Moog Concertmate MG-1
| Concertmate MG-1 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Manufacturer | Moog Music |
| Dates | 1981 |
| Price | $499 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | Monophonic Organ section |
| Timbrality | Duotimbral |
| Oscillator | 3 (2 mono, 1 poly) |
| LFO | 1 |
| Synthesis type | Analog Subtractive |
| Filter | low-pass |
| Attenuator | ASR |
| Storage memory | none |
| Effects | Ring modulation |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 32 keys |
| External control | CV/Gate |
The Realistic Concertmate MG-1 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music in 1981 and sold by Radio Shack from 1982 to 1983 under their "Realistic" brand name. It was produced without some standard Moog features, such as pitch and modulation wheels, as a cost-cutting measure aimed at achieving a lower price for the consumer market. The synthesizer also featured a pair of pass-through RCA jacks, which allowed users to mix radio or records into the final live synthesized sound output.
The Moog Concertmate MG-1 is the most widely owned of all vintage Moog synths, probably because it was produced in large quantities for the Tandy Corporation, and also its relatively low price.
Although manufactured by Moog, the MG-1 design was done by Paul Schreiber (then employed by Tandy Systems Development). David Luce of Moog was involved with the creation. Schreiber later founded Synthesis Technology and invented the MOTM modular system.
The MG-1 includes:
The similar Moog Rogue came after the MG-1. An update of Schreiber's Design with Moog's traditional Pitch and Mod wheels added, the Moog developed Rogue also removed the MG-1 polyphonic Tone section. Both models share exactly the same plastic casing, but are different machines in many respects. First, the MG-1 power supply is internal, whereas on the Rogue it is an external wall wart type. Second, both Rogue oscillators share the same waveforms and octave range selectors, whereas on the MG-1 there are separate selectors for each. Third, the MG-1 offers "Bell Tone" (AM Modulation of VCO 1 and 2) not found on the Rogue. The MG-1 has two independent sliders for VCF and VCO modulation instead of the Rogue Mod Wheel. The Pitch Bend Wheel has no equivalent on the MG-1.
The MG-1 was produced in great quantities for distribution in the consumer market. Because it was originally distributed in Radio Shack stores instead of specialized music stores, it is easily found and is usually less expensive than a Rogue despite actually offering more. It is identifiable by the big "REALISTIC" name in white letters on the back (instead of the letters "MOOG") and the lack of Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels but, in smaller print at the back, it clearly states: "Custom manufactured by Moog Music in U.S.A. for Radio Shack, a division of Tandy Corporation".
The Polyphonic features of this synth are of particular interest as polyphony was rare in synthesizers of the time. The square wave based polyphony section is described as a "cheesy organ sound" by some, and well-used by others. Since the polyphony section is independently tunable, it can function as a rudimentary third oscillator, allowing the user to create more complex tones than on similar 2-oscillator synths. All of the sound-generating features come together in a mixer allowing the levels for the two monophonic tone sources, noise, bell tone and polyphony to be adjusted independently. The multiple notes of polyphony feed into the single filter, giving a paraphonic result. In 1982-3, few electronic musical instruments had the MG-1 combination of paraphonic poly section and monophonic synthesizer in one instrument.
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