Dr Bob
While there were many explorations into synthetic sonic creation extending right back to the late 1800s, the man we tend to call the grandfather of modern-day synthesis is Robert Moog. Pronounced ‘Moge’, his research into synthesis throughout the ’60s resulted in the creation of the now legendary Minimoog, which packaged the subtractive synthesis concept into a single unit, doing away with the need for huge Moog modular systems, and the numerous patch cables that accompanied them. The Minimoog was still pricey, but it was an all-in-one device, firmly routed in the tradition of subtractive synthesis. As a concept, subtractive is still the most used form of synthesis around, with tentacles straddling into just about all other forms of synthesis in one form or another.