Greetings readers and welcome to another installment of Rock Keyboards. This month I wanted to talk little bit about early analog synthesizers of the 1970s. Electronic instruments had actually been around for quite a while, but it wasn’t until the early 70’s that they were made in a way that made them easily transportable and reliable enough for touring. Let’s take a look at some of the most important early synths, how they worked, and who used them.
Minimoog
The Minimoog was released by Robert Moog in 1970 and was designed as an alternative to the large modular synths of the day. With the Minimoog, the most important parts of a modular synthesizer were included in a compact, closed, keyboard without the need for patch cords. The
synth had three main sections; a three oscillator signal generator that included noise waveforms, a voltage controlled filter section, and a voltage controlled amplifier. The Minimoog is monophonic and has a patented ladder style voltage-controlled filter which gives it a very warm, rich sound.
All of the early synths we will talk about today used analog synthesis; a subtractive form of synthesis that starts with an audio signal containing many harmonics that are then attenuated using filters and other knobs to change the character of the sound. Some of the artists that are famous for using the Minimoog are Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, and Wendy Carlos.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLx_x5Fuzp4
Oberheim OB Xa
This incredible synth was released a decade after the Minimoog in 1980. It was a follow up to the original OB X designed by Tom Oberheim who, like Moog, was making larger modular units in earlier years. The OB Xa was polyphonic and had the ability to layer sounds and split the keyboard. The OB Xa also had a microprocessor that automated the tuning of the synth. Other differences to the Minimoog include the use of Curtis Integrated Circuits instead of discrete circuits, and a paddle lever for pitch and modulation. Artists such as, Prince, Madonna, and Eddie Van Halen used this classic synth to catapult their music to greatness.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byxQ6aQRGis
