images via this auction
"These rare Muses seem to show up here in the Boston area more frequently than anywhere else in the country, due to their close proximity to MIT and Brookline, MA. where they were manufactured. It's probably the rarest, strangest, best-looking vintage synth ever mass-produced; it cost $300 in its and looks like something
Dieter Rams would have designed for Braun in the sixties.
It had impeccable geek credentials; It was designed by two famed MIT professors, Marvin Minsky and Edward Fredkin.At the time, Minsky was moonlighting on the movie set of '2001 A Space Odyssey', teaching Stanley Kubrick about Artificial Intelligence as he created Hal.
Ten years later, Edward Fredkin would create the Fredkin Prize, to be awarded to the creators of the first computer to win the World Chess Championship.He paid out to IBM's Deep Blue in 1997.
The Triadex Muse is the first digital musical instrument and was produced in 1972.
It was designed by Edward Fredkin and Marvin Minsky at MIT.
It is an algorithmic music generator: it uses digital logic circuits to produce a sequence of notes based on the settings of various parameters.
Since the Muse was designed as a composition tool, not a synthesizer, there is no control over the timbre of the sound;
rather, the front panel controls affect the melodies that are generated.
The exact logic behind the composition engine is rather technical, and not exactly intuitive.
The four small sliders in the lower-left control Volume, Tempo, Pitch, and Fine Pitch.
The switches to either side are used to start and stop the sequence, or to step through it note-by-note.
Of the eight larger sliders on the right, four control the musical intervals used (labeled A, B, C, and D), and four control the theme (labeled W, X, Y, and Z).
A rest can be substituted for the lowest note by flipping a toggle switch.
The tempo clock can be slaved to that of another Muse, allowing for multi-part compositions.
The cosmetic condition of the units are in excellent condition as they've only been taken out for this demonstration.
The original instruction manual, papers, & tags are included with the Muse, but not the amplifier.
The specs are as follows:Model - Muse
Serial no. 00618-113
AC 115-125v 60CPS 40w
ok50Hz
Amplifier model no. AS-1
Serial no. 00183-113
AC 115-125v 60CPS 40w
ok50Hz
The Muse even had an even rarer accessory option called the "Light Show", which flashed colored lights in time to the music.
It is not known exactly how many Muses were made (the rumor is less than 300) but they are very rare, and were not available in stores.
The Muse is the subject of U. S. Patent 3610801."
probably rare because people smashed them with their fists thinking they are alarm clocks with snooze buttons. Or else, threw them out of windows after five minutes of that chatter.
ReplyDeleteI think they would make the perfect domestic synth appliance: one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen and one to smash in the bedroom. You could compose while cooking.
ReplyDeleteThey look beautiful, but having to hear that square wave noodling would drive me insane after a short time.
ReplyDelete