Moog Movie

Click here for the main site. Trailer for more on Bob Moog's unique perspective on connecting to your instrument.

Moog video presentation from SETEM

Click here for a great video from SETEM.

Moog Archives

http://www.moogarchives.com/

Bob Moog Interview - Bob the Tool Maker

You'll find it on RL Music here.

I wasn't planning on posting for the rest of the day to reflect on Bob. I spent the day outside with my wife and almost 2 year old daughter, in a way celebrating my daughter's hope in her life ahead of her. We all have a life to live and only so much time. This sort of news always makes this more real. I miss the early years when you either had no concept of it or it was soooo far out you never worried about yourself or those you cared about - you had plenty of time. I thought Bob had plenty of time and I thought I'd be fortunate to one day meet him in person. Life can be too short. I'm back home and my daughter is sleeping. I'm online and watching an interview of Bob Moog on the RLMusic site. I wasn't going to post, but I figure if it's about Bob, why not share it.

Update:
There is a transcript on the site as well. The following is "the connection" that makes Bob the master toolmaker for musisions:

"With so many of my customers buy vintage analogue equipment, why do you think in your opinion has this interest in vintage equipment come back to today’s home & professional studios – why is there such a resurgence of interest?

Bob:
It’s a question that’s asked so frequently, I could be flippant and say “oh it’s just fashion” I have a sense it’s a lot more than that. I have a sense that now that musicians have a lot of experience of digital instruments, in particular, have bumped up against the limitations of digital instruments when it comes to getting really great sound or getting there heads in there and shaping the sound. These very basic evangelist of analogue stuff are becoming clear. In the early years they were enamoured with all the novelty of all this digital stuff like the DX7 being a polyphonic synthesizer with new sound for $2000 dollars. That was a very distracting thing. Then the sample playing instruments- the EMU stuff and the Kurzweil Stuff and all the long string of digital stuff from Roland Korg and Yamaha came out with. There was a certain amount of excitement because it was so new but that’s died down now & musicians are missing really this sense of being able to connect with the sound. I think it’s much more difficult to do that with digital instruments. There is a tactile nature that’s a part of it but it’s also a uniquely human thing that goes on that has to do with more than just how it feels or the harmonics."

Bob Moog Update - Let's all think about Bob today...

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bobmoog

Via AH.

New Arp 2600 Sound Demo

Update: Just found out this sample was done by Heath Finnie, whom I posted about earlier. Small world. : )

In via Vintage Synth Explorer. Starts with effects then dives into a more full lead sound. Amazingly rich sound. Makes you wonder if the software emulations like the WayOutWare TimewARP or the Arturia ARP 1600V can do this.

And even more PolyEvolver Samples from Stefan Trippler

These are more traditional sounding. Enjoy.

Crumar Bit One/Bit 01/Bit 99

Click here for a web page dedicated to the Crumar Bit One, Bit 01, and Bit 99. Some good information there including patches, FAQ, manual, and even editing software. The Crumar bit series came out in the mid 1980s starting with the Bit One. They were six voice polyphonic, DCO based analog synths. According to synthtech earlier Bit Ones used 6 SSM2044 VCF chips and later models used 6 CEM3328 VCF chips. The thing that always confused me about the Bit series were exactly how they differed. I found this Sound on Sound article which goes in full detail. To keep this post short, the Bit One was the first version of the synth. It had a number of limitations that were corrected in the second rendition, the Bit 01 Expander Module (rack), which was then followed three months later by the keyboard version, the Bit 99 (same as Bit 01 with keys). The SOS article is a good read with tons of more information, so if you are interested in knowing more about these synths definitely check it out. There is an interesting bit in there about how the Bit 99 could have been Gordon Reid's first midi keyboard had it come out just a bit earlier. He ended up with a JX8P instead. Anyone else painfully aware every time I use the word bit in this post? I actually had more but I pulled them because it was just a... bit... too... much.

The Bit series in all it's fashionable colors (colors have no impact on sound, unless of course they influence your zen state while plugging away).

Crumar BitOne (only came in black)

Crumar Bit01 Black

Crumar BitO1 White

Crumar Bit99 Black

Crumar Bit99 White

Digitally Controlled Analog - New Flickr Shots

via Flickr

Doepfer Schaltwerk (big white sequencer), Doepfer Regelwerk (small white sequencer), JoMoX X-Base 09, Ensoniq DP/4+.

Get LoFi - blog on circuit bending

http://www.getlofi.com/

Crazy story on how I found this blog:

So I get an email today on a site focused on the Crumar Bit One, O1, and 99. I'm in a rush to head out so I pop on the site and decide to check it out later. Lots of good info but it hasn't been updated in a while, some dead links, etc. But before I head out I see a couple of sites in the sig of the email. And the thought pops in my head that I might find something I'd rather blog about there. I see SSM and think of SSM synth chips of yore. So I check it out but that's not what the site is about. I skip/miss the second link, as I have to head out. Later in the day I'm on Feedster and decide to search on my site for fun. GetLoFi comes up. I click through and wow, I find all this great stuff. I think "I need to blog this!" I then figure I should give the owner a heads up. I look for the contact info and I see it's someone that goes by circuitmaster. I think what the... I go back to the Bit 01 email and lo and behold it's circuitmaster, and the other link I never got around to... GetLoFi. The odd thing is I posted on circuit bending earlier today not knowing what GetLoFi was about, and the thing that instantly caught my attention on GetLoFi... This post on a 1-bit synth. 1-bit synth? Bit 01? : ) Really bizarre day... I think that FIZMO patch had something to do with it. Now I have to put that Crumar Bit post up. Until then, check out GetLoFi.

1-bit synth via GetLoFi: