Synthesizer innovator Moog Music says its Minimoog Model D synthesiser app has topped over a million downloads, following a move to free distribution in March. 

Previously a paid download for iOS users, the app replicates the sound of the original Minimoog Model D, launched in 1971.That pioneering electronic instrument has been used by everyone from Herbie Hancock and Bob Marley to Dr. Dre and Trent Reznor. 

“Our mission is, and has always been, to support artists and foster their creativity with our instruments,” said Moog Music President Mike Adams on social media. “Doing that in a way that is accessible to so many was the right thing to do during this difficult time.”

The Asheville-based synthesizer company says the original Minimoog Model D synthesizer served as the archetype for all electronic keyboards that followed. Its portability, accessibility, and sound design capabilities made it the go-to instrument for musicians looking to expand beyond the traditional sounds of the time. 

“It has been truly inspiring to see and hear how our community has embraced the app, from individual explorations of the power of sound design to remote collaborations as artists work together on songs,” reflects Joe Richardson, Moog Music’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Users have shown us just how possible it is to stay creative and expand how we express ourselves during this time of social distancing, even as the rooms we live in feel smaller than once before. This imagination and ingenuity exemplify exactly what Bob Moog embodied and wished for when he founded this company 66 years ago.”

This new iteration takes full advantage of the iOS platform, incorporating a number of sound creation tools and capabilities not present on its analogue ancestor.

Bernie Worrell used the Minimoog Model D to establish Parliament Funkadelic’s futuristic funk sound. Kraftwerk famously employed the Minimoog Model D on the album Autobahn. Gary Numan replaced his live band’s guitars with Minimoog Model D synthesizers, creating the prototype for industrial music. The classic sound of the Minimoog Model D can be heard on albums like Bob Marley’s Catch A Fire, Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, as detailed in Moog’s mini-doc series A Brief History Of The Minimoog.