RIP Walter Sear

photo by adriana trujillo via ZU33

We lost another synth pioneer. Walter Sear passed away yesterday. He was currently running Sear Sound NYC. Some synth related snips via Wikipedia:

"Walter E. Sear (1930-2010) was an American recording engineer, instrument importer, instrument designer, inventor, composer, tuba player, movie producer, synthesizer pioneer, and vintage recording equipment guru. Since 1970 he ran the legendary Sear Sound recording studio in New York City, which is known for its vast collection of vintage analog recording gear and is patronized by bands such as Sonic Youth, Steely Dan, Wynton Marsalis, and Paul McCartney...

Sear started out his long and varied career as a classical tuba player. After 4 years at the Curtis Institute of Music, he landed a job as principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He later was a freelancer in New York City, playing for 6 years with the Radio City Music Hall pit orchestra as well as The Symphony of the Air, The Goldman Band, Sound of Music and numerous commercial studio dates...

In the late 50's he became friendly with Robert Moog after buying parts from him for a homemade Theremin. In the early 60's, Sear used his music industry connections to become Moog's sales agent and business partner. He encouraged Moog to make his synths more practical, eventually leading, in the late 60's, to the development of portable synthesizers which could be used in live performance. Sear also became known as a performer and composer on the Moog synthesizer for various movie soundtracks including Midnight Cowboy...

He built his first recording studio in 1964 as one of the first commercial electronic music studios. Sear Sound is the oldest recording studio in New York City, and boasts over 285 vintage and contemporary microphones, four rebuilt Studer recorders used by the Beatles at Abbey Road, and one of the earliest Moog synthesizers, built by Sear with Moog[2][3]."

Walter Sear's Moog Modular

YouTube Uploaded by AutomaticGainsay on Nov 18, 2011

"When the Bob Moog Foundation was in New York City, Michelle Moog-Koussa and I were able to swing by Sear Sound to see Walter Sear's Moog modular... and then we were lucky enough to play it! The video was hastily filmed with an iPad, and the modular was hastily played through an Ampeg Gemini V amp. So, yeah... basically you're not only watching me play a historically significant Moog, but you're also witnessing the very first time I've ever played a Moog modular. Thanks to Michelle, huge thanks to Roberta, and infinite thanks to Walter Sear and Bob Moog."

Moogfest Panels Feature Mavericks, Legends and Pioneers

"Moogfest History and Technical Panels Draw on Deep Legacy and Industry Connections

The Bob Moog Foundation is bringing together top minds in history, technology and education for this year’s history and technical panels. Experts, ranging from Bob’s colleagues in the seminal days of synthesis to the more contemporary sound sculptors of today, are coming from around the country to share their ideas and vast experiences. The Bob Moog Foundation will be responsible for the historical content at Moogfest, including items from Dr. Bob’s Archives such as rarely seen vintage photographs and historic audio clips from recently restored reel-to-reel tapes.

All panels, demonstrations, and workshops will take place between Noon and 6:30 PM EST at the Moogaplex, located at the Haywood Park Hotel complex at 1 Battery Park Avenue in downtown Asheville, just a stone’s throw from many of the music venues. They are first come, first serve for those who bought either weekend passes or have a pass for that particular day.
Convergence – Hardware and Software Integration in the 21st Century & The Award of OMG-1 One-Of-A-Kind Synth (Friday, 3pm)


The One-Of-A-Kind OMG-1, designed by Eric Persing

The creation of electronic music has always relied on exploring all technologies available. In the modern context, that often means transcending the divide between the tactile experience of hardware devices and the ever-increasing capabilities of computers. An incredible panel of sonic explorers moderated by Spectrasonics’ founder Eric Persing will investigate the challenges of how electronic instruments can reach their ultimate potential through the convergence of multiple technologies.

During this panel, Persing will be awarding his one-of-a-kind OMG-1 synthesizer to the winner of the OMG-1 Contest, Torley Wong. You won’t want to miss this historical moment!

CLICK FOR MORE »

EML Electrocomp 100

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.


via this auction

There's a cat in the bunch. As always, if you are going to bid on this stuff, be careful. This one is Money Order only.

Update1 via cornutt in the comments:
"Info on the EML 100 is surprisingly hard to find, compared to its better-known cousin, the 101. Here's a link to an email chain that discusses some of the differences. The 100 is actually a lot more rare than the 101."

Update2 via Laurie Spiegel in the comments; "Hi Matrix. The guy running that auction is in error. I've sent him messages saying the 200 was before the 100 but he doesn't believe me and won't change it. I want to correct the choronology before this misinfo spreads any further because once something's all over the net it's forever.

According to the 1st edition of Mark Vaile's book (the edition I happen to have here) the 200 dates from 1969, and the 100 came out in 1971. Mark gives 2 dates for the 200: 1969 on p. 128 and 1972 on p. 129. The p. 129 date was a typo.

I am just about certain from my own experience that the 100, with its black and white keyboard, was released after the 200 purely modular model and its Model 300 Controller. I visited EML in CT a couple of times and their eariler products were meant to be marketed for educational use, not live performance. Also I've owned a 100, a 200 and a 300 since the early 1970s and IMHO the 200 has a just plain older feel and style and concept.

Though my memory for specific dates may be a bit fuzzy 4 decades later, my paper records show I was hired in fall 1970 to teach at a college that had an Electrocomp studio based on the 200 modular synth its 300 controller.

If anyone has any info that differs from what I've written here, please post it. It was a long time ago.

Thanks again for a great site Matrix,

- Laurie Spiegel"

Peter Forrest's A-Z of Analogue Synthesizers confirms the order as well, although he has the 100 starting in 1970 vs. 1971. According to that book, the 200 came out in 1969 (1969 - 1980) and the 100 in 1970 (1970 - 1972). Regardless, the order is 200 followed by 100. Both books are listed in the Synth Books section.

Update3 via Sasha. The verdict is still out:

"I ran across some background info on the Electrocomp 100 from Christopher Landers who was a famous newscaster back in the day. Thought you might be interested as it seems to suggest that the EML100 was the first synth in the line and that the separate modules came later (as opposed to what Laurie Spiegel is saying here: http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2006/11/eml-electrocomp-100.html ). He said it would be ok to post this info and quote him.

I got mine directly from Walter Sear when I was in high school (I worked at his studio in NYC and was in the room when Keith Emerson was being taught how to work his new Moog C3). Sear had been working with Moog in a business deal until Moog brought in Musonics and Sear split. At that point, Sear found the EML guys in nearby CT and had them create a box that could take on Mini-Moog ...but with the two note deal. The Electrocomp thus became the first "polyphonic" synth--using the top and bottom notes played on the keyboard so the oscillators knew what command to carry out--and also the first device to use IC's. I believe it was later that EML came up with a "box" without a keyboard. I should mention here that Bob Moog, while being the exceptional engineer that he was ...with the higher invention of "voltage control" that permeated many more electronics systems than simply synths (such as medical devices). It was Sear who suggested using a keyboard controller (Moog was set on a resistance strip, which also showed up sitting on top of keyboards for a while). Controllers, back in those days, were the holy grail. It was Sear who experimenting early with the guitar controller. As he related to me: "We can control an oscillator with almost any instrument because we can determine what frequency the controller is making and send that information to the oscillator; the problem with the guitar and other stringed instruments is multiple strings. A guitar has six strings and you can have six oscillators but, which oscillator plays in reponse to which string?" Is that great or what?

Best, Sasha"

Update4 via mr.scappy in the comments: "I have a 100 and a blue-face 200, and each has a different address for EML screen-printed on the control panel. Both list P.O. Box H, but the 100 has the city address as Talcottville, CT, 06080, and the blue-face 200 has the address at Vernon, CT 06066. (Today the 06080 zip is specific only to MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Interesting.)

All of my literature for EML synths shows the Vernon address, and the EML-100 is not included among the synths shown. Perhaps the 100 was built at the Talcottville location and all others at the Vernon location? This would seem to place the 100 first in line. Just a thought."

Update5: Sasha contacted Jeff Bachiochi who worked for EML. Here is what he had to say:

"If I'm not mistaken the 100 was the first keyboard synthy that EML produced but not the first synthesizer. The first was a studio type that was just oscillators, mixers, filters, sampler, and ring modulator connected by patch cords and manually controlled with knobs. Which blue was the original color of all EML products, the line quickly went into a brush aluminum style with etch black nomenclature. These were originally made for class room use and the blue paint used would chip off, from all the patch cord plugging and unplugging by the students. Ah, those were fun times."

followed by:

"Yes, Sasha, the first was the 200. That's how I got started with EML. My wife (then girl friend) told me that her High School music class had gotten this electronic music box and the address on the front was the local town. I stopped by the factory, which was in basement of one of the three co-owner's house. We began a long time friendship and I started to work for them as their first employee. The 300 came on line soon after using a keypad as the first crude kind of keyboard."

Update (6/29/2011) via Prosper in the comments:

"I now own this synth. It was refurbished and repaired in 2007 with the following mods. A) Filter has been opened up so the Filter Octave Switch goes one higher and one lower than on the synth. Very handy. B) For the Noise pot in the filter mixer, instead of going between white and pink noise it goes from white to OSC 1 output so OSC 1 does not have to patched into the filter mixer. Very handy.

I've pointed out the differences between the 100 and 101 on the VSE page for the 100."

The New World of Electronic Music by Walter Sear

via this auction.

Details:
"'The New World of Electronic Music' by Walter Sear
'A practical book that gives the Basic Principles of:
- Sound
- Acoustics
- Electricity
- Magnetism
- Recording Techniques
. . . necessary to understand the Concepts and Functions of the Synthesizer'
Softcover, 131 pages
Cover slightly faded-looking, all else is perfect
Has illustrations depicting acoustic principles, oscillators, EGs, VCAa, harmonic structures, tape techniques, etc."

R.A.Moog modular psychedelic sixties synthesizer

Published on Apr 10, 2016 CZRider01's channel

"Live jam with an old 1969 R.A.Moog Modular system IP. Solo on a Casio CZ-101 with the Moog providing the background rhythm transposed by the lower half of the keyboard.
The Moog has a build date of August 11,1969 and was sold to Walter Sear who was the distributer of many R.A.Moog products. This Moog left the Trumansburg,NY factory the week of Woodstock. Perhaps Walter Sear was looking for a sale with all the famous artists in New York that week. The Moog ended up in a famous Manhatten studio. It was sold in 1981 to a professor who kept the Moog stored for 17 years. I acquired the Moog in 2008 and refurbished the barely used Moog and it is about 97% original replacing only power supply caps. The original configuration for the IP had 12 blank spaces. I have since filled those spaces with period correct 1969/70 modules adding a 904B high pass filter and the 904C filter coupler. Along with an additional 911 envelope generator, 911A dual trigger delay and 912 envelope follower. Two additional spaces were filled with DIY clone modules I built to the same 1969 specs with a 902A band pass filter adaptor and a 982 final output mixer."

Moog Bode Frequency Shifter model 6552 Owned by Walter Sear

via this auction

"This auction is for a super-rare rack mount Bode Frequency Shifter Model 6552 by R.A Moog. This is from the personal collection of Phil Cirocco of CMS / Discrete Synthesizers. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a rare piece of electronic music history.

This is serial #1001 and is the very first Frequency Shifter produced by R.A. MOOG. This particular 6552 was once owned by the great Walter Sear. It features ring modulator diodes that were hand selected by Harold Bode himself! It is listed in the Moog Archives http://moogarchives.com/ on the left menu select: "lists and charts", then: "custom sales" then: "frequency shifter".

There were 2 major incarnations of frequency shifters made by Moog/Bode. The first one (model 6552) is the one you see here. It is all discrete and uses actual diode rings and transformers for its ring modulator circuits. The second version (model 1630) is an op-amp chip version that uses balanced modulator ICs for its RM circuits. The second version, while being more convenient, does not sound anything like the first version.

I can say with confidence that you will never see one of these for sale again in your lifetime.

This Frequency Shifter is in excellent condition. There are no scratches on the front panel. It is #1 out of a known total of 11 units made. It was made by R.A. Moog under contract with Harold Bode. It is all original and functions perfectly. It is NOT a clone and it has a valid serial number and pedigree. It was recently calibrated here at CMS. It uses terminal strips in the back as all early Bode rack mount units do, so you will have to use a patch-bay nearby."


This one in via Keld.

Update via Michelle Moog-Koussa: I heard from Michelle Moog-Koussa, Bob Moog's daughter and Executive Directory of The Bog Moog Foundation. She stated, "I'm 99% sure that the model number and serial number are written in Dad's handwriting.

This piece was issued on August 21, 1968. Thirty-seven years later to the day the frequency of the whole electronic music community would shift as Bob's body left us......."

1967 Moog Synthesizer Catalog

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"1967 was the first year Moog had a synthesizer catalog to support their product line, which was entirely custom built at that point. The catalog front has minor wear on the cover, particularly on the bottom edge, that prevent this from being labeled as new/unused. All the pages are intact, none are creased or torn, there is no thumb wear or staining on any of the pages, no writing of any sort on the inside or outside, no dogears or damage. Included is a letter from R.A. Moog dated October 1967. The front cover is rubber stamped Joseph Sear Company with the Manhattan address. Sear Sound was his only sales rep. I will quote Bob Moog in his interview for the Vintage Synthesizers book (Mark Vail)

'Walter Sear had been beating a path up and down Madison Avenue, selling modular systems to commercial music producers who did work for ad agencies. He had something like 40 customers by 1968. But when Switched on Bach came out, the shit hit the fan.'

1967 was the first year any synthesizer manufacturer anywhere had offered the general public a catalog and this is one of them. Very few of these catalogs were ever printed because his scope was limited entirely to NYC, and this is almost certainly the only one left in this condition. If you're shopping for a gift for your favorite Moog synthesizers collector, they don't have one of these. This is a piece of music history."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Foreigner - Cold As Ice (Live At The Rainbow '78) w/ an EML 101

video upload by Mercury

EML 101 lead at 4:10

Two synth spotting videos sent in via Dustin who had the following to say (2nd video below):

"I don't recall ever seeing an EML 101 onstage with any of the big 70's radio bands -of course, it's almost always the MiniMoog, Arp 2600/Odyssey, etc. So I was a bit baffled trying to figure out exactly what synth this is during this live video.

It's a bit hard to see, and it's on a custom raised stand facing the audience, separate from the connected keyboard. The tip off for me that it might be an EML 101 was the distinct metal closing latch that you can see here on the keyboard.

As always, this killer synth sounds great, and kudos to him for having the guts to play a bit of a different rig than seemed to be on everyones elses stage at the time.

Anybody know of another big band like this using EML's live?

Update: some mentions of other artists that used the EML 101 in previous posts here.

And:

Foreigner - Double Vision (Official Music Video)

video upload by RHINO

In this video you can clearly see that this is an EML 101 (pause at 0:52).

"You're watching the official music video for Foreigner - 'Double Vision' from the album 'Double Vision' (1978). 'Double Vision' reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100."

Update2 via Rick Steff in the comments: "al talks about it here: https://al-greenwood.com/home/blog/a-classic-turns-50" From that link:

A CLASSIC TURNS 50!

The EML 101 Synthesizer turns 50 this year! I was working with the late and great Walter Sear at Sear Sound Studio when he introduced me to this ground-breaking synth. He was also a partner with Robert Moog and instrumental in developing the Minimoog. I used this synth on the first 2 Foreigner albums on the tracks - 'Feels Like the First Time, Cold As Ice, Damage is Done, and Spellbinder.

Historical Moog Modular Synthesizer "Performance" From 1969

Leonard Bernstein: Young People's Concerts Vol. 2 | Bach Transmogrified

Marius Buia
Published on Oct 9, 2015

"Original Broadcast: April 27, 1969"

Comes in after 15:10. Switched on Bach gets a mention. Unfortunately the "performance" is moor of a "pose" with a pre-recording on tape by Walter Sear. Still fun to watch, especially the kids' reactions, or lack thereof for some. Note the system is powered on, as you can see the sequencers are running. Also, for some context, the Minimoog wouldn't be released until a year later in 1970.

Update: video of the Moog performance:

Young People's Concert: "Bach Transmogrified" / Bernstein · New York Philharmonic

Leonard Bernstein

This one is in via @auralhistories

"Young People's Concert: 'Bach Transmogrified'
with the New York Philharmonic
Written and conducted by Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein discusses different transmogrifications or treatments of Bach's works. After an organ recital of the Little Fugue, guest conductor Leopold Stokowski conducts his own transcription of the fugue for symphony orchestra. Other transmogrifications include Foss' Phorion and a version of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 performed by the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble.

In this excerpt, Bernstein discusses the Bach Little Fugue in G Minor heard on the Moog Synthesizer.

Original CBS Television Network Broadcast Date: April 27, 1969
Produced and directed by Roger Englander

Available through KulturVideo.com: http://www.kulturvideo.com/Young-Peop...

© 1990, 1993 The Leonard Bernstein Office Inc."

Paul F. Conly Resume from 1970 Featuring Bob Moog as a Personal Reference & Experience with a Moog Modular

This one is in via Switched On Austin where you'll find some additional info on Paul F. Conly if you are not familiar with who he is. Take a look at the second page of the resume under Research as well as References. 1969 experience with a Moog Synthesizer and both Walter Sear and Bob Moog as personal references. Wow! :)

CLICK FOR MORE »

Beastie Boys, Grand Royal Magazine Issue 3

via this auction

Beastie Boys' Grand Royal magazine

"Comes with original Grand Royal "synth" iron on t-shirt transfer which has never been removed from the magazine, be aware that this is about 15 years old and so is not guaranteed to work should you choose to try it! There is some marking and slight scuffs on the cover but the magazine is in otherwise good condition with all pages unmarked and intact. Features a great 32 page feature on "everything analog" (synth) with Bob Moog, Dick Hyman, Wendy Carlos, Walter Sear, Stereolab and Money Mark also the story beheind Adidas. A great read!"

Walter Sear - Little Fugue in G Minor (moog synthesizer) 1969

video upload by g r

R.A. Moog Bode Frequency Shifter

Moog Bode Frequency shifter on the bay. Title link takes you to shots saved for posterity.



"Serial number 1001. According to www.moogarchives.com, this unit was originally purchased by Walter Sear in 1968. We acquired it through a VEMIA auction in 1998.

Overall condition is excellent, and all the electrolytic capacitors were replaced two years ago."