Editing Analog synthesizer (section)

=== 1960s–1970s===
Early analog synthesizers used technology from electronic analog computers and laboratory test equipment.  They were generally "modular" synthesizers, consisting of a number of independent electronic modules connected by patch cables into a [[patchbay]] that resembled the jackfields used by 1940s-era telephone operators. Synthesizer modules in early analog synthesizers included [[voltage-controlled oscillator]]s (VCOs), [[voltage-controlled filter]]s (VCFs), and [[voltage-controlled amplifier]]s (VCAs). The control voltage varied frequency in VCOs and VCFs, and attenuation (gain) in VCAs. Additionally, they used [[envelope generator]]s, [[low-frequency oscillator]]s, and [[ring modulator]]s.
Some synthesizers also had effects devices, such as [[reverb]] units, or tools such as [[music sequencer|sequencers]] or sound [[audio engineering|mixer]]s. Because many of these modules took input sound signals and processed them, an analog synthesizer could be used both as a sound-generating and sound-processing system.

Famous [[modular synthesizer]] manufacturers included  [[Moog Music]], [[ARP Instruments, Inc.]], [[Serge Modular Music Systems]], and [[Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd|Electronic Music Studios]]. Moog established standards recognized worldwide for control interfacing on analog synthesizers, using an exponential 1-volt-per-octave pitch control and a separate pulse triggering signal. These control signals were routed using the same types of connectors and cables that were used for routing the synthesized sound signals. A specialized form of analog synthesizer is the analog [[vocoder]], based on equipment developed for speech synthesis. [http://cours.polytech.unice.fr/ssii/z.Supplements/vocoder/synthsec.pdf Vocoders] are often used to make a sound that resembles a musical instrument talking or singing.
[[File:ARP 2500.jpg|thumb|left| The [[ARP 2500]] with expansion cabinets.]]

[[Patch cords]] could be damaged by use (creating hard-to-find intermittent faults) and made complex patches difficult and time-consuming to recreate. Thus, later analog synthesizers used the same building blocks, but integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems. The most popular of these was the [[Minimoog]]. In 1970, Moog designed an innovative synthesizer with a built-in keyboard and without modular design—the analog circuits were retained, but made interconnectable with switches in a simplified arrangement called "normalization". Though less flexible than a modular design, normalization made the instrument more portable and easier to use. This first pre-patched synthesizer, the [[Minimoog]], became highly popular, with over 12,000 units sold.<ref>{{Citation
 |title=1970 Robert Moog Moog Music Minimoog Synthesizer 
 |publisher=Mix Magazine 
 |date=September 1, 2006 
 |access-date=10 April 2008 
 |url=http://mixonline.com/TECnology-Hall-of-Fame/moog-music-minimoog-090106/ 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328012446/http://mixonline.com/TECnology-Hall-of-Fame/moog-music-minimoog-090106/ 
 |archive-date=28 March 2008 
}}</ref>  The [[Minimoog]] also influenced the design of nearly all subsequent synthesizers, with integrated keyboard, pitch wheel and modulation wheel, and a [[Voltage-controlled oscillator|VCO]]->[[Voltage-controlled filter|VCF]]->[[Voltage-controlled amplifier|VCA]] signal flow. In the 1970s, miniaturized solid-state components let manufacturers produce self-contained, portable instruments, which musicians soon began to use in live performances. Electronic synthesizers quickly become a standard part of the popular-music repertoire. The first movie to use music made with a (Moog) synthesizer was the [[James Bond]] film ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' in 1969. After the release of the film, [[composer]]s produced a large number of movie soundtracks that featured synthesizers.

Notable makers of all-in-one analog synthesizers included Moog, ARP, [[Roland corporation|Roland]], [[Korg]] and [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]]. Because of the complexity of generating even a single note using analog synthesis, most synthesizers remained [[monophonic (synthesizers)|monophonic]]. Polyphonic analog synthesizers featured limited polyphony, typically supporting four voices. [[Oberheim]] was a notable manufacturer of analog polyphonic synthesizers. The [[Polymoog]] was an attempt to create a truly polyphonic analog synthesizer, with sound generation circuitry for every key on the keyboard. However, its architecture resembled an [[electronic organ]] more than a traditional analog synthesizer, and the Polymoog was not widely imitated.

[[File:Buchla Music Easel.jpg|thumb|The [[Buchla Music Easel]] included a number of fader-style controls, switches, patch cord-connected modules, and a keyboard.]]

In 1978, the first [[microprocessor]]-controlled analog synthesizers were created by [[Sequential Circuits]]. These used microprocessors for system control and control voltage generation, including envelope trigger generation, but the main sound generating path remained analog. The [[MIDI]] interface standard was developed for these systems. This generation of synthesizers often featured six or eight voice polyphony. Also during this period, a number of analog/digital hybrid synthesizers were introduced, which replaced certain sound-producing functions with digital equivalents, for example the digital oscillators in synthesizers like the [[Korg DW-8000]] (which played back PCM samples of various waveforms) and the [[Kawai K5]] (waveforms constructed via additive synthesis). With the falling cost of microprocessors, this architecture became the standard architecture for high-end analog synthesizers.