History
At a time when Bob Moog and others were pioneering the concept of voltage control
for oscillators, filters, amplifiers, and more, Bob Moog again broke the mold and
conceived a fixed filter bank; no voltage control! This was not an equalizer although it
had certain visual characteristics of one. No, the intent of the FFB was to enhance the
primary signal, adding harmonics at specific frequencies or removing them at others.
This was a time when musicians and engineers were struggling to come to terms with
the new synthesizers charging across the music industry and how to employ them in
the composing and performing world. Some wanted completely new and never before
heard sonic landscapes to push themselves and their audiences into new worlds of
musical experience. Others wanted to create more traditional and familiar sounds,
while still pushing the boundaries and making use of the new voltage controls,
features, and character not available in a traditional "unplugged" instrument. Some
wanted both. Enter the Moog Fixed Filter Bank. A filter which helped composers and
performers by allowing them to add subtle or not so subtle resonances to the signal or
removing frequency bands altogether. This process, when mixed in with the unaltered,
"dry" signal, can mimic the actual behavior of a traditional instrument which has
inherent natural, resonant modes due to construction and design. It can also act on its
own as a unique and creative source of sound shaping possibilities not available in
other filter structures. It's a wonderful module and addition to any musical composition
whether traditional or on the edge.
Of course, musicians are not going to confine their creativity to an intended use! This
filter opens up amazing sonic vistas by adding a unique emphasis and bite to a signal.
This results in an effect that goes beyond a basic equalizer by adding or subtracting
harmonic content to a signal at specific points in the frequency spectrum. With 14 knobs to
tweak, the 914 offers a lot of control as it stands. While the attenuators don’t alter the
Q, they do offer the ability to control how much of that frequency band is added to the
signal.
This plug-in of course started with the genius and vision of Bob Moog. The next stage
came with the resurgence of analog modular synthesizers and those who were
resurrecting the great modules of the past and developing new modules for the future.
Several clones of the 914 were being introduced primarily based on active filter design
structures. The original structure of the 914, using simple inductors, capacitors, and
resistors for the filter cells, has subtle interactions which become lost in the sterile
world of semiconductors. These recent efforts were valiant and produced clones
worthy of admiration. However, a design based on The original structure was begging
