Tomorrow's World | Moog Synthesiser

In this report from a longer programme, Derek Cooper introduces the Moog synthesiser, an instrument that can produce a variety of noises and arrangements, both mimicking real instruments and creating new sounds, all electronically.

Developed by Dr Robert Moog, the Moog synthesiser evolved from a kit known as a Voltage-Controlled Electronic Music Module, which Moog demonstrated in prototype form in 1964. The first production models emerged in 1967, accompanied by a sample record of music composed by Walter Carlos (later Wendy Carlos, after her sex-change operation in 1972). It was Carlos's 1968 album 'Switched-On Bach' that catapulted Moog-produced music into popular culture, though examples of music made on the synthesiser had already been released by The Doors, The Monkees and Simon & Garfunkel, among others.