Driscoll Modular

Update: Some comments with additional info from Ken below. Click on comments at the end of this post.

Wow. Josue Arias sent this to me. You can put this on the list of the rarest of the rare. I'm not one to benchmark rarity against, but I've never seen or even heard of one of these before. The only thing that comes up on Google is this site with a brief reference of the Driscoll. The Analog Heaven archives come up dry as well.

Josue refers to the Driscoll as a Driscoll/Serge modular. He states, "the 'serge' part is just because the similar modules in it (Slope generators, Random voltages, cv processors, Analog shift register,...) and because my system even have a serge 5 stage sequencing programmer!, but driscoll designed the same functions than the serge modular using another electronic aproach and design, so is not a clone(!)"

The Driscoll was built in the 70s by Australian composer/designer/engineer Julian Driscoll. Josue, believes the original Driscoll was a 10-12 panel system.

As for the sound?
"The sound for this synth is incredible, its really "organic", it sound like creatures more than electronics : ) I have it next to my 4 panel serge and I really like the driscoll sound a lot more."

http://www.cyndustries.com/bugmusic/17.mp3

"All the water drops/woodblocks/marimba/rithms, comes from the driscoll. I think it show the organic qualities. I`m ataching you a couple of photos but they are from my old studio"

Wow. Thanks for sharing this Josue.

Update:
Josue gave me the ok to post the following thread. Thanks Josue!
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I`ve found some of the conversaions I had with australian composer
Warren Burt, He used the Driscoll and even it have a CD now for sale
made with it!:

"Hello Mr. Burt,

I`m Josue Arias, a musician and sound engineer from Madrid(SPAIN)
I just got the old Segemodular tape from 1983, and I`ve found you have
a nice piece there called "You want, maybe, something a little intense
diatonic?"

I was reading the liner notes when I noticed you used a combined
Serge/Driscoll/Aardvark modular synthesizer for the composition.
I know we are thousand of miles away but now I have here a part of the
driscoll synthesizer here!
I have 6 panels, most of the synthesizer was broken when I bought it
but I`m repairing it and now 4 complete panels are working again
except for a couple of minor faults.
Also I own 4 modern Serge panels and the interaction is perfect. I`ve
found the sound of the old driscoll to be very "organic", I like it
more than the serge modular for percussive sounds, it really sound
like "woodblocks", more natural and less "electronic". I`d like to
restore the unit and bring it to the original specs but I don`t have
any kind of documentation, schematics or calibration procedures...

I don`t know if you still remember this machine, or have docs, or
still have a conexion with Mr. Driscoll but I`m trying to restore the
unit and your info in the Serge tape is my only clue. Would be great
if you can tell me some of the history of the synth, looking at the
electronics is not a serge clone, but have lot in common with it.

Any kind of information will be very apreciated. Thanks for your time"

And Warren Replies:

"Hi Josue!

The Driscoll synth was designed by Julian Driscoll at La Trobe
University between 1977 and about 1982. He made I think, about 10 or 15
of them. He designed all the modules - some, like the divide by 32
counters, to my specifications - except for the filters which were,
indeed, Serge clones. Julian is still around - and last I spoke to him
(about 5 months ago) was interested in hearing from people who had his
machines."

(note: the filters use the same topology than the serge ones, but they
are not exact clones, I`ll say they are based on)

"The "aardvark" part of that synthesizer was a set of modules I built
myself that were very simple CMOS 4016 counters, and 4017 dividers wired
to output jacks. About 3 panels worth. So lots of counting and
dividing possibilities. Simple though they were, they allowed me to
explore tuning ideas and complex rhythms, such as were explored in the
set of "Studies - 1982" from which your example was taken.

Hope this information helps.

Cheers!"

"in about 6 weeks, our website should be up and running - then
you'll be able to buy a copy of the CD from which that piece came. In
about 6 weeks, go to www.tropicapricorn.com and you'll see what we're up to.

Cheers again"

(Note: www.tropicapricorn.com is now running! He have and free mp3 for
a song from "Studies-1982")

"Hi Josue!

Thanks for the links! When tropicapricorn gets up, I'll let all those
Serge people know, and they can put the new website link up on their
sites. There are about 20 CDs I made with the Serge back then - can't
remember without looking at the list, but it was a bunch. When the
website is up, there will be a special category for "vintage synths", in
which I list all the CDs made with Serge, Moog, VCS3, Synclavier, and
CMI synths, and say on which synth I made what.

The counter/dividers are similar to the Andre Stoeur stuff, but a lot
cruder - similar idea though. It was on the basis of using those that I
asked Julian to come up with the divide by 32, which he did. From
those, I was able to explore down to the 31st subharmonic in tune. Then
in the early 1980s, I bought an AIM-65 microcomputer, and I was able to
explore up to the millionth harmonic and down to the millionth
subharmonic with ease. (transposed into octaves where they could be
heard, of course!)

Cheers, and thanks"


I think would be great to put a link to his site!

Best wishes,

Josue"