This article appeared on the Moog music website recently: Steve Roach exploring the Moog One synthesizer. Please note that the (c) are with Moog and the author(s). The original article can be found here.
Electronic and ambient pioneer Steve Roach integrates Moog One into his live setup. Watch the legendary artist’s performance and read about his journey with the tri-timbral polyphonic synthesizer here.
Steve Roach is an electronic artist and composer known for pioneering the genre of ambient synthesizer music. Steve’s approach to composition and recording results in beautifully authentic songs. His landmark album, Structures from Silence, is considered by many to be essential listening within the world of ambient music. It is a highly creative work that demonstrates how synthesizer music can guide the listener on a meditative journey, gently leading us to a state of deep introspection.
Few can claim such accolades in composition as Steve. Boasting several Grammy nominations and a body of work that helped to define the golden age of analog synthesis, Steve’s catalog spans over 100 solo albums, live recordings, and collaborations. He is still composing to this day, adding to his impressive catalog and inspiring the world of ambient music. Check out Steve’s official Bandcamp to listen to his works.
We take pride in building instruments like Moog One that artists like Steve Roach can use to achieve their musical dreams, and we are honored to be a part of his legacy. Keep reading to learn more from Steve about his experience integrating Moog One into his setup.
Steve Roach’s Moog One Experience in His Own Words (Interview)
Moog Music: How has incorporating Moog One into your setup inspired your approach to sound design lately?
Steve Roach: Working with the Moog One merged instantly into my flow of carving sound on synths that has developed over 40 years. Since I use only hardware gear, the design of the intuitive interface places what are normally three discrete instruments connected by MIDI together into one unified package. Having instant access to this kind of power under one roof is a real game changer with this instrument.
For example, I can quickly have the blend of hovering soundscapes in hold mode on Synth 1 with the keyboard turned off. Synth 2 is a shimmering zone of sequential movement—also with the keyboard turned off. Synth 3 is introduced for harmonic-melodic interaction with the keyboard on. Of course all this can change instantly and can be in constant flux.
The confluence of this interaction and carving between the parts is an endless process of exploration and inspiration. Beyond all this, the sound of the instrument is the emotional aspect that keeps pulling me deeper in.
MM: How did using Moog One help to shape the sounds of this live performance?
SR: The desire to create this expansive, suspended opening and emotional embrace to the audience I knew was out there worldwide to see my closing set for the SoundQuest Fest was the inspiration. Moog One provided me to draw out these three ultra-rich harmonic wonderworlds, all in relationship to each other as a complete, integrated palette to the performance—improvisation. As I describe above I approached this piece as if I was using three different synths all under both hands. This mindset provided a new way for creating this spontaneous composition you feel, hear, and see here.
More about SoundQuest Fest from Steve Roach’s Official YouTube page:
“SoundQuest Fest, first experienced as a live festival in Tucson Arizona in 2010 was created by ambient music pioneer Steve Roach. Picking up where this left off the 2021 version united a worldwide gathering of artists and audience members together for a 3 day online event unique in the realm of ambient music. Presented From March 26-28th The event was was a groundbreaking moment for this genre of music with a continuous 3 day flow of streamed performances, audio-video wonder worlds, Ambient VJ sets, Interviews and music videos on TimeroomTV and deep immersion zones. Stay tuned for the next chapter of the SoundQuest adventure into deep the heart of the Ambient universe!”