MATRIXSYNTH: random voltage


Monday, March 23, 2009

random voltage

via Johan: "Here is a photo from an installation i made recently at Fylkingen in Stockholm"

random voltage

"A true modular synthesizer is a synthesizer where the different sound generators, processors and control facilities are presented as independent objects without preconceived signal and/or control paths inbetween. The musician/composer chooses the combination of modules and connects them according to the musical idea, essentially creating a new instrument for each "patch".

This was the way all synthesizers were designed in the beginning. Soon some manufacturers discovered that it was more commercially successful to pre-package the synthesizer in a certain way, locking it into a single patch with just a few choices available to the musician and attaching a piano keyboard to the circuit. The word "synthesizer" quickly became synonymous with this design, often even called "keyboard" and used almost exclusively by pianists. Most people out there are not even aware of the modular synthesizer design. In the process of commercializing the synthesizer its abstract sound world had to be mainstreamed by letting it imitate acoustic instruments - strings, brass etc. Synthesizer quality was measured in terms of how realistic its sounds were.

The synthesizer is so much more."

From the Modular Synthesizers section Be sure to see random voltage for more including audio.

Update via the comments: the modules are from the Buchla 200 series.

5 comments:

  1. Ummm...where's the Buchla tag? Those are Buchla 200 modules.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm talking over MSN every now and then with another electro-musician from my town, he keeps talking about how awesome Fylkingen is. Here's the English about page: http://www.fylkingen.se/about

    First time I googled and read about it, and it looks like I better plan a trip to it, we live only an hour away from Stockholm after all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. reed is correct. those are 200 series for sure. that is not a 200 series case (maybe the boats are).

    ReplyDelete
  4. "The synthesizer is so much more"
    YES IT IS!!!!!!!!
    I need to get me to some Stockholm.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alert! Alert! Untagged Buchla photo! :P

    ReplyDelete

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