MATRIXSYNTH: Search results for Emerson Moog Modular


Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Emerson Moog Modular. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Emerson Moog Modular. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, April 25, 2016

Electronic Voyager: Discovering Bob Moog Documentary From the Makers of I Dream of Wires & the BMF




via The Bob Moog Foundation

"We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Waveshaper Media, the producers of the acclaimed modular documentary “I Dream of Wires”, on a new film about Bob Moog, Electronic Voyager.

A Kickstarter campaign in support of Electronic Voyager has begun.

In association with the Wave Shaper, we aim to create a definitive and personal documentary about the life of Bob Moog. Through the eyes of our Executive Director and Bob’s own daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa – also a dedicated Moog archivist and historian – we will give viewers an insight into the man behind the iconic Moog brand.

Electronic Voyager takes us on a sonic journey into the often unpredictable life and stunning brilliance of Bob Moog, a man who ‘fell backwards on a banana peel’ into the music instrument business, as well as the psychedelic world of the 1960s music scene. Bob unwittingly revolutionized the face of music, and helped birth an enduring industry.

With Michelle Moog-Koussa as our guide, we are in a very unique position to tell Bob Moog’s story in a new and profound way – from the perspective of his own daughter, who has not only a deep personal connection to Bob Moog, but also a firm dedication to his work and legacy. Bob’s friends, associates and admirers open up when they speak to Michelle about her father, leading to uniquely candid, revealing and joyous stories and insights about Bob Moog.

Electronic Voyager documents a special personal journey for Michelle, to trace her father’s iconic story – visiting the places and meeting the people who were a part of Moog’s history. With exclusive access to unseen family photos and rare historical artifacts from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, Electronic Voyager opens a window for the outside world to better understand the man behind the legendary Moog synthesizer.

Support the Kickstarter campaign here.

The recent, tragic passing of Bob Moog’s close friend and important collaborator, Keith Emerson – perhaps the most iconic Moog keyboardist – was just another reminder of how important it is to document Bob Moog’s crucial chapter in the history of electronic music, NOW. We are turning to Kickstarter – a direct link to Bob Moog’s friends, admirers and fans – to help us get to work on this important documentary as soon as possible.

Confirmed participants include:

Early electronic music pioneers: Herb Deutsch, Morton Subotnick, Bernie Krause (Beaver & Krause, Moog modular session musician – George Harrison, The Doors), Joel Chadabe, David Borden (Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company).

Contemporary Moog musicians: Moby, Adrian Utley (Portishead, Moog Ensemble).

Friends and music industry contemporaries: Dave Smith (Sequential Circuits), Tom Oberheim, Roger Linn, Dave Rossum (E-mu), Mark Vail (Keyboard Magazine), David Mash (Berkelee College of Music), Dominic Milano (Keyboard Magazine), Wayne Kirby (University of North Carolina – Asheville).

Session musicians, composers, technicians: Patrick Gleeson (Herbie Hancock, film composer), Greg Phillenganes (Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson), Edd Kalehoff (tv/film composer), Michael Boddicker (Michael Jackson, film composer), Will Alexander (Keith Emerson’s synth tech).

Moog employees/collaborators: Bill Hemsath, David VanKoevering, Tom Rhea, Roger Luther, Greg Hockman, Tom Gullo, Dale Ong.

As with any great Kickstarter campaign, we are offering a host of exciting perks, many of which are limited to the campaign and are not available elsewhere. Read all about them and get more details about the project here:

http://tinyurl.com/ElectronicVoyagerKickstarter

Please join us on this incredible journey, the sonic journey of Bob Moog!"

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Keith Emerson on KORG OASYS and Moog's Waves of Inspiration Opening


This one in via Josh of Big City Music who reminds us Keith will be playing at the upcoming Moog Museum Waves of Inspiration opening today!

"The opening weekend (August 29 -31) will kick off with a launch of the Moog exhibition featuring an intimate musical performances by Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander and talks by Larry Fast and Brian Kehew."

via the Museum of Making Music.
"On August 29 at 6 PM, the public is invited to view the new exhibition "Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog," and enjoy the music of The Volt Per Octaves during a wine & cheese reception. Following the reception, the museum presents a demonstration with Keith Emerson and music by Erik Norlander. Emerson, the personification of the Moog legacy and maverick of the Moog synthesizer, will demonstrate his “Monster Moog” modular system. Norlander is a prolific artist who pushes the Moog tradition into the future with an evocative synthesizer technique. His perpetual live use of vintage instruments—Moog synthesizers in particular—give his performances a depth of sound seldom seen. Don't miss this memorable evening!

Click to learn more about the special exhibition"

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Announcing the 2010 Bob Moog Foundation Calendar


via The Bob Moog Foundation.

This would make a great stocking stuffer.

"The Bob Moog Foundation has created a calendar celebrating the rich history of the Moog Legacy through vintage photos, memorabilia, quotes and information taken directly from Bob’s archive. The photos trace pivotal moments in Bob’s early career and highlight many musicians and pioneers who inspired his work. Throughout the calendar, which is laden with images of early Moog instruments, Bob’s thoughts and philosophies about his work are shared in an effort to give greater understanding to his history and path; his was one of collaboration, listening and absolute dedication to musician’s needs.

The calendar is comprised of five photos of Moog himself, taken from 1958-1974. The remaining photos are of:
* Leon Theremin
* Vladimir Ussachevsky
* Herb Deutsch
* Keith Emerson
* Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause
* Isao Tomita
* Joel Chadabe
* Roger Powell

The calendar was designed by graphics artist Rose Hecht in collaboration with the Bob Moog Foundaton. Through her designs, Rose pays hommage to the original Moog modular synthesizer as the instrument that spawned an industry and radically changed the face of popular music. The background of every page touts panels of knobs and patchbays — images taken from photos of an early modular that was used in Moog’s shop in the 60s. That instrument is one of the many priceless items in Moog’s archives.

The calendar is available for purchase on our online store. All proceeds go to fund our ongoing projects, including the preservation of the archives."

"What a beautiful, informative, and intricately detailed document the 2010 Bob Moog Foundation Calendar is! The rarely — if ever before — seen photos are outstanding, so much so that in 2011 I may extract and frame many of them for my studio walls. On second thought, the calendar as a whole will end up in my archives; I promise no scissors will ever touch it. Also extremely cool and drool-worthy are the Moog Modular images in the background. Well done! I can hardly wait for the 2011 edition." -- Mark Vail

Update: In case you attempted to purchase a 2010 Bob Moog Foundation Calendar and were unable to, the calendar is now available for purchase on the Bob Moog Foundation online store.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Turnkey Vintage Synthesizer Sale


Moog System 1 custom 55/35 modular 3C - £25,000

The ultimate modular synthesizer. Originally conceived by Dr Robert A. Moog in the mid sixties as a less bulky, more affordable alternative to the famous experimental RCA Mark 2 (which filled several rooms), it became the instrument that made synthesized music popular, especially thanks to Walter Carlos' album "Switched On Bach", a massive hit in 1968. Other artists, like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Emerson, Lake & Palmer also explored the possibilities of the Moog in mainstream music and even used it for live performances. But the modular systems were generally too complex and expensive for most musicians, designed as they were for studio composition of electronic music, and Moog went on to produce more performance oriented instruments such as the brilliant Minimoog.


System 1 consists of 2 cabinets.

Cabinet 1
# 2 x 921A Oscillator Driver
# 4 x 921B Oscillator
# 923 Filter/Noise Module - Low Pass, High Pass and White/Pink Noise Source
# 2 x CP3A Mixer Module - 4 inputs with volume pots, 2 Multiples, 2 outputs with master gain pot, 2 Trunks and 2 Multiples, 992 Controls to Oscillators
# 907A Fixed Filter Bank
# 904B Voltage Controlled High Pass Filter
# 904A Voltage Controlled Low Pass Filter
# 3 x 902 Voltage Controlled Amplifier
# 3 x 911 Envelope Generator

Cabinet 2
# 914 Fixed Filter Bank
# 904B Voltage Controlled High Pass Filter
# 904A Voltage Controlled Low Pass Filter
# 992 Control Voltages Module
# 5 x 902 Voltage Controlled Amplifier
# 5 x 911 Envelope Generator
# 911A Dual Trigger Delay
# 993 Trigger and Envelope Voltages Module
# Measurements: 1230 (L) x 240 (D) x 250 (H) mm

Tuesday, August 09, 2022

ANTOINE BARIL'S ONE MAN ELP: Backstage Pass @ EMEAPP


video upload by EMEAPP

"After over two years in the making, we are proud to be a part of the One Man ELP project; the brainchild of the amazingly talented Antoine Baril of Québec, Canada. As with his previous "One Man" videos that he has released over the last 7 years (Rush, Genesis, Yes), his attention to detail and accuracy is second to none and it was amazing to watch him at work within our walls for an intense week of keyboard craziness in July 2022. Along with his amazing videographer Paul DiGiacomo, they captured some stunning footage and audio to make this epic video project one for the ages. It was a blast to play a supporting role in this, we gave full access of our Keith Emerson keyboard rig (as well as our extensive collection of vintage analog synths) to Antoine and it was like turning a kid loose in a candy store, a cornucopia of awesomeness! Join us for an exclusive backstage peek at some of the recording processes and video shoots during this one week period. The ELP material he performed and recorded runs Then EMEAPP's executive director Drew Raison will take you on an up close and personal tour of all the keyboards and synthesizers that were used in this project.

Complete list below:

Yamaha GX1 (6:55)
Keith Emerson’s Hammond/Goff C3 w/dual Leslie 122s (7:13)
Keith Emerson’s Split Moog Minimoog Model D (7:51)
Keith Emerson's Hammond L100 (8:09)
Moog Minimoog Model D Pair (Bernie Worrell's Minimoog on right) (8:45)
Keith Emerson’s Moog Modular Synthesizer (9:16)
Mellotron M400 (9:39)
Oberheim Eight Voice (9:58)
Oberheim OB-X/OB-Xa (10:20)
ARP Quadra (10:55)
KORG PS-3300 (11:06)
Moog Taurus I (11:22)
Hohner Clavinet L (11:34)
KORG M1 (11:55)
Keith Emerson’s Steinway Model D (12:10)"

Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Vintage Aries 300 Series Modular Synthesizer with 61 key Control Keyboard

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

via this auction

"What you are looking at is a special instrument.

300 Series Modules
The core of this system is five modules from the Aries 300 Series. There is one VCO module, one VCF module, one EG module, one VCA module, and one Clock/Noise/S&H generator. Yes, this is basic; here are the module names:

AR-317 VCO
AR-312 EG
AR-314 VCF
AR-316 VCA
AR-318 SH/Clock/Noise Generator
But of course, that's only the core. This system is bookended with some interesting devices. To say that it is "modified" would really be an understatement. It has been lovingly built by a lifelong musician.

The great thing about this system is that it was used by a professional musician as part of his home studio and performance rig for decades. It's often the case with these vintage units that they have aged poorly due to being left for decades in a closet or basement or whatever. But this was used consistently over its lifetime, up to the time of its builder's death. It has been played, as pieces like this need to be.

As you can see, the VCO module has been modified to include a further fine-tuned frequency control, right in the middle of the four knobs.

The Sound

There are an enormous number of modular and semi-modular systems available for musicians right now; the possibilities are almost endless. However, this has an edge that many modern synths don't have: the sound. These modules together sound much more like an ARP 2600 or vintage Moog modular than anything currently on the market. In fact, the sound of the filter is somewhere between Moog modular and early ARP filter. This probably isn't a coincidence, since Aries was a DIY synth-kit company founded by a former member of ARP in Massachusetts.

Monday, July 07, 2014

Keith Emerson’s personal Moog Minimoog THE ORIGINAL spilt system?

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

via this auction

via the seller: "For Sale is likely the only original Moog synthesizer owned and used by Keith Emerson that will ever be for sale. Keith Emerson’s other Moog unit, his massive modular system, will certainly one day wind up in a museum and not be available to collectors.
This incredible and historic Minimoog has some very serious provenance. Keith Emerson owned it, recorded with it and toured with it using it on his most famous 70’s and 80’s tours. Further to that Keith had it heavily modified for his unique purposes making it truly a one of a kind relic of music history.

Robert Moog liked the idea so much he created a prototype of what was to be a factory split system. Photos of that unit are online however I have never known anyone to actually own one or see one..

It was technician Tony Wride, who first acquired Keith’s original Moog Minimoog directly from Keith Emerson in 1992. As the story goes with a bit of help from Will Alexander who handled the transaction. The unit was later sold to a synthesizer collector in Texas via auction. That collector is whom I purchased it from.


A unique opportunity to own a piece of Rock history! This Minimoog was one of the earliest ones owned by Keith Emerson (26 June 1973 date on keyboard) and he had the keyboard and electronics separated so that it could be used in his stage setup. Basically the keyboard was set up to slide into place when required while the electronics section remained out of the way"


Update via Seth Elgart in the comments: "Moog actually did make a split keyboard. I've never seen one in person but they did exist. A bit more polished than Emerson's actually as it's not a modification."

Also this exact one appears to have been previously listed here back in 2012.

Tuesday, July 05, 2022

ELP’s HOEDOWN: LIVE @ EMEAPP FEAT. MANTICORE w/KEITH EMERSON’S MOOG MODULAR AND HAMMOND/GOFF C3


video upload by EMEAPP

"As mentioned in past videos, EMEAPP feels a deep responsibility to share our historically significant collection of rare, unusual and artist-used musical equipment with the world. As a part of this, we have opened up our doors to several tribute groups that are dedicated to recreating the music of great acts accurately and with the utmost respect to the source material. We are heavily involved in preserving the legacy of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and we do get behind those who share a similar mindset. The Long Island based group Manticore for example is one of the primary acts that is dedicated to paying tribute to the music of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and they have become a part of the EMEAPP fold. Here is the group (Rob Shepard on Keyboards, John Cristando on Drums and Ron Ponella on Bass) performing their high-energy rendition of “Hoedown” from ELP’s third studio album “Trilogy” (celebrating it’s 50th anniversary on July 6, 2022). The rig for this shoot prominently features Keith Emerson’s legendary Moog Modular Synthesizer and heavily modded Hammond/Goff C3 with dual Leslie 122 cabinets, as well as Greg Lake’s legendary stage used Persian carpet!

You can find us at www.emeapp.org where we invite you to join us as a member."

Sunday, October 12, 2014

[AES] Moog Recreates Keith Emerson's Modular System


Published on Oct 11, 2014 Audiofanzine

"Probably the most striking product at the show was Moog's 50th anniversary recreation of Keith Emerson's Moog modular system. Watch the video to learn more about how Moog did it, and to hear some vintage modular sounds."

Monday, April 28, 2014

Emerson Moog Modular Unveiling at Moogfest 2014


Published on Apr 28, 2014 BBoy Tech Report·69 videos

"Emerson Moog Modular Unveiling Part 1 - Moogfest 2014 - BBoyTechReport.com"

See the Moogfest channel for more.

Saturday, March 30, 2019

THE RIVER Analog Polyphonic Synthesizer & More Handmade Miniature Synths


Published on Mar 30, 2019 Ronaldo Lopes Teixeira ROLT

And more: (I believe I've posted some of these in the past - here's the full set - see the miniature label at the bottom of this post for others)



Update: the list:
MINI KORG 2 - HANDMADE MINIATURE
HANDMADE CLASSIC KEYBOARDS COLLECTION MINIATURES by Rolt
Making a Mellotron M400 Miniature
MINI MOOG MODEL D - HANDMADE MINIATURE
ARP ODYSSEY HANDMADE MINIATURE
HAMMOND B3 ORGAN HANDMADE MINIATURE
FENDER RHODES SUITCASE PIANO - HANDMADE MINIATURE
PROPHET 5 - HANDMADE MINIATURE
WURLITZER ELECTRA PIANO (BEIGE) - HANDMADE MINIATURE
HOHNER CLAVINET D6 - HANDMADE MINIATURE
MOOG LIBERATION - HANDMADE MINIATURE
Celeste - CLASSIC HANDMADE PROG KEYBOARDS

Thursday, March 28, 2013

BOB MOOG INDUCTED INTO INVENTORS HALL OF FAME

via Moog Music & The Bob Moog Foundation

"It is with great honor that we announce that Bob Moog is one of the United States Patent and Trademark Office 2013 National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees. This is an honor that is bestowed to 'individuals who conceived, patented, and advanced so many of the great technological achievements that have changed our world.'

Bob is being recognized for Patent No. 3475623 more commonly known to Moog fans as the Moog Ladder Filter. Using the new properties provided by transistors, the Ladder Filter was the first voltage controlled filter. By using voltage control such as keyboards and envelopes to steer the harmonic content of music over time, the Ladder Filter allowed new ways of manipulating sound that became part of the basic grammar for a new vocabulary of musical expression.

This humble invention laid the foundation for the electric pulse that beats through all forms of modern music. Bob brought to life basic concepts of dynamic filters used in the mix in every genre of recorded music today. The Ladder Filter allows the organic movement of sound in such a way that people can not only hear its warmth, but also feel its sweep come to life.

Patent No. 3475623 is best known for its use in the Minimoog Synthesizer and its effect can be heard on genre defining albums by artist like Michael Jackson, Kraftwerk, Parliament Funkadelic, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Dr. Dre, Diana Ross, and Brian Eno.

Everyone at Moog Music is grateful to be a small part of continuing Bob's work and the enduring legacy of Patent No. 3475623. We would like thank the USPTO for recognizing Bob's great innovation. This year's induction ceremony will take place May 1st in Alexandria, VA at the USPTO headquarters."


via The Bob Moog Foundation:

"The National Inventors Hall of Fame, founded in 1973, annually honors 'the individuals who conceived, patented, and advanced the great technological achievements since the birth of our nation.' Bob Moog, was identified today on the Invent.org’s website as the man behind Patent Number. 3,475,623, (Electronic High-Pass and Low-Pass Filters Employing the Base to Emitter Diode Ristor for Bi-Polar Transistors).

The organization cites the following:

'In 1964, Moog introduced the first complete voltage controlled modular synthesizer, an instrument capable of producing a wide variety of electronic sounds. The Moog synthesizer helped revolutionize the face of music by giving artists and composers the capability to create a brand new palette of sounds. Composer Wendy Carlos was one of the first to usher the synthesizer into the spotlight with the 1968 Switched-On Bach album. Since then, countless performers and composers have utilized the original Moog synthesizer and the Minimoog®, a smaller, portable version of the original instrument.'

'On behalf of the White House, I add my congratulations to this year’s inductees,' said John P. Holdren, President Obama’s science and technology adviser and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. 'Your creativity, perseverance, and entrepreneurialism exemplify the American ‘can-do’ spirit.' Mr. Holdren’s quote was part of the press release issued by the organization.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame is the premier non-profit organization in America dedicated to honoring legendary inventors whose innovations and entrepreneurial endeavors have changed the world. Founded in 1973 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Association, the Hall of Fame will have 487 inductees with its 2013 induction.

This year’s induction ceremony will take place on May 1, 2013 at the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The USPTO founded the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1973 and has been a long-standing partner since the organization’s incorporation as a separate, non-profit educational foundation."

----

Congratulations to Moog Music, The Bob Moog Foundation,  Michelle Moog-Koussa (Bob Moog's daughter who runs the foundation), and of course the rest of his family and friends!  Heck, congratulations to us, the fans of synthesizers!  :)  This isn't something we see every day.

BTW, it's worth noting that supporting Moog Music & The Bob Moog Foundation not only supports the memory and lifelong work of Bob Moog, but they help introduce that world to new people every day.  I like to think of sites like MATRIXSYNTH as supporting the existing community as well as those that have discovered it, but The Bob Moog Foundation brings it to kids that may have never gotten the opportunity to discover our world.  If you can support them, please do.

On a side note, click here for a search on 1963 (a year prior, and the birth of it all) on MATRIXSYNTH. You'll find Korg was formed, Moog and Buchla came out with their modular systems, and other interesting bits happened in the world of electronic music and synthesizers during that time.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

The First Moog Quartet - Bei Mir Bistu Shein - 45rpm


YouTube via Frritzz. via AudioLemon."My father got this from a Salvation Army store for 25 cents. He must've made some find. Played on my Pioneer PL-518."

Update via Frritzz in the comments:
"By the way, I do own a 3-CD set 'The Out Sound From Way In' as part of my CD collection. Fun to listen to.

On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Frritzz
On MySpace: http://myspace.com/frritz"

Update via the world of next tuesday in the comments:
"In a nutshell Kingsley and Perrey were both in NYC working with electronic music pre-Moog Modular. I believe the label A&R guy thought if they could team up they might put together a great album which was the case, and they subsequently did a second album together after the Moog came out and then parted ways.

For a subsequent project Kingsley came up with the first Moog Quartet concept trying to meet the challenge of playing live, in this case 4 performers on modular moogs. Moog built semi-custom gear for them. One of the members went on to form Hot Butter who had a hit with Popcorn some years later. So even though the recordings were done in the studio I suspect the concept was 4 guys could play it live though there are some non-synth instruments you'd presumably need backup guys playing.

Keith Emerson whom I guess was balking at the prices Moog wanted was offered one of the Quartet's Moogs after they disbanded and Moog's loaner gear was returned, so Emerson accepted Moog's offer to pick up a second hand gear, which I presume was quite useful to him since it had primitive patch switching for live use. So that synth was the first pieces of his modular."

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

MOOG SYSTEM 55

via this auction where you'll find more images. Details: "Here is probably the last Moog System 55 of this planet. This is a rare opportunity to buy this legendary monstrous modular synthesizer. The Moog modular was used by most of the world-famous composers like Keith Emerson, Hans Zimmer, Vangelis, Pete Namlook, Tangerine Dream (Klaus Schulze), Wendy Carlos and others pioneers... The Moog modular synthesizer offered musicians a revolutionary new way to produce sound when it was released in the 1960s. It was originally intended for use in recording studios and universities and was not intended for (or widely embraced by) musicians for use in live performance. The analog electronics of the system often made sound generation unreliable and unpredictable during live performances.

This System 55 come in excellent (Mint) conditions, all modules are perfect and original of course, no keyboard but you can drive the modular with midi to cv converter box or the new synthesizers.com keyboard.
As you can see in the photos the system has a rich configuration because it mount another 904A lowpass filter respect the standard system 55 release ...so there are 3x filters + Filter coupler AMAZING!!!"



Tuesday, October 09, 2018

Moog One Sound Designer, Live from the Moog Factory


Started streaming 25 minutes ago Moog Music Inc "Live from the Moog Factory"

Update: new session below. Skip to 25:30.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!!!  I hope 2012 treated you well and I wish you the best in 2013!

As I do each year, I thought I'd reflect a little on the past year.  These posts are always difficult to write, and I always wing them, so bear with me.  It's impossible to justify a whole year's worth of synth coverage in a single post.  The following is just a small bit of what comes to mind when looking back.  You'll find a top ten list of posts with the most page views followed by my picks for the year further below.  Apologies if I miss anything, and of course, if you have anything to add, feel free to leave a comment below.  I'm curious what you, the readers of the site, felt stood out in the world of synths this past year.

First, I want to begin this post with a HUGE THANK YOU!!!  If you are reading this it obviously means you have come to this site and some of you have been coming here for years! Thank you for sticking with me. This site is a journey I hope to continue for years to come. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to showcase their synths, and thank you to those that share what they find! Thank you to those that link to the site and help spread the word on MATRIXSYNTH via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and your own websites! And of course, THANK YOU to all the sponsors on the right who believe in the site enough to support it!

A nod to previous New Years posts, pictured to the left is the MATRIXSYNTH world domination map. :)  I always think it's worth taking a look at who's watching the site.  Synths are global and you are looking at a map of the readers of MATRIXSYNTH.  Everything you see in green represents a visit from that country.  The darker the green, the higher the number of visits.  This is just for the year, but for the life of the site, we still haven't gotten a single hit from North Korea!   I don't know what they have against synths!  ;)   You'll find the top 10 visits by country further below.

This is the eighth New Year the site has gone through!  The focus for the site this year has been the same as previous years, and I plan to keep it that way.  This site is about showcasing specific synths, not just synths in general, and not just news and press releases.  The focus is on the individual synths that have existed throughout history, the technology behind them, and the lives they lead with their odd owners, myself included.  :)  Yes it is about the gear, their makers, and their players.  It has always been my opinion that synths in general have a tendency to be undervalued. Compared to say collectible guitars, they are often discarded and devalued in favor of next year's model, next year's technology.  It has always been my opinion that every synth has something of value to offer,  something specific and something unique that gives it its character. I built this site to showcase that.  This site is about the history of synths as their history unfolds - videos and images of synths being played and used, by both those that make them and those that play them.  Vintage synths being offered in the second hand market, being exchanged from one sonic explorer to the next. It really is a wondrous thing. Think of the magic synthesizers bring into your world. That is what this site is ultimately about.  Some posts may not seem to make sense now, but they will in time, because they will be a look back in time. A day in the life of a particular synthesizer.  I love analog and I love digital. I love all synths and this site celebrates that.

And now for a little reflection on the year. This year we had a total of 16678 posts including this one.  That comes out to roughly 45.69 posts a day.  Not a single day of the year went without a post.  So what dominated the synth year?  Mobile, modulars and a few dedicated hardware synths.

Monday, June 13, 2011

John Paul Jones Yamaha GX-1 with Programmer Up for Auction?


via this auction

"Here's your once-in-a-lifetime chance to own one of the most famous keyboards in rock-'n'-roll history: the storied Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer owned by John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), then Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer/Powell [ELP]), then Hans Zimmer (film composer). Seller acquired it directly from Hans Zimmer in 2003 (authenticated). Yamaha's original retail/list price for the GX-1 was US$60,000.

Provenance: John Paul Jones acquired it circa 1977/78 and used it on Led Zeppelin's album "In Through The Out Door." It was featured on tracks "In The Evening," "All My Love," "Carouselambra" and "I'm Gonna Crawl." On "All My Love," Jones performs a nice string arrangement, and the horn solo demonstrates the GX-1's expressive vibrato capabilities. On the final Led Zeppelin tours, Jones used the GX-1 as his primary keyboard, performing string, organ, clavinet and bass/synth. parts (see photo #3: Jones performing on GX-1 at the Knebworth, UK shows in '79 [top pic in this post]; the last time the original foursome performed together before John Bonham's death). Jones called the GX-1 "a joy," which replaced his repair-prone Mellotron.

Keith Emerson acquired the GX-1 from Jones in the mid-'80s as a spare for Emerson's original GX-1 (used with ELP in the late '70s). Emerson cannibalized some of his original GX-1 for the benefit of this unit. He used this GX-1 most prominently on the "Emerson, Lake & Powell" album & tour in the late '80s, and in the music video of the title track of ELP's "Black Moon" reunion album in the early '90s (see photos #4 & #5 [2nd pic in this post]; keyboard on top of GX-1 not included). "Emerson, Lake & Powell" tracks featuring this GX-1 include "Touch & Go" and his synth. rendition of Holst's "Mars: Bringer Of War." Emerson sold the GX-1 to renowned film composer Hans Zimmer in the mid-'90s, who sampled various sounds on it (see photo #6 [3rd pic in this post]: GX-1 in Zimmer's studio; Moog modular not included). The GX-1 was also used for recording sessions by musicians including Erik Norlander on his "Threshold" album. (Note: Keith Emerson's Wikipedia entry is incorrect: his original GX-1 [painted black] was sold to a European collector, and this unit was sold to Zimmer, then to the Seller)

This auction is for the: keyboard/console (including programmable cartridges; see photo #9), separate ultra-rare Programmer Module (see photo #11), and original Anvil-style case (used by Jones, Emerson, Zimmer and the Seller). Sale does NOT include: the GX-1's bench/pedal section, two TX-II speakers, and the programmable cartridges for the Pedal section only (which were not included when Seller acquired it).

It works, but after playing it for a while, it sometimes makes a noise and must be turned off and then turned back on. Being sold "as is." Seller can refer Buyer to several qualified GX-1 technicians. [Minor] tuning/calibrating will probably be required after shipment. Copies of any manuals (User/Technical/Service/etc.), brochures and other GX-1 information Seller has will be included. Has balanced outputs (see labeled photo #12), which may be custom. John Paul Jones had the switches/LED panel added (over the Electone logo area), which may be disconnected (appear to have no effect anymore)...

Here's some miscellaneous information:
- only about 27-30 GX-1's were ever manufactured and/or sold (unit's Serial Number is 0076)
- the most powerful polyphonic synthesizer in history at the time
- 3 keyboards (2 standard manuals; 1 solo manual); volume pedal; retractable knee vibrato controller
- unheard of levels of touch control (touch/velocity-sensitive, polyphonic aftertouch, etc.)
- approx. outer dimensions of keyboard console 63"(L) x 31"(W) x 46"(H)
- top area (where other keyboards can be placed) is about 60"(L) x 10"(W)
- weight in Anvil-style road case is about/over 1,000 pounds
- was the basis for Yamaha's popular CS-80/etc. synthesizers"
SN 5076

via John

See this post for a close-up of the programmer.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

1964 Modular Moog Synthesizer To Be Inducted To The TECnology Hall Of Fame In 2019


This one was spotted and sent in via Atomic Shadow.

via Forbes.com:

"At the 2019 NAMM Show, to be held in Anaheim, California, eight hugely significant audio inventions will be inducted to the TECnology Hall of Fame (THOF). Founder of the THOF, George Petersen announced the eight products for induction.

The inventions were chosen span from a period covering the 1940s to the present day. The event was presented by the NAMM Museum of Making Music and hosted by Petersen, a veteran pro-audio journalist.

The eight TECnology Hall of Fame inductees for 2019 include: the anechoic audio test chamber (Leo Beranek, 1943); beyerdynamic M160 ribbon microphone (1957), Bell Labs’ electret microphone patent (1964), Robert Moog’s 1964 Modular Moog Synthesizer; iZ Technology’s RADAR (24-track disk recorder, 1991); Meyer Sound Labs Source Independent Measurement (SIM) system (1991); Millennia Media HV-3 microphone preamplifier (1992), and the JBL Professional VerTec line array live sound system (2000)"

On Moog:

"Each inductee represents significant milestones and fascinating histories. The late Robert Moog is a household name for his music synthesizer development. His Modular Moog quickly became adopted by The Beatles, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, Keith Emerson, and Wendy Carlos’ landmark Switched on Bach album."

Also note both Bob Moog and the Moog ladder filter were previously inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame:

BOB MOOG INDUCTED INTO INVENTORS HALL OF FAME
The Moog Ladder Filter - National Inventors Hall of Fame for Patent No 3475623

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

EMEAPP: KEITH EMERSON'S MOOG MODULAR SYNTH DEMO


Published on Apr 16, 2019 EMEAPP

"A live demo of Keith Emerson's actual Moog modular synthesizer, from your good friends at EMEAPP."

Monday, May 24, 2010

BMF Re-Configures Erik Norlander’s “Wall of Doom”

via the Bob Moog Foundation where you'll find more pics and the full story.

"Amos Gaynes [right] and August Worley [left] - To many of you, Amos Gaynes from Moog Music needs no introduction. He is well-known in the synth community for his clear and insightful articulation of all things that involve a Moog tech. Amos understands the contemporary Moog gear inside and out as a tech and as a creator of firmware for some of the newer products. A student of mechatronics at UNC-A, he is well on his way to becoming an engineering force at Moog Music, Inc.

August Worley is an electrical engineer who shares a unique qualification with Bob Moog. August is the only person to have worked at Moog Music Buffalo, Big Briar, Inc. and Moog Music Asheville. He was part of the engineering team who helped Bob develop the Voyager. August was uniquely qualified to work on this modular project, as he formerly toured with ELP as the keyboard tech for Keith Emerson’s Monster Moog Modular. He also developed the pyrotechnics for Keith’s Moog ribbon controller.

Between the two, Amos and August have donated over 60 hours of time to the completely reconfiguration of the Wall of Doom in to its new home." Be sure to see the full article for tons of more pics and the full story behind Erik Norlander's "Wall of Doom" and upcoming event with the system, at Moogus Operandi on May 27th"
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