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Minimoogright The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Robert Moog. Released in 1970, it was among the first widely available, portable and relatively affordable synthesizers. Design The Minimoog has five sound sources: three voltage-controlled oscillators with switchable waveforms, a noise generator, and an external line input. Each of these sources then passes to a mixer, with independent level controls. The mixed output of the sources is then passed through a voltage-controlled filter and a voltage-controlled amplifier, each of which has its own ADSR envelope generator. The output of the third oscillator and/or the noise generator can also be routed to the control voltage inputs of the filter and/or oscillators. The amount of pitch or filter modulation thus realized is controlled by the modulation wheel, which is the right one of the two plastic disks located to the left of the keyboard. In this way the third oscillator is frequently used as a low-frequency oscillator to control pitch. It can be played using its in-built keyboard, which is equipped with modulation and pitch-bend wheels, or by feeding in an external one volt per octave pitch control voltage and triggering the envelope generators with a switch. The lowest note played on the keyboard determines the pitch, a condition which synthesists call low-note priority. The envelope generators do not retrigger unless all notes are lifted before the next note is played, an important characteristic which allows phrasing. The modulation and pitchbending wheels were an innovation that many instrumentalists found to be extremely playable. The pitchbending wheel is on the left of the mudulation wheel. It is normally kept in the centered position. It is not springloaded; the player must return it to the centered position to play in tune. There is a delicate detent mechanism to help the player find the center position tactually. In sharp contrast to later synths that also have pitchbend wheels, there is no “dead band” near the center of the wheel's travel; the wheel produces minute changes in pitch no matter how slightly it is moved in either direction. The wheel can therefore be used to introduce slight vibrato or nuance, as well as accurate pitch changes. Usage Many essential pitchbending techniques were first demonstrated by Jan Hammer, in his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and especially on Jeff Beck's album Wired. Many keyboardists learned how to pitchbend by following his example. Due to the design of its 24dB/octave filter, its three oscillators, and tuning instabilities which tend to keep the oscillators moving against one another, the Minimoog can produce an extremely rich and powerful bass sound. Despite the advent of low-cost digital synthesisers and samplers, the Minimoog remains in high demand with producers and performers of electronic pop and electronic music. Jazz composer and bandleader Sun Ra used one of the first Minimoogs, a prototype lent him by Moog in 1969: " We loaned it to him and Sun Ras way of working is that when you loan him something you dont expect to see it back." http://www.sunraresearch.com/html/robert_moog_conversation.html The Minimoog was hugely popular in 1970s electronic music and used by artists such as Essential recordings - Jeff Beck's album Wired, on which Jan Hammer amply demonstrates pitchbending technique using the wheel
- Rick Wakeman's album Six Wives of Henry VIII which clearly demonstrates most of the Minimoog's characteristic sounds
See also External links - http://www.synthmuseum.com/moog/moomini01.html
- http://www.vintagesynth.org/moog/moog.shtml
- http://www.moogmusic.com/
- http://www.workrobot.com/music/minimoog.html
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