The Bob Moog Foundation is excited to announce Exploring the Moog Liberation virtual event exploring a lesser known facet of Moog history, and the now legendary keytar synthesizer originally released by the company in 1980. Hosted by August Worley, an engineer at Moog Music, Inc. at the time of production of the Liberation, the event will take attendees on a deep dive into the historical, technical, and musical aspects of this unusual synthesizer. Join us Saturday, December 11th at 3:00 pm EST on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. Tickets are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis and are available for purchase through Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/exploringliberation2021

Exploring the Moog Liberation is the first in a planned series of events to examine vintage synthesizers and components from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives. The Liberation featured in this event was donated to the Archives by Brad Kaenel earlier this year, at which point August Worley performed the formal technical assessment, as well as provided recommendations for its future restoration.

Worley worked for Moog Music from 1980-1985, contributing to the production of many Moog synthesizers including the Minimoog, Prodigy, Liberation, Source, Taurus I and Taurus II, Rogue, Concermate MG-1, Opus-3, and Memorymoog, and served as a design engineer for Big Briar/Moog Music on the MiniMoog Voyager. He is also a technical advisor to the Bob Moog Foundation. 

“The Moog Liberation was innovative not only because it was the first mass-produced keytar synthesizer, but also because it had a very unusual combination of capabilities, which drew their provenance from a variety of other Moog synthesizers,” noted Worley. “It has a rich history and technical background that will be the focus of our discussion during this virtual event.”

Worley will lend unique insights from his time working at the Moog Music factory when it was located in Cheektowaga, New York, and will be sharing historical materials from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives. The event will conclude with questions from the audience.

Exploring the Liberation is one of many virtual events that the Bob Moog Foundation has created since the rise of the pandemic. Past events have included tours of the Moogseum, focusing on different historical themes, an examination of the Moog modular prototype with Herb Deutsch, an exploration of the Big Briar years with Dale Ong and Felix Visser, and a listening party of the Abominatron Tape with Seva Ball. Many of the tours are available through the Foundation’s membership program. https://moogfoundation.org/membership/ 

The Moogseum is proud to announce Fifty Years of Bob Moog Theremins, an additional three-part digital exhibit highlighting the importance of the theremin in Bob Moog’s life and work, to their Google Arts and Culture’s Music Makers & Machines exhibition. Released the day after the anniversary of Leon Theremin’s death, the new exhibit pays tribute to him and the inspirational force that Theremin was in Bob’s life, with historical narrative written by Mike Buffington and Andrew Baron of RCATheremin.com. 

Bob Moog built his first simple theremin from a do-it-yourself magazine article at age 14, and at age 19 in 1954, had his design published in the same publication. Moog’s Model 201 theremin design was a more refined version than the original DIY theremin, and although only about 20 assembled Model 201s were sold, this launched his company RAMCO/R.A. Moog with a higher demand on theremin kits and parts. These early assembled theremins were constructed with his father, George Conrad Moog, who made the wooden cabinets while Bob hand-assembled all of the components. 

Fifty Years of Bob Moog Theremins explores the many different models of theremins that Bob created in his expansive career, weaves in manuals and schematics, and features rare photos and video clips. Organized into three parts, The Birth of Moog Theremins leads with the early years 1953-1956, Bob’s love of learning and affinity for the craft of building musical instruments.

Part 2, The Evolution of Moog Theremins 1957-1964 continues the journey as model numbers such as 305 and 351 were superseded by names like Vanguard and Professional, and Bob’s instruments embraced the latest transistorized “solid state” technology.

As in earlier years, Bob offered two price points, making the “Professional” model available with additional functions like timbre control. 

The Big Briar Theremin Years and Beyond final section explores 1978-2004 with the theremin as a main source of inspiration for Big Briar’s goals of “…designing and building electronic and computer music controllers, as well as musical instruments and systems using electronic and computer technology.” This section includes the addition of MIDI and some of the newer technologies of the day, and the design of the Etherwave Pro, the final theremin designed by Bob. 

Google Arts & Culture’s Music, Makers & Machines features exhibits from 55 partner museums and non-profits from around the world, sharing historical and educational artifacts from their vast collections. The Moogseum created 13 original exhibits, sharing over 275 pieces of material from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives.

Explore Music, Makers, and Machines: g.co/musicmakersmachines

Explore the Moogseum’s exhibits: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/moogseum

In alignment with its mission to bring the pioneering legacy of Bob Moog alive for people of all ages, the Moogseum is sharing exhibits that explore Bob Moog’s life and career; evolutions in synthesis over a 100-year period; the history of Moog synthesizers; the use of Moog synthesizers in pop, rock, funk, jazz, and early pioneering works; the fundamentals of synthesis as explored through Moog circuitry; the early history of the Minimoog, Blacktronika, a special exhibit curated by professor and electronic musician King Britt and featuring Black innovators in electronic music, and more. Through the Google exhibit interface, the Moogseum has been able to integrate a wide variety of videos hosted on YouTube to enrich each experience. 

Recommended Reading:

Moogseum Announces Exhibits as Part of Google Arts & Culture Exhibition: https://moogfoundation.org/moogseum-announces-exhibits-as-part-of-google-arts-and-culture-exhibition/

The Bob Moog Foundation is excited to unveil a special new exhibit opening at the Moogseum: Minimoog Voyager Signature Edition serial #002 signed by Bob Moog.  In addition to being signed, this legendary synthesizer was hand-built, was the first ever sale from the current Moog Music, Inc., and was recently donated to the Bob Moog Foundation Archives by the Board of Directors President, David Mash, who has been its sole owner.

The new First Minimoog Voyager Ever Sold exhibit is part of the Moogseum’s Bob’s Workbech exhibit focusing on modular synthesis and featuring a legendary modular that includes prototype modules from the late ’60s.

“We are thrilled to have this unique synthesizer within the Bob’s Workbench exhibit in the Moogseum,” remarked Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation. “Alongside the 1967 Moog modular synthesizer, the Voyager represents one of the first, and one of the last of Bob’s synthesizer designs.”

Considered to have been Bob Moog’s crowning achievement, the Minimoog Voyager is a handcrafted, all-analog performance synthesizer that incorporates the features and vast sonic range of the original Minimoog, while adding an exstensive number of new functional improvements to its design. 

In addition to the synthesizer, the new exhibit includes a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Bob Moog, a written reflection about working on the development of the Minimoog Voyager from former Moog engineer August Worley, and a letter from President/CEO of Moog Music, Inc., Mike Adams, detailing the instrument’s origin. The back panel of the Voyager has been carefully removed, and the exhibit has been backed by a mirror to allow visitors to visually explore the intricacies of the synthesizer’s circuitry. 

“In 2002, Berklee awarded Bob an Honorary Doctorate in Music for his lasting contribution to the world of sound and music,” recalls David Mash. “To further honor Bob, Berklee put on a student concert that featured music inspired by Moog synthesizers. I called Bob to ask if he wanted us to use some vintage instruments on stage, and he preferred that we use his latest synthesizer design, a new Minimoog that would be called the ‘Voyager.’ He sent me the instrument in an early stage of completion, including boards labelled ‘Big Briar’, and we used it in the concert. After purchasing the instrument, I sent it back to the factory so it could be completed and brought up to production standards (including replacing the Big Briar boards with updated Moog Music, Inc. boards).”

“This year, I decided that this special instrument should have a special home,” continues Mash, “and where better than the Moogseum, for all to see? It is a small way for me to give back to Bob’s legacy, for all he did to impact my life for the better. It’s a way for us to honor all he did to inspire countless musicians to create new music with his instruments, and all the other synthesizer creators who were moved to design and build their own, furthering the art of electronic sound. I am grateful to have called Bob a friend, and to serve as President of the Bob Moog Foundation Board—whose mission is to ignite creativity at the intersection of music, science, history and innovation.”

A birthday wish to Bob from Board of Directors President, David Mash, reflecting on their friendship and detailing his donation of the Voyager

“As someone who worked alongside Bob to develop the Minimoog Voyager, It is a great pleasure to me that David Mash has graciously donated this first-run MiniMoog Voyager S/N:002 to the Moogseum and that this instrument has come home to Asheville. This instrument is an excellent example of the meticulous craftsmanship that goes into creating a Moog synthesizer, and it is an instrument that should be shared with the patronage of the Moogseum as a tribute to Bob Moog and his timeless legacy.” – August Worley, former Moog engineer

Make advance reservations to visit the Moogseum: https://bit.ly/moogseumtickets

Support the Bob Moog Foundation: http://bit.ly/ContributeBMF

The Bob Moog Foundation and Moogseum are excited to partner with Aloft Asheville Downtown to host a pop-up art exhibit at the hotel’s gallery celebrating Bob Moog’s influential impact on the music community in Asheville and the world at large. Featuring framed, synthesizer-themed art posters from the Moogseum, the exhibit continues Aloft Asheville Downtown’s long standing commitment to supporting and celebrating Asheville’s local artists and purveyors through its local art program.

The Moogseum Poster Art Exhibit will feature a collection of beautiful art posters, new prints, and limited editions that will be available for purchase on location, in the Moogseum Store, or in the Bob Moog Foundation Online Store.

Several of the featured posters were designed by local artists Jenny Fares of Sound Mind Creative and Matt Pflaphert of The Silent P, and many were screen printed by Asheville’s lauded Subject Matter Studios. Several posters feature historic images curated from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, with early Moogfest posters also among the offerings.

In celebration of the exhibit’s unveiling, join us on Thursday, May 20 from 5-8 p.m. (51 Biltmore Ave.) with themed cocktails, including Synth & Sin, a delicious white sangria, Bob’s Bourbon Smash, and the Moog Mule, a live DJ, and opportunities purchase Moogseum tickets and merchandise, including art prints and apparel. 

Two of Our Most Loved Prints, Now Available for Your Studio Wall

Back In Print by Popular Demand

Prints to Inspire

From the Vault

Aloft Asheville Downtown proudly pays homage to the Asheville art community by displaying the work of local artists throughout all public spaces, guestrooms, and suites which celebrate the city’s creative and unique culture such as the expansive, eye-catching piece in the lobby’s two-level entryway honoring legendary musicians who have toured in Asheville, including B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Pearl Jam, and more, from local artist Scott Allred, co-owner of Brushcan Studios. In addition to featuring local and regional artists throughout the hotel, Aloft Asheville Downtown proudly showcases local emerging musicians through the Live@Aloft music series with live, acoustic performances.

The Moogseum welcomed the team from PBS’ travel show Samantha Brown’s Places to Love on Sunday, May 9th, for inclusion in an episode featuring the jewels of Asheville, NC.

It was a blast sharing the legacy of Bob Moog and delving into the exhibits in the Moogseum with the crew, and we are honored to be featured on such a well loved, adventurous show. The episode is expected to air with the new season in January 2022!

The Bob Moog Foundation and The Elumenati are proud to announce their partnership to offer the Moogseum’s interactive, immersive How Electricity Becomes Sound exhibit to other museums, music festivals, and installations in the U.S. as a rental opportunity.

The exhibit is housed in an Elumenati GeoDome Portal that surrounds visitors with dynamic imagery as they explore electrified sound in a custom-built Unity3D game, and is a favorite among Moogseum visitors.

All photos by Paul Lewis Anderson

Visitors are led through a six-minute animated presentation that follows electric current through an oscillator, transistor, capacitor, and resistor.  They interact with an analog synth-style knob controller, allowing them to manipulate various elements to understand how each one affects sound waves.

The How Electricity Becomes Sound exhibit was conceptualized for nearly a decade, and was realized for the Moogseum in downtown Asheville, N.C., USA in the spring of 2019.

Since then, it has been experienced by over 25,000 visitors from around the globe.

“Bringing the physics of how electricity turns into sound when traveling through a circuit board to life has been a dream of mine,” commented Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation. “While it can be a complex subject, the experience in the Moogseum’s GeoDome Portal conveys the information in a stunningly beautiful and accessible way. People of all walks of life can now gain a new appreciation for this fascinating phenomenon that was at the very heart of Bob Moog’s pioneering work. We are thrilled to have worked with The Elumenati to bring this concept to life.”

Visitors to the Moogseum in Asheville, NC, learn how electricity becomes sound with an immersive experience in an Elumenati GeoDome Portal.

“Partnering with Michelle and the Bob Moog Foundation to create this hands-on science learning experience was a dream project,” added Hilary McVicker, VP of Sales and Marketing at The Elumenati. “We’ve combined their deep knowledge of the physics of sound  with our understanding of immersive experience design, to tell this science story in a fun, cool, and memorable way. As a company partly based in Asheville, it was an honor to help bring a world-class exhibit to our local arts and culture scene, and we look forward to helping expand the reach of the Moogseum and Bob Moog’s legacy.”

For this exhibit, The Elumenati collaborated with Ivan Safrin, whom they also worked with on Space Cruisers at the American Museum of Natural History, which was showcased in AMNH’s GeoDome Theater as well as at the Hayden Planetarium. Two of The Elumenati’s principals studied and worked with Bob Moog, whose insights provided inspiration for co-founder David McConville to pursue the idea of immersive visualization.

Organizations interested in licensing this immersive experience can contact The Elumenati at sales@elumenati.com. The dome will be available for rental periods of one, three, and six months, and The Elumenati tech team will set up and support each installation.

For more information about the exhibit, visit https://www.elumenati.com/projects/moogseum-geodome-portal/