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Moog Music joins Akai Pro, Alesis , M-Audio and Denon in the inMusic family in a bid to “overcome long-standing challenges and strengthen the company”

Moog Music has announced that it is now part of inMusic, the music technology super-company, home to a wide range of music industry brands, including Akai, Alesis, Denon, M-Audio, Numark, Stanton, Rane and others.

Moog says that the company will be keeping production and product development in its hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, but joining inMusic will give them access to inMusic’s more efficient supply chain and global distribution for Moog Instruments around the world. In addition, Moog Music’s deep expertise in analog synthesis will enhance the capabilities of inMusic and its exclusive brands

In a statement, Moog says that “this partnership with inMusic presents new opportunities to overcome long-standing challenges and strengthen the company.”

“The collaboration between Moog Music and inMusic will usher in an exciting new chapter of innovation, introducing a range of groundbreaking instruments for creatives worldwide,” adds Moog. “This partnership will expand Moog Music’s reach into new communities while continuing to push the boundaries of music technology. The shared values, mission, and legacy between the two companies make this alliance a remarkable opportunity for Moog Music and its dedicated community.”

Here is their official announcement:

To our friends, artists, partners, collaborators, and community:

It is my pleasure and privilege to bring you the exciting news that Moog Music has joined the inMusic family.

With its diverse roster of innovative companies across the music technology space, inMusic is known for its dedication to developing quality performance and production instruments for musicians across the globe. We are thrilled to join this group of talented, like-minded people who support our mission as we continue to design and build the world’s best-sounding electronic musical instruments.

Devoted to maintaining the sound, quality, and manufacturing philosophy that Moog is known for, inMusic is able to offer solutions to support the areas that have been ongoing challenges for our company as a small manufacturing business. This new partnership will enable us access to inMusic’s efficient global distribution and supply chain network while providing inMusic and its affiliated brands with deep expertise in analog synthesis.

With product development continuing to be led by Steve Dunnington, a long-time Moog engineer and former student of Bob Moog, we are proud to keep engineering, designing, and building instruments in our hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

Our new partners at inMusic, based in Cumberland, Rhode Island, will bring an extraordinary wealth of knowledge and experience to help bolster our efforts and build upon our 70-year legacy.

The recent conversations that I’ve had with inMusic CEO Jack O’Donnell have been inspiring, to say the least. Jack shared with me the stories of his first synthesizer, a Moog modular system, and the impact this instrument and Bob’s vision have had on his career. We had the opportunity to host Jack at the Moog factory recently and share with him the passion and dedication our small team brings to our work daily.

We are excited to introduce you to the many innovative hardware and software instruments our team has on the horizon. This partnership with inMusic will allow us to reach new communities and continue to push the boundaries of music technology. Finding a partner that honors our values, mission, and legacy is a great boon for our company and community.

The future is bright for Moog and the incredible community that has embraced our instruments and all we stand for. We’re grateful for your loyalty and support along the way, and we can’t wait for you to see (and hear) all that’s ahead.

Sincerely,

Joe Richardson

President, Moog Music

Moog has a long, complex history as a brand.

It was originally founded in 1953 in Trumansburg, NY by Robert Moog as the R.A. Moog Co. In this original incarnation, the company introduced some of its most iconic products, including the Moog Modular and the Minimoog.

In 1971, the brand was sold and moved to Williamsville, New York. Robert Moog left the company in 1977. The company declared bankruptcy in 1987. During this time frame, the company introduced several important instruments, including the Polymoog keyboard and the Taurus bass synth.

Robert Moog started a new company in 1978, Big Briar, to get back to his roots as a small manufacturer of theremins. There, he created products like the Ethervox and Etherwave theremins, and the Moogerfooger line of effects pedals.

Rights to the Moog Music brand returned to Robert Moog in 2002, and Big Briar was rebranded as Moog Music. Since then, the company has released a long string of important instruments, including the Minimoog Voyager, their line of Eurorack semi-modular instruments, the Grandmother & Matriarch keyboards, the Moog One polysynth, innovative software synths like Animoog and reissues of classic designs from the ’70s.

Moog Employees Getting Payout From Sale

In 2015, Moog announced an employee ownership plan, with employees owning 49% of the company. With the acquisition, inMusic is buying out the employees.

Moog spokesperson Jeff Touzeau told Gizmodo via email that “All past and present employees who have participated in the Moog Music Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), since it was implemented in 2015, will receive a payout.”   via Andreas Markusen

Are you are looking for some light reading? Over 350 pages of new MIDI 2.0 specifications have just been published. The documents detail an updated core spec and a brand-new spec for the MIDI 2.0 SMF Clip File.

After three years of intensive prototyping and many virtual and face to face meetings, The Association of Musical Electronics Industry (AMEI) and The MIDI Association have published 4 significantly updated MIDI 2.0 core specifications and a brand new specification for the MIDI 2.0 SMF Clip File.

It might not mean a lot to most of us, but the MIDI Association says that these new specifications are the result of many years of volunteer work by its own members and those of the AMEI, and consist of over 350 pages of detailed specifications.

These core specifications define the architectural foundations for MIDI 2.0 and define minimum requirements for devices to claim MIDI 2.0 compatibility and to apply to use the MIDI Association’s MIDI 2.0 logo.

Anyone who is interested can download the documents for free from the MIDI Association website. There are also plans to open a MIDI Association Github and fill it with tools and source code that will be available under a permissive MIT licence to all developers.

AMEI and The MIDI Association have provided the specifications for free download, but you have to register first:

• Detailed information about MIDI 2.0 is on The MIDI Association website.
• All MIDI specifications are available for download.

As many of you know, MIDI 2.0 has been in the works for several years now, and the latest developments follows public demos of MIDI 2.0 were shown off at the recent April 2023 NAMM show:

• Roland and Synthogy teamed up to demonstrate MIDI 2.0 High Resolution Velocity using an Apple computer and the publicly available version of Logic.
• There were working prototypes of both Microsoft and Linux MIDI 2.0 drivers.
• And Korg, Bome Box and Analog Devices were all showing prototype products that implemented MIDI 2.0.

For more detailed explanations about the updated MIDI spec, see the article “What Musicians and Artists need to know about MIDI 2.0,” on the MIDI Association website.

Does your computer have the juice to handle 1000 oscillators? Mille Drone Synthesizer features 1000 Oscillators, 200 filters and more, but may make your Mac weep.

Developer Giorgio Sancristoforo – creator of unique software synths like Bento, Berna and Gleetchlab – has introduced Mille, a standalone drone synthesizer for MacOS, featuring 1000 oscillators, 200 filters and 200 LFOs.

Thanks to its architecture, Mille can create dense and evolving drones that sound huge. Mille is designed for stereo or quadraphonic surround sound, meaning 500 or 250 oscillators per channel, creating what Sancristoforo describes as a ‘giant immersive wall of sound’.

You can use the sections to create different drones that you activate and deactivate with the trigs/gates, making it possible to create a performance that can evolve over time. You can think of the sections as part of one giant drone, or you can think of them as independent drones that you can turn on and off at will. Using very slow envelopes (up to 2 minutes) enables you create smooth transition from one drone to another.

Other features include an 8-track recorder. You can export single tracks, stereo or quadraphonic files, according to your requirements.

Mille is available now for €19.50. A free demo version is also available.

Giorgio Sancristoforo says “I STRONGLY suggest you try the software before buying it to see if your computer has the necessary processing power.” An M1 processor or greater is recommended.