Electronic
27 instruments
Synthesizer
Robert Moog created the first commercially successful synthesizer. The Minimoog in 1970 ma...
Theremin
The only instrument played without touching. Two antennas detect hand position for pitch a...
Turntable
Grandmaster Flash invented turntablism as a musical art form. The Technics SL-1200 is the ...
Sampler
The Fairlight CMI in 1979 was the first digital sampler. The MPC60 by Akai in 1988 transfo...
Drum Machine
The Roland TR-808 defined the sound of hip-hop and electronic music. The TR-909 defined ho...
Eigenharp
A digital instrument with keys, ribbon controllers, and breath pipe. Over 120 keys plus a ...
Reactable
A tangible tabletop synthesizer. Physical objects on a glowing table create and modify sou...
Tenori-On
A grid-based musical instrument designed by Toshio Iwai. 256 LED buttons on a 16x16 grid. ...
Kaossilator
A pocket-sized synth played by touching a touchpad. The X and Y axes control different par...
Otamatone
A Japanese electronic instrument shaped like a musical note. Squeezing the cheeks opens th...
Stylophone
A miniature stylus-operated synthesizer. Over 4 million sold since 1967. David Bowie used ...
Ondes Martenot
Invented by Maurice Martenot. One of the earliest electronic instruments. Played with a ke...
Trautonium
Invented by Friedrich Trautwein. Played by pressing a wire against a rail. The pressure co...
Buchla Synthesizer
Designed by Don Buchla, the alternative to Moog. Uses touch plates instead of keyboard. Th...
Fairlight CMI
The first digital sampler and workstation. Over 250,000 dollars when released. Peter Gabri...
LinnDrum
The first drum machine with digital samples of real drums. Invented by Roger Linn. Used on...
Akai MPC60
The machine that built hip-hop. 16 velocity-sensitive drum pads. Invented by Roger Linn fo...
Roland TB-303
Designed as a bass accompaniment for solo guitarists. Failed commercially at launch. Redis...
Roland TR-808
The drum machine that built hip-hop. The booming kick drum is heard on thousands of record...
Roland TR-909
The drum machine that built techno and house. The hybrid analog and digital design was gro...
Elektron Machinedrum
A Swedish drum machine and synthesizer. 16 tracks with individual synthesis engines. The L...
OP-1
A portable synthesizer, sampler, and sequencer by Teenage Engineering. The compact design ...
LinnStrument
A multi-touch MIDI controller by Roger Linn. 200 pressure-sensitive pads arranged like a g...
Moog Modular
The first commercial modular synthesizer. Bob Moog built them by hand in upstate New York....
ARP 2600
A semi-modular synthesizer used on the original Star Wars soundtrack. Over 3,000 units bui...
Crumar GDS
A hybrid digital-analog synthesizer. Used by Stevie Wonder extensively. Over 500 units mad...
EMS VCS 3
The British alternative to the Moog Modular. A portable analog synthesizer with a pin matr...