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TK
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A 1964 schematic shows a "capacitance actuated" relay. It's unclear what this was for exactly, but theremins are "capacitance actuated" in that the placement of your hands determines the frequency of the sound. Bob was fond of using the incognito initials "B.S." to hide the fact that R.A. Moog Co. was a one-man company at this time. The Bob Moog Foundation
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Moog drew this 1966 schematic of an oscillator controller by hand. As its name implies, it was used to regulate the frequencies of two or more oscillators, electronic circuits that provided the sine, triangular, pulse, and sawtooth waveforms. It's those waveforms that produce different synthesizer sounds. The Bob Moog Foundation
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About the controller schematic from the previous slide... This is the the 1966 "schemtic" for the oscillator it likely controlled. The Bob Moog Foundation
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This schematic shows a Renfer Capacitance Relay Oscillation Board, which likely led to the creation of 12 capacitance sensing antennas that composer John Cage used to create Variations V. The Bob Moog Foundation
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This is the control plate to a Moog Midget. What the heck is a Moog Midget? You may know it better as the Concertmate MG-1, an analog synth manufactured by Moog and sold by Radio Shack in the early 80s under the Realistic brand name. The Bob Moog Foundation
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This circuit trace layout from 1970 shows the 903A module, basically a noise circuit that provided white and pink noise. The Bob Moog Foundation
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Here's a layout for Moog's Synthesizer 1c, a preconfigured model made in 1968. The Bob Moog Foundation
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In 1968, Moog synthesizer systems gained console (C) and portable (P) designations. Here we have a system layout for the Synthesizer IIIP. The Bob Moog Foundation
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The layout for the Synthesizer 1P. This smaller version of the hulking 1C could be hauled around in its special cabinet. The Bob Moog Foundation
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Here we have the mechanical drawing for the Moog 1130 Percussion Controller, basically an acoustic transducer inside a tom drum that converts the beating of the drum head into a voltage output that can be used to control devices like a Minimoog. Check it. The Bob Moog Foundation
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An elaborate mechanical drawing for the connector cable to goes to the 1130 drum controller. The Bob Moog Foundation
Bob Moog isn’t considered the father of electronic music for nothing. The inventor’s modular synthesizers not only inspired everyone from Sun Ra to Rick Rubin, they’ve also given birth to countless musical genres. In fact, as renewed interest in these monolithic beasts continues to grow, Moog’s influence on modern music remains as profound as ever.
From his early days making and selling theremin parts to the development of the modular synth that bore his name, Moog spent a lifetime collaborating, tinkering, and refining his analog machines. The end results of that process are well known: the Prodigy, the Minimoog, the 55, to name but a few. Yet the detailed thinking and electronic puzzle solving that helped usher those instruments into reality has been less visible. Until now.
As part of its ongoing effort to document both the man and the history of electronic music, The Bob Moog Foundation released a new batch of 15 original instrument schematics dating back to 1964. These technical drawings of boards and circuits (many of which were done by hand) show the circuitous path of electricity as it passes through the various components. As a whole, they highlight some of the seminal developments in the evolution of the Moog synthesizer. But they also offer a rare glimpse at some of the custom designs Bob developed specifically for musicians over the years.
Even if you can’t read them like an electrical engineer would, the schematics are fascinating to look at—particularly now that Moog Music Inc. and several other vintage synth makers are actively reviving these old designs from the ’60s and ’70s. Moog may not have been known for his musical aptitude, but there’s an undeniable artistry to these drawings. They’re a window into not only the history and progression of his instruments, but also the extent to which collaboration with other artists influenced his designs.
You can check out the first 20 drawings, released last August, at the foundation’s schematics page. And if you happen to be in or around Ithaca, New York between now and May 30th, The History Center in Tompkins County is running an exhibit called Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer, which gives a more detailed and interactive account of the evolution of the Moog synth.
An August 28, 1969 “Jazz in the Garden” performance at the Museum of Modern Art. The photo shows three consoles that Moog produced to hold its modular synth systems.
The Bob Moog Foundation
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