Moog 960 Sequential Controller (1968–1972)

The Moog 960 Sequential Controller is the iconic analog step sequencer — three rows of ten steps, each step with its own rotary knob for setting voltage, laid out in the classic Moog modular panel format. It was the first sequencer Moog ever offered, designed by Moog engineer Jim Scott, and it found its way onto Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Bach — the first major recording to use it. In the Moog modular system, it was typically paired with the companion 961 and 962 modules to expand its sequencing capabilities.

Each of the 960's three rows gives you ten steps, and each step has three rotary controls for setting voltage. The steps can run in series or be driven by external clocks, and the panel includes a stage selector and a clock output. It's a straightforward, hands-on instrument: set the knobs, let it cycle, and it generates patterns that Studio Sound (May 1972, p.33), surveying the early voltage-controlled synth landscape, would have recognized as central to the R. A. Moog approach — the same approach that put Moog at the forefront of commercial synthesiser manufacture.

The record on the 960 is reasonably solid on the front panel and the history, but thin on the electrical side. No frequency response, THD, sensitivity, or voltage range figures survive in the documentation we've found. No dimensions or weight either. What is documented: the module was offered between 1968 and 1972 at an original price of $525 — though one source dates that price to a 1975 ad, so the exact year is a little fuzzy. The 960's reputation has only grown with time; one reviewer called it "the iconic analog step sequencer," and its look and feel have been described as "pure Moog magic."

Known specs, such as they are: