synthesizer
An electronic instrument that generates and manipulates sound using electrical signals.
In Depth
A synthesizer generates sound electronically, using oscillators, filters, and amplifiers to create and shape waveforms. Unlike acoustic instruments, which produce sound through physical vibration, synthesizers build sounds from scratch — allowing the creation of timbres that no acoustic instrument can produce. Robert Moog's modular synthesizer, introduced in the 1960s, brought electronic sound synthesis into mainstream music. The Minimoog (1970) made synthesizers portable and affordable. Synthesizers transformed popular music in the 1980s and remain central to electronic, pop, film, and video game music. Modern software synthesizers replicate vintage hardware sounds and offer virtually unlimited sonic possibilities.
Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Bach (1968) — classical music performed entirely on a Moog synthesizer — was the first classical album to go platinum, selling over a million copies.