Question: When was the first synthesizer used?

Question: When was the first synthesizer used?

Music has been around for most of humanity. It’s gone through so many changes and rebirths. There are so many styles and instruments it’s amazing to think of how many different types of tones and sounds you can create. And if we bring in the synthesizer those possibilities become even more infinite.

A lot of us remember the 1980’s and the use of the synthesizers in modern music. So many genres grew from that 1 instrument. There was new wave, synth pop, electronic, post-punk, and glam rock just to name a few. And so many artists based their sound around a synthesizer at the time. But were the 80’s when the first synthesizer used?

Let's take a step back for a minute. A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals through methods of subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis, or frequency modulation synthesis. In a simpler way it’s a circuit that generates a tone which is controlled and altered by an input. The first synthesizer came about in 1956 by the company RCA. They created the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer Mark I. But this synthesizer was still limited to what it could do. And it didn’t look like the synths we recognise today with a keyboard attached.

It wasn’t until 1964 when Bob Moog and Herbert Deutsch created a voltage-controlled oscillator and amplifier module with a keyboard. And in 1967 they would name it a synthesizer. Also in 1967 was the first year a commercial recording album would use a synthesizer. It was The Monkees on their Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd album. Mickey Dolenz bought one of the first Moog synthesizers and used it for the album.

Synthesizers are still evolving today. They come in different price ranges, and also in different formats. You can buy ones that fit in your pocket, ones that are completely digital in music software programs, or even similar to the styles of the early years. They are some of the most fun ways to learn about sounds and music. So if you want to tap into a strange realm of noises grab yourself a synth and explore.