Today, it’s almost impossible to find modern music without some kind of synthesizer sound in it. Whether it’s pop, rock, EDM, hip-hop, or even film scores, the synth plays an important role. But this wasn’t always the case. In fact, it took many years for musicians to understand how useful and expressive this instrument could be.
One of the first people to truly show the world what a synthesizer could do was Wendy Carlos. In 1968, she released an album called Switched-On Bach. This album used a Moog synthesizer to perform classical pieces written by the legendary composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It was a bold idea, because at that time, most people thought the synthesizer was just a strange machine that made unusual noises. But Carlos proved everyone wrong.
Even though Switched-On Bach became a huge success, the process of making the album was extremely difficult. Early synthesizers were very limited. They could only play one note at a time, and the musician had to carefully adjust wires and knobs for every sound. Carlos later explained that playing emotional, romantic music on such a basic machine was a real challenge. She said, “It was such a limited device… very lacking in any form of expression.” But she worked through those challenges and created a groundbreaking album that showed how beautiful and powerful a synthesizer could be.
As technology improved, more bands and artists began trying to include synthesizers in their songs. However, this wasn’t an easy transition for everyone. Rock bands especially struggled to find the right balance between traditional instruments like guitar, bass, and drums, and the new electronic sounds that synths produced.
A great example of this struggle is the band Rush, known for their amazing musicianship. When Rush started using more synthesizers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it changed the way the band worked. Guitarist Alex Lifeson later said that he wasn’t angry, but he definitely felt his role was changing. At first, he enjoyed experimenting with keyboards and new sounds. But as time passed, the synth began to take over many parts of Rush’s music, and Lifeson had to completely rethink his guitar style.
Geddy Lee, the band’s singer and bassist, later admitted that he didn’t fully understand at the time how difficult this change was for Lifeson. On some albums, the keyboard parts were added before the guitar, which made it much harder for Lifeson to fit in his parts naturally. One of the albums that caused the most tension was Power Windows. Lee said that this was the point when Lifeson began to resent the synthesizer, because it often overshadowed the guitar.
Despite these challenges, the synthesizer helped shape a new era of music. It allowed bands to explore new sounds, new textures, and new emotions. What started as a strange electronic device became one of the most important instruments of the modern age.
Today, the synthesizer is everywhere because musicians like Wendy Carlos and bands like Rush took risks, experimented, and pushed the boundaries of what music could be. Their efforts helped turn the synth into the versatile, expressive, and powerful instrument that we know today.