Synth Legends Livestream on 20th Anniversary of Bob Moog’s Passing

The Bob Moog Foundation is hosting a special livestream on YouTube of a 2005 panel featuring synth legends Bob Moog, Tom Oberheim, Dave Smith, and Marcus Ryle, moderated by Roger Linn.

During the one-hour and thirty-eight-minute symposium, all four innovators reflect separately about their unique histories and innovations before the group answers a series of questions collectively. 

The event, originally filmed in front of a live audience, was later released on DVD in limited quantities.

This is the first time it will be aired in its entirety, with masterful audio enhancement of the camera mics provided by Harold LaRue Mastering.

It was Bob Moog’s final public appearance before his passing, and it’s being broadcast in full for the first time on August 21 at 8PM EDT, marking the 20th anniversary of his death.

More info HERE

Dieter Doepfer reacts to I Dream Of Wires: Hardcore Edition Comments

Dieter Doepfer recently replied in the Yahoo Doepfer A-100 Usergroup on comments to his appearance in the I Dream Of Wires: Hardcore Edition documentary that was released last month.

Many members of the group congratulated and thanked him after seeing and hearing him about the early beginnings of the Eurorack standard in the IDOW Documentary

A few people even compared his work to that of Bob Moog and Don Buchla,

but as always, Dieter stayed humble:

I Dream of Wires: Hardcore Edition

"...I would really not place me on the same level with Bob Moog or Don Buchla.
The start of the A-100 was more a "copy job" than a new technology.
The first modules were nothing but copies of the (Doepfer) MS-404 sub-circuits and the MS-404 had its roots in the famous Moog transistor ladder filter and a common VCO circuit.

I think my main idea was to make an analog modular system affordable and to use a mechanical format (now called Eurorack) and a bus concept that was not too expensive (ribbon cables instead of fixed PCB dimensions as used in the industry standard).
This mechanical format was already an industry standard at this time in Germany.

But I really never imagined that such a huge range of A-100 compatible modules would be ever on the market (Andreas Schneider of Schneiders Laden in Berlin mentioned recently that in the meantime more than 50 manufacturers and more than 800 modules are on the market and that they have a bit lost the track)."

Personally i think Dieter underestimates what he has already done for the Eurorack community.

Doepfer was the first brand that brought affordable analog synthesis within everyone's reach and inspired a whole generation of new Eurorack manufacturers.

What is not mentioned in the IDOW Documentary is that he used this synthesizer-format for the first time on the Doepfer Sound Sampler in 1984, read all about that HERE

I Dream of Wires: Hardcore Edition DVD, Blu-Ray and accessories are now available to order at:

sciencewithsynthesizers.com

NAMM 2013 Preview

Dieter Doepfer and Bob Moog at NAMM 2002

NAMM 2013 in Anaheim, California will kick off tomorrow.
From January 24-27 many exhibitors from all over the world will show their latest in music technology.

Some manufacturers already announced the new synthesizers that they will be display at NAMM;
I believe i am the most excited by the previews that i've seen from the Moog Sub Phatty, a new analog synthezizer from Moog (around 1100 USD) and the rumors of a Korg MS-20 re-design.
According to this rumors Korg will show a revamped Korg Legacy MS-20-style controller, but with fully analog circuits, featuring mini 1/8"  instead of 1/4" jacks and equipped with MIDI and MIDI over USB.
The rumored price will be around 800 USD.

I haven't seen many spectacular new eurorack announcements yet (besides the new Pittsburgh Modular modules and cases, and the 4ms modules), but there will probably be some new and interesting devices out there.

Dieter Doepfer and Bob Moog
at NAMM 2002

The Bob Moog Foundation (BMF) will also be at NAMM 'to celebrate the indelible nature of the synthesizer pioneer’s legacy'.
Beginning on Thursday January 24, NAMM attendees will have opportunities to see and hear demonstrations of vintage Moog instruments and explore rarely seen archival material from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives.
More info about this at the BMF Website.

Have fun if you are going, i wish i could be there too.
Maybe i'll try to be at the next MusikMesse in Frankfurt, Germany (April 10 to 13, 2013) , but nothing is sure yet.
I also have a regular day-job, you know...

Feel free to send interesting (eurorack modular) synth-pictures if you have them, thanks in advance!
The best place to find all the latest NAMM news is at Matrixsynth.

Find more info about NAMM 2013 at http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2013

Pictures via the Doepfer Facebook page

BookTip XIII: Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer

I have had 2 whole weeks off from work this holiday season, so i had enough time to read a few interesting synth-related books.

The first one i read was 'Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer' by Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco.
It's a very interesting book (368 pages) that was published in 2004, and that tells the story about Robert (Bob) Moog, synthesizers from the mid-60s to the mid-70s in general and about the Moog company and its products.

The book has a foreword by Bob Moog himself (he passed away a year after the publication of this book) and the writers have spend a large amount of time and effort into making it.
The book is filled with stories by musicians, technicians and other pioneers from that era where everyone seemed to share a same passion for analog synthesis.

The list of interviewed people for this book is too large to mention, but it includes people like Don Buchla, Suzanne Ciani, Keith Emerson, Rachel Elkind, Tom Oberheim, Alan Pearlman (from ARP) and many more.
That's a very impressive list, and the whole book is written in a chronological style, filled with many anecdotes and interesting facts, what makes it fun and easy to read.
A must-read in my humble opinion, if you are interested in this kind of stuff, of course...

Info: http://books.google.nl/books/about/Analog_Days.html?id=3hjvWzkMK-sC …
Harvard University Press, 15 nov. 2004 - 368 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0674016170

Find my earlier BookTips HERE
My next BookTip will be published somewhere next month.

Quotes XII : Bob Moog

" The synthesizer was always a source of new sounds that musicians could use to expand the range of possibilities. "

Robert (Bob) Moog





More Quotes HERE
*Quote found on http://voltagecontrol.blogspot.com/

Booktip VI - The Museum of Synthesizer Technology by Martin J. Newcomb

Okay... the cover-design of this book isn't outstanding, but the content is in fact very interesting.

This book, simply called The Museum of Synthesizer Technology, written by Martin J. Newcomb in July 1994 shows the huge collection of what used to be the Museum of Synthesizer Technology that was situated in a  part of Berkshire, UK.

The museum, opened by Bob Moog, only existed for a few years ( 1994 - 1997 ) and was at the time the largest collection of analogue synthesizers in the world.
The idea was nice; the aim was to preserve all these analog synthesizers for future generations, and today's generation would be helped by exhibiting them and by keeping the (service- and normal) manuals available for the public.

Basically the book ( A4-sized, 118 pages ) is an overview of the museum's collection, with a lot of large (color-) pictures and accompanied by well-written background-information on the different synth-companies and types.
...most of all i like it for it's pictures...

Not included with the book, but there was also an interesting video out about this museum with uncut demonstrations, that was published in 2006 by Analogue Heaven, called Analogue Heaven The Museum of Synthesizer Technology. It is a revised release of the original museum-video, but including some extras.
Find the 65 minute documentary HERE (in six parts)
or HERE (full version)

The book has no ISBN number.

Quotes III : Robert Moog

" I'm an engineer. 
I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers... They use my tools."

Robert (Bob) Moog

Volts per Octave

The Volts-per-Octave standard luckily turned out to be a quite good one.
A lot of (early) synthesizers manufacturers adapted this standard, 'invented' and popularized by Bob Moog.

Best known manufacturers of early products using the 1V/Oct standard are Roland, Moog, Sequential Circuits, Oberheim and ARP. The big benefit of standards like these is inter-compatibility between products of different manufacturers. It allowes them to communicate better.

The V/Oct standard was wider adapted as other standards, like for example Yamaha and Korg's Hertz-per-Volt standard, that  represented an octave of pitch by doubling the voltage. 
A few synths that use the Hz/V standard are:
Korg: 770, 900-PS Preset, M-500 Micro Preset, M-500SP Micro Preset, Mini Korg, MS-10, MS-20, MS-50, Synthe-Bass, X-911
Yamaha: CS5, CS10, CS15, CS15D, CS20M, CS30
Moog: Taurus I Bass Pedals
Paia: 2720, 4700 Series

The Hz/V standard was used before the log converter was used in VCO's and is essentially linear control as can be found on various signal generators and function generators like those used by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop before they got a VCS3*. There are/were solutions available that convert from  Hz/Volt to V/Oct and vice-versa.  ( like the Korg MS-02 ).

No wonder that the A-100 system uses the V/Oct. standard. You can easily synchronize your system with almost any (old) machine that you have lying around, and most MIDI-to-CV converters use the same standard too.

For example i love using the CV (and Gate) output of my Roland TB-303 to control my A-100 system. The signal arrives at my system via a  A-180 2x4 multiple, so i have 3 copies of both signals available at any time.
Sometimes i use the CV slightly detuned for an interesting effect, sometimes i put it through a voltage inverter first, something that doesn't work out with all your 303-lines because of tuning.

The Gate output (trigger) of the TB-303 can be sent through a delay for some more interesting echo-like effects.
There are so many possibilities for your other gear to communicate with your A-100 with the 1 V/Oct standard... just go ahead and try... and amaze yourself.

*thanks to Tony Steventon for additional info

Booktip II - Vintage Synthesizers by Mark Vail

Another interesting read; 
The subtitle of this book: “Groundbreaking instruments and pioneering designers of electronic music synthesizers” explains a lot about the content...

This neat 300-page book, written in 1993 by Mark Vail, one of the writers of Keyboard magazine, is a very complete overview of 30 years of synthesizer history - from 1962 until 1992.
The book is full with background-stories and funny anecdotes by designers and early users and it is loaded with nice (mostly black and white) pictures.

The buying guide, the giant glossary and the comprehensive index in the back of the book make this book an unmissable read for anyone interested in (analog) synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines.

ISBN: 0-87930-275-5
More info at http://www.markvail.com/

Booktip I - Analog Synthesizers by Mark Jenkins

Analog Synthesizers - Understanding, Performing, Buying - by Mark Jenkins

One of the most interesting books about synthesizers and synthesis is probably this one by Mark Jenkins, has 336 pages, and was published in 2007

The book starts with basics like 'what is analog' and goes through the aspects of analog sound by the hand of the different components of a synthesizer.

A large part of the book is about the history of synthesizers, and there are also a lot of interviews; with Robert (Bob) Moog, Keith Emerson, Hans Zimmer, Rick Wakeman, Jean-Michel Jarre and many more.

The book is complimented with a lot of nice black/white pictures and also includes a tuition and sound-sampling CD with over 30 different analog synthesizers, spread over 79 tracks

ISBN: 978-0-240-52072-8