Robert Moog

Today I watched 'Moog' a documentary film by Hans Fjellestad. An excellent film that looks inside the mind of Robert Moog - 'the godfather of synth', best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.

The first Moog instruments were modular synthesizers. In 1971 Moog Music began production of the Minimoog Model D which was among the first widely available, portable and relatively affordable synthesizers. Through his involvement in electronic music, Moog developed close professional relationships with artists such as Don Buchla, Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, John Cage, Gershon Kingsley, Clara Rockmore, and Pamelia Kurstin. In a 2000 interview, Moog said "I'm an engineer. I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers. They use my tools."

In the documentary, Mood defines the Minimoog's users as experimental musicians, but also quite often, producers of commercials. He explains how he began making interesting sound sequences, the general public got used to evocative commercial sounds, and keyboard instruments.

He defines synthesis as to put together something whole from all of its parts.
He questions whether a electronic musical instrument needs to take the form of a keyboard. He also stresses that all his instruments are designed for performance to play live for an audience - forming a community between musicians and audience.

Documentary ends in Japan where Moog meets many fantastic graphic designers. Moog talks about the interactive properties of musical instruments. 'Why do you feel at one with your musical instrument'. He mentions the communicative property of musical instruments and hints that this could be taken further through graphical representations of sounds. (something we hope to achieve in our prototype)