Archives - 1964

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April 9
Trumansburg Newest Industry Explained

TRUMANSBURG- Dr. Robert A. Moog, a quiet, unassuming and scholarly young man told a well attended meeting of Trumansburg's Rotary Club Thursday night that he has been engaged in electronic research as well as the manufacture and sale of better quality of popular electronic musical instruments. In his address he traced the progress made in the 20th century on musical electronics.

The reproduction of music was advanced by the use of electronic loud speaker and record changer from the old victrola. The use of radio and television to broadcast thoughts and music was an electronic achievement that has changed the habits and thinking of the entire world. The electric organ has practically replaced the old organ as a means of duplicating the sounds of well known musical instruments today. These are well known facts but the public has little knowledge of the efforts being made now to create new sounds and effects in music through the use of electronics
Dr. Moog illustrated this goal by playing a few records of modern music produced by electronic instruments. It was apparent that none of these sounds had been made by the musical instruments we know and it cannot be said that the effects were pleasant to the ear. But Dr. Moog said that little of the music we now like achieved any success in its original rendition. In due time the popular ear adapts itself to newer artistic effects with the same enthusiasm as it did to Beethoven and Mozart.

The Rotary group heard Dr. Moog play the "Theramin" which he described as a conventional instrument as it reproduced the sound of the cello with remarkable accuracy merely by the relative position of the artist's hands to the instrument's antennae thereby breaking the free flow of electronic waves that surround them. This instrument was named after its Russian inventor who tried to promote it here some years back. Despite the efforts of the Radio Corporation of America to popularize it the inventor had no success with it and the patent went back with him to Russia.
Dr. Moog's shop also makes a combination of high fidelity amplifer and loud speaker powered by batteries and electrical current. It is a custom job for a highly discriminating clientelle. It is being sold directly to the consumer to save him about one third in the cost by eliminating distributor's profits. This project helps to finance the research projects in the production of electronic instruments for the non-conventional clientelle in the field on modern music.

Paul Landon, who introduced the speaker to the Rotary Club stated that Dr Moog came to Cornell University to get his Ph.D in Electronic Engineering after
getting his earlier training at other institutions.