The Impact of the Minimoog Synthesizer on 1970s Music

  A member of the Absolute Sound Laboratories team in Minnesota, Evan A. Weitz has an extensive experience in electronics restoration and repair. With a background as a pianist, Evan A. Weitz has an interest in collecting vintage synthesizers and keyboards.

Designed by Robert Moog and introduced in 1970, the Minimoog was one of the pioneering synthesizers of the classic rock and funk era. Incorporating all the essential modular synthesizer components, the Minimoog condensed them into a relatively compact setup that no longer took up an entire room.

The Minimoog combined a filter and an amplifier as well as four signal generators, and had oscillators capable of delivering waveforms that could be combined to create unique, never-before-heard sounds. One major limiting factor, shared with other synthesizers of the era, was that there was no memory bank. This meant that musicians had to make detailed notes in order to recreate sounds, or rely on musical memory.

The Minimoog soon became an indispensable part of the repertoire of acts from funk standard-bearer Stevie Wonder to techno artists like Kraftwerk, as well as progressive rockers such as Yes. One of the most identifiable uses of the Minimoog is in Parliament’s infectious funk workout “Flash Light.”