary design of EVOLUTION looked pretty complete. Then Marco asked if it would be possible to add voltage controlled slope (those marketing guys are never satisfied). My first take was that this would not be practical, because varying the slope usually involves controlling complex pole pairs, and the ladder comprises only real poles.

Then I realized that I could steer the current around individual ladder stages in an analog manner, controlling the number of poles rather than the slope. A prototype proved this was both practical and audibly pleasing. Since the resonant frequency of a ladder filter is determined by the 180 degree phase shift point, it changes with the number of poles: 60 degrees for three poles, 45 for four, 36 for five, and 30 degrees for six poles. Modulating the number of poles produces a unique 'bubbly' sound.

Two more tweaks were needed to complete the circuit. Because the number of poles not only affects the phase shift for resonance, it also changes the amount of feedback required for oscillation, the pole control circuit needs to control the Q VCA in a manner such that the same Q control voltage produces oscillation for each pole setting. And since it’s useful but difficult to tune the initial pole setting to be in the center of the range (exactly steering the current to the desired ladder poles), I added analog controlled LEDs to indicate the activation of the poles."

The Evolution filter module appears to be the module in the image above.

"EVOLUTION is Dave’s updated take on his classic enhancement of Bob Moog’s iconic ladder filter.

At the core of EVOLUTION is Dave’s unique implementation of the Moog ladder filter from the original E-mu Systems 2100 LPF module (which, incidentally, Dave counts as his favorite of all of the analog filters he designed).

For EVOLUTION, Dave has designed new capabilities that not only allow users to dial in all of the outstanding qualities of the original 2100, but combine to let them create the sonic characteristics of a wide variety of other filter types. They include:

– A Genus control that allows continuous voltage control of the number of filter poles (from 3 to 6 poles), essentially allowing real-time variation of Evolution’s effective cutoff slope from 18dB/oct to 36dB/oct. LEDs give continuous indication of the current slope.

– A Species control that allows voltage control of the signal level into Evolution’s unique distortion circuitry.

– Voltage controlled resonance with a variable Q Level Compensation control that controls of the balance of the resonant signal and the frequencies below the cutoff frequency (which would otherwise be attenuated as the resonance is increased).

– An extremely accurate and temperature-stable frequency control exponential generator, rivaling the specifications of the best analog VCOs.Taken together, EVOLUTION gives everything from the platonic ideal of the classic ladder filter to an almost unlimited variety of alternative filter characteristics."


Details on the Control Forge & Morpheus Z-Plane Filter (from the E-Mu Morpheus rackmount synth):

Control Forge

Programmable Universal CV Generator

CONTROL FORGE is hard to describe briefly, as it’s unlike anything else available in Eurorack (or pretty much anywhere). The core functionality is drawn from the E-mu Morpheus’s insanely powerful (but hard to program on a two-line display) Function Generators. But now expanded into a supremely flexible modulation source encompassing elaborate one-shot contours, evolving cyclical patterns and sequences of arbitrary length and complexity.

– At its most basic, it’s an 8-stage function generator with variable time and target voltage level for each stage.

– Each stage’s level can be defined either absolutely or relative to the ending level of the previous stage and can optionally be quantized to the nearest 1/12 volt.

– Each stage’s level may have a user defined range of randomness of either linear or gaussian distribution.

– The time scale may be modulated under CV control or manually via the encoder during runtime.

– There are 191 different transition shapes between stages (indicated graphically on the display during selection), from linear and exponential shapes to various flavors of random, chaotic, and many more that don’t lend themselves to one-word descriptions, including the ability to pass CVs directly through to the output for individual stages.

– Also included are “DC” shapes that allow the module to be used as a sequencer with all of the module’s available programmability. When combined with the Preset Sequencer described below, sequences can be hundreds of steps long and modified in real time manually or by CVs.

– Each stage may optionally have a conditional jump mode that results in a jump to another selected stage if a particular condition is met. E.g., a CV being above or below the selected conditional value, the presence or lack of a gate or logic high at their respective inputs, rising or falling edges at the inputs, etc. So, in addition to one-shot shapes, extremely elaborate cyclical patterns can be programmed that evolve based on the various conditional inputs.

– Two independent triggers can be programmed to fire in response to a variety of events and can be used to affect either CONTROL FORGE itself or external modules.

– Hundreds of presets can be saved and recalled

– A preset sequencer allows stepping through user defined series of presets under trigger or clock control. This allows contours and sequences of almost unlimited length and complexity.

– All presets and sequences can be transferred to any number of CONTROL FORGE SATELLITES."

Morpheus Stereo Morphing Z-Plane Filter

With our MORPHEUS ​digital filter module, we’re finally able to unleash the full power of the 14-pole Z­-Plane Filters that Dave invented for the E-mu Morpheus synthesizer.

Due to processor limitations back in the day, the original Morpheus was capable of real-time morphing between filter configurations, but interpolation in the frequency and transform dimensions were set at note-on and remained static for the remainder of the note. But even with that limitation, Morpheus offered sonic capabilities that are unmatched to this day.

With our new MORPHEUS filter module, you get simultaneous real-time CV control of all three dimensions, for dynamic timbral effects unlike anything you’ve ever heard before.

MORPHEUS features include:

– Over 190 14-pole filter configurations

– Real-time manual and CV control of Frequency, Morphing and Transformation

– The ability to save hundreds of customized filter configurations

– A sequencer for stepping through filter configurations under trigger or clock control

– A large OLED display for programming and realtime display of morphing

Like all Rossum Electro-Music digital modules, all parameters are available for adjustment with a single button press. No menu diving."

"SATELLITE is a compact 12HP module that can be loaded with all of the presets and preset sequences from a Control Forge and then function as a completely stand-alone CV generator. Once the presets and preset sequences are transferred from the Control Forge (via a patch cord connection), SATELLITE no longer requires any connection to a Control Forge.

With one or more SATELLITES, Control Forge owners can take advantage of all of their presets and sequences in multiple cabinets or even different systems

Multiple SATELLITE can be programmed from the same Control Forge and synced together via their Gate inputs to create complex polyphonic sequences and modulation contours.

SATELLITE will be available this spring from Rossum Electro-Music dealers worldwide."