Moog re-creates Emerson's modular

[GuitarGeek]

During that timeframe there was an arms race to see who could assemble the biggest modular synthesizer with the most components.

I think Emerson came in a close second to Malcolm Cecil.
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/20...-music-centre/

Emerson comes in third behind Steve Porcaro, who had also had a massive modular synth, I believe built by a company called Polyfusion. I remember seeing photos of it in Keyboard magazine back in the 70's. It wasn't as big as TONTO, but bigger than Emerson's.

I'm not sure where the modular gear Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze used fits in.

[A. Scherze]

Emerson's original modular (which he used on the first three albums) was similar to this:



Basically, it was a patchable Mini-Moog with graphic EQ, reverb, ribbon controller, and pre-set capabilities.

[rcarlberg]

Emerson comes in third behind Steve Porcaro, who had also had a massive modular synth, I believe built by a company called Polyfusion. I remember seeing photos of it in Keyboard magazine back in the 70's. It wasn't as big as TONTO, but bigger than Emerson's.

With all due respect, that was a decade later, in 1982.

[GuitarGeek]

With all due respect, that was a decade later, in 1982.

I would kvetch, but then if you had made the same typo I'd probably have superfluously corrected you too.

At any rate, thanks for finding the picture of Damius. Couldn't remember what he called the instrument. I actually asked him about it on Youtube, asked if he still had it, and he said he does.

[GuitarGeek]

Emerson's original modular (which he used on the first three albums) was similar to this:



Basically, it was a patchable Mini-Moog with graphic EQ, reverb, ribbon controller, and pre-set capabilities.

Yeah, if you check out the Beat Club footage from around the time of the first album, you can see him using that. The "patchable" Mini-Moog aspect would probably be why Keith typically used essentially the same voice as a Mini-Moog (ie no more than three oscillators, one noise source, one low pass filter, one VCA, and two envelope generators): that's literally all he could do at the time! I heard one person suggest that once he expanded the synth, he used the extra oscillators so he could set up multiple patches, so it would be easier to re-patch between songs, only requiring a couple patch cords to be moved around.

[Rarebird]

With all due respect, that was a decade later, in 1982.

Damius is allways welcome in my home. Playing with Damius beats all other adult stuff.

[NotTheMama]

Another big Moog:

http://www.goldminemag.com/features/...the-analog-kid

[A. Scherze]

Yeah, if you check out the Beat Club footage from around the time of the first album, you can see him using that.

And, also on the easier to obtain PaaE video.

The "patchable" Mini-Moog aspect would probably be why Keith typically used essentially the same voice as a Mini-Moog (ie no more than three oscillators, one noise source, one low pass filter, one VCA, and two envelope generators): that's literally all he could do at the time! I heard one person suggest that once he expanded the synth, he used the extra oscillators so he could set up multiple patches, so it would be easier to re-patch between songs, only requiring a couple patch cords to be moved around.

Emerson's modular had a previous claim to fame.

In August of 1969, the final performance of NY's Museum of Modern Art's Jazz in the Garden series was a Moog Quartet. One instrument was fairly simple - set up for bass and voices; the second was configured for keyboard controlled percussion sounds; the third had a special polyphonic keyboards (along with an electric piano); the fourth was the "soloist" instrument and had modules that allowed a few settings to be pre-set so that sounds could be changed on the fly. This instrument was sold to Emerson in July of 1970.

[WytchCrypt]

Yeah, if you check out the Beat Club footage from around the time of the first album, you can see him using that. The "patchable" Mini-Moog aspect would probably be why Keith typically used essentially the same voice as a Mini-Moog (ie no more than three oscillators, one noise source, one low pass filter, one VCA, and two envelope generators): that's literally all he could do at the time! I heard one person suggest that once he expanded the synth, he used the extra oscillators so he could set up multiple patches, so it would be easier to re-patch between songs, only requiring a couple patch cords to be moved around.

I had read that Bob Moog had actually created some kind of analog patch memory unit especially for Keith so he didn't have to move any patch cords between songs. This was years before any programmable synth technology hit the market. I believe I read this in the great book "Vintage Synthesizers" by Mark Vail of Keyboard magazine.

[GuitarGeek]

I had read that Bob Moog had actually created some kind of analog patch memory unit especially for Keith so he didn't have to move any patch cords between songs. This was years before any programmable synth technology hit the market. I believe I read this in the great book "Vintage Synthesizers" by Mark Vail of Keyboard magazine.

And yet, some physical repatching sometimes occurred. I certainly know when I saw ELP in the 90's, there was one or two spots where a tech jumped onstage and moved some patch cords around. I think you can actually see Keith doing repatching mid-song in one or two spots on the Beyond The Beginning DVD.

If I remember correctly, the pre-set box used variable resistors that would essentially take the place of the potentiometers on the modules, so it was sort of an analog memory, with each "memory slot" requiring one resistor for each parameter you want to save. It's basically the same concept as is presently being used on the Pressure Points and Analog Memory modules made by Make Noise Music.

[adewolf]

Here's the laregest I have seen:

[rcarlberg]

Here's the laregest I have seen

See post #20.

[A. Scherze]

http://www.moogmusic.com/news/moog-m...modular-system

[Man In The Mountain]

They actually said, it was an April Fools Joke, except they were not kidding!