What inspired your interest in Moog?

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Unfiltered

Re: What inspired your interest in Moog?

Post by Unfiltered » Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:54 am

I saw a tribute concert for Bob Moog in Asheville back in the early 2000's. I can't remember the band, but they played a minimoog and used some moog effects. The mini didn't sound like what I thought synths sounded like, it was like a crazy mad scientist's tool that I could not help but be intrigued by. I vowed to acquire one as well as the cool guitar keyboard that the guy was playing, which turned out to be a clavinet. Keyboards ceased to be boring to me on that day, having been obsessed with the bass from an early age. I learned that keyboard had the potential to be way more exciting than the bass or guitar or drums, since you could play so many different sounds at once. Then I saw Medeski Martin and Wood, and saw the mellotron, Wurly, and hammond B3, and to this day, have never seen a better clavinet player. If you haven't seen him before, his clav skills are out of this world, especially when he would open the back of it and pluck the strings. He also is the only person I have seen who eill manipulate the flywheel on the mellotron, getting crazy pitch/scratch effects. no one else would dare.

Bryan T
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Re: What inspired your interest in Moog?

Post by Bryan T » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:01 pm

I saw a CP-251 at a local shop and was intrigued by it. I already understood the basics of synthesis, but had only worked with software. Seeing the physical routing of control voltages with knobs to control things really excited me. I went home, read all of the manuals, and eventually bought a few effects and the CP-251. That led to a Little Phatty and a MP-201. One of these days, I'll reaquire them.

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Re: What inspired your interest in Moog?

Post by banyek » Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:07 am

There was a Canadian musician called Montag. His subtle and smooth synth melodies made me aware - added to the somewhat general knowledge that the Minimoog was the 1st stable and widely used synth, and a somewhat "father" of all later synths. After some time, I started feeling the distinct warmth of analog gear, which guided me to the direction I tried to craft in my music at the same time... Being under the influence of the sound already, I bought some (guitar amp, tape echo, and a russian analog string synth, etc.). Now finally I could offer a SP, so here I am. :)

The documentary on Moog was also clearly fascinating.
moog slim phatty, carbon copy mxr, electribe es-1, vermona drm-1, Doepfer A-125, A-106-5, A-143-9, MFOS 16-step sequencer, zoom h2

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Re: What inspired your interest in Moog?

Post by Josef_K » Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:10 am

The keyboard intro to the track "Tarot Woman" by Rainbow, from their album "Rising", 1976. I do think it is a minimoog, it sure sounds like one. I can't imagine any other synth producing such a warm filter opening sound. Tony Carey (the keyboardist responsible for that intro) played lots of great great solos on his minimoog during live shows as well. Sadly I wasn't born then, but still, that intro remains a part of the greatest piece of music I have ever heard.
My Gear:
Nord Electro 2
Little Phatty Tribute Edition
Korg Monotron
Epiphone G400
Moogerfooger 12 Stage Phaser
EHX Memorytoy analog delay
Boss SD-1 Overdrive

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mayidunk
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Re: What inspired your interest in Moog?

Post by mayidunk » Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:22 am

It started with me and a friend of mine playing around with echoing sounds using two cheap Radioshack reel to reel tape recorders, running the tape from the supply reel of one, to the take up reel of the other. I was also intrigued by posters in the music room at school that, for some reason, were about the Ring Modulator. Listening to the Switched on Bach LP, and reading the liner notes, intrigued me even more. Then, there was EL&P... Edgar Winter, and his ARP 2600... Jan Hammer, with the Mahavishnu Orchestra...

When I was stationed in Turkey, one of the Westinghouse guys had a MiniKorg (this was in 1975...) that he let me borrow for a while. It was fun patching it thru my stereo, and was my first time using a true synth. However, I didn't really know what I was doing, and the control names made no sense to me, so it became frustrating to use. But, it was cool nevertheless!

Later in life, I came across this forum, and started reading about the Voyager. One thing led to another, and I decided I had to have one! It was one of those, "If I don't do it now while I still can, I'll probably never do it!" kind of moments. I never looked back! And, while I'm not much of a musician, I do like to experiment.
Last edited by mayidunk on Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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artpunk
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Re: What inspired your interest in Moog?

Post by artpunk » Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:54 am

I've read quite a few similar stories to my own experience here, makes me feel right at home! Back in the 70's I was a kid doing a paper round to save up for LP's - and the first piece of vinyl I ever bought was 'Tarkus' by Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Keith Emerson's keyboard skills (my kids call it skillz these days I think?!) and sounds just blew me away at the time. Soon after, the NEXT LP I got was Switched on Bach (at a local church fete, because I thought the cover was funky) The sounds on this classic once again amazed me. In the late 70's & into the 80's and many, many records by lots of different artists later, I was listening to a lot of Zappa & the Mothers and on the album Filmore East, Don Preston whipped out this crazy little solo called 'Lonesome Electric Turkey' on a minimoog, there were also lot's of other things Zappa's incredibly talented keyboard artists had been doing with Moogs and other keyboards of course, but for some reason this particular track stuck in my mind... So about then I decided I needed to be part of this and started saving my money, finally ending up with a Korg MS-20 and later a Korg Mono/Poly - I'm not sure why I got Korgs, I can't really remember seeing that many Moogs avvailable in Melbourne, Australia back then, I know they were sort of like a holy grail for me though, highly desirable but out of reach.
Anyway, at that stage I really didn't realize what gems I had, and got rather distracted by women, sex, drugs & rock & roll (listening to, not making music) in my late teens and early twenties and loaned both synths out to 'friends' and never saw them again. I did get some money (that promptly went on bills) back for the MS-20 but would have prefered IT back...

To cut a long story short, I'm now 50 and rediscovering my love of analogue electronic sound - this analogue thing is a pattern for me; I also have a healthy collection of old cameras that take FILM (remember that stuff?) which I develop myself! Having a mortgage and two kids puts a limitation on my budget, but I decided I wanted and was going to finally get a MOOG! After some research I figured the Little Phatty or Slim to go with my midi controllers would be ideal for my circumstances. I talked it over with my wife, expecting her to roll her eyes and say "do you really need that?" and although she did sort of roll her eyes, she thought about it for a while and asked me if it was what I really wanted, so I talked to her about the different options and what I would really, really like...she then she offered to put some of her earnings in as well to help me save for a VOYAGER! Now, I ask you, could a man hope for a better wife? So in a couple of months I will hopefully have a Voyager (I'm halfway there in my saving!), and will satisfy myself with my 'Arturia Factory' Moog presets in the meantime.
Cheers,
Cameron

"Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is THE BEST."
— Frank Zappa

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djfood
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Re: What inspired your interest in Moog?

Post by djfood » Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:59 pm

It took time but I finally understand the difference between real analog and virtual analog or analog emulation ...
I read an interview of Printz Board,who is the black eyed Peas music director and he use Moog's for all his basses and have a phatty on stage for all basses too...
I also see a documentary video about Bob Moog and he explain a lot of spiritual things about how electric energy on analog board can put you in touch with the universe that is surounded you
bye,
thanx for watching

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