Robert Moog (Moog Synthesizers) and Apple Computer Inc. have beennamed as recipients of the 2002 Technical Grammy® Award. TechnicalGrammy Award recipients are determined by the vote of the members ofthe Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing and presented toindividuals and/or companies who have made contributions of outstandingtechnical significance to the recording field. Formal acknowledgment ofthe awards will be made on February 26 surrounding the 44th AnnualGrammy Awards ceremony, held at Los Angeles’ Staples Center onWednesday, February 27.
“The technical and creative innovations of Robert Moog and theinventiveness and versatility of the Apple Computer are the toweringachievements of true visionaries,” said Michael Greene, RecordingAcademy president/CEO. “The products of their inspiration introducedelectronic technology into the public consciousness, put the power ofcreation in the hands of the individual, and revolutionized therecording industry.”
Robert Moog’s early development of analog electronic instrumentsmade his name synonymous with the synthesizer and ultimately helpedspawn the electronic music revolution of the ’80s and ’90s. Hiscreation — the Moog synthesizer, which was unveiled in 1965 –introduced a vast array of new sounds and fostered an entirely newcreative process of sound design. Even today, some 30 years later,Moog’s creation (a smaller version of the original synthesizer calledthe “Minimoog”) is still considered by many to be of the holy grail ofsynthesizers.
Apple Computer is considered the leading architect in bringingcomputer technology into the studio and revolutionizing the way musicis written, produced, mixed, recorded and creatively imagined. Theintroduction of the Macintosh in the mid-1980s helped launch a numberof software breakthroughs, linking technology to the creative process,thereby changing the face of the recording studio. Almost immediately,developers began creating revolutionary tools for playing, recordingand editing music, all solidly grounded in the Mac’s user-friendlyinterface. This made the Macintosh virtually synonymous with thecomputer-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 entirealbum. Thus, the Macintosh became the touchstone of a new model forproducing recorded music.
The first Technical Grammy was awarded in 1994. Past winners includeLes Paul, Digidesign’s Pro Tools, Dr. Thomas Stockham Jr., Ray Dolby,Rupert Neve, George Massenburg, Sony/Philips, Georg Neumann GmbH, BillPutnam and AMS Neve.
In 2000, the Recording Academy established the Producers &Engineers Wing, a collection of more than 5,000 professional producers,engineers and technologists. The P&E Wing’s mission is to providean organized voice for the pro sound community, while ensuring its rolein the development of new technologies, recording and masteringstandards, as well as other critical issues affecting their craft, suchas archiving and preservation. The P&E Wing also builds on theexisting professional development activities of the Academy whichinclude workshops, forums, publications and advocacy.
For more information, please visit www.grammy.com.
