"Our thirteenth winner of the Modular Pic of the Week contest goes to George Mattson for his 'Ichabod' (photo by Michael Mattson).
George Mattson started investing in synthesizers in 1973. In 1978, he invented the first self-contained keytar, known as the Syntar. Mattson currently manufactures modular systems and custom modular systems as Mattson Mini Modular. Ichabod is a custom system commissioned by Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins.
We'd like to give a big thanks and congratulations to George and Michael Mattson for their submission! This is the 13th week of a 30-week contest, and we are looking forward to many more modular photo submissions, so please keep 'em coming! For details on how to submit and what you can win, see this post
ARTURIA and the BOB MOOG FOUNDATION are proud to introduce Dr. Bob's Collector Pack.
This luxurious box set includes Arturia's award-winning Minimoog-V and Moog Modular V, a DVD of
the Moog documentary, an archival book featuring unreleased material curated by Michelle Moog-Koussa entitled From Bob Moog's Private Archives, and an official Bob Moog Foundation button.
Quantities are limited to 1000 copies worldwide. Profits will be donated to the Moog Foundation to benefit their projects and help carry Bob Moog’s legacy forward.
To celebrate this event, Arturia is also organizing a contest to win a 1975 Minimoog synthesizer on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/arturia2.
"We are delighted to partner with the BMF and bring to musicians Dr. Bob, a pack that will be of high value to everyone interested in Bob Moog's legacy. Years ago, Arturia was extremely lucky to work with Bob Moog on the re-creation of some of his most famous synthesizers. Today we are extremely happy to support the BMF and give a little back, while bringing to the market a great collector box."
— Frederic Brun (President of Arturia)
“"The Bob Moog Foundation is proud and delighted to share many items from our archives for the one-of-a-kind From Bob Moog's Private Archives booklet included in Dr. Bob's Collector Pack. The items gracing these pages, many of them rarely seen, illuminate pivotal junctures in the rich history of the Moog legacy. From Bob Moog's Private Archives is the first published collection of images from the vast trove of materials that Bob accumulated over the length of his 50-year career; it serves as the ultimate complement to the materials in the Pack. Our thanks to Arturia for highlighting the sonic, historical and human legacy that Bob Moog left for us all to enjoy."
via ASIA Facebook: "An appeal to fans of ASIA Featuring John Payne and ALL FANS of progressive rock from keyboardist Erik Norlander:
Moog synthesizers have played a vital role in our genre, and prog rock would sound very different without them. Since Bob Moog's passing in 2005, The Bob Moog Foundation has worked tirelessly to continue Bob's legacy. This work needs FUNDING, and now the Foundation has a unique opportunity to get a $250,000 grant (yes, that's $250,000 ...!) from the Pepsi Refresh Project.
Please VOTE for The Bob Moog Foundation at http://www.refresheverything.com/bobmoogfoundation AND ALSO by texting 104827 to 73774. This is a simple popularity contest, and your DAILY votes will help win it.
You can vote TWICE per day, once via email, once via text. Please do! Hey, do it right now! I just did. You don't have to like Pepsi; You just have to like Bob Moog and his amazing inventions. Please pass it on! THANKS, everybody. Erik (keyboarder)"
"Get Your Freak on and Win Some Moog Gear: Enter the Moog Halloween Theremin Video Contest
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (October 14, 2009) – The call of the Theremin has been haunting the science fiction and horror movie genres for decades. It was there when aliens came to earth in The Day The Earth Stood Still and when monsters came to life in The Bride of Frankenstein.
Now it’s your turn. Moog Music is sponsoring a Halloween Theremin Video Contest. Prizes include an MF-104Z Analog Delay and a MF-102 Ring Modulator.
To participate, grab your video camera and put together your best Halloween-themed theremin video, but first go to www.moogmusic.com/theremin for a link to the complete contest information. Prizes will be awarded based on a poll of Moog Forum members and on the highest number of YouTube views.
Here’s your chance to keep us as Spellbound as Hitchcock did!
About Moog Music: Moog Music and its customers carry on the legacy of Bob Moog. Moog designs and manufactures electronic musical instruments, including Little Phatty® and Minimoog® Voyager® synthesizers, Moogerfooger® effects modules, Etherwave® theremins and The Moog Guitar. Founded by Bob Moog, Moog Music designs and manufactures its products in Asheville, N.C."
"The Retronyms Release DopplerPad Expressive Touch Instrument for the iPhone and iPod Touch
July 21, 2009 - San Francisco, CA
The Retronyms, makers of popular iPhone applications Recorder and FourTrack, released the DopplerPad expressive touch instrument for the iPhone and iPod Touch today. DopplerPad is a live performance music production application that was inspired by tools such as the Korg Kaosscillator, Yamaha Tenori-on, and DJ mixers. Synthesizers, samplers, and drum pads combine with stunning visual displays to create a powerful and portable instrument that is still intuitive enough for recreational use.
DopplerPad's interface imitates the standard DJ setup of a mixer with turntables on either side, but replaces the turntables with music-producing touchpads. The app launches to the mixer, where the user can access the two touchpads, their playback controls, a crossfader, and a loop bank that stores up to 14 loops.
The framework for a loop on one of DopplerPad's velocity-sensitive touchpads begins by adjusting the tempo and number of beats. Thirty-seven instruments [top image] are available to design melodies and harmonies with bass, percussion, and additional sound effects, while four samplers allow users to record snippets of any audio to add to the mix. The gate/arpeggiator and scale editor polish the loop with unique rhythms that are always in tune.
Using DopplerPad's musical tools, users can infinitely layer sounds and phrases to create complex loops with vibrant visualizations at home or on the go. Dan Walton, co-founder of the Retronyms, says "DopplerPad encourages musical improvisation by making its features easily accessible and visually integrated. Because you can remix your musical phrases, there are endless possibilities for both professional musicians and music enthusiasts to create audio-visual masterpieces anywhere."
The Retronyms are holding a video contest coinciding with the release of DopplerPad to see who can create the best DopplerPad track. Submissions will be accepted until August 21, 2009, and the prize for the winner is an iPhone 3GS.
Expressive Touch Instrument for the iPhone/iPod Touch
Available in the App Store for the introductory price of $9.99
About the Retronyms: The Retronyms are a small band of programmers and designers based in San Francisco that write software for the iPhone, Mac, PC and Unix. They try to blur the line between tool and game, creating entertaining tools and games for consumers, especially in the multimedia space. They are very design driven and work hard to create software that looks great and works as smoothly as possible. Their iPhone application Recorder was the only business application to make the top ten list of iPhone apps sold for 2008. More information on the Retronyms can be found on their site: http://retronyms.com."
If you aren't familiar with Amin Bhatia, see this post.
"Thanks to all who have made "Virtuality" a part of their virtual or real record collections. This new album from Amin is getting great reviews in print and on the net.
"...this is a must listen " Michael Gallant, Keyboard Magazine "...a worthy successor to the legacy of The Interstellar Suite" Craig Anderton, EQ Magazine
Our thanks also to the many Interstellar Suite fans who've sent personal replies and reviews to this sequel album. Because Amin has been busy on the Flashpoint tv series he has not had time to respond (even to close friends and family) but we're catching up on the backlog now. In the meantime please continue to pass along the good word on "Virtuality" with guests Steve Porcaro and Patrick Moraz. It's available on CDBaby and on iTunes and a portion of every sale goes to the Bob Moog foundation. Here's a link to point your friends to info about Amin Bhatia new album release.
"FLASHPOINT" SPARKS The CBS/CTV new series "Flashpoint" is pulling in record ratings every week with compelling drama from the perspective of the tactical sniper police squad. The theme song and music score is composed by Amin Bhatia and Ari Posner. They are just finishing Season One as you read this and plans are already underway for Season Two. Read more here.
THE TRIBUTE TO BOB MOOG PODCAST The first in a series of video podcasts about the "Virtuality" CD has made quite an impact because of its professional quality. The 7-minute video features dozens of artists including Amin Bhatia, Steve Porcaro, Patrick Moraz and Michelle Moog Koussa and talks about the far reaching influence of Bob Moog, to whom "Virtuality" is dedicated. See it here. Our thanks to the hundreds of video and audio professionals who donated their time and expertise to make such a high quality podcast....and yes, there are more coming!
THE VIRTUAL TOUR CONTINUES IN SECOND LIFE It's fitting that that the virtual community of Second Life has embraced Virtuality. The virtual record release party at the Music Academy Online simm was a resounding success in both real and virtual worlds. It premiered the creation of a virtual museum featuring many of the 70 synthesizers used in "Bolero Electronica", as well a "Virtuality ride" through several musical pieces of the album. For more about Virtuality on Second Life you can learn more here.
AMIN 'GIVES BACK' TO THE ROLAND SYNTH CONTEST As many of you may know, Amin Bhatia was one of the early recipients of the Roland International Synthesizer contest, winning the grand prize two consecutive years. His winning composition was the foundation for his album "The Interstellar Suite" and essentially launched his career in film and television composition. Roland is re-introducing the contest and Amin has been asked to act as one of the judges for this year's competition. Are you a synthesist or want to encourage one? Learn more here.
WEBSITE Many of the above links take you to our newly designed website and engine, aminbhatia.com."
Note this is not from synthesizers.com, just an idea submitted during a contest they had. Title link takes you to more info.
"Morbius asked for suggestions on a preset storage system for use with a Synthesizers.com modular synth. Here is a concept that I came up with. A guiding principle was Morby's comment that "no computers" be used. I believe that he was opposed to anything that would require a PC (personal computer) to use, whereas a computerized module was actually within his guidelines. Regardless, I took a stab at a system that could be built using discrete logic. Although the concept presented here stretches the limits of practicality, I think it is interesting."
"Our thirteenth winner of the Modular Pic of the Week contest goes to George Mattson for his 'Ichabod' (photo by Michael Mattson).
