Gordon Reid brings us an exclusive insight into the polysynths development
Hardware > Synthesizer
The brand new Moog One polyphonic synthesizer.
In September 2014 at the AES Convention in Los Angeles, I had a very pleasant dinner with Trent Thompson, the Product Marketing Manager at Moog Music, after which we retired to a covert location in a nearby hotel to discuss synthesisers past, present, and not yet existing. One of the things that we discussed at length was, at the time, nothing more than a concept - a new analogue polysynth carrying the Moog name. But what should this be? A simple but affordable polysynth? Something more powerful with multiple oscillators per note? Something offering layers? Multi-timbral? How about adding powerful on-board effects? Should it be knobby? Should it concentrate on extensive facilities in deep menus? What should it look like? As you might imagine, I had reasonably strong views about much of this, and I remember suggesting that companies rarely do well when they fly against the market's perception of what they're there for and what they're good at. I also remember suggesting that the Memorymoog has cast a very long shadow and that any new Moog polysynth would have to do more than just nod in its direction. The rest is a bit of a blur. We talked long into the wee small hours and, no doubt, staggered into the Convention the following day a little the worse for wear - or, to be more precise, for lack of sleep due to too many diet colas.
Little did I know that I was one of several people having this conversation with Moog's powers-that-be. The principle of developing the first Moog polysynth in 30 years had been agreed in July 2013, and these conceptualisation meetings (or market research as you and I would call it) took place with key players in the industry and friends of the company over a period of more than two years, during which time a spreadsheet of responses - many of them conflicting - was populated with the huge amount of feedback obtained. Once the information was collated, it was necessary to translate the responses into an instrument concept and, in the autumn of 2015, hardware development - both mechanical and electronic - began.
Since the clamour for a polyphonic Moog had been unrelenting for many years, I asked Amos Gaynes, one of Moog's product design engineers, about the timing of the decision to develop the new synth. He told me, We had considered it when Bob Moog was still alive, but he strongly cautioned against it. Consequently, there was never a plan to develop a polyphonic version of, say, the Voyager. But after the successes of the Minitaur and the Sub Phatty, we had reduced the costs and increased the stability and reliability of our analogue sections to the point where manufacturing a polysynth didn't seem such a daunting proposition. For several years, almost every conversation at every trade show had included the question, when are you going to build a new Memorymoog?' and the pressure just grew and grew. To an extent, this told us that we had to build one.
Once we had collated all the views we had obtained, we started to think seriously about what the instrument could be - not so much what the player sees and hears, but what goes into the engineering underneath. There was a strong feeling that it should have three oscillators per voice rather than two, and that it should be able to do all of the things that a Memorymoog could do. But sticking to the facilities of a Memorymoog was unlikely to be sufficient for someone who wanted to play a modern analogue polysynth today; it would only appeal to people who would buy it for nostalgic reasons. So we started workshopping the idea further, and seriously considering what sort of instrument we could make that satisfied the feedback we had obtained. As we did so, we started to develop the concepts further and, being mindful of Moog's legacy, decided to create the most definitive, awe-inspiring instrument that we could.
The first PCBs were populated in early 2016 and the first prototype was built in mid-2016. Of course, this looked nothing like the synth that you see today. The boards were mounted on lumps of wood and the case was a mock-up, but things were starting to come together. The synth now entered a period of rapid technology validation and refinement and, early in 2017, I was invited to Moogfest to see and play a working prototype.
Such had been the secrecy surrounding the synth that, when I arrived, only a handful of the company's own staff had seen it. This wasn't altogether surprising because, until the second day of the festival, it was little more than the set of prototype circuit boards, still mounted on their various lumps of wood, and they had never been assembled into an integrated whole. So I stood back and watched as the various boards and oLED screens were fitted into a prototype case that had never before hosted any electronics. Over a period of three days or so, the new synth - which looked like nothing so much as a 21st century Memorymoog - was constructed in a super-secret location above an apartment a couple of hundred yards from the Moog Store at the festival and, as it took shape, it became clear that the instrument was going to look resplendent. The design wasn't finalised but, I was told, was pretty close, and certainly close enough to get a feel for what it might eventually become. Mind you, it still wasn't possible to switch the thing on, press a key and have a note come out. The control software still ran on a laptop computer and had to be downloaded on each occasion, and the communication between the computer and the synth's brain was still, umm less than entirely reliable. But the day before the end of the festival everything seemed to be running and I was invited to press a few notes a
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Gordon Reid brings us an exclusive insight into the polysynths development 
