Synthesizer Pioneer Moog Dies at 71

The pioneer of the modern synthesizer, Robert Moog, passed away on Sunday in his North Carolina home at the age of 71.

The sound of a Moog (pronounced Mohgue) synthesizer is unmistakable. It gave The Doors their unique sound, and since then has been used by the likes of the Grateful Dead and even modern acts like Dr. Dre and Wilco. The rise of the Moog synthesizer signaled the rise of electronic music as an art form.

A childhood interest in electronic instruments let Moog to begin a career in creating them, and the first commercially available Moog synthesizer was created in 1964.

While other synthesizers had been on the market for years before Moog's, it caught on due to its relatively small size and versatility.

It's timing was also perfect. During the late 60s and early 70s the Moog arrived just as music began to take a more psychedelic turn. The Beatles used it for their later albums, and the synthesizer was responsible for creating the music behind Stanley Kubrick's thriller "A Clockwork Orange."

The list of other users of Moog's products is equally impressive: Yes, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Parliament/Funkadelic and modern groups like Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Beck, Phish, Sonic Youth and Widespread Panic.

However, Moog was modest about his notoriety. "I'm an engineer. I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers," he said in 2000. "They use the tools."

A public memorial has been scheduled for Wednesday.