The nonprofit Bob Moog Foundation welcomes keyboardist, inventor, and music/audio technology entrepreneur Marcus Ryle to its Board of Directors.
“We are so excited to have Marcus join the Bob Moog Foundation Board of Directors,” stated Board of Directors President David Mash. “Marcus’ unique history of technology innovation and product design make him a perfect fit to help us carry out the mission of the Foundation and promote Bob Moog’s legacy of creativity at the intersection of art and technology.”
Marcus Ryle added, “As is the case for virtually everyone in the synthesizer industry, Bob Moog has had a profound impact on me both musically and technically. Recordings of his instruments were the very first synthesizers to capture my imagination as a child in the late sixties. I also feel very fortunate to have been inspired by him personally during my career in the industry. I can think of no greater honor than to help carry forward his legacy with the Bob Moog Foundation so that generations to come can continue to be inspired by his innovative spirit.”
An innovator and entrepreneur in music and audio technology for over 40 years, Ryle joined Oberheim Electronics in 1980 as a design engineer, helping create several iconic synthesizers. After leaving Oberheim in 1985, Ryle co-founded Fast Forward Designs with Michel Doidic and Susan Wolf.
At Fast Forward, Ryle helped conceive and develop groundbreaking keyboards, drum machines, sound cards, studio effects, and digital multitrack recorders for brands including Alesis, Dynacord, and Digidesign. In 1996 Fast Forward Designs launched its own brand, Line 6, to bring music technology to guitarists through innovations in digital modeling.
Line 6 became a leading brand of guitar effects, amplifiers, and wireless products, and in 2014 was acquired by Yamaha. Ryle later became the general manager of Yamaha’s worldwide guitar division, which included the Line 6 and Ampeg brands along with Yamaha Guitars.
In 2019, Ryle left Yamaha with Susan Wolf to found the consulting firm WRiiG, providing strategy, technology, and mergers and acquisitions advisement in the music and audio industries. In 2022, his career came full circle with a role in relaunching the Oberheim brand and developing the new OB-X8 synthesizer.
His innovations have resulted in 22 U.S. patents and multiple product awards, and have placed him in the Technology Hall of Fame of both Keyboard and Guitar Player magazines.
As a musician, Ryle has performed in bands with his vocalist/keyboardist wife, Susan Wolf, and in the 1980s played keyboards and created sounds on releases for artists including Barbra Streisand, Olivia Newton-John, Christopher Cross, Chicago, Chaka Khan, and Lee Ritenour.
Prior to joining the Board of Directors, Ryle spent three years as a member of the Bob Moog Foundation Board of Advisors. He also serves as co-chair for the organization’s Captains of Industry supporter program.
In 2023, he joins a highly respected roster of music technology, education, and other industry leaders as part of the Bob Moog Foundation’s governing body.
The board’s diverse members include Emmy winners, CFOs, educators, and nonprofit executives. Their varied and exceptional expertise and experience help advance the educational, historical preservation, and museum projects of the organization.
Marcus Ryle is based in Calabasas, California.
Marcus Ryle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-ryle/
The Bob Moog Foundation Board of Directors: https://moogfoundation.org/about/board-of-directors/
