Thought this was pretty cool. Moog Music's Amos Gaynes is featured on Engadget here. The interview is focused on tech gadgets rather than synths, but there is a nice pic of the Little Phatty on the bench. It's great to see Moog and Amos featured on a site more dedicated to gadgets in general than synths. It's great exposure for our world.
http://www.moogmusic.com
A quick performance demo of the Moog Sub Phatty by Amos Gaynes. Let this one evolve. I think Amos was trying to put me in a trance and it worked. I could have kept listening forever. The Sub Phatty sounds great - substantial, massive and raw, and of course Amos rocks. Below you'll find a ton of pics including the 50th Anniversary Gold Voyager and the Aluminum Voyager. They both looked pretty incredible in person. I definitely like the gold one more in person than pics, fingerprints and all. The white Moogs look very sharp in person as well. If you scroll down you'll find a little non-Moog surprise. I asked Amos about it and he said it was from his friend who makes it. I thought that was pretty cool.
YouTube Published on Aug 13, 2012 by moogfoundation
"At Moogfest (www.moogfest.com) 2012, Erik Norlander (synthesist), August Worley (former engineer, Moog Music, Inc.) and Amos Gaynes (New Product Specialist, Moog Music, Inc) explore the realm of modular synthesis using Erik's 22 oscillator Wall of Doom modular Moog synthesizer to explain the very roots of Bob Moog's legacy.
YouTube Published on Aug 7, 2012 by moogfoundation
"Amos Gaynes, New Product Specialist at Moog Music, Inc., explains that now is the best time in history to use modular synthesis. This talk was part of a larger panel on modular synthesis presented at Moogfest 2010 in Asheville, NC. The panel, conceptualized by the Bob Moog Foundation, also featured Erik Norlander and August Worley and highlighted Erik's 22 oscillator modular Moog synthesizer, affectionately known as the Wall of Doom (seen in the background).
For whatever reason a thread cropped up on AH questioning Bob Moog's involvement with the Little Phatty and specifically whether he was involved at all. One, I remembered the project started when he became ill and two, core bits of the tech is based the Voyager! Even if he wasn't hands on, much of the technology that makes it what it is would still have come from him. I don't get it. That aside the following is an intersting insight to Bob Moog's involvment as well as the involvment of his team.
"Bob was completely involved in the genesis and design of the Little Phatty. He was actively working on the project when he became ill. He wired up the first prototype, which was built from a modified Voyager analog board wired directly to a panel of pots. The original idea was a stripped-down all analog two-oscillator performance synth, with a minimal but effective feature set and a knob per function on the panel. No MIDI, no patch memory.
This concept did not survive any opinion surveys, which all indicated that MIDI and memory were required features. Once we added a digital board to the design, the knob-per-function interface became too expensive to keep cost within our target for an inexpensive two-oscillator performance synth.
So, the final Little Phatty interface was conceived, using a knob per synth section rather than a knob per function. I believe this layout was conceived by Axel Hartmann. The Real Analog Control [RAC] system, where pots are both scanned for digital value and physically switched into the analog circuits which they are controlling, was conceived by Steve Dunnington.
So, Bob Moog brought the Little Phatty project into being, and shaped its original feature set. Most importantly for this project, he select Cyril Lance in particular to be his assistant/successor, after a very discriminating search. Cyril stepped in at the point when the project code-named "el P" was making the transition from all-analog to midi & memory, so he designed the Little Phatty digital board as one of his first projects for Moog Music. Prior to this, of course, Cyril had been a consulting engineer, a particle physicist (graduate of Cornell; same university as Dr. Moog), and of course a touring blues guitarist of some repute. Even though the digital board design was ultimately Cyril's, it was done in close reference to the digital board of the Voyager, which was rather similar to the digital board of a Memorymoog. As for the Little Phatty analogue board, it is comprised almost entirely of circuits taken directly from the Moog Voyager. The're the exact circuits Bob designed well before his untimely passing, simply configured for a different synth concept. The circuit layouts and corresponding component values for a given little subsection are generally identical between the Voyager and LP. A notable exception is the Little Phatty's Overload circuit, which was designed and painstakingly tweaked by ear by Steve Dunnington. I think he did a good job with that circuit.
So, the LP has Bob's Voyager oscillators and Bob's Voyager envelopes (complete with quirks and circuit errors just like on the Voyager), the same implementation of the ladder filter (only times one instead of two), the same VCA design. An instrument is a whole The digital control, the RAC system, the panel layout, overload... these things were designed by other people, all of whom desired to continue Bob's legacy and to create a real, playable instrument that stood on its own merit. I should mention that the original Little Phatty firmware was written by Chuck Carlson, a programmer who had worked with both Moog and Buchla prior to working on the LP.
I have been the alpha tester for the Little Phatty firmware as it has developed, and I've gotten to make a suggestion or two along the way.
I'm writing this instead of getting sleep here at the NAMM show, so I'd better leave it there.
Hope this helps, Amos"
Note Axel Hartmann also designed the interface for the Voyager, and a numbe of other synths. Check out this post for the list of synths. You might be surprised. He is the face of many of our modern day knob laden synths.
Published on Oct 16, 2012 by MoogMusicInc
100 Presets & new CV modulation destinations! Full list of the desinations below.
"Moog Product Development Specialist, Amos Gaynes, introduces Minitaur Revolution 2. REV 2 adds localy stored presets, assignable CV, CV to Midi conversion as well as an update to the Minitaur editor/librarian.
Minitaur REV 2 owners can now create up to 100 presets and store them directly within their Minitaur. Presets are managed from within the free Editor/Librarian software and can be conveniently recalled from the Minitaur's front panel controls.
Also in REV 2, a new operational mode for the Decay/Release knob provides users independent control of Decay and Release times from Minitaur's front panel. Users can easily switch between this new mode and Minitaur's legacy mode from the front panel.
In addition, Minitaur's CV and Gate inputs are now assignable from the Minitaur Editor/Librarian software. The Pitch and Mod CV inputs can be routed to any function, while the Gate input can be routed to functions with on/off behavior. REV 2 also enables Minitaur to effectively function as an intuitive CV to MIDI converter.
OS V2 ads the following modulation destinations for the Pitch and Volume CV inputs (think interfacing with your modular here): Volume Attack, Volume Decay, Volume Sustain, Volume Release, Filter Attack, Filter Decay, Filter Sustain, Filter Release, VCO 1 Level, VCO 2 Level, VCO 1 Wave, VCO 2 Wave, VCO 2 Frequency, VCO 2 Beat, VCO Reset On/Off, Filter Cutoff, Filter Resonance, Filter EG, Amount, Filter KB Tracking, Filter EG Velocity Sens., Volume EG Velocity Sens., Trigger Mode, Release On/Off, Key Priority, LFO Rate, LFO Clock Division, LFO MIDI Sync On/Off, LFO Key Trigger On/Off, VCF LFO Amount, VCO LFO Amount, Pitch Bend Up Amount, Pitch Bend Down Amount, Glid On/Off, Legato Glide On/Off, Glide Rate, VCA Level, External Input Level, Mod Wheel.
"Moog Announces Revolution 2 of its Minitaur Analog Bass Synthesizer
Free Update to Analog Bass Synthesizer Unlocks a Host of Performance Features and Implements Several User Requested Updates
ASHEVILLE, NC - October 16, 2012 - Moog Music announced the release of Revolution 2 for its Minitaur Analog Bass Synthesizer, which was recently nominated for a 2013 TEC Award in the 'Musical Instrument (Hardware)' category. REV 2, which is a free update for Minitaur owners, unlocks a host of new performance features (watch the video here) and implements a number of user requested updates to Minitaur and the free Minitaur Editor/Librarian.
Among these updated features, Minitaur REV 2 owners can now create up to 100 presets and store them directly within their Minitaur. Presets are managed from within the free Editor/Librarian software and can be conveniently recalled from the Minitaur’s front panel controls.
Also in REV 2, a new operational mode for the Decay/Release knob provides users independent control of Decay and Release times from Minitaur’s front panel. Users can easily switch between this new mode and Minitaur’s legacy mode from the front panel.
In addition, Minitaur’s CV and Gate inputs are now assignable from the Minitaur Editor/Librarian software. The Pitch and Mod CV inputs can be routed to any function, while the Gate input can be routed to functions with on/off behavior. REV 2 also enables Minitaur to effectively function as an intuitive CV to MIDI converter.
Minitaur: Analog Bass Synthesizer
The Moog Minitaur is a powerful, compact analog bass synthesizer that features a classic one knob per function design. At only 8.5" x 5.25" and less than 3lbs, the Minitaur puts legendary analog Moog bass into a package designed to fit seamlessly into today's performance and production environments.
NOTE: This Firmware update requires the Minitaur REV 2 Editor/Librarian.
To receive the Minitaur REV 2 Editor/Librarian, register your Minitaur at
http://www.moogmusic.com/register
Currently registered Minitaur owners will receive an email from Moog with download instructions.
via Amos on the MOOG Music Forum where you can find the download.
"Happy Birthday, Dr. Robert Moog!
Moog Music is pleased to present the latest operating system for the LP Stage Edition; version 2.00!
As many of you are excruciatingly aware by now, this update includes new features such as an arpeggiator with MIDI sync (and MIDI note output from the arp), MIDI sync-able LFO, Tap Tempo, and a whole new bank of tasty presets ranging from pure vintage tones to the ultra-modern..." click here for more info including the download links.
Mod by Amos of Moog Music. Note this is his personal mod and has nothing to do with Moog Music. Just noting the players for the archives. Title link takes you to more shots and the post on ladyada's tea party. Details and one shot saved for posterity.
"List of mods:
Internal:
bass boost mod; carefully-selected transistors in key places (not a mod, but a good idea);adjustable amount of resonance boost on accent (trim pot on underside of mainboard). Also increased env. amount range, goes down to zero and up to 3x normal maximum amount.
I/O mods: CV outputs from the sequencer for Pitch and Gate (same as stock, now with 1/4" jacks), also Accent and Slide gate-CVs. CV Inputs for Gate, Accent, Slide, Pitch, and Filter Cutoff. New audio I/O is on a 1/4" stereo jack providing VCO out/VCF in, for a pre-filter effects loop or clean external audio into the filter/VCA. See my thread in x0xm0dz for more details. VCF input goes well with the "gate always-on" switch I added.
Panel/control mods:
Devilfish-esque VCO-to-Filter overdrive; Accent duration control knob. VCO->VCF FM, has FM amount knob and FM waveform selector switch; Resonance Boost switch, with trimmer for setting boost amount Gate always on switch - VCA wide open with infinite sustain. Good for bubbling liquid legato lines or external filter processing. Filter falls to minimum unless you are using my envelope mutator, or hit the: Momentary Gate-Retrigger button; this fires off the main envelope generator when pressed, so you can inject some variety into always-on lines or just goose the sequence when you want. momentary Accent-on button, similar principle as above, fire an Accent on demand.
Envelope Mutator - my own little street-style RC envelope circuit, takes in a +5V pulse and bleeds it to ground thru a variable resistance. This is then applied to filter cutoff, where it interacts with all the other filter mods to create delicious new flavors of groove. The source is selectable between Gate (all notes trigger the env mutator), Accent, and Slide triggers via a miniature 3pos. rotary switch; there is a mutation on/off switch, a Mutation Duration knob, variable between ~5 milliseconds and 5 seconds, and I am about to add a Mutation Amount knob for added subtlety. Right now it is either off or full-on.
I think that's about it... still to be done are the momentary switches when the parts get here, and drilling the panel for the controls. The jack panel isn't perfectly machined but I might fine-tune it... or leave it looking a little DIY, which it certainly is. It should be finished up sometime next week! Sound samples when I get a chance. It sounds.... mighty good.
edit: here is a half-arsed sound sample... unfortunately the envelope mutator is not fully installed w/level control so it gets out of hand... also no momentary buttons yet so the legato/drone sections are not what they will be soon. But, bandwidth is cheap these days, so here's 10 mins of impromptu tweaking on stuff.
Moogfest 2016 Talent Announcement with Reggie Watts
Published on Dec 8, 2015 Moogfest
"Headlining performances include Gary Numan playing a three night residency of his trailblazing early albums, a two-night residency by GZA, ODESZA, Laurie Anderson, Oneohtrix Point Never, Suzanne Ciani, Blood Orange, and Sun Ra Arkestra; with keynote presentations by transhumanist activist and pharma tycoon Dr. Martine Rothblatt, and computer scientist Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in the field of virtual reality.
More than one hundred other acts are already confirmed to perform, while the conference program continues to develop in partnership with a range of esteemed universities, innovative businesses, and art/technology organizations. Program partners include MIT Media Lab, Google, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, The New Museum’s New Inc., IDEO, Gray Area, and the EyeO Festival.
For the first time ever, Moogfest will take place in Durham, NC. Moogfest activates seventeen venues, throughout the walkable downtown core, from intimate galleries to grand theatres, including a free outdoor stage with participatory, all-ages programming. Durham promises to be an ideal setting for Moogfest: a city uniquely blending diversity, authenticity, world class innovation, and culture, with a long history of great music.
Program highlights:
Pioneers in Electronic Music
Electronic music pioneer Gary Numan will perform his first three albums (Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, and Telekon) over three consecutive nights in three different venues. Musical experimentalist Laurie Anderson weaves stories and song in her solo performance, “The Language of the Future” and then returns to the stage the next day to hosts a daytime conversation.
Future Pop
Headlining talent also charts a zig-zagging course across today’s synthesizer infused pop landscape, from the vibrant electronic duo ODESZA, to the future soul of Blood Orange (playing in North Carolina for the first time), a return of utopian rockers YACHT, and even the comic stylings of Reggie Watts.
Experimentalists
Immersive noise and minimalist sonic-scapes from some of today’s most progressive experimental artists, including sunn O))), Ben Frost, Tim Hecker, Silver Apples, Oneohtrix Point Never, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Olivia Block, Alessandro Cortini, and Lotic.
Ambient Music Innovators
A rich program of sustained tones and cascading moods led by Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno’s prolific Grammy winning protege, Suzanne Ciani, and the UK’s originators of ambient house The Orb.
Hip-Hop
GZA leads Moogfest’s strongest ever hip-hop and rap lineup, supported by a roster of emerging talent including Lunice, Tory Lanez, Denzel Curry, Dr. Dre protege King Mez, and Well$.
The Future of Creativity
Futurist philosophers set the tone for a mind-expanding conference. Keynotes by Dr. Martine Rothblatt, author, entrepreneur, transhumanist, inventor of satellite radio, and Jaron Lanier, a computer scientist and composer who has pioneered the field of virtual reality. Other visionaries include sound explorer Onyx Ashanti and his 'exo-voice' sonic prosthesis, Tod Machover from MIT Media LAB presenting his work in HyperInstruments, and Gil Weinberg and The Robotic Musicianship Group at Georgia Tech performing with Shimon, an improvising robotic marimba player that uses artificial intelligence.
Orchestral Ensembles
The intergalactic voyagers of Sun Ra Arkestra channel the cosmic philosopher himself. Arthur Russell’s Instrumentals ensemble, making their US debut. Floating Points’ live project veers fluidly from warm electronic to jazz to sonic space rhythms.
I would like to inform you that our founder and chairman Mr. Tsutomu Katoh passed away early this morning (March 15, 2011) after a long fight with cancer.
Since he founded Korg Inc. in 1963, Mr. Katoh has led our company with great talent, vision and leadership. He was loved and respected by all the employees, all Korg family members and made a huge contribution to the lives of countless musicians around the world.
Plans for a memorial service will follow very soon.
I would appreciate your prayers for him and hope he can rest peacefully now.
Another hero lost; one of the first to define the world of synthesis as we know it. The gifts he gave us will always be remembered and will inspire new synth enthusiasts and musicians for decades to come. Tsutomu Katoh-san, you will be missed. Thank you for everything you gave us.
Some video of the legacy of instruments he brought us with a rare interview in Part 1 (previously posted):
'The Vintage Synth - Volume 3: Korg' 1-11
YouTube via baward — November 24, 2009 —
"Rare, Japanese-language video from some time in the 1990's, taking the viewer on an odyssey through Korg's many instruments, from Korg's synthesizer museum at its Tokyo headquarters.
Two other videos were produced in this series, 'The Vintage Synth - Volume 1: Moog and 'The Vintage Synth - Volume 2: Roland'"
Part 1: "This clip features an interview with Korg's co-founder Tsutomu Kato and footage of the rare DA-20 Doncamatic drum machine (1963) and an early appearance of Korg's famous 'Traveler' filter control - on an organ! (late 1960's.) More to follow."
Part 2: "This clip features the Korgue organ from 1968, as well as Korg's first synthesizer, the Mini Korg 700 from 1973 (here shown in its expanded 2 oscillator version, 1974's Mini Korg 700S.)"
Part 3: "This clip features the Synthesizer 800DV (1974), Synthesizer 770 (1975), and the PE-1000 (1976)."
Part 4: "This clip features the polyphonic, patchable, part-modular and extremely rare PS-3300 (1978)."
Part 5: "This clip features part one of the MS series (1978-79), focussing on the wall-mounted 'education' MS-20 as well as some other early analogue products."
Part 6: "This clip features the MS-20 and MS-50 synthesizers, VC-10 vocoder and SQ-10 analog sequencer (1978-79) in more detail."
Part 7: "This clip features the Delta strings synthesizer, Trident polyphonic synthesizer, and BX-3 analogue organ (1980-81)."
Part 8: "This clip features the first part of an in-depth look at the Polysix synthesizer from 1981."
Part 9: "This clip features the second part of the Polysix synthesizer feature and the one on the Mono/Poly."
Part 10: "This clip features the Poly-800II and the DW-8000 (1985)"
Part 11: "Computer-control of MS instruments (or is it the 05R module?) with 700S, original Korg Wavedrum, as well series conclusion."
"I just wanted to share some pics of this... I got a local company to put a black anodized finish on the aluminum back panel of my LP (was not expensive, either!) and had my buddy at the graphics shop down the hall make a gloss-black Moog logo to go with the satin black finish.
I say this is in-progress because now the end caps look incongruous... my two favorite ideas for how to finish them is either to have solid CNC-machined aluminium ends made (difficult, expensive) or go with wood ends stained in a black/graphite finish."
Title link takes you to more shots. Note if you saw this on AH, there are more shots in this set. I asked Amos if I could back them up and put up a post. He gave me the thumbs up and gave me the links to more shots.
"Moog Music is known for innovative, sonic masterpieces- now comes a new product that share's the spotlight with no other. Care to hazard a guess on what the bleep this is? See for yourself at www.moogmusic.com on Jan. 18th and also when it is introduced at the 2007 National Association of Music Merchants(NAMM)show."
The Moog Teaser is up and it's audio. Here's a link to the forum where people are discussing what it might be.
"first preset created after implementing looping envelopes.
square LFO is modulating wave shape, looping EG is modulating filter
big soft chords from osc1&2 interval plus sub"
"Amos Gaynes from Moog Music Inc gives us a sneak peek at the upcoming new Moog Sub 37 Firmware update 1.1 which will add a host of new features to this already incredibly flexible and fantastic sounding analogue synth. Best of all, the update will be completely free to existing users."
If you recall from my Moog Minitaur review (now updated), I stated that the Minitaur could play up to middle C, or note 72 / C4. This is also noted in the Minitaur manual. Well, it turns out MIDI note 72 is actually C5, an octave higher than middle C4 which is note 60.
"I was reading your review of the Minitaur, and wanted to comment about the statement that Middle C (C4) is note #72. I've always used 60 as the value for C4.
There are 128 possible notes on a MIDI device, numbered 0 to 127 (where Middle C is note number 60)."
He did find the following in the Logic Pro 9 user manual site regarding differences between Yamaha and Roland:
"Display Middle C As pop-up menu: This pop-up menu affects the description of notes in the editors. The bottom C on a five-octave keyboard (note # 36) is labeled C1, and middle C (note # 60) is labeled C3. According to this standard, the lowest MIDI note (note # 0) is called C–2. This is the official standard used by most manufacturers. Use of the C3 (Yamaha) setting will set Logic Pro to this standard mode. If you select the C4 (Roland) setting, the bottom C on a five-octave keyboard is labeled C2, and middle C is labeled as C4. In this standard, the lowest MIDI note is C–1."
So in this case Yamaha sees middle C as C3 and Roland sees middle C as C4, but both see C4 as MIDI note 60. If the Minitaur goes up to MIDI note 72, then that would be C5 and not C4.
John checked with Amos Gaynes of Moog Music and he verified it was his understanding that Middle C is note 60 and is C4, making MIDI Note 72 C5.
So there you have it. The Minitaur actually goes up to C5, one octave past middle C.
Mod by Amos of Moog Music. Note this is his personal mod and has nothing to do with Moog Music. Just noting the players for the archives. Title link takes you to more shots and the post on ladyada's tea party. Details and one shot saved for posterity.
More than one hundred other acts are already confirmed to perform, while the conference program continues to develop in partnership with a range of esteemed universities, innovative businesses, and art/technology organizations. Program partners include MIT Media Lab, Google, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, The New Museum’s New Inc., IDEO, Gray Area, and the EyeO Festival. 
For the first time ever, Moogfest will take place in Durham, NC. Moogfest activates seventeen venues, throughout the walkable downtown core, from intimate galleries to grand theatres, including a free outdoor stage with participatory, all-ages programming. Durham promises to be an ideal setting for Moogfest: a city uniquely blending diversity, authenticity, world class innovation, and culture, with a long history of great music.
A letter via Seiki Kato, President of KORG Inc.
via Amos of MOOG Music and Future Wars, on the AH list:
