Editing Robert Moog

{{Short description|American electronic music pioneer (1934–2005)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Robert Moog
| birth_name         = Robert Arthur Moog
| image              = Bob Moog3.jpg
| image_upright      = 1.15
| caption            =
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1934|5|23}}
| birth_place        = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2005|8|21|1934|5|23}}
| death_place        = [[Asheville, North Carolina]], U.S.
| occupation         = {{hlist|Engineer|inventor}}
| education          = {{plainlist|
* [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
* [[Columbia University]] (BS)
* [[Cornell University]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])}}
| spouse             = {{ubl|{{marriage|Shirley May Leigh|1958|1994|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Ileana Grams|1996}}}}
| children           = 4
| relatives          = {{ubl|[[Florence Moog]] (aunt)|[[Bill Moog]] (cousin)}}
}}

'''Robert Arthur Moog''' ({{IPAc-en|m|oʊ|ɡ}} {{respell|MOHG}}; May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was an American engineer and [[electronic music]] pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer [[Moog Music]] and the inventor of the first commercial [[synthesizer]], the [[Moog synthesizer]], which debuted in 1964. In 1970, Moog released a more portable model, the [[Minimoog]], described as the most famous and influential synthesizer in history. Among Moog's honors are a [[Technical Grammy Award]], received in 2002, and an induction into the [[National Inventors Hall of Fame]].

By 1963, Moog had been designing and selling [[theremin]]s for several years while working toward a PhD in engineering physics at [[Cornell University]]. He developed his synthesizer in response to demand for more practical and affordable electronic-music equipment, guided by suggestions and requests from composers. Moog's principal innovation was the [[voltage-controlled oscillator]], which uses [[voltage]] to control [[Pitch (music)|pitch]]. He also introduced fundamental synthesizer concepts such as [[Modular synthesizer|modularity]], [[Envelope (music)|envelope generation]] and the [[pitch wheel]]. He is credited with introducing synthesizers to a wider audience and influencing the development of [[popular music]].

Moog pursued his work as a hobby, and he is regarded as a poor businessman. His only [[patent]] was on his [[Ladder filter|transistor ladder]] [[Voltage-controlled filter|filter]] design; commentators have speculated that he would have become extremely wealthy had he patented his other innovations, but that their availability in the [[public domain]] helped the synthesizer industry flourish.

In 1971, Moog sold Moog Music to [[Norlin Musical Instruments]], where he remained as a designer until 1977. In 1978, he founded the company Big Briar, and in 2002 he renamed it Moog Music after reacquiring the rights to the name. In later years, Moog taught at the [[University of North Carolina at Asheville]] and continued designing instruments for the revived Moog Music. He died at the age of 71 in [[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]] from a brain tumor.

== Early life and education ==
Robert Moog was born at [[Flushing Hospital Medical Center|Flushing Hospital]] in New York City on May 23, 1934. His father was George Conrad Moog, of German descent. His mother was Shirley (Jacobs) Moog, of Polish-Jewish descent.<ref name="GlinskyP4">{{cite book|last=Glinsky |first=Albert |title=Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City, New York, US |date=2022 |isbn=9780197642078 |page=4}}</ref> He was raised in [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], [[Queens]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/arts/music/robert-moog-creator-of-music-synthesizer-dies-at-71.html|title=Robert Moog, Creator of Music Synthesizer, Dies at 71|last=Kozinn|first=Allan|work=New York Times|date=August 23, 2005 |access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

When he was a boy, Moog's mother forced him to study the piano. He was active in the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]], and especially enjoyed spending time with his father, a [[Consolidated Edison]] [[Electrical engineering|engineer]], visiting [[Manhattan]]'s [[Radio Row]] and working on [[radio]] and [[electronics]] projects.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/22/AR2005082200373.html|title=Robert Moog Dies; Created Electronic Synthesizer|last=Bernstein|first=Adam|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 23, 2005|access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> He became fascinated by the [[theremin]], an [[Electronic musical instrument|electronic instrument]] controlled by moving the hands over [[radio antennae]]. In 1949, at the age of 14, he built a theremin from plans printed in ''[[Electronics World]]''.<ref name=":2" />

He graduated from the [[Bronx High School of Science]] in 1952.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://riverdalepress.com/stories/Synthesizer-reunion,50420|title=Synthesizer reunion|last=Trangle|first=Sarina|date=May 30, 2012|work=The Riverdale Press|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303174326/http://riverdalepress.com/stories/Synthesizer-reunion,50420|archive-date=March 3, 2018|url-status=live|quote=In honor of what would've been Robert Moog's 78th birthday, the Bronx High School of Science started its day with a tribute to the 1952 alumnus who began pioneering the synthesizer in high school.}}</ref> He earned a [[Bachelor of Science]] in [[physics]] from [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College]] of the [[City University of New York]] in 1955, and a [[Bachelor of Science]] in [[electrical engineering]] from the [[Columbia University]] [[Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science|School of Engineering and Applied Science]] under a [[3-2 engineering|3-2 engineering program]] in 1957.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjNWAAAAMAAJ&q=robert+moog+queens+college+1957 | title=Journal of the Audio Engineering Society | year=1986 | publisher=Audio Engineering Society. }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ket5EAAAQBAJ&q=combined%20plan | isbn=978-0-19-764207-8 | title=Switched on: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution | year=2022 | publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> He earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] in [[engineering physics]] from [[Cornell University]] in 1965.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="NNDB">{{cite web|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/801/000023732/|title=Robert Moog|work=nndb.com|access-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref>

== Career ==

===Theremins and R.A. Moog Co.===
In 1953, Moog produced his own theremin design, and in the following year, he published an article on the theremin in ''Radio and Television News''. That same year, he founded [[RA Moog Co|R.A. Moog Co.]], building theremins and theremin kits in his parents' home and selling them via [[mail order]]. In 1956, Moog and his father visited [[Raymond Scott]]'s Manhattan Research facility, and Scott purchased a Moog Model 305 theremin. Scott rewired the Moog theremin to be controlled by a keyboard, dubbing his creation the [[Clavivox]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Glinsky |first=Albert |title=Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City, New York, US |date=2022 |isbn=9780197642078 |pages=32–33}}</ref> Moog married in 1958 and continued building and selling theremin kits from his own home in [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]], before establishing the company's first commercial space at 41 East Main Street in [[Trumansburg, New York]] in 1963,<ref>{{cite book|last=Glinsky |first=Albert |title=Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City, New York, US |date=2022 |isbn=9780197642078 |pages=61}}</ref> all while continuing to pursue his [[postgraduate education]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4696651.stm|title=Obituary: Dr Robert Moog|date=August 22, 2005|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Moog synthesizer ===
{{Main|Moog synthesizer}}
[[File:Moog Modular 55 img2.jpg|thumb|300x300px|A [[Moog synthesizer]]]]
At Cornell, Moog began work on his first synthesizer components with composer [[Herbert Deutsch|Herb Deutsch]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/aug/25/obituaries.guardianobituaries|title=Obituary: Robert Moog|last=Stearns|first=David Patrick|date=August 25, 2005|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=December 3, 2018}}</ref> At the time, synthesizers were enormous, room-filling instruments;<ref name=":4">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2005/11/robert-moog-1934-2005|title=Robert Moog biography (1934-2005)|magazine=Wired|access-date=December 3, 2017}}</ref> Moog hoped to build a more compact synthesizer that would appeal to musicians.<ref name=":1" /> He believed that practicality and affordability were the most important parameters.<ref name=":1" />

In 1964, Moog began creating the Moog modular synthesizer.<ref name=":1" /> It was composed of separate [[Modular synthesizer|modules]] that created and shaped sounds, connected by [[Patch cable|patch cords]].<ref name=":2" /> Previous synthesizers, such as the [[RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer|RCA Mark II]], had created sound from hundreds of [[vacuum tube]]s.<ref name=":142">{{cite web |last=McNamee |first=David |date=August 10, 2010 |title=Hey, what's that sound: Moog synthesisers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/02/moog-synthesisers |access-date=October 12, 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref> Instead, Moog used recently available silicon [[transistors]] with an [[Exponential function|exponential]] relationship between input [[voltage]] and output [[Electric current|current]]. With these, he created the [[voltage-controlled oscillator]] (VCO), which generates a [[waveform]] with a [[Pitch (music)|pitch]] that could be adjusted by changing the voltage. Similarly, he used voltage to control [[loudness]] with [[Voltage controlled amplifier|voltage-controlled amplifiers]] (VCAs).<ref name=":23">{{Cite book |last1=Pinch |first1=Trevor |title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer |last2=Trocco |first2=Frank |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-674-01617-0}}</ref> One innovative feature was its [[Envelope (music)|envelope]], which controls how notes swell and fade.<ref name=":0" /> According to the ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'', Moog's 1964 paper ''Voltage-Controlled Music Modules'', in which he proposed the Moog synthesizer modules, invented the modern concept of the [[analog synthesizer]].<ref name=":14">{{cite web |last=McNamee |first=David |date=August 10, 2010 |title=Hey, what's that sound: Moog synthesisers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/02/moog-synthesisers |access-date=October 12, 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref>

Moog debuted the instrument at the 1964 [[Audio Engineering Society]] convention in New York.<ref name=":4" /> It was much smaller than other synthesizers, such as the [[RCA Synthesizer]] introduced a decade earlier, and much cheaper, at US$10,000, as compared to the six-figure sums of other synthesizers.<ref name=":4" /> Whereas the RCA Synthesizer was programmed with [[Punched card|punchcards]], Moog's synthesizer could be programmed with knobs and patch cables and played via keyboard, making it attractive to musicians.<ref name=":4" /> ''[[New Scientist]]'' described it as the first commercial synthesizer.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18524921-400-interview-electronic-maestros/|title=Interview: Electronic maestros|last=Hamer|first=Mick|work=New Scientist|access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
At this time, Moog and then Fred Cochran constructed the so-called Moogtonium for the composer Max Brand. It is still operational and exhibited in the [[Langenzersdorf_Museum]] near Vienna  (Austria).{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Moog described himself as a toolmaker designing things for his users, not himself.<ref name=":2" /> His development was driven by requests and suggestions from various musicians, including Deutsch (who devised the instrument's keyboard interface), [[Richard Teitelbaum]], [[Vladimir Ussachevsky]] (credited with devising the ADSR envelope shape), and [[Wendy Carlos]].<ref name=":2" /> His other early customers included choreographer and composer [[Alwin Nikolais]] and composer [[John Cage]].<ref name=":1" /> Universities established electronic music studios with Moog synthesizers.<ref name=":2" /> In 1970, Moog released the portable fixed-architecture [[Minimoog]], described as the most famous and influential synthesizer in history.<ref name=":02">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/07/new-minimoog/|title=Clear Some Space on Your Synth Rack: The Minimoog Returns|magazine=WIRED|access-date=November 28, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoUs2SSvG4EC&q=minimoog&pg=PT230|title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer|last1=Pinch|first1=Trevor|last2=Trocco|first2=Frank|date=June 30, 2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=9780674042162|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web|url=http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2017/10/instrumental-instruments-minimoog|title=Red Bull Music Academy Daily|website=daily.redbullmusicacademy.com|access-date=November 28, 2018}}</ref>

=== Company decline ===
Though commentators have praised Moog's engineering abilities, some have also described him as a poor businessman.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Moog had pursued the development of his synthesizer as a hobby, stressing that he was regarded as a businessman but had not known what a [[balance sheet]] was.<ref name=":232">{{Cite book|last1=Pinch|first1=Trevor|title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer|last2=Trocco|first2=Frank|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|year=2004|isbn=978-0-674-01617-0}}</ref> He likened the experience to a theme park ride: "You know you're not going to get hurt too badly because nobody would let you do that, but you're not quite in control."<ref name=":232" />

Moog only patented his [[Voltage-controlled filter|filter]] design; [[David Borden]], one of the first users of the Minimoog, felt that if Moog had patented his [[pitch wheel]] design, he would have become extremely wealthy.<ref name=":13" /> According to ''[[Sound on Sound]]'', if Moog had created a [[monopoly]] on other synthesizer ideas that he created, such as modularity, envelope generation and voltage control, "it's likely the synth industry as we know it today would never have happened."<ref name="SOSOct2003">{{cite web|last=Leon|first=Richard|title=Dr Robert & His Modular Moogs|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/dr-robert-his-modular-moogs|website=Sound On Sound|date=October 2003|access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref>

Beginning in 1971, Moog Music absorbed investors, merged with [[Norlin Musical Instruments]] and moved to "less than ideal" premises near [[Buffalo, New York]], amid a debilitating recession.<ref name=":1" /> Moog remained employed as a designer at the company until 1977.<ref name=":2" /> He said that he would have left earlier if his contract had not required him to remain employed there for four years to cash his stock.<ref name=":1" /> By the end of the decade, Moog Music was facing competition from cheaper, easier-to-use instruments by competitors including [[ARP Instruments|ARP]], Aries, [[Roland Corporation|Roland]], and [[E-mu Systems|E-mu]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/world/americas/obituary-robert-moog-71-creator-of-music-synthesizer.html|title=Obituary: Robert Moog, 71, creator of music synthesizer|last=Kozinn|first=Allan|work=The New York Times |date=August 23, 2005 |access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

=== Big Briar, return of Moog Music ===
In 1978, Moog moved to North Carolina and founded a new electronic instrument company, Big Briar.<ref name=":2" /> He also worked as a consultant and vice president for new product research at [[Kurzweil Music Systems]] from 1984 to 1988.<ref name=":4" /> In the early 1990s, he was a [[research professor]] of music at the [[University of North Carolina at Asheville]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=August 29, 2005|title=Robert Moog|url=https://variety.com/2005/scene/people-news/robert-moog-1117927996/|department=Obituaries|journal=Variety|volume=400|issue=2|pages=85|via=EBSCOhost}}</ref> In 2002, he renamed Big Briar to Moog Music after retrieving the rights to the name.<ref name=":2" /> In later years, he continued to design electronic instruments, including a [[touchscreen]]-operated piano.<ref name=":0" />

==Personal life and death==
Moog married Shirley May Leigh on June 15, 1958.<ref>{{cite book|last=Glinsky |first=Albert |title=Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City, New York, US |date=2022 |isbn=9780197642078 |pages=37–42}}</ref> They had four children, Laura (1961), Renée (1963), Michelle (1967), and Matthew (1970).<ref>{{cite book|last=Glinsky |first=Albert |title=Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City, New York, US |date=2022 |isbn=9780197642078 |pages=54–198}}</ref> They divorced in 1994.<ref name=":2" /> On May 19, 1996 Moog married Ileana Grams.<ref>{{cite book|last=Glinsky |first=Albert |title=Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City, New York, US |date=2022 |isbn=9780197642078 |page=356}}</ref>

Moog was diagnosed with a [[glioblastoma multiforme]] brain tumor on April 28, 2005. He died on August 21, 2005, at the age of 71 in [[Asheville, North Carolina]].<ref name=":1" /> He was survived by his second wife Ileana, four children, one stepdaughter and five grandchildren.<ref name=":2" />

==Legacy==
Moog has had a lasting influence on music. The BBC describes him as a pioneer of synthesized sound.<ref name=":5" /> According to the ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'', his inventions "changed the complexion of the pop and classical music worlds."<ref name=":1" /> Moog's name became so associated with electronic music that it was sometimes used as a [[Generic trademark|generic term]] for any synthesizer.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.genericides.org/trademark/moog |title= Has Moog become a generic trademark?  |access-date= January 28, 2021 |website= genericides.org |date= April 12, 2020 }}</ref>

Moog's awards include honorary doctorates from [[Polytechnic Institute of New York University]] ([[New York City]]), [[Lycoming College]] ([[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]]) and [[Berklee College of Music]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pinch|first1=Trevor|title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer|date=2002|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=0-674-00889-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/analogdaysinvent00pinc/page/12 12–16]|edition=1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/analogdaysinvent00pinc/page/12}}</ref> He received a [[Grammy Trustees Award]] for lifetime achievement in 1970, the [[Polar Music Prize]] in 2001 and a Special Merit/[[Technical Grammy Award]] in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://polarmusicprize.org|title=The Laureates of the Polar Music Prize 2017 are...|website=Polar Music Prize|access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref> In 2012, to celebrate Moog's birthday, [[Google]] created an interactive version of the Minimoog as its [[Google Doodle]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Google Outdoes Itself With Moog Synthesizer Doodle (Play It Here)|language=en-US|magazine=WIRED|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/05/google-doodle-moog/|access-date=November 28, 2018}}</ref> In 2013, Moog was inducted into the [[National Inventors Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 2013|title=Moog Inducted into Inventors Hall of Fame|journal=School Band & Orchestra|volume=16|issue=5|pages=10|issn=1098-3694}}</ref>

===Museum===
[[File:Moogseum.jpg|thumb|The Moogseum]]
On July 18, 2013, Moog's widow Ileana Grams-Moog announced plans to donate Moog's archives, maintained by the Bob Moog Foundation, to [[Cornell University]]. The foundation offered her $100,000 but Grams-Moog would not sell the archives. She felt that Cornell could provide better access for researchers and that the foundation had not made enough progress toward a planned museum to be worthy of maintaining the collection. The foundation responded that it had sufficiently preserved the collection and had made efforts to improve storage, although it could not yet afford to build the museum.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mountainx.com/article/51871/Family-feud-continues-over-Moog-archives|title=Family feud continues over Moog archives|last=Frankel|first=Jake|work=[[Mountain Xpress]]|date=August 12, 2013|access-date=August 15, 2013}}</ref>

In August 2019, the Bob Moog Foundation opened the [[Moogseum]], a museum dedicated to Moog's work, in Asheville, North Carolina. The displays include rare theremins, prototype synthesizer modules and Moog's documents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/26/18636130/robert-moog-museum-synth-moogseum-asheville-north-carolina|title=There's now a museum dedicated to Robert Moog and synthesis called the Moogseum|last=Deahl|first=Dani|date=May 26, 2019|website=The Verge|language=en|access-date=November 16, 2019}}</ref>

=== Media ===
Moog has been the subject of books about his life and work, including the 2004 book ''Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer'' by [[Trevor Pinch]] and Frank Trocco and the 2023 biography ''Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution'' by [[Albert Glinsky]]. Moog had contributed the foreword to Glinsky's first book, ''Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage,'' about [[Leon Theremin]], who was a principal inspiration to Moog.<ref>{{cite book|last=Glinsky |first=Albert |title=Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City, New York, US |date=2022 |isbn=9780197642078}}</ref>

Moog was also the subject of ''[[Moog (film)|Moog]]'', a 2004 documentary directed by [[Hans Fjellestad]], who said that Moog "embodies the archetypal American maverick inventor."<ref name=":3" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.moogmusic.com/ Moog Music] — official website
* [http://www.moogfoundation.org/ The Bob Moog Memorial Foundation for Electronic Music]
* [https://moogseum.org The Moogseum]
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Robert+Moog Robert Moog] discography at [[Discogs]]
* [http://moogarchives.com/ Moog Archives] illustrated history of company and products
* [http://sneezl.com/robert-moog-music-research-hub/ Moog resources bibliography]
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/dr-robert-moog Dr. Robert Moog interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program]]

{{Moog Music}}
{{Electronic music}}
{{Polar Music Prize}}
{{SEAMUS Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moog, Robert}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Analog electronics engineers]]
[[Category:Berklee College of Music alumni]]
[[Category:Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni]]
[[Category:Cornell University College of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:Engineers from New York City]]
[[Category:Inventors of musical instruments]]
[[Category:People from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:Queens College, City University of New York alumni]]
[[Category:The Bronx High School of Science alumni]]
[[Category:University of North Carolina at Asheville faculty]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish engineers]]
[[Category:American inventors]]
[[Category:American engineers]]