via
Moog Music &
The Bob Moog Foundation
"It is with great honor that we announce that Bob Moog is one of the United States Patent and Trademark Office 2013 National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees. This is an honor that is bestowed to 'individuals who conceived, patented, and advanced so many of the great technological achievements that have changed our world.'
Bob is being recognized for Patent No. 3475623 more commonly known to Moog fans as the Moog Ladder Filter. Using the new properties provided by transistors, the Ladder Filter was the first voltage controlled filter. By using voltage control such as keyboards and envelopes to steer the harmonic content of music over time, the Ladder Filter allowed new ways of manipulating sound that became part of the basic grammar for a new vocabulary of musical expression.
This humble invention laid the foundation for the electric pulse that beats through all forms of modern music. Bob brought to life basic concepts of dynamic filters used in the mix in every genre of recorded music today. The Ladder Filter allows the organic movement of sound in such a way that people can not only hear its warmth, but also feel its sweep come to life.
Patent No. 3475623 is best known for its use in the Minimoog Synthesizer and its effect can be heard on genre defining albums by artist like Michael Jackson, Kraftwerk, Parliament Funkadelic, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Dr. Dre, Diana Ross, and Brian Eno.
Everyone at Moog Music is grateful to be a small part of continuing Bob's work and the enduring legacy of Patent No. 3475623. We would like thank the USPTO for recognizing Bob's great innovation. This year's induction ceremony will take place May 1st in Alexandria, VA at the USPTO headquarters."
via
The Bob Moog Foundation:
"The National Inventors Hall of Fame, founded in 1973, annually honors 'the individuals who conceived, patented, and advanced the great technological achievements since the birth of our nation.' Bob Moog, was identified today on the Invent.org’s website as the man behind Patent Number. 3,475,623, (Electronic High-Pass and Low-Pass Filters Employing the Base to Emitter Diode Ristor for Bi-Polar Transistors).
The organization cites the following:
'In 1964, Moog introduced the first complete voltage controlled modular synthesizer, an instrument capable of producing a wide variety of electronic sounds. The Moog synthesizer helped revolutionize the face of music by giving artists and composers the capability to create a brand new palette of sounds. Composer Wendy Carlos was one of the first to usher the synthesizer into the spotlight with the 1968 Switched-On Bach album. Since then, countless performers and composers have utilized the original Moog synthesizer and the Minimoog®, a smaller, portable version of the original instrument.'
'On behalf of the White House, I add my congratulations to this year’s inductees,' said John P. Holdren, President Obama’s science and technology adviser and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. 'Your creativity, perseverance, and entrepreneurialism exemplify the American ‘can-do’ spirit.' Mr. Holdren’s quote was part of the press release issued by the organization.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is the premier non-profit organization in America dedicated to honoring legendary inventors whose innovations and entrepreneurial endeavors have changed the world. Founded in 1973 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Association, the Hall of Fame will have 487 inductees with its 2013 induction.
This year’s induction ceremony will take place on May 1, 2013 at the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The USPTO founded the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1973 and has been a long-standing partner since the organization’s incorporation as a separate, non-profit educational foundation."
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Congratulations to
Moog Music,
The Bob Moog Foundation, Michelle Moog-Koussa (Bob Moog's daughter who runs the foundation), and of course the rest of his family and friends! Heck, congratulations to us, the fans of synthesizers! :) This isn't something we see every day.
BTW, it's worth noting that supporting
Moog Music &
The Bob Moog Foundation not only supports the memory and lifelong work of Bob Moog, but they help introduce that world to new people every day. I like to think of sites like MATRIXSYNTH as supporting the existing community as well as those that have discovered it, but The Bob Moog Foundation brings it to kids that may have never gotten the opportunity to discover our world. If you can support them, please do.
On a side note,
click here for a search on 1963 (a year prior, and the birth of it all) on MATRIXSYNTH. You'll find Korg was formed, Moog and Buchla came out with their modular systems, and other interesting bits happened in the world of electronic music and synthesizers during that time.
