Moog, Robert (Arthur)

views updated

Moog, Robert (Arthur)

Moog, Robert (Arthur), American designer of electronic instruments; b. Flushing, N.Y., May 23, 1934. He studied at Queens Coll. (B.S. in physics, 1957), Columbia Univ. (B.S. in electrical engineering, 1957), and Cornell Univ. (Ph.D. in engineering physics, 1965). He founded the R.A. Moog Co. in 1954 for the purpose of designing electronic musical instruments; in 1964 he introduced the first synthesizer modules; his company was incorporated in 1968, with its headquarters at Trumansburg, N.Y. In 1970 he brought out the Minimoog, a portable monophonie instrument; in 1971 the company became Moog Music and went to Buffalo, N.Y.; in 1973 it became a division of Norlin Industries, with which Moog was associated until 1977. He founded another firm, Big Briar, in Leicester, N.C., which manufactured devices for precision control of analog and digital synthesizers. He was associated with Kurzweil Music Systems of Boston (1984–89). His synthesizers and other electronic devices were used by both classical and rock musicians.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis Mclntire

More From encyclopedia.com