Moog schematics

March 13, 2015 7:21 AM

The Bob Moog Foundation has posted schematics for various synthesiser odds and sods, some hand-drawn by Moog himself. Oddly attractive images even if (like me) you can't read a circuit diagram to save yourself.
posted by Dim Siawns (12 comments total)

Behringer tents their fingers menacingly.
posted by drezdn at 7:31 AM on March 13, 2015 [10 favorites]

I think you can buy T-shirts printed with the diode ladder schematic.
posted by infinitewindow at 8:18 AM on March 13, 2015

Behringer tents their fingers menacingly.

Heh. Yeah.

Of course, most of this stuff has been getting ripped off since forever. Analogue circuitry is pretty easy to reverse-engineer if you've got it in front of you.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:54 AM on March 13, 2015

If you're around the NY Finger Lakes, you should check out Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer before it closes.

Based on a series of wide-ranging oral history interviews done with family members, colleagues, and contemporaries, and done in partnership with the Asheville, N.C.-based Bob Moog Foundation, the exhibition provides unparalleled insight into the unique genius of Bob Moog and the ways in which he ushered in a revolution in music. From the words of Herbert Deutsch and Bernie Worrell to Shirleigh Moog, David Borden, and many others, and featuring rare Moog instruments such as a vacuum tube theremin, a Trumansburg-era Minimoog, and an early Moog amplifier of which only three were ever sold.

posted by zamboni at 8:56 AM on March 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

I remember back in high school I found a theremin schematic that Bob drew, and someone put on the internet. But that one was hand draw, these are fancy style drafted for production.
posted by wormwood23 at 9:01 AM on March 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

Look: a car speaker in a drum
posted by bdc34 at 9:03 AM on March 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

Behringer tents their fingers menacingly.

Majestic display of music nerdery. MAJESTIC.
posted by Zerowensboring at 1:47 PM on March 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

Of course, most of this stuff has been getting ripped off since forever. Analogue circuitry is pretty easy to reverse-engineer if you've got it in front of you.

Yup Moog very famously sued ARP - and possibly some other companies over the years - for imitation of their classic filter design. Here's one - not drawn by Bob though.
posted by atoxyl at 3:31 PM on March 13, 2015

The rack-mount/modular Moog filter module apparently has a copy of the schematic etched on the side.
posted by atoxyl at 3:35 PM on March 13, 2015

I think you can buy T-shirts printed with the diode ladder schematic.

Haha I didn't see that somebody else was talking about this. Gotta point out the Moog filter is a transistor ladder design though. The diode ladder I think was pioneered by companies (EMS, later Roland) that wanted to avoid legal trouble with Moog...
posted by atoxyl at 5:58 PM on March 13, 2015

Look: a car speaker in a drum
posted by bdc34 at 12:03 PM on March 13

That's mind blowing. I suppose he's using the thing as a gigantic microphone but why not just use an actual-factual microphone? Or at least a smaller speaker?

Rip apart an old Guitar Hero drum controller and it's going to be a plastic plate with one of those piezoelectric musical x-mas card speakers under it. I actually repaired my own Rockband drum set a few times using parts from greeting cards.
posted by mcrandello at 6:54 PM on March 13, 2015

Look: a car speaker in a drum


Questlove used to have his kick drum mic'd with a subkick mic.
posted by drezdn at 9:41 PM on March 13, 2015