Robert Moog

Robert Moog (1934-2005), American inventor, developer of the Moog Synthesizer, one of the first synthesizers to gain widespread use as a musical instrument. Moog’s synthesizers were an important part of musical innovation in rock and jazz music in the 1960s and 1970s.

Robert Arthur Moog (his last name rhymes with the word vogue) was born in Queens, a borough of New York City. He became fascinated with electronics as a teenager, particularly an early electronic music instrument called the theremin (named after its inventor, Leon Theremin). Moog studied physics and electrical engineering at Queens College and Columbia University, both in New York City, and later received a Ph.D. in engineering physics from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 1954, while still an undergraduate student, Moog formed his own company to sell theremins and theremin kits.

Soon after, Moog began working on a keyboard instrument that could replicate the sound of any musical instrument electronically. Working with American composer Herbert Deutsch, Moog introduced the prototype Moog Synthesizer at a convention in 1964. The device represented a significant advance over previous electronic synthesizers because of its use of new semiconductor technology, which made it smaller and considerably cheaper than earlier machines. The Moog, as it was known, was soon in demand by musicians all over the world.

In 1964 Moog began a collaboration with American composer and organist Walter Carlos (now Wendy Carlos), who released the bestselling electronic music album Switched-On Bach in 1968. Rock groups such as the Beatles and Yes and jazz musicians such as Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea began incorporating Moog synthesizers into their recordings, a trend that increased when the company introduced the compact and portable Minimoog in 1970. A Moog synthesizer was also prominently featured on the soundtrack to the movie A Clockwork Orange (1971).

Moog sold his company in 1973 but continued to develop new synthesizer designs. The Polymoog, which was able to produce chords, appeared in 1976. Moog started a new company, Big Briar, in 1978, and bought back the Moog name in 2002.

Demand for traditional synthesizers began to wane in the early 1980s with the establishment of the Musical Instruments Digital Interface (MIDI), a standardized system of computer codes. New companies, such as Roland and Yamaha, began to dominate the synthesizer market during this time. However, modern rock groups such as Pearl Jam and rappers like the Beastie Boys (see Rap) continued to use Moog synthesizers to produce unique sounds on their recordings in the 1990s and early 2000s.