Moog Polymoog Synthesizer reference sheet, 1980

Moog Polymoog Synthesizer reference sheet from 1980.

Someone asked me if I had any type of reference sheet for the Polymoog Synthesizer. I love requests! :o) This one is part of a large family of reference sheets that Moog printed in 1980.

I've seen scans of the front of this reference sheet on the Web in a few places, including dubsounds.com and isaotomita.net, but the back of the sheet is harder to come by. Sure, the front of this reference sheet has a beautiful photo of a Polymoog Synthesizer, but it is the back of this sheet that provides all the juicy reference information you have ever needed. All in one location.

If the saying 'more than the sum of its parts' is true, then the Polymoog must be one hell of an instrument. Of particular interest to me, and apparently a few others, is the very very unique Resonator section (section 13 in the reference sheet).

Ken Elhardt describes it as a "3-band 'Resonator' section that allows Formant-Filtering in addition to its dynamic Filters". And he should know. He took the Resonator section out of his Polymoog (Gaah!) to create a stand-alone unit. And although it hurts me plenty to see the guts ripped out of any synthesizer, his Youtube video is a great demonstration of a disembodied Resonator in action.

Jürgen Haible went one step further and created a printed circuit board that recreated the Resonator circuit. The page also includes an audio sample he made with his prototype. Check out some of his other projects (PCBs, synthesizers and music!) on his Web site.

So, you may be asking - what did Ken do to the rest of that Polymoog once the guts were ripped out and sold off? Well, Ken made it into a coffee table.

No, seriously. It even has drawers. You can find more links to pictures of it on MATRIXSYNTH.

I just don't know if I find this beautiful or horrific. Probably both. My crafty-blogger girlfriend described it as an excellent example of 'down-cycling'. :o)