Born in 1934 in New York City, Moog (rhymes with vogue) took piano lessons as a child. It was in 1954 that he began making Theremins, which provided the high-pitched eerie squeals in '50s-era sci-fi/horror movies. Ten years later, he created the first Moog Modular synthesizer, premiering it at the Audio Engineering Society Convention in October of 1964. By the time he got a graduate degree (PhD in Engineering Physics) in the summer of 1965, the R. A. Moog Co. had delivered several modular synthesizer systems, mostly to academic and experimental composers. But it would be a few years later before Moog synthesizers would leap into public consciousness via Wendy Carlos' groundbreaking album Switched-On Bach. Released on Columbia Records at the end of 1968, it immediately sold over a million copies and created a sharp demand for Moog modular synthesizers throughout 1969 and early 1970. By the end of 1970, R. A. Moog Inc. introduced the Minimoog, a compact performance synthesizer based on the technology of Moog modular products, enabling keyboardists to take the Moog on the road, which began a decade of music that would be forever altered by the Minimoog and its incomparable sounds.
In response to a rise in interest of his original invention, the theramin, Moog designed the Series 91 Theremin in 1991 and Big Briar produced them for the next five years. In 1996 he introduced the Etherwave Theremin and in 1998 designed the Ethervox MIDI Theremin. Moog has since designed several Moogerfooger analog effects modules, which are based on the technical principles of the original Moog modular instruments and were designed to bring the benefits of analog synthesis to all performing musicians. Then in 2002, Moog resurrected his namesake analog synthesizer, designing the new Minimoog Voyager for a new generation of Moog players. Like the Moogerfoogers, this instrument is based on the technical principles of the original Moog modular instruments and the original Minimoog, but in addition incorporates a wide range of contemporary features such as fully implemented MIDI and a three-axis touch surface. Last year, Bob reclaimed the right to use the Moog Music and MiniMoog trademarks, and immediately changed the name of his Big Briar to Moog Music Inc. The company’s latest new product is the Moog PianoBar, which fits onto any acoustic piano and enables the player to use the piano's keyboard to control electronically generated sounds.
Over the past 50 years, Moog's dedication to the craft of making instruments has been as legendary as the instruments themselves. And at the 50 year mark in his storied history, Moog is still active in his workshop in rural North Carolina, continuing to shape musical culture with some of the most inspiring instruments ever created. Robert Moog’s substantial achievements have recently been recounted by documentary filmmaker/musician Hans Fjellestad in Moog (www.moogmovie.com). Shot on location in Asheville, N.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo and London, this feature documentary explores Moog's collaborations with musicians over the years and his ideas about creativity, design, interactivity and spirituality while also examining his mythic cult hero status among musicians. The DVD of the recent theatrical release is planned for the summer of 2005, distributed by Plexifilm. Artists such as Stereolab, The Neptunes, Devo, Meat Beat Manifesto, Tortoise, DJ Spooky, Money Mark, Luke Vibert & Jean-Jacques Perrey, 33, Junky XL with Gary Numan, The Album Leaf, Bernie Worrell, Pete Devriese, Bostich, Charlie Clouser, Baiyon, Suzanne Ciani, Electric Skychurch and others are contributing original music produced on Moog instruments for the soundtrack.
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