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Tuesday, June 17th, 2025 02:18 am

Synth Glossary

Control input:
An input into part of the synthesizer that allows that bit to be modulated by another part of the synth. For example there is a control input in the amplifier which controls the level of amplification. If a very slow sine wave (an LFO) is patched into this input then the sound will slowly get louder and quieter. If an LFO was patched into the control input of the oscillator instead, then the sound would go higher and lower in pitch....

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Micromoog
This is Moog Music's "synthesizer for everyman. [The] design approach for the Micromoog was to use a minimal number of functional building blocks and to configure the instrument for the greatest amount of performer control over these blocks. The Micromoog consists of the basic necessities: one voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), one voltage controlled amplifier (VCA), two contour generators, and one sample and hold. The 'open system' inputs and outputs make this Micromoog a basic musical building block which can be expanded to meet the performer's growth."

This was the synth that followed the Minimoog. Having only one oscillator and using less expensive materials, this became the cheap alternative to the Minimoog. It was also one of the few and possibly the first of the early synths to use the pitch ribbon controller instead of the more popular pitch wheel found on the Minimoog.

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