The World's First Programmable Synthesizer and its Pulitzer Prize Winning Music

video upload by ITSPmagazine

"This synthesizer is the world's first programmable music synthesizer. The first piece of electronic music to win the Pulitzer Prize was made on it.

basically a two voice synthesizer with tone generation and composing in the left hand side and processing on the right hand side, including manual binary for the, uh, ordering of the effects processes. Um, which for its time, uh, essentially like a uh, touring computer. Um, uh, was it You know, one and a half tons, seven feet tall, 14 feet wide, it's quite a behemoth, but now it's a very large paperweight.

Watch the full video:" [The above comes in at 22:41 - vintage Buchla, Serge & more follow. See this post for the red Buchla LSD module]

How Technology is Changing the Way We Make Music | A Conversation with Seth Cluett

video upload by ITSPmagazine

"Guest: Seth Cluett, Director of Columbia University’s Computer Music Center | On LinkedIn: / seth-cluett-7631065 | Columbia University Computer Music Center Bio: https://cmc.music.columbia.edu/bios/s...

Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast & Music Evolves Podcast | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com/

Show Notes

Music and technology have always shaped each other, and few places embody that relationship as deeply as the Computer Music Center (CMC) at Columbia University. In this episode of Music Evolves, Sean Martin sits down with Seth Cluett, Director of the Computer Music Center and Assistant Director of the Sound Art MFA program at Columbia, to explore the center’s rich history, its role in advancing music technology, and how it continues to shape the future of sound.

The Legacy and Mission of the Computer Music Center

The CMC is housed in the same 6,000-square-foot space as the original Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, which dates back to 1951 and is one of the world’s oldest university-based electronic music research facilities. This was the birthplace of early electronic music, where pioneers learned to use cutting-edge technology to create new sounds. Many of those musicians went on to establish their own studios around the world, from Egypt to Japan.

The center has played a role in major milestones in music history, including the work of Wendy Carlos, a former student known for Switched-On Bach, the score for Tron, and The Shining. The first piece of electronic music to win a Pulitzer Prize was also composed here. Today, under Cluett’s leadership, the focus remains on creativity-driven technological innovation—allowing composers and artists to explore technology freely and push the boundaries of what’s possible in sound and music.

One of the center’s guiding principles is accessibility. Cluett emphasizes the importance of lowering barriers to entry for students who may not have had prior access to music technology. The goal is to make sure that anyone, regardless of background, can walk into the studio and begin working with 80% of its capabilities within the first 20 minutes.

Exploring the Labs and Studios

The episode also includes a tour of the labs and studios, showcasing some of the center’s groundbreaking equipment. One highlight is the RCA Mark II Synthesizer, the world’s first programmable music synthesizer. Built in the late 1950s, this massive machine—seven feet tall and weighing over a ton—was instrumental in shaping the sound of early electronic music. The system worked by punching holes into paper to control sound generation, similar to a player piano. While no longer in use, the CMC has collaborated with iZotope to model some of its effects digitally.

CLICK FOR MORE »

06 Play the RCA Synthesizer in the privacy of your own home!

video upload by AutomaticGainsay

"Here is part six of a multi-part demonstration of a sound set of samples of the iconic 1957 RCA Mark II Synthesizer for the Arturia MicroFreak!

The instruments in the theme music (including some drums) were created entirely with samples of the RCA Mark II played on the Arturia MicroFreak, and multitracked. Some drums were assembled out of GarageBand loops."

Arturia MicroFreak videos by AutomaticGainsay

01- The Arturia MicroFreak-v5- The RCA Synthesizer on a MicroFreak?

video upload by AutomaticGainsay

"Here is part one of a multi-part demonstration of a sound set of samples of the iconic RCA Synthesizer for the Arturia MicroFreak!

The instruments in the theme music (including some drums) were created entirely with samples of the RCA played on the Arturia MicroFreak, and multitracked. Some drums were assembled out of GarageBand loops.

This video was funded by the Patreon supporters of Automatic Gainsay. Support the creation of this video and all of the Automatic Gainsay videos that have helped you by becoming an Automatic Gainsay supporter on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/automaticgainsay

If you are interested in learning about the history of synthesizers and/or how to become a synthesist being taught by a synthesist and synthesizer historian, check out the OTHER Automatic Gainsay Patreon:

http://www.patreon.com/automaticgains..."

Arturia MicroFreak videos by AutomaticGainsay

Ian Helliwell's Tone Generation

[Note: I'm not seeing how to skip episodes in the player above aside from sliding the progress bar to the end to get to the next one.]

You might remember Ian Helliwell mentioned in previous posts on the site here, including his book Tape Leaders. Atomic Shadow wrote in to let us know about his 34-part history of electronic music titled Tone Generation [player above/episode list below], as well has his work on SoundCloud.

The following is a short blurb from his website, http://www.ianhelliwell.co.uk:

"Leaving school and full time education aged 16 armed with six O-levels, Ian is a self-taught and self-funded multi-media artist, working in music, film, animation, analogue electronics, instrument building, collage, installations, live performance, light show projection, graphic design, writing and film programming.

Ian coined the term ‘creative soldering’ to best define his ‘intuitive electronics’ approach, and since the 1990s he has designed and built a unique range of electronic tone generating machines – Hellitrons and Hellisizers – which he uses to realise his compositions."

"The Tone Generation is Ian's audio series looking at the early period of electronic music history, focussing on experimental tracks mostly drawn from his CD and record collection.

TG 34 - Louis & Bebe Barron
TG 33 - Cybernetic Serendipity
TG 32 - Electronics in Space
TG 31 - Synthetic Sound
TG 30 - Beaver & Krause
TG 29 - Electronics in Rock 2
TG 28 - Electronics in Rock 1
TG 27 - Edinburgh Festival Concert 1961
TG 26 - Electronic Odyssey 1967
TG 25 - QEH Concert 1968
TG 24 - Analogue Synthesizers
TG 23 - Electronics for Feature Films
TG 22 - Moog
TG 21 - Buchla
TG 20 - Electronics and Voice
TG 19 - Women in Electronics
TG 18 - Computer Music
TG 17 - EMS
TG 16 - Electronics for Expos
TG 15 - Electronic Music Authors
TG 14 - Electronics for Dance
TG 13 - Electronics in Jazz
TG 12 - The RCA Synthesizer
TG 11 - Expo 58
TG 10 - EM Worldwide
TG 9 - Canada
TG 8 - USA
TG 7 - Soviet Union & E. Bloc
TG 6 - Scandanavia
TG 5 - Holland & Belgium
TG 4 - Italy
TG 3 - Germany
TG 2 - France
TG 1 ..."

RCA THEREMIN - Handmade Miniature 1/6 scale

video upload by Ronaldo Lopes Teixeira ROLT

RCA Theremin and Speaker -1928 SN 100268

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

via this auction

"RCA Theremin and Speaker -1928

Theremin manufacture # 100268

Cabinet # 180

Contact me for a detailed history of this Theremin

Documented on the RCA Theremin Registry

The Theremin needs more work than I am willing to do at this time.

Many of these are in museums. The price reflects the rarity of this pair.

The Speaker is in very good condition for its age, short legs.

No Shipping - Pick Up Only - Located one mile from the old Moog Factory in Trumansburg, NY 14886 "

CLICK FOR MORE »

Milton Babbitt Demonstration on Electronic Music

Milton Babbitt-demonstration on electronic music (1966) part I

Published on Apr 19, 2016 Joe

A bit of electronic music history in via @auralhistories. Milton Babbitt on television.

Milton Babbitt-demonstration on electronic music (1966) part II


Related:

An Interview with Peter Mauzey on Astronauta Pinguim featuring a picture of Milton Babbitt with the RCA MK II synthesizer in 1958.

RIP Milton Babbitt - You can find some of his electronic music compositions and an NPR interview in that post.

A search on Milton Babbit for additional posts - some media content is no longer available as that, unfortunately, is the nature of the internet.

The Very First Synth Cartoon?

This one is in via Brian Kehew who had the following to say:

"I believe this may be the very first 'synthesizer cartoon' from an in-house RCA publication in 1956 (The RCA MkI synthesizer was completed then.)"

If you know of anything earlier, let us know!

P.S. I first thought that was one messed up Santa going after the floating kid with a sword, but it appears he is holding, and offering, a bow and violin. :) Hence the caption of the kid yelling "I wanted a synthesizer!". He must be jumping in anger with his fists clenched. That or he managed to levitate by vibrating at some harmonic frequency only possible with a synthesizer? What's with the spikes in his shadow?

P.P.S. I'm guessing the "COOK" under the tree is the artist's name, that or they missed the IE. Santa wants his cookies.

A History of Synthesizer Polyphony

Published on Jul 14, 2018 AutomaticGainsay

Marc Doty aka Automatic Gainsay presents an exploration of the dynamic innovations in synthesizer history that allowed synthesizers to play more than one note at a time.

Part 1 is an introduction to the series and the concepts that will be explored.
Part 2 is an establishment of the definitions that will be used in regard to certain terms in the history of polyphony.
Part 3 is an exploration of how the Cahill Telharmonium, arguably the first synthesizer, created and employed polyphony.
Part 4 is an exploration of what could have been the first fully-electronic (not electro-mechanical) polyphonic device in 1915.
Part 5 explores the core interface, mechanical, and conceptual issues facing polyphony in regard to how to realize it with a synthesizer.
A History of Polyphony: Part 6- The Warbo Formant Orgel
A History of Polyphony: Part 7- Hammond's "synthesizers!"
A History of Polyphony: Part 8- Paradigm Shift... the RCA Mark II
A History of Polyphony: Part 9- Setting the Stage: the 1960s
A History of Polyphony: Part 10- The Dawn of Modern Polyphony
A History of Polyphony: Part 11- The First Modern Polyphonic- The Polymoog
A History of Polyphony: Part 12- The Modular Concept in Polyphony: Oberheim
A History of Polyphony: Part 13- Multiphonic Homogenization
A History of Polyphony: Part 14- Paraphony
A History of Polyphony: Part 15- Modern Nomenclature
A History of Polyphony: Part 16- Conclusion

Support the creation of this video and all of the Automatic Gainsay videos that have helped you by becoming an Automatic Gainsay supporter on Patreon!
http://www.patreon.com/automaticgainsay

Jim Timmens and the RCA Synthesizer - Obelin B/W Jota - Unreleased 45

Published on Oct 2, 2016 alanoneuser

"Produced by RCA Laboratories circa 1958, as a demonstration of the Synthesizer's capabilities for RCA management
Composed by Jim Timmens
Engineered by Herbert Belar"

The First Computer Generated Music? - Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II

Above is a recording of Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II computer used to generate music. According to the title, it is the first recording of computer music. The following are a couple of excerpts on the piece from the tech blog Engadget, followed by the British Library Sound and Vision blog. Both imply that Alan Turing's machine was the first computer to generate music. I was curious about the timeline, so I took look at at 120 Years of Electronic Music, which is a running list of the history of pivotal instruments in electronic music. Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II is not yet listed. The RCA Synthesizer, however is, and is dated 1951. There were two versions of the RCA Synthesizer, the Mark I and the Mark II which came later in 1957. There was also a computer located in Sydney, Australia that generated music in the 1950s. Based on the following, Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II first generated music in 1948. It's not clear when work on the RCA Mark I may have generated it's first sounds, however it appears it was completed in 1951. There were two previous instruments that influenced the RCA Mark I, namely, Givelet Coupleux Organ of 1930 and the Hanert Electric Orchestra in 1945, however, they do not appear to have been computer based like the RCA Mark 1, or Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II. Worth noting is the the RCA synthesizers were specifically created to generate music, while, Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II was not.

via Engadget:

"Alan Turing is known for a few small achievements, like helping end World War II, laying the groundwork for modern computers and developing the 'Turing test' for machine intelligence. You may not be aware, however, that he paved the way for synthesizers and electronica by inventing the first computer-generated musical tones. A pair of researchers from the University of Cantebury have now restored the first-ever recording made from Turing's 'synthesizer.'

Turing figured that if he rapidly played clicking sounds at set intervals, the listener would here them as distinct tones corresponding to musical notes. For instance, playing the click on every fourth cycle of a computers' CPU produces a 'C' tone, exactly like a modern synthesizer. He tested that theory on his Manchester Mark I, one of the world's first programmable computers. Instead of making music, he used the tones to indicate computing operations like completed tasks and memory overflow errors (meaning he also invented notification sounds).

Turing knew that he could program songs on his 'synth,' but had no interest in doing it. Luckily, talented programmer and musician Christopher Strachey got his hands on the Manchester Mark II's operating guide, which was, by the way, the world's first computer manual. Using that, he coded God Save the Queen, the longest program ever at the time. The next morning, he played it back to surprised onlookers at the lab, including Turing, who was uncharacteristically thrilled, saying 'good show.'"

Left: SSPL/Getty Images

And via the British Library Sound and Vision blog:

"Today, all that remains of the recording session is a 12-inch single-sided acetate disc, cut by the BBC's technician while the computer played. The computer itself was scrapped long ago, so the archived recording is our only window on that historic soundscape. What a disappointment it was, therefore, to discover that the pitches were not accurate: the recording gave at best only a rough impression of how the computer sounded. But with some electronic detective work it proved possible to restore the recording—with the result that the true sound of this ancestral computer can be heard once again, for the first time in more than half a century.

Frank Cooper's original 'acetate' disc (Photo courtesy of Chris Burton)
Fig. 2: The original 'acetate' disc was saved by Manchester University engineer Frank Cooper (Photo courtesy of Chris Burton)

Alan Turing's pioneering work, in the late 1940s, on transforming the computer into a musical instrument has largely been overlooked: it's an urban myth of the music world that the first computer-generated musical notes were heard in 1957, at Bell Labs in America.1 The recent Oxford Handbook of Computer Music staked out a counterclaim, saying that the first computer to play notes was located in Sydney, Australia. However, the Sydney computer was not operational until the end of 1950, whereas computer-generated notes were emerging from a loudspeaker in Turing's computing lab as early as the autumn of 1948."

On the RCA Synthesizer via 120 years:

"In the 1950’s RCA was one of the largest entertainment conglomerates in the United States; business interests included manufacturing record players, radio and electronic equipment (military and domestic – including the US version of the Theremin) as well as recording music and manufacturing records. In the early 50’s RCA initiated a unusual research project whose aim was to auto-generate pop ‘hits’ by analysing thousands of music recordings; the plan being that if they could work out what made a hit a hit, they could re-use the formula and generate their own hit pop music. The project’s side benefit also explored the possibility of cutting the costs of recording sessions by automating arrangements and using electronically generated sounds rather than expensive (and unionised) orchestras; basically, creating music straight from score to disc without error or re-takes.

The RCA electrical engineers Harry Olson and Hebart Belar were appointed to develop an instrument capable of delivering this complex task, and in doing so inadvertently (as is so often the case in the history of electronic music) created one of the first programmable synthesisers – the precursors being the Givelet Coupleux Organ of 1930 and the Hanert Electric Orchestra in 1945.

The resulting RCA Mark I machine was a monstrous collection of modular components that took up a whole room at Columbia University’s Computer Music Center (then known as the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center). The ‘instrument’ was basically an analogue computer; the only input to the machine was a typewriter-style keyboard where the musician wrote a score in a type of binary code."

The Story of the RCA Synthesizer

Published on Dec 16, 2012 alanoneuser

"History of the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer and the Victor Synthesizer.
Produced by Kevin Meredith.
Featuring Dr. Alex Magoun of the IEEE History Center at http://www.ieee.org/history_center
and Rebecca Mercuri, Ph.D. of Notable Software at http://www.notablesoftware.com/"

1950 early electronic synthesizer: 'This is music with a strictly electronic beat'

Uploaded on Mar 11, 2011 Clips & Footage

Title Screen - 1950's Electronic Music

Published on Jul 13, 2013 Cliff Marshall

Knobcon 2016 Marc Doty Lecture Synthesizer Myths

Published on Sep 11, 2016 TheWindyTown Videos

"Knobcon 2016 Marc Doty Lecture Synthesizer Myths"

This one in via swissdoc.

THEREMIN - And This Is My Beloved

Published on Dec 31, 2015 Peter Pringle

"This song is from the hit 1953 musical, KISMET, with music adapted from the works of the Russian composer, Alexander Borodin. The story unfolds in old Baghdad, so I put myself in an appropriate fantasy decor! I am playing the 1929 RCA theremin once owned by the late Dr. Samuel Hoffman."

CHRISTMASTIDE on an RCA theremin

Published on Dec 23, 2015 Peter Pringle

"This Christmas song in the traditional style was written for soprano Jessye Norman by composer Donald Fraser, and lyricist Jane McCulloch. It is called CHRISTMASTIDE but is also knows as 'Jessye's Carol'.

In this video I am playing the song on the 1929 RCA theremin once owned by the late 'Hollywood thereminist', Dr. Samuel Hoffman."

RCA Theremin HYMNE A L'AMOUR

Published on Dec 5, 2015 Peter Pringle

"I made a video of this classic Edith Piaf song several years ago when YouTube quality was not as good as it is today and everything sounded as if it had been recorded at the bottom of a swimming pool. Here is a new theremin version of the song played on Samuel Hoffman’s 1929 RCA theremim. I lived in Paris for a while in the late 1960’s and it is one of the most wonderful cities in the world."

I added this one to the tribute post here.

CARMINA BURANA - RCA Theremin

Published on Sep 29, 2014 Peter Pringle

"This is 'IN TRUTINA' from CARMINA BURANA by Carl Orff. The "Carmina Burana" is a collection of poems mostly in medieval Latin written in the 11th 12th and 13th centuries. They were discovered in 1803 in the Benedictine monastery of BENEDIKTBEUERN, in Bavaria. That is why I chose the chapel of the monastery as an appropriate place to play this piece."

An Interview with Peter Mauzey on Astronauta Pinguim

Pictured: "Milton Babbitt, Peter Mauzey and Vladimir Ussachevsky with the RCA Mk II synthesizer (1958)."

"At Columbia University, Peter Mauzey was one of the instructors of Robert Moog, that would construct his own synthesizer in 1964 (together with Herb Deutsch), and change the world of music forever with his R. A. Moog Co. (which later became Moog Music). Peter Mauzey himself developed and built a variety of electronic equipment and also was responsible for many features and improvements on the famous RCA Music Synthesizer Mk II, at Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center."

Full interview on Astronauta Pinguim here.

Light Face KORG RCA Victor Tribute M-500 Micro-Preset Vintage Analog Synth

via this auction

This isn't something you see everyday.

"Up for sale is Korg M-500 Micro-Preset vintage analog synthesizer, one of the most earliest and rarest synths Korg produced in the '70s. This one is a super rare version that Korg made under the name of Victor, which has different coloring to the genuine Korg M-500, although the synth itself are exactly the same."

I don't believe I've ever seen one of these before.  Note the RCA logo to the left of Victor. The Victor was the RCA Synthesizer.  You can watch a video on the history of The RCA Synthesizer here. Also see the RCA channel at the bottom of this post for more. Cool to see KORG pay tribute like that so many years ago.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Magic Cave Lighting by Atomic Shadow

"This composition is made up of multiple tracks of processed Hewlett Packard, RCA, and Eico signal generators. Some additional modular synthesiser tracks were overdubbed later and then edited too blend and give background texture. Effects devices used include the POD HD500, Lexicon reverb, Korg KP2 and KP Quad."

www.atomicshadow.com

Halim El-Dabh - Pest Control, Tape Manipulation & The RCA Synthesizer

Astronauta Pinguim has published yet another interview with one of the pioneers of electronic music.  This time around we have an interview with Halim El-Dabh (Portuguese version here).  It is a fascinating read.  He was the first person to create a musical composition using tape manipulation, and the source of his inspiration came from his work in agriculture.

"'My first exposure to electronic sound devices was back in 1943. As an agriculturist studying pest control, I wanted to see if sound-emitting devices could control tiny beetles that attack wheat, corn, alfalfa and beans. I thought that rather than getting rid of the beetles, we could distract them. I used to experiment with clanging together iron rods like bells; then I tried scratching the rods together to see if it discouraged the bugs.'"

"In 1944 Halim decided to record the ceremony of the Zaar (a female religious ceremony), he then treated the recordings he made on the ceremony using studio techniques and electronic devices and voilà, the first piece of tape manipulation in the world was born! (Note that it happened four years before Pierre Schaeffer released his first published works in France). The Expression Of The Zaar was Halim's only piece to be published from this period, but he created another pieces of tape manipulation mostly of street vendors in Cairo."

In essence, this was the birth of musique concrete.

On The RCA Synthesizer: "'The synthesizer was an innovation that gave us a larger expansion of sound manipulation. We used punch cards to input and receive sound from the machine. It took up a whole wall, it was huge. We were able to get very clear sounds of whatever we synthesized whether it was trumpet, violin or any other sound. I especially liked to input my voice. Luening did an input of his piccolo to transform it. I did an input of my drum to transform it and then took the sounds back from the synthesizer.'"

Be sure to read the full interview on Astronauta Pinguim here.   You can find links to additional interviews on Astronauta Pinguim here.

via Fabricio Carvalho aka Astronauta Pinguim on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge