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Enter
Dave Luce
In 1973, an MIT Ph.D. named Dave Luce joined Moog
Music Inc, (then based at Williamsville) as Director of Engineering
and began working on an ambitious project involving three
separate synthesizers collectively know as "The Constellation
Synthesiser Ensemble". The original press release read...
"Available in early '74. 3 new Moog synthesizers coordinated
to create the total sound for today's music". The Constellation
consisted of 3 individual units. The first, the "Lyra
Solo Synthesizer", was basically a beefed up Minimoog
sharing the same 3 oscillator architecture but with a touch
sensitive monophonic 4 octave keyboard. The prototype was
given to Keith Emerson, (Emerson Lake & Palmer), who used
it as his lead synth on their 1974 Brain Salad Surgery album
and subsequent tour. The Lyra never did see the light of day
however and disappeared into obscurity shortly after. It's
likely however, that some of the technology found its way
into the Micromoog (1974) and Multimoog (1978).
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Dave Luce 1975
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The next, (and most important as far as our subject matter is concerned)
was to be the "Apollo Polyphonic Synthesizer". The
Apollo was Dave Luce's project and he worked on it exclusively,
(Bob Moog had no direct involvment in the development of the
Apollo / Polymoog). The
prototype had a five octave polyphonic keyboard and the 1973
press release described it as... "a fully polyphonic
keyboard with a full range of "synthesizer effects"
and four presets including Electric Piano and Voice. It is
the heart of the Constellation ensemble that will play all
the notes and produce a wide spectrum of synthesizer or electronic
piano sounds. The Apollo preset voices have variable controls
combining ease of playing
with true synthesizer versatility". It also went on to
claim that, "one new feature will remember and sustain
every note played "superchords" over 4 octaves.
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Individual articulators and voicing circuits for each key will create
subtle tonal effects. The Apollo supplies what performers
are asking for; synthesiser control over sound with polyphonic
capability". The early Apollo prototype was also given
to Keith Emerson for a time but Luce re-designed it many times
over before it became known as the Polymoog.
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The final part of the ensemble was to be the "Taurus
Bass Synthesizer". A monophonic foot controlled bass
synth, with two oscillators, a switchable three octave range,
individual contours for loudness, filter, glide and sustain
functions. For reasons unknown, during the R&D phase, the
Constellation concept was abandoned. The Lyra disappeared and the Apollo went back to the drawing board
before finally surfacing as the Polymoog along with the Taurus,
two years later but this time as separate, unrelated units.
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The prototype Lyra (top) and Apollo synthesizers (now at
the Audities Museum)
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