Eight great moments from the Bob Moog Timeline

8th Anniv Facebook Cover

For the Bob Moog Foundation’s eighth anniversary on August 21,  2014, our Archive and Education Specialist Marc Doty has updated our Bob Moog Timeline. Enjoy these eight great moments Marc selected from Bob’s extraordinary professional life, and check out the updated and expanded timeline here: Bob Moog Timeline

timelineheaderupdated

1. 1953: 19-year-old Bob Moog creates the Model 201 theremin in Flushing, New York. It is his first commercial product.

2. 1954: Bob creates the Model 305 andModel 351 theremins. The Model 351 features tone-shaping functionality that hints at Bob’s future in synthesis.

3. 1957: In Ithaca, New York, Bob creates the Vanguard theremin. The Vanguard’s mahogany case is reminiscent of an RCA theremin, and includes a built-in speaker.

4. 1957: Bob implements the new transistor technology for the first time to create the Professional” theremin. Bob’s use of transistor technology would prove foundational in his future synthesizer designs.

5. 1961: Bob creates the Melodia theremin. This theremin, as a result of the 1961 Electronics World article, ended up becoming a bestseller. The revenue from the simple, transistorized, and battery-powered Melodia set in motion the chain of events that led to Bob’s creation of the Moog modular synthesizer.

If you ordered your Melodia pre-assembled, there is a good chance that it was put together by Shirleigh Moog on the Moog family’s kitchen table.

6. 1965: On August 9, R.A. Moog Co. held a three-week electronic music workshop administered by Bob Moog and Herb Deutsch. The seminar focused on the history, technology, and application of electronic music, and was announced nationally. There were 12 participants, and the seminar ended with a performance of the compositions of the participants.

7. 1968: Bob creates a synthesizer as a commission by famous pianist Peter Nero. See more schematics in our schematics page, created for the eighth anniversary of the Bob Moog Foundation.

Peter Nero Prototype: This drawing is of the layout of the Peter Nero commission synthesizer. It was drawn by Bob Moog in 1968. Peter Nero, a famous pianist, commissioned Bob Moog to create a synthesizer device for his use in concert.

8. 1968: Bob is the first to design a vocoder using semiconductor technology and active filters. This was commissioned by the University of Buffalo.

 

View and enjoy the complete and updated Bob Moog timeline here.