Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 14:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: Cary Roberts <Cary.Roberts@wcom.com>
To: Analogue Heaven <analogue@hyperreal.org>
Subject: [AH] Paul Schreiber's "Moog"

This came from DIY.  Figured it belonged in the archives.

Forwarded message:
_________________________________________________________________
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 23:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: Paul Schreiber <synth1@airmail.net>
To: inman@interpath.com,
    synth-diy@mailhost.bpa.nl
Sender: owner-synth-diy@mailhost.bpa.nl
Subject: Re: Paul's "Moog"

>Paul S.  designed the Radio Shack Moog!  I'll be damned.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Since this pops up every now and then, and I'm taking a break bagging up
7,620 resistors, here is the "story".

Radio Shack has no engineering. Rather, that falls (er...'fell') under TSD
(Tandy Systems Design). Also, twice a year Radio Shack holds a private version 
of COMDEX/CES, just for them! Vendors line up 50 deep and present their wares.
Back then (early '80s) about 40% of gear in a Radio Shack was bought 'outside'.
Most electronics was made in a Korean factory that Tandy owned a majority 
share called EnCal (EnCal made all of Pioneer's and Alpine's car stereos 
there).

So, during one of these mini-trade shows who is on the presentation list
(which TSD got in advance) but a one 'Dr. D. Luce'. Well, when I saw Mr. 
PolyMoog on the list I had to see this. So sure enough here he wanders in 
with a hand-made small synth. He demos it. Bernie Appel, the #1 decision maker 
(er...the *ONLY* decision maker of what went in the store or not) had this type
of conversation (I am giving not exact, but the general idea. It was 16-17
years ago!)

BA:  What the f*** is that piece of s***? (BA enjoyed treating all new
     vendors this way. This was his equivalent of "Hello.")
DDL: It's a music synthesizer prototype. [Proceeds on a 3 minute demo. You
     had 5 minutes to present. Period!!]
BA:  (interested, but certainly not going to show it to the Yankee geek) How
     the hell do you plug it in?
DDL  points out the 1/4" jack.
BA:  Where in the holy hell, in my store (they were always referred to as "my
     stores") does that thing go? Up my ass?

See, RS had not a single piece of gear that had 1/4" jacks! All RCA. BA knew
this.

DDL at this point looks like he's gonna puke. He's quivering & sweating like
a whore in church (sorry, that's another BA expression!)

BA:  Play me a tune. [DDL one-fingers a classical thingy.]

BA:  That damn thing busted? What's with this 1 finger shit?
     [DDL explains about monophonic blah blah blah.]

BA turns to me.

BA:  You know what the hell he's talking about?
Me:  (thinking this is a trick question) Err...yeah.
BA to DDL: We'll look at it. NEXT!!!!

So began the Luce/Schreiber effort. What he had was the boards out of a
Minimoog, no A440 osc, no noise, in a box. So, I got handed that, designed 
the MG-1 version (added the organ stuff BECAUSE BA was convinced that typical 
RS customers wanted more than 1 note). Added RCA jacks, ring mod do-dad. Then, 
had to specify parts that Moog never had to use: cheapo pots. I'll admit it: 
CHEAPO. They were ALPS and I think we paid (back then) about 23 cents apiece.

That is because the RS gross profit margin was an unheard of 63% (the
average of ALL the Forture 500 is like 8%) and lastly, I spent about 3 weeks 
on just the panel layout and color scheme & wrote the Owner's Manual along 
with, oddly enough, Steve Leininger who designed the TRS-80. He played a Vox 
in a jazz band and BA wanted his opinion as well.

Luce and I went back & forth about 5 months until they delivered the
"pre-production" units. Moog made them, Tandy supplied most of the parts (we 
had a company in Japan that bought parts and resold them to Tandy. One day 
I'll tell my funny modem capacitor story.)

So, the story was:

a) Moog presented the original idea to RS
b) They dumped it on me. I had to make it "Radio Shack compliant". Which
   meant a re-design. Used the 3046 + Tel Labs tempco for the VCO. More 
   Electronotes than Moog! Moog ladder filter, 3080 VCA. Prototype had mod 
   wheel; *PUNT!*. Cost like $3. Get real.
c) Moog built it.
d) Tandy had 18 months exclusive. Moog then made the Rogue which is my
   design without the organ/ring mod, wheels back on.
e) No, I didn't get a free MG-1 or a Rogue.
f) No, I didn't get alot of money. At that time I was making about $21,500/yr.

Final note: NO!!! I DID NOT pick that stupid black felt that lays over the
sliders, then turns to tar. That was Luce's deal. But, I DID get Luce to send
me *every* piece of Moog literature at the time: still have it!

Paul Schreiber
Synthesis Technology






