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T. J. Pinch
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Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer Paperback – November 15, 2004

by Trevor Pinch (Author), Frank Trocco (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 100
See all formats and editions
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Though ubiquitous today, available as a single microchip and found in any electronic device requiring sound, the synthesizer when it first appeared was truly revolutionary. Something radically new--an extraordinary rarity in musical culture--it was an instrument that used a genuinely new source of sound: electronics. How this came to be--how an engineering student at Cornell and an avant-garde musician working out of a storefront in California set this revolution in motion--is the story told for the first time in Analog Days, a book that explores the invention of the synthesizer and its impact on popular culture.

The authors take us back to the heady days of the 1960s and early 1970s, when the technology was analog, the synthesizer was an experimental instrument, and synthesizer concerts could and did turn into happenings. Interviews with the pioneers who determined what the synthesizer would be and how it would be used--from inventors Robert Moog and Don Buchla to musicians like Brian Eno, Pete Townshend, and Keith Emerson--recapture their visions of the future of electronic music and a new world of sound.

Tracing the development of the Moog synthesizer from its initial conception to its ascension to stardom in Switched-On Bach, from its contribution to the San Francisco psychedelic sound, to its wholesale adoption by the worlds of film and advertising, Analog Days conveys the excitement, uncertainties, and unexpected consequences of a new technology that would provide the soundtrack for a critical chapter of our cultural history.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  4. Publication date
    November 15, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    7.5 x 0.94 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0674016173
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0674016170
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“How many retrowavey, electroclashy hipsters really know the true roots of the sound they’re preening and prancing to? We’re not talking about ’80s swill like Human League or Erasure―we’re referring to Robert Moog, the inventor of the eponymous sound-generating device that, more than any other single contraption, made the whole electronic-music world possible. Analog Days, penned by Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco, is a richly detailed look at the early days of synthesized sounds, and is quite fascinating.”―Time Out New York

“On the subject of discovery, Analog Days covers with polished authority the invention of the electronic music synthesizer by Robert Moog and its usage, between 1964 and the mid-’70s by such sonic explorers as Wendy Carlos, the Beatles and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, as well as the work done by electronic music pioneers Morton Subotnik, Don Buchla and Vladimir Ussachevsky, detailing the battle to use or not use the keyboard which so affected popular music.”―Brad Schreiber, Entertainment Today

“Through a series of detailed interviews with people associated with the Moog’s development, ranging from Bob Moog himself to assorted technicians, sound gurus, marketing people and musicians who had input into the Moog’s development, they reconstruct, with the care of anthropologists studying the habits of some obscure tribe, how exactly it was that the Moog became a significant force in musical culture in the 1960s.”―Marcus Boon, The Wire

“Pinch and Trocco interview the engineers and musicians who fashioned the new devices, and build up a satisfying picture of the one technology that caught the imagination of the ‘counterculture’ of the 1960s and 1970s… [The authors] have a fascinating story to tell. Today, it is hard to recall what music was like when sounds were restricted to those made by blowing, plucking or hitting things. Music is ubiquitous as never before, and so are synthesized sounds: the two facts go together. So Analog Days is more than a chronicle of an encounter between old arts and new technology: it illuminates a defining technology of our culture.”―Jon Turney, New Scientist

“In Analog Days, Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco tell the story of how the Moog synthesizer came about. They discuss how synthesizers reflected and reinforced cultural aspirations for transformation and transcendence, which were so prevalent in the 1960s. And they explore how this particular synthesizer―developed by Robert Moog and colleagues in a funky storefront in Trumansburg, New York…managed to beat out a host of competitors for commercial success and popular acceptance… Pinch and Trocco have crafted an informative and entertaining account of the complex process by which new instruments and inventions come about, and they analyze the relationship among inventor, user, and general public that leads to widespread acceptance of a new medium or tool… The book is crammed with wonderful stories and details about the many colorful scientists, musicians, salesmen, and cult figures…whose lives intersected through the lure of new musical possibilities… This is a story well worth telling, and Pinch and Trocco do it well.”―Tod Machover, Science

“A compelling narrative presented in a thoroughly readable style and told with real affection for its subject matter, the book tells the reader pretty much everything they could want to know about the topic, and if it didn’t make even the most unmusical reader desperate to get their hands on an analogue synth and a set of patch cords, I’d be very surprised.”―Jeremy Gilbert, Year’s Work in Critical and Cultural Theory

“The sleek digital synthesizer of today is so easy to play and so ubiquitous in the world of popular music that its presence is often taken for granted. In this well-researched, entertaining, and immensely readable book, Pinch…and Trocco…chronicle the analog synthesizer’s early, heady years, from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s… Throughout their prose is engagingly anecdotal and accessible, and readers are never asked to wade through dense, technological jargon. Yet there are enough details to enlighten those trying to understand this multidisciplinary field of music, acoustics, physics, and electronics. Highly recommended.”―Larry Lipkis, Library Journal

“You have to be as dedicated as the musicians who played, or play, the early Moog, to write a book like this. Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco are two such people. This book is full of interesting facts and anecdotes involving many pioneers of sound and prominent musicians, who in their quest to creat something new became stubbornly devoted to their contraptions held together with wire and solder. Oscillate between the pages and envelop yourself in Analog Days because you don’t need a Ph.D. in electrical engineering to enjoy this book.”―Keith Emerson

“[An] unusually intelligent and straightforward cultural history.”―Sir George Martin, C.B.E.

About the Author

Trevor Pinch is Professor and Chairperson of Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University.

Frank Trocco is Assistant Professor of Adult Baccalaureate Studies, Lesley University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press; unknown edition (November 15, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674016173
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674016170
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.36 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.94 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 100

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T. J. Pinch

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
100 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mark D Burgh
5.0 out of 5 stars If You Moog It They WILL come
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2003
Verified Purchase
From the first moment I heard Switched-On Bach, I was hooked. I loved the sounds, the technology, the possibilities of electronic music. I even saved up and bought a Minimoog when I was thirteen; no greater love have I ever had. The early days of electronics shook many people like it did me. The synthesizer was not just a collection of dials and patch cords, but a way into a sonic universe.
Trever Pinch and Frank Trocco's new book, ANALOG DAYS, recaptures that feeling of celestial expectancy. Describing the development of the Moog synthesizer from kit-built theremins to the ubiquitous and glorious Minimoog, the book mainly concentrates on pre-polyphonic modalur synths and how the world embraced them, and then turned them into cheese-making devices a-la "Switched-On Whatever" albums.
Pinch and Trocco give us other ways to look at synths: they discuss women synthesists like Suzanne Ciani who never are mentioned in other histories even though Ms. Ciani's synthesized commercial work is probably the heard electronic music ever. Though Moog-centric, the book gives us the background of the Buchla box, a sort of sprout-and-wheat-germ rival to the Moog modulars. While Moog turned the synthesizer into a keyboard instruments, Buchla kept his machines free of established interfaces, and established musical norms.
As a sythn-freak, I couldn't put this book down, even though much the material is duplicated in Mark Vail's Vintage Synths. Vail, however, choose to be only a technical historian, while Pinch and Trocco aim for a more cultural view of the events surrounding the shifting of musical boundaries.
All your favorites are here; the unexpectedly successful Dr. Moog; the victorious but hubristic ARP company; the offhand eccentricities of EMS and their wonderful VCS3 named by Tristam Cary, son of Joyce Cary, the novelist. Don Buchla haunts the pages too, half Kesian merry-maker, half NASA sub-contractor with his silver, red and blue synths bleeping in the Haight. And good old Keith Emerson's here too, flailing his ribbon controller across the arenas of America.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in electronic music, anyone interested in why their microwave talks to them, anyone interested in the history of 1960's.
Analog Days also has a really cool cover.
12 people found this helpful
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Jeffrey McFerson
5.0 out of 5 stars True Analog Bliss
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2007
Verified Purchase
I found this book to be incredibly interesting. So interesting, in fact, that it made me wish I had been involved with the analog synthesizer scene during the era which this book details. Hearing the stories and personal accounts of individual contributions to the development, marketing, and subsequent musical evolution caused by the early analog synthesizers, made me lust for yesteryear.

After reading several compliants regarding the sociological study-aspect of this work, it must be stated that the sociological impact analysis is a vital component of the historical content contained within. In fact, if the sociological discussion was ommitted, the work would suffer, as I feel the Moog's and early synthesizer's impact on society is a fascinating subject. During the time period which this book dissects, individuals were, for the first time, hearing totally unique and original sounds. Unfortunately, humanity has since become jaded to the excrutiating beauty of subtractive analog synthesis. The statement which described the sound of two analog oscillators beating against each other on the morn of (I believe--challenging my memory here) the second day of Woodstock, reflecting it was the first time many had heard that exact sound, made me yearn to be there.

Ultimately, if you are interested in an account of historical fact, coupled with social impact commentary as it pertains to these now ancient analog synthesizers, and associated early sequencers, read this book. However, if you have no desire to learn of yesteryear and absorb depictions of the early evolution of music technology, which has led to the crap that is virtual analog, don't waste your time.
2 people found this helpful
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Dal Radd
5.0 out of 5 stars How synthesizers were first developed and introduced into music and media
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
Historically and technically informative, an interesting read for anyone who's into synths to find out how it all got started. Not just about Robert Moog, but others before him, those working simultaneously, and those that followed who explored new ways to express oneself musically using technology. The adventures of these people as they got the new instruments to the public and into the artistic domain were also of note, as they showed how synths were influencing new music and media. I think that more could have been mentioned about Dave Smith's contributions to musical technology in the latter chapters, though. Still, another great addition to my growing synth book collection!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Osbaldo Zayas
5.0 out of 5 stars Exelente
Reviewed in Mexico on November 22, 2019
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Exelente
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David Perks
5.0 out of 5 stars History of early commercial synthesizer market.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
Very readable. Spent a lot of time cross-checking album references with youtube.
2 people found this helpful
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Karl Mousseau
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2017
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excellent
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book about Modular Synthezisers
Reviewed in Germany on May 12, 2017
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Great Book, entertaining and full of interesting insights even for those who are not interested in Modular Synths. Clearly five out of five.
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Mmarkus
5.0 out of 5 stars Parfait pour découvrir l'origine des Synthétiseur - en Anglais
Reviewed in France on August 11, 2010
Verified Purchase
Le meilleur sur l'invention du Synthétiseur autour de Bob moog au courant des années 60', le développement du modulaire puis du fameux minimoog, ainsi que d'autre constructeur comme Buchla, EMS, ARP ou Oberheim. Les avant-gardistes, le psychedelisme, Morton Subotnick, Bernie Krause, George Harrison, Wendy Carlos "Switch on Bach", Suzanne Ciani, Keith Emerson, Klaus Schulze et Tangerine Dream, Stevie Wonder et les artistes qui contribuérent a son avénement. Toute l'histoire avant même que nous les mélomanes et autres auditeurs puissent la découvrir, puisqu'elle était définitivement bien caché. Tout ces sons nous sont bien parvenu en définive. Attention ce livre est en Anglais. Recommandé
 Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer
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