Moog Synthesizer
This is a category heading, not a model. The archive has to treat it as one anyway, so the page says that up front.
Overview
"Moog Synthesizer" is a product category, not a serial-numbered instrument. The documentation behind this page mixes facts about several distinct machines - the Synthesizer 1C, the portable Ip, and references to a Synthesizer III and a System 55 - and no single model can be confirmed as the subject. What the record does establish is the origin. The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer invented by the American engineer Robert Moog in 1964. Moog's company, R. A. Moog Co., produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014.
The source material describes the early systems as a compact, more affordable alternative to earlier electronic instruments. They gained early visibility through performances by keyboardist Keith Emerson in 1970. "More affordable" sits awkwardly beside the one price the research carries, US$10,000, which is attached to "the Moog synthesizer" in general and not to any specific cabinet. Treat it as an order-of-magnitude marker for an early modular system, not a price tag on a named model. Numeric specs are sparse. Studio-Sound (October 1969, p.33) states that Synthesizer 1, the simplest version, comprises two voltage-controlled oscillators. A manufacturer document lists a price of $8,795.00 (7,350.00 effective February 1, 1974) for the MOOG System 55. No filter specs, dimensions, weight, or power figures survive. Anyone quoting a spec sheet for "the Moog synthesizer" is quoting something else.
Key Features
Voltage-Controlled Oscillators Usable as Audio Sources or LFOs
The defining architectural fact in the record is that early Moog modular synthesizers used voltage-controlled oscillators that could function as audio sources or LFOs, paired with Oscillator Driver modules for expanded control. The same oscillator that makes the tone can also sweep the filter, which is why these systems were patched rather than played. The documentation notes the Oscillator Driver modules as the expansion path, not as a separate voice.
Fixed Filter Bank
The systems included a Fixed Filter Bank, noted in the source material for its precision in sound shaping. It is the one signal-processing element the research names specifically. The record gives no module count, band count, or frequency list, so the archive will not invent one.
Wedge-Shaped Wood Cabinet (Synthesizer 1C)
The Synthesizer 1C, also known as Synthesizer I, was housed in a single wedge-shaped wood cabinet for studio use. The source material dates the 1C to 1967-1973. That is a single-source figure, and the archive reports it as stated. The studio version of the later Synthesizer III is described as having the look of a Moog modular system, with its fully-loaded wedge and rectangular cabinets.
Suitcase-Style Enclosures (Portable Ip)
The portable Ip variant used two suitcase-style cabinets to accommodate additional components. The Synthesizer III, a separate model, added a third suitcase cabinet in its portable version. For anyone chasing a "portable Moog," the cabinet count is the tell: two suitcases for the Ip, three for the III's portable configuration.
Historical Context
The systems were initially built as custom configurations, and Moog standardized several modular setups by 1967. The design evolved from custom-built systems into standardized configurations, including the Synthesizer 1C and Ip, for both fixed installations and touring performers. The source material calls the result much smaller and more affordable than previous electronic instruments, which helped bring modular synthesis to a broader range of musicians and studios.
The European side is documented separately. Richard Teitelbaum bought a synthesizer from Bob Moog and was the first to use one in Europe, according to the Bob Moog Foundation. Press coverage of the modular era leaned instructional. DB-Magazine (August 1975, p.27) ran a piece by Robert C. Ehle walking readers through the operation of Moog synthesizer modules and components, on the premise that familiarity with each module let a user select a custom-planned instrument.
Condition anecdotes are the closest thing to a market record here. One Model 1P was reported stored under plastic for fifteen years and found in remarkable condition for its age. It was later hooked up and played at a university computer lab and worked well. No current market values, common failures, or repair information for the vintage modular models appear in the documentation, and the archive will not borrow prices from modern Moog instruments to fill the hole.
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