The Realistic Concertmate MG-1 is an analog synthesizer co-developed by Tandy and Moog Music as a basic, low-priced synthesizer to be sold by Radio Shack under their "Realistic" brand. With estimated unit sales of 23,000 from 1982 to 1983, the MG-1 became the best-selling synthesizer ever manufactured by Moog Music, and is one of the most widely-owned of all vintage Moog synthesizers.

Background

In 1980, Moog Music was seeking to contract manufacture a mass-marketable synthesizer which could be sold via a large retailer. Moog representatives secured an appointment at the Radio Shack corporate offices for a 5-minute demonstration. Radio Shack approved the concept, and Paul Schreiber (then employed by Tandy Systems Development) worked together with Moog on the synthesizer's design to achieve Radio Shack's price requirements.

Design and features

The MG-1 includes:

  • Two oscillators with sync and detune; one producing either a square or sawtooth waveform, with the other producing either a pulse or sawtooth waveform
  • One 24dB/oct low pass filter/VCF, which can use the envelope generator, has three-position keyboard tracking, and is capable of self-oscillation
  • Three-part envelope generator, with separately adjustable attack and decay or release, and selectable sustain (on or off). The envelope generator can be triggered by either the keyboard, or the LFO
  • Oscillator 2 can be tuned independently or hard-synced to oscillator 1
  • Noise generator. (Digital pseudo-random noise)
  • Ring modulation (labeled "Bell Tone") - this is actually amplitude modulation of VCO 1 and 2)
  • Polyphonic oscillator<!-- capable of full polyphony-->. This is a divide-down, square wave generator. It is routed to the VCF and the VCA
  • LFO that can modulate the oscillators and the filter using a triangle, square, or random sample-and-hold waveform
  • Voltage controlled amplifier with keyed, hold, and envelope modes (accessed via three-way switch, misleadingly only labeled "Tone Sources" but also affecting poly signal)
  • Portamento (labeled "Glide")
  • External control inputs for CV/Gate

The MG-1 was produced without some standard Moog features, such as pitch and modulation wheels, as a cost-cutting measure aimed at achieving a lower price for the consumer market. The synthesizer also featured a stereo pair of pass-through RCA inputs, which allowed users to mix a stereo signal from a radio, phonograph, or other sound source together with the synthesizer's sound output so that the user could "play along with their favorite tunes."

Polyphonic sound

The polyphonic features of this synthesizer are of particular interest as polyphony was rare in synthesizers of the time. The square-wave based polyphony section is described as a "cheesy organ sound" by some, and well-used by others. Since the polyphony section is independently tunable, it can function as a rudimentary third oscillator, allowing the user to create more complex tones than on similar two-oscillator synths. All of the sound-generating features come together in a mixer allowing the levels for the two monophonic tone sources, noise, bell tone, and polyphony to be adjusted independently. The multiple notes of polyphony feed into the single filter, giving a paraphonic result. In 1982–3, few electronic musical instruments had the MG-1 combination of paraphonic poly section and monophonic synthesizer in one instrument.

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