Moog, Apple Computer To Receive Tech GRAMMYs
06/02/2002
Innovators honored for contributions to recording field
GRAMMY.com
Robert Moog and Apple Computer have been named as recipients of the 2002 Technical GRAMMY Award, which honors individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.
Robert Moog
The awards will be presented on Feb. 26 at a ceremony a day before the 44th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Recipients of the Technical GRAMMY Award are determined by the vote of the members of the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing, a group of 5,000 pro-audio professionals dedicated to developing new technologies, recording and mastering standards, as well as other critical issues affecting their craft.
"The technical and creative innovations of Robert Moog, and the inventiveness and versatility of Apple Computer are the towering achievements of true visionaries," said Recording Academy President/CEO Michael Greene. "The products of their inspiration introduced electronic technology into the public consciousness, put the power of creation in the hands of the individual, and revolutionized the recording industry."
Robert Moog's early development of analog electronic instruments made his name synonymous with the synthesizer and ultimately helped spawn the electronic music revolution of the '80s and '90s. His creation - the Moog synthesizer, which was unveiled in 1965 - introduced a vast array of new sounds and fostered an entirely new creative process of sound design.
In 1968, composer Walter (now Wendy) Carlos released the landmark album Switched-On Bach - played on the Moog Synthesizer - to enormous popular and critical acclaim. The album garnered three GRAMMY Awards and remained on Billboard's classical charts for nearly five years. From that point, Moog's instruments made the leap from the electronic avant garde into jazz and commercial popular music. The term "Moog Synthesizer" became a household word. Even today, some 30 years later, Moog's creation (a smaller version of the original synthesizer called the "Minimoog") is still considered by many to be of the holy grail of synthesizers.
Apple Computer
Apple Computer is considered the leading architect in bringing computer technology into the studio and revolutionizing the way music is written, produced, mixed, recorded and creatively imagined. The introduction of the Macintosh in the mid-1980s helped launch a number of important software breakthroughs, linking technology to the creative process, and literally changing the face of the recording studio.
Almost immediately, developers began creating revolutionary tools for playing, recording and editing music, all solidly grounded in the Mac's user-friendly interface. This made the Macintosh virtually synonymous with the computer-driven production techniques of the last decade. Over time, with a Mac and the right tools, a single person could compose, perform, record, edit and mix the instrumental portion of a song or entire album. Thus, the Macintosh became the touchstone of a new model for producing recorded music.
The creation of the Macintosh sparked a flurry of creativity that continues today. With the Mac's powerful new processors and new, Apple-driven applications - such as DVD Studio Pro - Apple continues to build on its historic role in moving studio technology forward.
The first Technical GRAMMY was awarded in 1994. Past winners include Les Paul, Digidesign's Pro Tools, Dr. Thomas Stockham Jr., Ray Dolby, Rupert Neve, George Massenburg, Sony/Philips, Georg Neumann GmbH, Bill Putnam, and AMS Neve, plc.
Recording Academy News - January 31, 2002
