Tomorrow's World - Moog Synthesiser
In this report from a longer programme, Derek Cooper introduces the Moog synthesiser, an instrument that can produce a variety of noises and arrangements, both mimicking real instruments and creating new sounds, all electronically.
Developed by Dr Robert Moog, the Moog synthesiser evolved from a kit known as a Voltage-Controlled Electronic Music Module, which Moog demonstrated in prototype form in 1964. The first production models emerged in 1967, accompanied by a sample record of music composed by Walter Carlos (later Wendy Carlos, after her sex-change operation in 1972). It was Carlos's 1968 album Switched-On Bach that catapulted Moog-produced music into popular culture, though examples of music made on the synthesiser had already been released by The Doors, The Monkees, and Simon and Garfunkel, among others.
