Bob Moog and Walter Sear at Sear Sound During Taping of "Moog" Documentary

With sadness, we reflect on the legacy of Walter Sear, who passed away April 30, 2010 from complications from a fall back in March.

Sear may be best known for his commitment to quality recording equipment, techniques and for his pioneering work with synthesizer promotion and composition. He began is career as a tuba player, performing in the pit at Radio City Music Hall during the 1950s and sold tubas of his own design. In the late 1950s, Sear purchased some theremin parts from R.A. Moog, Co, the first iteration of Bob Moog’s company, and subsequently became the first sales agent for the R.A. Moog, Co., selling theremins and theremin parts. He took on the role of Bob’s business partner, as you can read about in our Archive Advisor Brian Kehew‘s reflections below, and played a key role in Bob’s ever-important meeting with Herb Deutsch.

Sear pioneered  the use and promotion of the instrument the Moog synthesizer. He devoted time and energy to educating New York City studio owners on the applications of the revolutionary instrument. He composed and performed on a custom Moog modular which he helped design and used it in numerous soundtracks from Oscar-winning best picture Midnight Cowboy to Jim Henson’s The Cube to National Lampoon’s Disco Beaver from Outer Space.

In 1970 Sear created New York’s Sear Sound recording studio, a facility renowned for its collection of vintage analog recording gear, including over 275 microphones as well as a Studer 1-inch, 2-track mastering deck that Sear converted from a 1-inch 4-track recorder used to create The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at Abbey Studio. Sear Sound became the recording home for numerous stellar musicians including Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Wynton Marsalis, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Suzanne Vega, Sonic Youth, Steely Dan and Nora Jones, Phish, Moe and more.

Sear was committed to the integrity of sound, always with an ear to the highest quality. For him, this meant using the best vintage analog gear that could be found. He talks about his commitment to sonic integrity in the video below.

Brian Kehew, BMF Archive Advisor, Reflects on Walter Sear’s Work with Bob Moog:

In the early 1960′s, Bob Moog was making only theremins. He’d left behind the big tube/valve versions of the 1950s and was having more success selling small transistorized theremins. His only commercial salesman was Walter Sear, already an established studio owner and engineer/producer. It was at their booth at the New York School State Music Educator’s Association conference (selling brass instruments and theremins to schools) that Herb Deutsch first came across Bob Moog. At the booth, Herb connected with Bob and invited him to see some “new” music – experimental styles that introduced Bob to the world of electronic music. Later, Herb requested a custom instrument built, which Bob designed for him – the first Moog synthesizer.

All the while, Walter and Bob are trying to survive in the music business. Making mostly cheap guitar and bass amps for kids who had just discovered the Beatles. I have hundreds of pages of correspondence here between the two, as they wrote daily (no email or faxes yet!) to juggle the needs of their fledgling outfit. Thankfully, Walter kept the paperwork, as it is the only clear record of those early days – when the synthesizer was merely an odd sideline to their daily work.

Notable is Walter’s arrangement to get the custom-made “Melsinar” to the Beach Boys – Moog’s first foray into linear (ribbon) controllers – in 1966.

11/25/65 Letter from Bob to Walter Sear

6/10/65 Letter from Walter Sear to Bob Moog

6/12/66 Letter from Bob to Walter Sear

Through 1967 the little amplifiers sold in the hundreds but were so minimally profitable that the R.A.Moog Company was in clear danger of extinction. Luckily, within a year, that odd instrument, Bob’s synthesizer, would take off, selling to schools and commercial composers, and a few talented pop stars and artists. Walter remained Bob’s salesman and demonstrator for the East Coast, as he was situated in Manhattan and could show the synthesizer in his modern recording studio. In the early 1970s, Walter was officially terminated as an official representative when the company changed ownership. Walter and Bob remained lifelong friends.

There is a wonderful scene in Moog, the documentary film by Hans Fjestallad, where Bob visits Walter to reminisce in his NY studio, Sear Sound – still equipped with his giant Moog modular. This particular modular synthesizer is recognizable on many 1960s/70s “Moog records” as it has a notable Maestro Rhythm King rhythm box on top at the time. The synth is featured on Walter’s own Copper-Plated Integrated Circuit LP, Dick Hyman’s incredible Moog records, Marty Gold’s Moog Plays the Beatles, Richard Hayman’s Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine, Sean Lennon’s first album, and many more!

Michelle Moog-Koussa

In January 2009, while combing through Bob’s archives, searching for just the right items to bring to Winter NAMM for our small showcase previewing our upcoming exhibit, Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog, I came upon a light blue folder with several pockets loaded with documents – letters, schematics and notes. The upper right hand corner of the cover of the folderwas simply marked “Brand”. Inside was a treasure trove of information, much of it coming from meticulously written and technically detailed letters written on translucent typing paper with the name “Max Brand” printed in the top margin, with dates beginning as early as March 1966. A slew of schematics in Bob’s hand were interspersed among these letters, as well as notes describing specifications for what would become known at the Moogtonium, and in some circles, the Max Brand synthesizer.

Document Photos: Bob Moog Foundation Archives

Bob's Moogtonium Specifications

Brand's Mixture Trautonium Specs

Brand's Mixture Trautonium Specs page 2

Bob's Schematic for Subharmonic Gen. Switch Card

Bob's Mixer Schematic

Max Brand, was an Austrian avant-garde composer living in New York City, was searching for someone to build him a version of a Trautonium, an early electronic musical instrument invented in 1929 by Friedrich Trautwein and later perfected by Oskar Sala. Sala’s instrument, the Mixture Tratonium, was famous for its subharmonic oscillators and ribbon controller interface (instead of a keyboard). You can read more about the instrument here and see a fantastic video of Sala playing the instrument here.

It was Sala’s version that interested Max Brand.

Brand learned of Bob Moog’s early work in creating synthesizer modules, and contacted him about building a version of this rare instrument. Bob, still in the early phases of developing the Moog modulars, agreed. The two men worked for two years to develop the instrument, with Bob building and Brand honing needed specifications and capabilities. The instrument was ultimately delivered in 1968.

Moogtonium Photos: Uli Kühn

Moogtonium Setup

Moogtonium Close-up

Subharmonic Generator

Moog Modules

Keyboard/Ribbon Controller

In the year since the initial discovery of the Moogtonium documentation, I shared the collection of notes and schematics with a few trusted industry gurus, who agreed that this was indeed an important discovery, as it demonstrates the variety of work that Bob took on outside of the world of his more well-known creations. Ever the toolmaker, he was intrigued and inspired by new projects.

It was our archive historian and investigator extraordinaire Brian Kehew who discovered a group of musicians from the Austrian record label and platform Moozak who have been followers and fans of Max Brand. Incredibly, they had recently gained access to the Max Brand Archives in Austria, and to the Moogtonium or Max Brand synthesizer as they commonly refer to it.

Brian began a correspondence with Clemens Hausch, one of the members of Moozak, only to find out that the group was in the midst of producing a CD with music composed on the Moogtonium. Clemens has generously shared information from the Brand archives, thanks to the support of Dr. Helmuth Schwarzjirg who is in charge of the Max Brand archives. Together we have pieced together what must have transpired between the musician and the toolmaker in this instance. Below, you will find a more detailed history of Max Brand and the Moogtonium, written by Clemens.

In August, Moozak released “Kabelbrand: Sounds from the Max Brand Synthesizer”. This CD of experimental music composed for this custom instrument includes both the music of Moozak resident artists (Clemens Hausch, Benedikt Guschlbauer, Gerald Krist and Uli Kühn) and, thanks to the support of Dr. Schwarzjirg, of Max Brand himself. This is one of the very few times that Max Brand’s music has been made available for distribution and the first time other musicians have performed on this prototype instrument. Moozak has generously donated 25 of these CDs to the Bob Moog Foundation and they are now available as a gift with a $30 donation here.

Here’s Brian Kehew’s review of the CD:

“I discovered Max Brand and his music just this year, through our connection with Clemens and Dr. Schwarzjirg. I’m actually a fan of experimental music, but I’d never heard of him before. If you’re a synth fan (especially Moog modular) and enjoy creating unique experimental sounds, you may also be pleased to discover Max Brand. His music is really exceptional, but almost unknown ’til now.

Brand is  a great synthesist – making a wide variety of sounds. He really knew how to work the synthesizer, far beyond the simple melody and bass sounds people commonly made. The Moogtonium’s unique harmonic dividers made a rougher and more complex source sound than standard oscillators. Musically, it’s not traditionally tonal music, but I think it’s very

Kabelbrand CD Cover

musical; you can hear his orchestral ideas in the parts he writes. He’s not just fiddling with oscillators, but writing and recording parts that fit together, they answer each other, contrast and move. There is no imitation of acoustic sounds – these are weird and wonderful patchworks of tone and pitch. There’s lots to hear, if you’re into sound exploration.

It’s interesting that such a significant instrument remained unheard for so long a time. His piece “ilian 4″ is wonderfully long and complex – it would have filled one full side of a vinyl record. It has a great play of distant sounds, panning and reverb, and almost seems organic sometimes. If this had been released, it’s likely he would have become a renowned composer/synthesist. If you enjoy analog-synth pioneers Morton Subotnick or Pauline Oliveros, this may please you even more – I think it’s better work. It’s one of my favorite synth discoveries in many years.”

Many thanks to Brian, Clemens and Dr. Schwarzjirg for the collaborative spirit they have all shared in exploring this fascinating story.

In the coming months, we will continue to share more information and documentation about the Moogtonium and the collaboration between Bob Moog and Max Brand as we uncover and are able to interpret it. Please check our website for new blog posts on the subject!

About Max Brand, His Music and His Instrument
Clemens Hausch, Moozak

Max Brand was an Austrian composer, born in 1896 in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. He studied composition in Vienna and Berlin when Schönberg and Webern were dominating the field. He was particularly interested in non-musical sounds and machine music and incorporated these in his works. His biggest success – the opera “Maschinist Hopkins” (1929) – is highly eclectic; it consists of atonal parts, romantic turns, and even parts that can be considered orchestral industrial music – and even jazz. “Der Maschinist Hopkins” was very successful. If the political events in Europe had been different, Max Brand would likely have gained widespread recognition and would be remembered today. Yet, the situation for Austrian contemporary artists suddenly darkened in the early 1930s, and he fled from the Nazi regime in 1937 because of his Jewish decent. He emigrated to the United States with his second wife, Anna. There in the early 1950s, he decided to pursue the path of electronic music…

Max Brand and Electronic Music

As indicated by his early manuscripts from 1946, Brand imagined an electronic keyboard instrument that was capable of imitating the sounds of a piano. Within a decade, he had realized that new instrument technology demanded a new musical language; he understood that the pure imitation of conventional instruments was foolish. At the time, most early synthesizers were located at universities and research facilities. Brand was a big admirer of electronic music, but had no personal connections to these hallowed halls, so he had no access to these machines and studios. He was a difficult character at times; we know from his biography that he lived quite isolated socially as well as artistically. By the mid 1950s, he had decided to build a personal studio to create electronic music. In a letter from 1955, Brand asks German composer Herbert Eimert for advice on the matter. Eimert describes various techniques to Brand, such as tape-cutting and layering of sine waves and sends him some tapes with contemporary electronic music.

Equipped with this (and later with the help of his friend Fredrick Cochran) he started building his studio. There is little information left about this early experimental electronic phase of Brand’s life, though there are some electronic pieces as early as 1958. Some of his early tracks are incredibly advanced, such as the short piece “Notturno Basilerio”; which could easily translate as a late ‘70s industrial music track. Other pieces, like the “French Folk Songs” carry a naïve romantic feeling.

Technicians would design Brand circuits to his specifications, but he sometimes lacked skilled people around him (or an ability to get along with them) he often had to solder the circuits himself. Although he developed sufficient skills to build his first studio alone, he did not achieve the sounds that he wanted and he lacked sufficient knowledge to build the more complex designs he envisioned. However, technical advancements were happening, and by the early 1960s new solid-state synthesizer designs showed up, cheaper and smaller than the room-filling machines at universities.

Brand was certainly familiar with the works of Oskar Sala, creator of the Mixtur-Trautonium (and composer of the sound effects for Hitchcock’s The Birds). According to Dr. Helmuth Schwarzjirg (head of the Max Brand Archive in Langenzersdorf, Austria) it’s likely that Brand’s friend Fredrick Cochran was probably the connection, as he was working as a Sala’s technician. Brand must have wanted to own a Mixtur-Trautonium, as he sought to create some way to copy the instrument…

The Birth of the Max Brand Synthesizer (aka “Moogtonium”)

Max Brand eventually met Bob Moog, who was working in upstate New York. How Brand met Moog is not documented, but there are some letters that indicate that Herbert Deutsch visited Brand in his studio in 1964, so he probably put Brand into contact with Moog.

Moog, by then, was still in the phase before his commercial breakthrough, and in 1965 happily accepted to build the instrument, according to Brand’s close specifications. Brand even supplied Moog with the original patent papers of Oskar Sala, but Moog, afraid of violating Sala’s design rights, pursued his own methods to imitate the workings of the Trautonium. Design and delivery of the new instrument was estimated to be a few months but, in reality, it took almost 2 years to complete. It may have been the difficulty of designing much of the instrument “from the ground up” or the growing popularity of Moog’s instruments that caused the delay. Finally after much prodding from Brand, in 1968 Moog delivered the first version of the instrument (now called the “Moogtonium”). Brand had very strict ideas of how the instrument should work, so he continued to ask for further modifications and repeatedly sent it back to Moog to have these changes performed, which ultimately lead to their split.

Although Brand kept on working and continued to produced electronic pieces exclusively on Moog’s machine (serviced by Frederic Chochran after Brand’s and Moog’s split), he did not achieve the desired success and deserved respect. He produced some very diverse and skillful pieces, like the ballet “ilian 4”, but failed to reach his audience, as these electronic pieces never left his studio.

In 1973 “Maschinist Hopkins” was to be performed in Austria. Brand saw a chance for recognition and decided to move back to Austria. However, the opera was performed only once, and in a shortened form. Success alluded him, and Brand’s equipment suffered damage during the trip back to Austria: The synthesizer was transported by ship, left in a leaky cargo container in the harbor of Hamburg for many months. Water entered, and damaged the machine severely. Afterward, it was finally restored and installed in his new home in Langenzersdorf, a small village near Vienna (where the Brand Archive is located today).

The change from U.S. to European electrical standards (60Hz to 50Hz) turned out to be the next problem. Brand found competent technical support from Hans Wolf and Dieter Kaufmann, but it took 3 years to return the system back to its original state. When the machine was ready again, Brand was 82 years old, and his health had faded. He started to suffer from dementia and though he had still clear moments, he destroyed a lot of his own work unintentionally; in his weak moments he confused tapes and boxes, overwriting finished pieces, eventually destroying most of his work. There is still a vast tape collection in the Max Brand Archive, but it’s almost impossible to identify what is meant to be a finished piece from the sketches and accidents.

Brand died in 1980, and his wife died 5 years later. In his will, he directed that his inheritance be used to support younger artists, thus the Max Brand Prize was founded (given away until 2003). The Moogtonium, just as Max Brand left it, is a patchwork of parts from different eras, and no longer one complete conceptual instrument. For Bob Moog, it was a memorable (if difficult) project, and one of the very few synthesizers he kept full notes on. The Moogtonium has totally unique custom-built features, and it can create sounds unheard on any other Moog synthesizer. Today, it sits as unfinished and full of promise as the life and career of Max Brand. It is a rather unique piece of synthesizer history, a special instrument finally being heard publicly for the first time.

Technical Details of the Synthesizer

The machine is unique in various respects, since it was built to order, and has a good percentage of prototype modules. The Moogtonium was built as two monophonic synthesizers, arranged in a symmetrical fashion. It is controlled by two keyboards, each with a ribbon/linear controller above. Each keyboard and ribbon control one side of the machine; providing a duo-phonic machine overall. The heart of the Moogtonium is two subharmonic oscillators which can synthesize a basic frequency, as well as 4 additional partials, generated by dividing the base frequency harmonically. Though functionally similar to the Mixtur-Trautonium, its circuitry was a unique design by Bob Moog. There is an array of standard and not-standard Moog modules above the main sound generating area of the machine. This is an important aspect that makes the machine different from the Mixtur-Trautonium, as Sala’s machine did not have any modular-patching capabilities.

Moogtonium Photos: Uli Kühn

Subharmonic Generator

Top Mixer

Duo Keyboard/Ribbon Contoller

Ribbon Controller Knobs

Moog Synth Modules

Pedal Controllers

Front View Keyboard Manuals

About the modules (as they are today):

Bears No Moog Logo

• subharmonic generator x2 (left & right) contains a mixer for 4 individual subharmonic frequencies)
  

  Moogtonium Close-up

• 3 subharmonic “preset banks” are switchable through left-right turning of the foot pedals
• lfo x 1
• Ribbon controller x 2
• keyboard  x 2
• pedals x 4– one pair is combined with a switch (3 settings – left, middle, right) – if you turn the foot sideways, you can switch between 3 possible settings for the subharmonic oscillator unit
• mixer  x2 (left & right)
• high-lowpass combo filter module x 1 (left)
• non-standard potentiometers

Bears Moog Logo

• 911 – envelope generator 2x (left & right)
• 902 – VCA 2x (left & right)
• 904-A – VCF 2x (left & right)
• 901-B – oscillator 2x (left & right), but somewhat crippled, without the frequency range selector
• 903 – white sound source (1966) 1x (middle)
• ring modulator 1x (middle),doesn’t bear a module number, has non-standard potentiometers
• 905 spring reverberation unit 1x (right)

The setup also features various non-Moog parts

- 4-track Scully tape machine
- 2-track Ampex tapemachine
- patchbay
- Fisher tape delay
- (scientific looking) Eiko oscillator, capable of producing sine and square waves
- Challenger MX-6 microphone amplifier
- RCA oscilloscope

-Cabinet containing switches and controls for an unfinished light organ / light-control multimedia system

Max Brand Today

Brand was an outsider, and both a revolutionary and a conservative. His work is mostly forgotten these days, which is a pity since he was a true innovator in some respects. His desire for more holistic sound and light experiences is evident in unfinished cabinet parts that were made to contain a light organ. His 1960 piece “The Astronauts” was intended to be an audio-video piece, with film sequences, light effects and so on.

At his heart, he always stayed an opera composer, and continued to prepare operatic pieces. He developed an additional interest in the new technological possibilities of film. In early texts, Brand demands a more immersive opera, equipped with light effects, “nonmusical” sound instruments and movable stage parts. Throughout his life he repeatedly wrote theoretical texts about the implications of technology in music and society. Later he proposes the ideas of electronic music as music that is NOT dependent on the performer; it can be recorded once, then played everywhere – by everybody; music without elitist concert halls and interfering conductors and directors. This concept became popular much later in the 1980s when electronic equipment became inexpensive, and everybody could become a home producer. Max was a revolutionary, though a strange and largely unheard one.

In 1999 the “Phonotaktik” festival in Vienna paid tribute to him, and a cd with some pieces by him as well as some remixes was released on the Rhiz Label. Later, throughout 2009, the Moogtonium synthesizer was featured in an exhibition in the IMA Institute in Hainburg, near Vienna. Later, it was demonstrated at the “Ars Electronica” festival in Linz, Austria – one of the oldest and most famous festivals for electronic art and music worldwide. Out of these exhibits emerged a new awareness of the instrument, and produced a new musical release – “Kabelbrand”.

Kabelbrand

The disc “Kabelbrand – Sounds from the Max Brand Synthesizer” is the first use of this incredible synthesizer since Brand’s death. The CD is released by the Austrian record label “Moozak”; a label dedicated to experimental/new music. In January 2009, Clemens Hausch, Benedikt Guschlbauer, Gerald Krist and Ulrich Kühn played an improvisational live concert on the Moogtonium – its first live concert. Playing a concert on the instrument was an incredible experience, and the artists decided to create a CD with their music – as well as the forgotten music by Max Brand.

Tryptich and Ilian 4 were produced entirely on the current Moogtonium synthesizer. Triptych was composed by Brand in 1970. Ilian 4 is a ballet composed in 1974, when Brand was at the remarkable age of 78. Ilian 4 was inspired by Robert Grave‘s book The Greek Myths, and is the last preserved piece Brand completed in his life.

The goal on this album was to represent the true sounds of this powerful synthesizer. To reach this aim, every track on this CD was produced without any modern production tools (such as effect plug-ins). Also, only 1960s techniques were used (mixing, EQ, and sound layering). While the new music on the disc has a radically different style than Brand’s, the technical process of creation was kept almost the same. Maybe even Brand’s pieces are from a forgotten tomorrow, and the new pieces are from an imagined past…

Clemens Hausch

http://www.moozak.org

http://moozak.org/releases/mzk002/mzk002.html

To see the instrument being played:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR1HZi2yf5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zqlolw6sOY

Sources

Max Brand Archiv Langenzersdorf

Dr. Helmuth Schwarzjirg

http://members.aon.at/lemu/Homepage/MaxBrand.htm

Musiksammlung der Wienbibliothek (Library of the city of Vienna, Music Collection)

Bartensteingasse 9, 1010 Vienna, Austria

http://www.wien.gv.at/kultur/wienbibliothek/sammlung/musik.html

(letters and notes by Max Brand)

Thomas Brezinka – Max Brand, Leben und Werk

Musikverlag Emil Katzenbichler, 1995

ISBN 3-87397-134-8

The Bob Moog Foundation

Michelle Moog-Koussa

Brian Kehew

Seva David Ball is the the preservationist for the restoration of 40 reel-to-reel tapes in Bob’s archives, a project which is generously funded by two grants from the GRAMMY Foundation. Seva is an audio engineer whose accomplishments include serving as associate founder of Waves, mastering Dolly Parton’s only live DVD, and being the preservationist on David Lewiston’s archives of over 650 tapes for the Library of Congress. He is the owner of Soundcurrent Mastering in Knoxville,TN. As he restores the tapes, Seva will be blogging a bit about each one, and including sound samples.

While the GRAMMY Foundation provides generous funding, they do not cover all of the costs associated with the extensive project. If you are inspired by historical material that we are preserving, please consider making a donation to the Foundation to help us continue our efforts.

In this blog post, Seva explores a tape that was donated to us by pioneering synthesist Herb Deutsch, who collaborated with Bob on the first prototype modular. In this 84 minute tape, Bob methodically explains the functions of the modular. We are excited to include five snippets of that tape here. Many thanks to Herb Deutsch for this historical treasure.

Abominatron Tape Transfer, Part 2

Seva David Ball

As alluded to in my first entry, when Dr. Moog was working on the prototype modular synthesizer in the early sixties, he had set in motion a very large number of design parameters, terminologies, and infrastructures. Things such as using ‘feet’ as designation for which pitch range within the oscillator would work, just as in pipe organs, i.e. 32′, 16′, 8′, 4′, 2′, 1′, all measured in feet to indicate the base length of the pipe in that rank. A pipe half the length of another gives a tone one octave higher (and twice the frequency, being inversely proportioned). Another example now in widespread use is “Voltage Control”, which was probably the most impressive part of the vocabulary to me (when I learned of it, I was 12) because it literally took the place of my hand turning a knob. Even with my limited understanding, this principle of voltage control was a cloudless sky for me; it unlocked the entire potential. The synthesizer had three main components: Sources, Controllers, and Modifiers, and voltage control made it all work.

On this tape, Bob explains that the voltages add together to control the oscillator, plus an internal voltage (selected by the Pitch Range switch=32, 16, 8, 4, etc) adds or subtracts eight-tenths of a volt, shifting the pitch up or down one octave. (Eventually there was a standard of 1volt/1octave but I will not pretend to know the precise evolution of this standard). He gives several examples of using low frequency oscillators (LFO) to provide (musical) vibrato and other forms of exotic vibrato (Frequency Modulation can yield classic space sounds or really new klang with mirrored sum-and-difference tones).

Voltage Control had already been part of Bob’s breadboard projects and his 1964 prototype. It was only a matter of months before others requested new ways for Voltage Control to be utilized. Vladimir Ussachevsky asked for a device to create an attack-decay-sustain-release voltage (ADSR) which was used to control an amplifier (VCA) so that pressing a note would create a tone with dynamic shaping. Gustav Ciamaga ordered a voltage controlled filter (VCF) in 1965, and this created the tone shaping everyone refers to as that Moog Sound (especially with Bob’s 4-pole filter design).

Bob took piano for many years as a young person, and could readily play, although he was very modest about his ability. He made a nearly innocent statement that others with more musicianship could get “some good things” out of the instrument, and I included a clip of this sincerely prophetic statement.

Better Musicianship:

In this proto-incarnation of the modular synthesizer — the Abominatron, as Bob called it — there were two VC devices: oscillators and amplifiers. (There’s a clip where he Gives It The Name, at least on tape). The astonishing part of all this to me remains the fact that this first modular synthesizer, this Abominatron, was POLYPHONIC. I’ve attached some audio clips from this tape, including the Intro Fanfare, where Bob plays a polyphonic greeting before he speaks, followed by a clip where Bob names the prototype.

Polyphonic Fanfare:

Abominatron

Another polyphonic section is when he first demonstrated voltage control for simple vibrato, but he plays a polyphonic example, “As I Walked Out in the Streets of Laredo”, in a two-part invention style, quite removed from Marty Robbin’s 1959 dreamy single. To my knowledge this song (and the Intro Fanfare) is the first recording of a polyphonic modular synthesizer. It is so beautiful that the inventor of the instrument is also a musician, and one who could play at the drop of a hat, and that we have this document, this recording, of Dr. Moog doing exactly that.

Modulate and Polyphonic:

A great thing about “audio letters” is you can stop recording any time and continue when convenient. Most of the time a click or pop signifies such a break, and in one such place Bob says “it’s 2 days later now” since his previous recording, and he reveals the spectacular news that Jacqueline Harvey of the AES (Audio Engineering Society) had called to invite him to have a booth at the October 1964 AES meeting in the Commercial Exhibits area (which at that time was hardly the large tradeshow floor familiar today; the main purpose of the meeting was for presentation of papers and so forth). There’s an audio clip where he reveals this news to Herb Deutsch, and went on to say that it was a “tremendous opportunity for me to get this going, sooner than I thought”, but he also recognized being at the AES show had the potential for him to makethat it was also a “an a– of myself”. That didn’t happen. The opportunity for success immediately began to realize itself. Clearly, we all know he succeeded beyond his expectations and would initiate a paradigm shift in the use of electronics in music as instruments.

AES Invite:

Seva David Ball, setting a tape for transfer

In March of 2008, the Bob Moog Foundation was awarded an $8,000 assessment grant from the GRAMMY Foundation to assess the physical, historical, and legal viability of over 300 reel-to-reel tapes in Bob’s archives. After months of study, three experts verified and prioritized 143 tapes to cleaned and transferred.

In the summer of 2009, the Foundation was awarded a  $15,000 preservation grant from the GRAMMY Foundation to begin work on the prioritized tapes. Many of the tapes have been compromised by previous unstable storage conditions and the wear and tear of time; they will need mold remediation, baking, rewinding and re-housing on new reeels before they are ready to be transferred to digital format.  Audio engineer and preservationist Seva David Ball of Soundcurrent Mastering is heading the team who will complete the process on over 40 of the tapes.

Prioritized tapes include those of Roger Powell (Utopia), Chris Swanson (House composer for R.A. Moog, Co.), Harolde Bode (speaking about he Bode Frequency Shifter), Emmanuel Ghent, Sun Ra, William Hoskins and Bob himself (speaking at a variety of seminars around the birth of the prototype). Recently a very special donation was made to this collection from an early synthesizer pioneer– we’ll be telling you about it and sharing it with you next month.

The project is expected to take 6 months to complete.

Many thanks to the GRAMMY Foundation for their ongoing support! This project would not have been possible without them!

Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander Provide Musical Tribute

Larry Fast and Brian Kehew Offer Historical and Technical Perspective

Next Saturday the Museum of Making Music, in partnership with the Bob Moog Foundation, launches a special exhibition on the work, impact and collaborations of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. The exhibit, Waves of Inspiration. The Legacy of Moog. marks the first of its kind, as hundreds of items from the inventor’s extensive archive will be on display alongside vintage instruments, equipment and memorabilia from other institutions and collectors.

The exhibit highlights themes of musician/toolmaker collaboration, motivations and the innovative spirit, technological evolution through the medium of synthesis and music and creativity as forms of self-expression. Prototype and early instruments will also provide exhibit highlights as many rare instruments will be displayed together for the first time, including:

• modular protoype designed in 1964, formerly belonging to Herb Deutsch
• breadboard prototype of the Eaton-Moog Multi-Touch Sensitive Keyboard
• Serial #001 of the Crumar Spirit
• prototype of Minimoog Voyager

The exhibit will feature over 250 items from Moog’s archive alone.

The weekend will be marked with events that celebrate the Moog Legacy. On Saturday night, August 29, 2009, the museum will host the public opening of the exhibit with an evening reception followed by a musical celebration by synthesizer virtuosos Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander. Keith Emerson will be demonstration his infamous Monster Moog modular and talking about his time with the instrument over the past 30 years. Erik Norlander will be performing a special set on three Moog synthesizers: the Minimoog Model D, the Memorymoog Plus (on loan from Bob’s archive) and the Minimoog Voyager along with a selection of his favorite moogerfooger pedals.

On Sunday, pioneering synthesist Larry Fast and Moog historian and exhibit advisor Brian Kehew will share their expertise about the evolution of Moog instruments and trace their use in live performance. They will also talk about the the wider world of synthesis and its implications to past, current and future music.

The Bob Moog Foundation is proud to have Bob’s archive on display for public viewing and has thoroughly enjoyed working with the very capable staff at the Museum of Making Music. This meaningful exhibit is part of fulfilling our mission to educate and inspire people through electronic music, and is a precursor to constructing a Moogseum in Asheville, NC.

Moog Music Inc. is now a generous supporter of the Bob Moog Foundation but the two entities are otherwise unrelated. The Bob Moog Foundation, a non-profit,is run by Bob’s daughter Michelle Moog-Koussa and Moog Music Inc. continues Bob’s tradition of making the finest electronic musical instruments.

In the wake of Bob’s passing, his family created the Bob Moog Foundation, whose charter seeks to continue to herald his unique contributions in the form of awareness and scholarship. But now the family, through the Bob Moog Foundation, has taken on a new challenge, The Bob Moog Museum, dedicated to his life and vision in music and music yet to come.

Sadly, Robert Moog left his archives, which would be housed in the museum, in a sad state of affairs: in an un-air conditioned warehouse just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Many of his papers and technical schematics are covered in mold, including the original instruction manual of Keith Emerson’s famed ‘Monster Moog’. Prototypes of ground breaking Moog equipment are rusted, early and unreleased experiments in sound electronics on reel-to-reel tapes not restored or transferred. Steps should be taken to preserve this voluminous and historic archive for generations to come.

Donate now to support the preservation of Bob’s archives.

Yes, this is a direct appeal for your support in the form of donations to help the Bob Moog Foundation begin the arduous task of restoring and cataloging the extensive Bob Moog archives (early estimates come in at an excess of $50,000), and to look forward to one day break ground on a Bob Moog Museum. I directly appeal to any musician who has been touched by the work of this great man and spirit to help contribute to the foundation, to please help preserve the work and legacy of Dr. Moog before time has taken an irreversible toll on his archives. I humbly also ask any fan of electronic music to consider a donation to the foundation, in recognition of his influence on many of your favorite musical artists.

Join me in supporting the foundation’s work to preserve Bob’s archives.
Speaking personally, I believe Bob Moog to be one of the great visionaries of our time. His ideas far transcend use in just music, and to this day continue to have impact in everything from rock to rap to quantum physics. I strongly believe many people all over the world would benefit from being able to interact with the thoughts, ideas, inventions, and life of Dr. Moog, and I would emphasize that America has a long standing history of recognizing its heroes far, far too late. He was an American original, and this is a rare opportunity for any of us in the musical community to contribute a little something towards a history of lasting meaning and import.

Billy Corgan

What: Waves of Inspiration. The Legacy of Moog. An exhibit, interactive engagement and opening weekend of performances by Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander.

When: August 28-30, 2009

Where: Carlsbad, CA

Formal Announcement

The Bob Moog Foundation and the Museum of Making Music proudly announce their upcoming exhibition Waves of Inspiration. The Legacy of Moog, which will run at the museum from August 29, 2009 through April 30, 2010. The exhibit marks the first of its kind as it will feature many artifacts from the Bob Moog Archives that have never before been shared with the public, including rare photographs, instruments, schematics, project notes, breadboard prototypes, vintage catalogs and other memorabilia.

The exhibit will also include many artifacts from other private collections including the Moog Modular prototype previously owned by Herb Deutsch, a full Moog Modular IIIC and a working and extremely rare Eaton-Moog Multi-Touch Sensitive Keyboard loaned by avant garde opera composer John Eaton. Of particular note, Keith Emerson’s (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) custom built “Monster Moog” synthesizer will be displayed for the first month of the exhibition along with notes and schematics from Bob’s archives regarding the instrument.

Pictures from Bob Moog’s Archives

Hand-drawn schematic Bob created for Emerson’s “Master Module” (Click the image to see a larger version where you’ll Keith’s name written on the top left corner!)

Keyboard prototype from Bob Moog’s Archives

Tatiana Sezinenko, Carolyn Grant and Brian Kehew examine Bob’s 1954 Schematic for Robert A. Moog Co. Theremin

Crumar Spirit Serial #0001 found in Bob’s Workshop

Notice the hand-drawn labels on this prototype controller

Details

While the exhibit highlights Bob’s career, motivations and philosophies, it will also examine the role of the many collaborators who helped shape the sound and design of Moog instruments including Herb Deutsch, Jon Weiss, Chris Swansen, David Borden, Wendy Carlos, Vladimir Ussachevsky, Joel Chadabe, Bill Hemsath, Keith Emerson and John Eaton. Of particular interest will be the exploration of the relationship between the toolmaker and the musician, the evolution of Moog instruments and their application in live performance.

The exhibit will feature an interactive station where attendees can play Moog instruments, many of which are being loaned by Moog Music, Inc.

The opening weekend of the exhibit (August 28-30) will include intimate musical performances by Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander, whose appearance together represents the Moog Legacy being handed down from one generation of musician to the next. Also scheduled are talks by pioneering synthesist Larry Fast and Moog historian Brian Kehew.

Monthly programming will continue through the seven month durations of the exhibition. Announcements of that programming will be forthcoming.

About the Exhibit Partners

The Museum of Making Music, a division of the NAMM Foundation, is a small museum located 35 miles north of San Diego. The museum is dedicated to the exploration of the multifaceted history of the American music products industry from its beginnings in the 1890s to today. The Bob Moog Foundation has been planning this exhibit for almost two years with the museum’s Executive Director, Carolyn Grant and Curator, Tatiana Sezinenko. Moog historian Brian Kehew has been involved as the consultant for the exhibit and is responsible for introducing the two parties at Winter NAMM 2008.

Here at the Foundation we regard Bob’s archives as a fascinating testament to history, innovation, and a lifetime of perseverance. Since retrieving the archives from unstable storage conditions in January of 2006, we have worked to preserve and protect this priceless collection that traces the 50 year career of a dedicated pioneer. With this exhibit, we are delighted to be sharing an extensive part of the archives with the public for the first time.

A special thanks to Carolyn Grant and Tatiana Sezinenko for their generous energy and thoughtful attention to telling a rich, fascinating story with an emphasis on accurately portraying Bob Moog as the toolmaker he so often described himself to be while giving careful consideration to the many people who make up the Moog Legacy. Thanks also to Brian Kehew who has worked (and will be working over the next six weeks!) tirelessly to help bring this exhibit to fruition. Finally, our deepest thank to Douglas Babb, who made the trek from Indiana to North Carolina five times (on his own dime) to help us sort out and understand Bob’s archives.

We encourage all of you who are in the San Diego area to attend this unique exhibit. It will be an excellent opportunity to share in the life and work of Bob Moog – and for all you gearheads out there, it will be a chance to see many rare, if not one-of-a-kind pieces. Come share in the legacy that continues to inspire!

Continue to check this blog and the museum’s website for updates.

Look below to see photos of the cataloging process, and to see some of the historical treasures that we have uncovered. Click here to watch a video about the archiving process. We continue our campaign to raise $50,000.00 to proceed with the first step to preserving Bob’s archives. To aid this effort, donate today!

Brian, Wheat, Jared & Doug Sorting through the archives

Dave & August examining schematics

Brian with a photo of virtuosa thereminist Clara Rockmore

Dave Hamilton admires Bob’s Grammy

Minimoog Concept Design from early 1970s

Moog Speaker

Back of Moog Speaker

Bob’s analog tape machine from R.A. Moog, Co., Trumansburg, NY

Serial Number 001 of the Crumar Spirit

Click on the links below to see scans from Bob’s desktop notebooks. Bob kept careful notes on phone conversations and projects alike. We have these notebooks from 1961-1986. What a treasure trove of information.

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minimoog-timetable-page-910701

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Once the assessment is completed, the foundation will have the opportunity to apply for a $20,000-$40,000 preservation grant to set about preserving the tapes in a digital format, so that they can be shared through our website, traveling exhibits and our eventual Bob Moog Museum. We are VERY grateful to the GRAMMY™ Foundation for their support and belief in our project!

Bob Moog’s 1970 Grammy Trustee Award for lifetime achievement