Micromoog
Encyclopedia
The Micromoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer
produced by Moog Music
from 1975 to 1979.
The Micromoog was designed by Robert Moog
and Jim Scott as a scaled-down, cheaper alternative to the Minimoog
. It was designed to tap into a market of musicians who wanted an introduction to synthesis, but could not afford the $
1,500 Minimoog
. It thus is extremely basic in design. It is a monophonic synthesizer, featuring 1 variable waveshape VCO
. It has a -24dB per octave low-pass filter with envelope generator, a VCA, noise
generator, sample and hold
circuit, LFO, and modulation routing. It has a 32-key keyboard
and was one of the first synthesizers to include a built-in ribbon controller, in this instance for pitch bending. The Micromoog has an audio input allowing external audio to be run through the filter and VCA. It also features the Moog Open System control inputs, a pre-MIDI proprietary control system which enabled the unit to be controlled by other Moog synthesizers.
As it did with many of Moog Music
's products, ARP
released the Axxe to compete with the Micromoog. It too featured only one VCO, but offered sturdier construction and more editable parameters.
The Micromoog served as the basis for the Multimoog
, a similarly styled but more generously equipped synthesizer featuring two VCOs, a larger 44 note keyboard, greater modulation options and an early implementation of keyboard aftertouch functions.
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
produced by Moog Music
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...
from 1975 to 1979.
The Micromoog was designed by Robert Moog
Robert Moog
Robert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
and Jim Scott as a scaled-down, cheaper alternative to the Minimoog
Minimoog
The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
. It was designed to tap into a market of musicians who wanted an introduction to synthesis, but could not afford the $
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
1,500 Minimoog
Minimoog
The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
. It thus is extremely basic in design. It is a monophonic synthesizer, featuring 1 variable waveshape VCO
Voltage-controlled oscillator
A voltage-controlled oscillator or VCO is an electronic oscillator designed to be controlled in oscillation frequency by a voltage input. The frequency of oscillation is varied by the applied DC voltage, while modulating signals may also be fed into the VCO to cause frequency modulation or phase...
. It has a -24dB per octave low-pass filter with envelope generator, a VCA, noise
White noise
White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency...
generator, sample and hold
Sample and hold
In electronics, a sample and hold circuit is an analog device that samples the voltage of a continuously varying analog signal and holds its value at a constant level for a specified minimal period of time. Sample and hold circuits and related peak detectors are the elementary analog memory...
circuit, LFO, and modulation routing. It has a 32-key keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
and was one of the first synthesizers to include a built-in ribbon controller, in this instance for pitch bending. The Micromoog has an audio input allowing external audio to be run through the filter and VCA. It also features the Moog Open System control inputs, a pre-MIDI proprietary control system which enabled the unit to be controlled by other Moog synthesizers.
As it did with many of Moog Music
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...
's products, ARP
ARP Instruments, Inc.
ARP Instruments, Inc. was an American manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. Best known for its line of synthesizers that emerged in the early 1970s, ARP closed its doors in 1981 due to financial difficulties...
released the Axxe to compete with the Micromoog. It too featured only one VCO, but offered sturdier construction and more editable parameters.
The Micromoog served as the basis for the Multimoog
Multimoog
The Multimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music from 1978 to 1981. Derived from the earlier Micromoog , the Multimoog was intended to be a less expensive alternative to Moog's flagship Minimoog...
, a similarly styled but more generously equipped synthesizer featuring two VCOs, a larger 44 note keyboard, greater modulation options and an early implementation of keyboard aftertouch functions.
Filter Modification
The micromoog has also been found to have a "fault" which limits its bass timbre. The modification can be found here and has said to make the Micromoog able to compete with the actual Minimoog (on a one oscillator level).See also
- Moog synthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
- Robert MoogRobert MoogRobert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
- Moog MusicMoog MusicMoog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...
- List of Moog synthesizer players