Moog themselves are an iconic company, so much so that their specific models are also iconic.
There’s a lot of hyperbole thrown around in music writing but trust me: everything you read about the Moog Model D is 100 per cent true. Few synths, if any, come close to matching its influence across popular music today, and it’s certainly the most recognisable and recorded analogue synthesisers of all time.
From Pink Floyd to Parliament-Funkadelic, Daft Punk to Dr Dre, Herbie Hancock to Hans Zimmer and beyond, the MiniMoog Model D has lent its rich analogue tones to countless classic records and remains a studio mainstay some 55 years after its release.
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Hitting the market in 1970, the monophonic, three-oscillator MiniMoog was the first ever synth to be sold in retail stores, exposing synthesis to a much wider audience than ever before. It was a natural progression from Moog’s madcap modular behemoths of the 1960s, which were complex to operate and incredibly expensive – in fact, more units were owned by universities than they were musicians.
Facing declining sales and an uncertain future, Moog’s engineers toiled to build a more portable and affordable synthesiser with a sound that stood up to these modular offerings.
By all accounts, it was a testy design process: company owner Bob Moog was absent from the factory for several weeks, and was furious to find his engineers tinkering away at six prototype units without permission when he returned. Once his fury subsided, Bob came around to the synth and recognised its commercial viability, eventually approving a production run.
MiniMoog Model D
Pairing sleek walnut panels with 44-keys and a smattering of switches and rotary encoders, the Model D weighed in at 14 kilograms, making it incredibly portable for its era. It also featured an adjustable control panel and the unique addition of modulation and pitch wheels, making it as expressive as an electronic instrument could be at the time.
While there’s many valid ways to describe the sound of a MiniMoog, there’s one undeniable characteristic which prevails above all: warmth. This all comes down to Moog’s analogue oscillators that form the heart of the Model D, which are notorious for never, ever staying fully synchronising with one another due to the unit’s unstable power supply. Although unintended, these subtle variations add a unique colour to the MiniMoog’s raw tones and became a defining characteristic of its sound.
Another key feature of the Model D was its 4-pole low-pass ladder filter, with controls for cutoff and resonance unlocking its immense soundscaping potential. This filter, in conjunction with envelope and amplifier ADSRs, could be used to turn creamy leads into aggressive drones, or glitchy sci-fi lasers into booming bass hits, within a matter of seconds. No need to patch in – the Model D finally made analogue synthesis accessible for the masses.
Despite being well-received by consumers and critics alike, the MiniMoog Model D wasn’t enough to mend Moog’s financial woes, with Bob Moog selling the company to a rival distributor in 1971. Nevertheless, production of the Model D continued up until 1981, with around 12,000 units being released during this time.
The 1970s is widely regarded as an influential and experimental decade for contemporary music, and it’s fair to say the Model D played a significant role in this being the case. Think jazz-funk, post-punk, disco, prog rock – you name it, the Model D helped incubate it.
Progressive and psychedelic rock bands immediately saw the appeal in the MiniMoog, both for its futuristic sonic potential and its ease of portability (although, considering the touring rigs of some bands from this era, that could be debated). Acts like Pink Floyd, Rush, Yes and Genesis experimented with MiniMoogs onstage and in the studio, while David Bowie, Brian Eno and Paul McCartney all had their own Moog moments.
Stevie Wonder was one of the Model D’s earliest advocates, using the synthesiser to lay down funky basslines and lead passages on records like Talking Book and Songs In The Key Of Life, with Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock also joining the party on their groovy fusion works of the same era. Prince, Michael Jackson and Parliament-Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell were also noted fans, with tracks like ‘Flashlight’ demonstrating the MiniMoog at its squelchy best.
The MiniMoog’s prevalence in historically Black genres like jazz, funk, soul and disco also saw its usage spill over into hip-hop in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with pioneering G Funk producer Dr Dre using it to exemplary effect on classic records by Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and 2Pac.
Electronic music was also undeniably advanced by the introduction of the Model D, with the synth’s classic sounds being coveted by artists as diverse as Tangerine Dream, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Depeche Mode, The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers.
And it wasn’t just a sonically influential synth either – by the end of the 70s, manufacturers like Korg, Roland and Yamaha had released their own Moog-inspired keyboards onto the market, with each new release only further cementing the Model D’s GOAT status.
Even today, the Model D’s musical influence is as strong as it’s ever been, with countless copycat models and VST emulations being available on the market. And with Moog recently reissuing the Model D – not for the first time, it must be noted – a staggering 55 years after it first hit retail stores, it’s only fair that we cherish the MiniMoog for what it is: a revolutionary instrument with a legacy unlike any other.
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