Tribute to Robert Moog

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Robert (Bob) Moog has always been one of my idols. In 1965 Bob created his first sound modules. In 1968 when I was around 10 years old I made a two transistor oscillator using a Philips Electronics Kit that my school lent me. The kit showed you how to make various circuits, and the oscillator was one that I liked the best. By using different resistor values it could be tuned to output various 'notes'. A few years later as a teenager, the first 'top octave' chips came out and using divider chains I made simple electronic organs. Using magazines such as "Practical Electronics", "Radio Constructor" and "Wireless World" I learnt how to make filters and ring modulators. I just loved the WAA and flanger sounds and the beating of near unison oscillators played through a ring modulator.

At that time I was listening to "Switched On Bach", "Rick Wakeman - Six Wives", "Moog Indigo", "Kraftwerk - Autobahn"

Forty years later, I bought a Moog Modular V software synth. With the boxed set of Switched on Bach, there was a software version of a Mini-Moog synth. This year I bought an IPod Touch and got the AniMoog software synth from MoogMusic and bought a genuine Moog T shirt (my first real Moog hardware(able) :) ).

Celebrate Bob! I missed the celebration of what would have been Bob's 78th birthday by a couple of days. I made it to Asheville on friday and bought an Etherwave Kit. Assembling the kit took by back to my teenage days. Setting up and tuning the theremin can be a bit tricky. With the lid off I was happy with it but when I put the case lid on the tuning was way off. It was a humid day when I painted the case and the instructions do warn about too much capacitance. After a couple of days I thought about making a plastic case and remembered I had a Dr WHO radio controller K9 model. I took K9 apart and after cutting off the end of the Etherwave circuit board, I fitted the theremin into the K9 case. At this time I do not want to re-tune the theremin so I have put it back in the original case for now. HERE is a short movie/slide show