Last month on August 21st, Robert Moog passed away at age 71 from a brain tumor. Although perhaps not directly involved in the creation of Doctor Who, he did play a role in the series old and new. As Bob Moog (rhymes with "vogue") had invented the Moog synthesizer which gave Doctor Who it's signature sound. From various revisions of the theme music to many of the special effects sounds, to the famous (or infamous) Dalek voices. Even today, in the 2005 series, Moog synthesizers continue to play a role in the sound of Doctor Who.

The Dalek voices of old and the new series were created by speaking into a ring modulator, a device invented by Bob Moog. If not for Moog, the Daleks we know and grew up with may have a completely different sound.

Bob Moog also collaborated with Wendy Carlos to refine the synthesizer functionality. Carlos used electronic synthesizers for the memorizing soundtracks for films such as Kurbrick's A Clockwork Orange and groundbreaking film Tron.

The original Doctor Who theme made possible by Delia Derbyshire and composed by Ron Grainer was actually created prior to synthesizers. Each note had to be created individually and played through a bank of tape decks. A very laborious chore indeed... Step in Bob Moog and his inventions to change how sound could be created and Doctor Who took advantage of the achievements that Moog made possible.