The goal of the Bob Moog Foundation Archives is to collect and preserve historically relevant information, documents, and devices that are part of Bob’s legacy. In 2014, one of the Archive’s most fascinating pieces was serviced and resurrected: The Moog Apollo.

The history and functionality of the Moog Apollo is really the history and functionality of the Moog Polymoog. The Polymoog was the result of a great deal of effort on the part of Dave Luce that started before he was even hired at Moog Music. In 1975, Moog released the first polyphonic synthesizer of the modern era with the Polymoog, and the name “Apollo” played a role in that history twice.

In the late 1960s, when the Moog modular became world-famous, the question “Does it only play one note at a time?” was often asked. As a result, there was a race among various synthesizer companies to be the first to release a functional, polyphonic voltage-controlled synthesizer. Moog music won that race in 1975. But there is an interesting history that surrounds that event and the release of a second version in 1978. To understand the Apollo and its role in the release of the Polymoog, that history must be told.

The Bob Moog Foundation produced two 2014 videos that tell the history of the Moog Apollo, and let you hear this rich analog device do what it does. They include historical photos, educational descriptions, and clear, beautiful recordings of the sounds.