Melbourne Instruments DELIA // It's got motorised faders!

video upload by Starsky Carr

"From Superbooth 2024 DELIA is Melburne Instruments latest synth. The Nina was a desktop fuly analog synth, this one is a hybrid with keys.

Just a quick demo from Superbooth, but if I can get my hands on one :).

FYI I spoke with Signal Sounds - the distributor - while I was there so hopefully we can sort something soon."



Additional details and pics via Melbourne Instruments:

Motorized Morphing Polyphonic Synthesizer

49 Key Velocity and Aftertouch Sensitive
DELIA is a bi-timbral polysynth inspired by the motorized control panel and voice architecture of the original Melbourne Instruments’ Nina. Delia introduces a 49-key velocity and aftertouch sensitive keyboard, new multi-mode analog filters, high pass and low pass resonance control, 3-stage overdrive, and even more modulation possibilities.

Analog soul with a computerized brain

Using a combination of true analog filters and virtual analog modelling, DELIA retains the vital sound of massively overdriveable analog ladder filters, while using a digital front end to run modelled VCOs, wavetables, high pass filters and more. The powerful combination of analog plus digital is harnessed by Delia’s unique 12 note mode, using 12 complete oscillator banks into the 6 filters, limiting note stealing without compromising the sound, and fully unleashing Delia’s bi-timbral operation.

Discrete Multi-mode Filters

DELIA’s true analog low pass filter is the heart and soul of the sound engine — warm, full and sweet or fearfully aggressive. It is complemented with a high-pass modelled ladder filter, which can be linked for bandpass and notch operation. With 12 and 24dB slopes and separate high/low pass resonance control there is huge scope when shaping sounds, from the most delicate plucks and pads to the wildest overdriven bass and lead sounds imaginable. Delia is an inspiring creative companion and dependable instrument for musicians and composers, no matter what their level.

Know your Filters! Analog + Digital

DELIA’s filters have an analog and a digital section per voice. The analog filter is the classic discrete transistor ladder filter offering a choice of 24dB or 12dB per octave operation. Prior to this filter is an analog variable overdrive circuit that can push the filter from normal operation to complete distorted collapse of the transistor ladder, adding richness, aggression and body to your sound.

The HP filter is a digital transistor-level mathematical model of a 24dB ladder filter, based on the gold-standard Ebers-Moll transistor equations. This gives an almost perfect match to the response of the analog circuit, including the overdrive response, resonance and natural filter frequency variations.

The High Pass filter is less important sonically, so the choice of digital instead of analog reduces cost without compromise. Having the Low Pass filter second gives true analog character where it counts.

The filter is Multi-mode with 3 ways to configure. The High Pass and Low Pass cut-off frequencies are separately controlled with 2 knobs, so the overall operation can be High Pass, Low Pass or Bandpass. The separate HP and LP resonance controls offer flexibility to shape the sound including vocal-style formants. Delia’s LINK function locks the distance between the Low Pass and High pass knobs, setting a constant width Bandpass for both manual control and sweeps using the VCF envelope or other Modulation Matrix controls.

Total Recall. It’s not a dream!

The motorized journey does not end at Recall and Morph; Delia’s ‘MOD Mode’ automates the Modulation Matrix setup. As you move between the 20 modulation sources, every knob changes position to display its modulation amount. No need to tweak the panel every time you switch sources or destinations, no matter how many modulations or slots are active. Delia gives you a sound design workflow that truly flows - combining the flexibility of a soft synth with the tactile experience of a classic hardware synth.

Morph every parameter, then Mod it!

DELIA’s A/B Morph function lets you explore and sweep through timbres like no other. The A/B Morph sound is an actively calculated change in parameters between the A and B patches including the entire modulation matrix. This provides the ability to instantly create a new preset based on the Morph position that is neither the A or B patch, but instead a totally new sound. Morph is also a ‘MOD destination’, giving you even more creative control via Aftertouch, Mod Wheel and Expression.

Step into an infinite matrix of sound

The motorized journey does not end at Recall and Morph! Just like Nina, Delia’s ‘MOD Mode’ automates the Modulation Matrix setup. As you move between the 20 modulation sources, every knob changes position to display its modulation amount. No need to tweak the panel every time you switch sources or destinations, no matter how many modulations or slots are active. Delia gives you a sound design workflow that truly flows - combining the flexibility of a soft synth with the tactile experience of a classic hardware synth.

Building on innovation

DELIA inherits many of the acclaimed features of Nina, including 4-Quadrant Analog VCAs, Morphing, Digital Effects and Digital Wavetable Oscillator. Adding to these features are the inclusion of Sequencer Phrase Looping and Overdubbing, and the ability to assign your favorite effects parameter to the Effects Macro control.

Under the hood Delia is a beast! Virtual Analog Oscillators model Nina’s discrete circuitry but add cross-modulation, and Delia’s 20 modulation sources and 40+ mod destinations with unlimited slots gives sound designers an almost endless spectrum of sounds. Two digital effects processors paired with classic effects presets and the option to run in series or parallel offers creative freedom. And with the ability to save more than 16,000 presets inspiration and artistry will never be limited by available memory or slots

Waveform, Envelope and Wavetable Visualizers

Delia’s high definition LCD also provides useful Waveform and Wavetable visualizers, as well as instant feedback and display for almost every function as you interact with the control panel.

DELIA - New Motorized Morphing Poly Synth from Melbourne Instruments

video upload by Melbourne Instruments

New promo video for DELIA. Click here for additional posts featuring DELIA including demos and overview videos.

"Introducing DELIA by Melbourne Instruments, bi-timbral 6-voice poly synth with a fully motorized control panel for instant patch recall and morphing capabilities. DELIA introduces a 49-key velocity and aftertouch sensitive keyboard, new multi-mode analog filters with resonance control, 3-stage overdrive, and endless modulation possibilities.

DELIA employs a combination of true analog filters and virtual analog modelling. Discover and explore new sonic territory with warm multi-mode filters and a digital front end with modelled VCOs, wavetables and high pass filters.

The powerful combination of analog plus digital synthesis is harnessed by DELIA’s unique 12-note mode, using 12 complete oscillator banks into the 6 filters, unleashing DELIA’s full polyphonic potential.

DELIA's unique morphing feature and extensive modulation matrix lets you dive into an endless spectrum of sounds with no limits. Instantly sweep through different timbres and quickly save new patches on the fly.

DELIA is a versatile synth offering many ways to create, perform and shape your sound with a workflow that is truly unique. Combining many features normally found in software synths with the physical hands-on experience of a hardware synth.

Melbourne Instruments have transformed the tactile experience and fun of playing a classic analog synth. DELIA's motorized knobs and assignable controls bring a new and exciting experience to synth lovers and ultimately your sound!

All music made and performed with the Delia by ‪@jontidanimals‬"

The Delian Mode - Delia Derbyshire Documentary

Published on May 5, 2015 mprobs

"The Delian Mode (Kara Blake, 2009) is a a short experimental documentary revolving around the life and work of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire, best known for her groundbreaking sound treatment of the Doctor Who theme music. A collage of sound and image created in the spirit of Derbyshire’s unique approach to audio creation and manipulation, this film illuminates such soundscapes onscreen while paying tribute to a woman whose work has influenced electronic musicians for decades.

http://thedelianmode.com"

And a couple of videos from the Delia Derbyshire YouTube channel:

Delia at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 18 1 1968

Published on Sep 23, 2015 Delia Derbyshire

"Delia Derbyshire starts the computer playing Zinovieff's "Partita for Unattended Computer" at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 18th Jan 1968"

Max Träger's "diagrams" video of Delia Derbyshire's papers

Published on Aug 31, 2015 Delia Derbyshire

"This is a first demo version of a video Max was doing in July 2011 to display some scans of Delia's diagrams and diagrammatic scores for her electronic music.The accompanying music is "The Wizard's Laboratory" from the album Electrosonic.

Questa è la prima versione dimostrativa di un video che Max stava facendo a luglio 2011 per presentare alcuni scan dei diagrammi e degli spartiti diagramattici preparati da Delia mentre componeva la sua musica elettronica. La musica che l'accompagna è "The Wizard's Laboratory" dall'album 'Electrosonic'."

Check out previous posts featuring Delia Derbyshire in the archives here.

Sorrell Hays, Doris Hays & Delia Derbyshire

Update3 8/27/13: We have confirmation from Sorrell Hays herself.  It indeed was her that composed Doris Hays - Scared Trip [1971] in the video below and not Delia Derbyshire.  It was composed using the Buchla 101 keyboard pictured below. I'll see if I can get the WikiDelia article mentioning Delia updated. As a side note, for those on Facebook there's some conversation going on regarding this post here. Laurie Spiegel chimed in as well.

Start of original post before we had confirmation from Sorrell Hays:

This post can be a little confusing, so I thought I'd try and clear it up front.  I spotted this post on It's Full of Stars on Sorell Hays, an electronic artist that used a Buchla keyboard.  I clicked through the link in the post and found that the video directly below wasn't actually by Sorrell Hays, but by Delia Derbyshire.  Apparently Delia produced the tracks under the pseudonym Doris Hays.  The real Doris Hays went by Sorrell Hays and is pictured further below.  I have no idea if there was a connection between the two or if it was all just coincidence, but there you have it.

Update1 via eben in the comments: "hi Matrix thanks for reposting. it is quite a confusing situation! did you see the original post over on toys&techniques from a while back? it seems to suggest that the tracks on the Southern LP 'electronic music' might actually be sorrel and NOT delia - see also the comments to the post:

http://toysandtechniques.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/sorrel-hays.html

to me it sounds more buchla than ems!

its all very intriguing..."

Doris Hays - Scared Trip [1971]

Uploaded on May 21, 2011 TheCoffeeShopShop·2,525 videos
Re-Published on Nov 21, 2014 Doris Hays - Topic

I'm guessing this is a mix of tape and EMS based on the year.  Click here for more posts featuring Delia and EMS at the time.

via WikiDelia: "It is claimed that in 1971 Delia produced 14 tracks of electronic music for the British record label Southern Library of Recorded Music, published as Electronic Music with catalogue number MQ/LP 38[1] under the pseudonym Doris Hays.[2] The other four track on the album are credited to John Matthews, claimed to be John Baker[1] and included on the album 'The John Baker Tapes'."

There is a real Doris Hays who is also a electronic and musique concrète composer, also active in 1971, born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1941.[3]"

Pictured here is Doris Hays [not Delia] who went by Sorrel Hays.  Via her last.fm site: "Sorrel Hays was born Doris Hays in Memphis, Tennessee, but being a “sound” person she decided that “Sorrel” sings (her maternal grandmother’s family name was Sorrels) so in 1985 she adopted the name Sorrel.

In 1971 Hays won first prize at the Gaudeamus Competition for Interpreters of New Music in Rotterdam, and began her international career as a performer of contemporary music. She performed concerts at broadcasting stations in Germany, Holland, Italy and Yugoslavia, appeared at the Como Festival and Pro Musica Nova Bremen, and was invited to celebrate John Cage’s 60th birthday by performing his Concerto for Prepared Piano and Orchestra with the Orchestra at the Hague. She gave the first performance in Europe of her own music at the Gaudeamus Composers Week in Holland in 1972, a composition called Hands and Lights for piano strings with photocell activated switches and flashlights beamed across the interior of a grand piano, a composition which she later performed for the Chattanooga Debutante Cotton Ball.

During 1989-1990 Sorrel Hays was a resident artist at the Yamaha Communications and Research Center in New York City, commissioned to create music for the Yamaha MIDI Grand Piano. These pieces, 90’s, A Calendar Bracelet , for MIDI Grand and tone generator, are recorded by Loretta Goldberg on the CD “Soundbridge” from Opus One."

Buchla at 1:13: Update2: the Buchla is the 200 101 keyboard as seen in this video.

Southern Voices: A Composer's Exploration - PREVIEW

Uploaded on Jun 4, 2009 docued·648 videos

"Purchase: http://www.der.org/films/southern-voi... and on Amazon.

This documentary traces the development and premiere performance of an avant-garde symphonic work by Southern composer Sorrel Doris Hays. Commissioned by the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, Hays' piece is based on the sounds and rhythms of Southern speech and musical traditions. It is a journey into childhood memories via the melodies and rhythms of Southern dialect. Stoney combines analysis of her work with interviews in which Hays discusses her struggle with racism and paternalism of Southern culture.

a film by George Stoney with Sorrel Doris Hays
distributed by Documentary Educational Resources"

I did a quick search on YouTube to see if I could find anything else and found the following:

Invasion of the Love Drones (1977)

Uploaded on Sep 19, 2009
Invasion of the Love Drones, 1977 sci-fi movie from Jerome Hamlin. Soundtrack by Sorrel Hays, Mike Michaels, Richard Lavsky's Music House and Barry Forgie (uncredited). Additional dialogue by Charles Flowers (uncredited).

Review & more information:
http://atagong.com/archives/2009/09/e..."

Delia Derbyshire

YouTube via iiishtar

videos:
Delia Derbyshire/Blue Veils and Golden Sand
Delia Derbyshire/Nightwalker
Delia Derbyshire/Freeze Frame
Delia Derbyshire/Frontier to Knowledge
Delia Derbyshire/Air - 1971
Delia Derbyshire/Depression - 1971
Delia Derbyshire/Pot Au Feu

DELIA Delights Custom Keycaps Replacement User Guide Melbourne Instruments

video upload by Melbourne Instruments

"DELIA Delights are MX-style compatible keycaps designed for use with Melbourne Instruments' DELIA Synthesizer. Delights are available in replacement kits of 45 keycaps + keypuller. Choose from 5 colors: FRESH MINT (Green), VANILLA (off white), EARL GREY (Cool grey), LICORICE (Black) and SPARKLING (clear/frosted). DELIA Delights are now available from selected Melbourne Instruments Dealers.

❗️ PLEASE NOTE: DELIA Delights are NOT compatible with NINA❗️

⚠️ Take care and only use the keypuller provided when replacing your keycaps. DO NOT USE metal objects as you could damage your Delia.

Removing your existing keycaps:
1. Switch the power off.
2. Position the keypuller towards the lower half of the keycap.
3. Click the keypuller into one side of the keycap you want to remove, then the following side. Don't try to grab both sides at the same time!
4. Carefully lift one side followed by the opposite side.

Fitting your new keycaps:
1. Check the orientation of the keycap, the little window needs to be at the top.
2. Position and centre the keycap over the pin.
3. Gently push the keycap into place.
4. Power on your Delia and have fun — we've been told different coloured keycaps sound awesome too 😁

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
DO NOT EAT the keycaps, they might taste funny and will be hard to digest 🤢🤮🤮🤣"

Melbourne Instruments Delia - All Playing, No Talking

video upload by Kraft Music

"Check out our Melbourne Instruments Delia bundles here:
https://kraftmusic.com/collections/me...

Melbourne Instruments Delia is a bi-timbral polysynth inspired by the motorized control panel and voice architecture of Melbourne Instruments Nina. Delia introduces a 49-key velocity and aftertouch sensitive keyboard, multi-mode analog filters, high pass and low pass resonance control, 3-stage overdrive and even more modulation possibilities. Paired with Melbourne's Rotary Recall technology, Delia opens the door to the sounds and direction of tomorrow. Get more for your money with an exclusive Melbourne Instruments Delia motorized morphing polyphonic synthesizer bundle from Kraft Music. These package deals include the accessories you'll need to get the most out of your new synth, all for one low price. If you have any questions, please contact us. Our knowledgeable Sales Advisors will be happy to assist in choosing the bundle that's right for you!"

SUPERBOOTH 2024: Melbourne Instruments - Delia

video upload by sonicstate

"At Superbooth 2024 we met up with Ian at Melbourne Instruments who introduced us to Delia*, their new polysynth. Delia shares *Nina*'s motorized control surface, but Ian told us that it's a substantial re-invention of what *Nina can do.

With a 49 note keyboard, the six voice synth is mainly digital, but with a final analogue ladder filter and VCA designed to have a tighter, more controlled sound. The filter is multi mode, with the ability to set high pass and low pass stages with independent resonance amounts. The entire digital stage of the synth can be doubled, so in bi-timbral mode you get 12 complete voices into 6 filters and VCAs.

Delia has a 3-stage overdrive, a wealth of modulation possibilities, and a chorus, reverb and delay which can run in series or in parallel.

Delia Available June 2024 Price: 2,300 Euros 2,200 GBP 2,399 USD"

See the Melbourne Instruments label below for more and/or do a search for Melbourne Instruments Delia on the top right of the site.

VCO vs VA // Delia vs Nina - there's more to it than that

video upload by Starsky Carr

"What's the difference sonically? I've not heard these 2 demo'd side by side in depth. We know the specs - Melbourne Instruments Nina has 12 voices, each containing 2 VCOS plus a digital oscillator, and the Melbourne Instruments Delia uses virtual analog to do the same thing with 6 voices - with some 'Paraphonic PLUS' 12 voice modes.

There are other additions in the Delia, like FM, an extra LFO and envelope plus oyu can have dual effects in parallel or serial.

BUT.. what's the consequence of replacing the VCOs with the VA oscillators?"

0:00 Delia Panning Demo
0:31 An Intro to both synths
3:31 Quick Audio Comparison
5:48 Similarities and Differences
6:57 Lovely FM demo
10:46 Let's Go! Sound demos start with Oscillators
15:44 Comparing a Musical Patch
20:11 Delia's Vintage Mode
24:38 LP Analogue Filters
28:49 Delia's HP Sauce
30:20 OVERDRIVE!!
32:06 Rounding Up

https://www.melbourneinstruments.com/

A Petition to Publish Delia Derbyshire's music from the BBC Sound Archive

Sign the petition here.

"Most of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire's music exists in a single copy in the archives of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Many dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces of her beautiful work are mouldering unheard.

Delia's music broke new ground on several fronts: technological as she pushed what was possible with the equipment of her time, rhythmical as she experimented 11- and 13-note bars, and tonal as she freed herself from the 12-tone scale and voyaged into soundscapes and pure sound. Of Delia's work, only a tiny percentage is known to the public, whereas by far the majority of it is on tape in the Archive of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the custody of Mark Ayres.

We petition the BBC Trust to apply pressure to the BBC so that these recordings be swiftly published on traditional audio media (CD, DVD) so that the public, and in particular the British public who paid for it to be produced, be able to learn from and develop this woman's amazing musical visionary style.

The petition's closing date, the 5th of May 2014, is Delia's 77th birthday."

Protovolt DELIA Polysynth Preset Pack Melbourne Instruments

video upload by Melbourne Instruments

"Who better to introduce a new set of DELIA Presets than the Sound Designer themselves! Here’s a short video demo of new presets from esteemed sound designer and composer, PROTOVOLT. For this demo Ryan has chosen 12 of his favourites from the new Protovolt Preset Pack.

PRESET DEMOS:
00:00:20 Replicant
00:01:04 Samus
00:01:29 Novachrome
00:01:59 Polystar
00:02:43 Dark Matter
00:03:03 Lost Signal
00:03:40 Exploration
00:04:46 Proxima
00:05:03 Nebulous
00:05:35 Old VCR
00:05:57 Alpha Syntauri
00:06:26 New Dawn

The new Preset Pack includes 32 Delia Synth Presets with that signature Protovolt sound. Dark, heavy, thick and evocative, with just the right amount of Eighties nostalgia combined with a healthy dose of 2000s synthwave. Every is preset carefully crafted with elegant use of effects and clever use of Delia's A/B Morph features. Leads, pads, basses and more.

DOWNLOAD DELIA PRESET PACK: melbourneinstruments.com/presets

____________________

ABOUT PROTOVOLT:
Protovolt is a synth lord, sound designer, and composer known for his high-energy videos showcasing his original music, spot-on classic covers, and meticulous sound design. As a child of the ’80s, his work draws heavily from the vibrant entertainment and pop culture of the time. His music and sound design bridges nostalgia and innovation, creating a sonic world that feels both timeless and futuristic.

LINKS:
INSTA: / protovolt
ONLINE: https://www.protovolt.studio/"

Melbourne Instruments - Delia (Sounds Only Demo) [Delia with Green Buttons]

video upload by VCO USA

"10 Patches from Melbourne Instruments Delia! And only a single Delia was used to make all the synth sounds. The Nina was there to supervise and had nothing to with this demo.

One kick drum and hi-hat sample on the first patch. Everything else is Delia only.

Time markers below. Patches labeled with 'Bank: Name' format

0:00 - 10 Second Trailer
0:10 - Keys: Digi B Three
1:02 - Keys: Juno Flutter + Glider Lead (Multi Layer)
1:59 - Strings: Plucky
3:26 - Kyle K: Plucky
4:00 - Strings: String Machine
5:23 - Keys: P Becomes G
6:38 - Keys: The 3rd Wave
7:17 - Favorites: Glass Pad Morph
8:08 - Arp: Hard Way Up
8:44 - Lead: Super Lead 1"

DELIA Poly Synth MORPH Feature - How To Transform Your Sound

video upload by Melbourne Instruments

"DELIA's Morph feature is a powerful creative tool in addition to its versatile palette of sounds and motorized knobs. Morph is one of DELIA's sound design and performance superpowers. Morph can transform your sound; create truly unique timbres and a powerful expressive performance tool.

Essentially Morph gives you access to 2 different patches, where you can combine or mix between 2 different patches, be they similar in sound or completely contrasting.

Morph interpolates the settings across the entire front panel, unlike an audio cross-fader. Morph transforms the settings across the oscillators, filters, envelopes including all the modulation matrix assignments.

By default, almost every patch on DELIA has 2 sounds loaded into A & B. The Morph knob moves between A & B, where you can see the front panel knobs moving and responding to the changes between the 2 patches. Press the button next to the Morph knob to switch instantly between A & B patches. When lit, this button indicates you are on the B patch.

Moving the Morph knob immediately prompts the option on screen to either save your current settings to position A or B . This is great for those moments when you hit on a sound you love - a very fast and intuitive way to create new patches. Just don't forget to save your preset when you're done!

To LOAD a new sound to Morph, hit LOAD, find the preset you want then hit OPTIONS where you'll be able to load the patch to A or B.

Morph can also be a modulation destination, easily assign your modulation source and dial in the Morph amount!

Whether you're looking for subtle way to shape your sound or create wildly contrasting timbres, Morph is a lot of fun, like having eight arms. It's a source of happy accidents and equally a powerful way to manipulate your sound on DELIA."

A Delia Darbyshire Moment on the Make Noise Morphagene

Published on Nov 23, 2018 mylarmelodies

"Happy Delia Darbyshire day (23rd Nov! https://deliaderbyshireday.com/) - Here's a bonus clip I've never uploaded here before, from when I made the Morphagene Demo - inspired by how Delia Darbyshire used piano to tune her vocals for 'Blue Veils and Golden Sands', which she turned into a reedy instrument sound (using 1960's tape studio magic, not really what I'm doing here...)."

Delia Derbyshire/Blue Veils and Golden Sand

Published on Apr 17, 2009 iiishtar

Blue Veils & Golden Sands

Published on Jun 17, 2012 Dave Kahn

"Martyn Wade's radio play about the composer and electronic music pioneer Delia Debyshire."

Delia Derbyshire - Love Without Sound (1969)

YouTube via audiolemon
"Delia Derbyshire is well known for her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and her help in creating the Dr.Who theme. Of all the BBC Radiophonic musicians I've heard I always found Delia's music to be more aesthetically mature than that of the others. While many were content to create mathematically structured enharmonic noise she looked for the ghost in the machine, creating haunting, off kilter and often sexually charged music. This track is from the 1969 The White Noise - Electric Storm LP. To me it sounds 30 years ahead of it's time. I hope you like it.

If you want to read more: http://www.delia-derbyshire.org/"

DELIA Synthesizer - Factory Presets Audio Demo

video upload by Melbourne Instruments

"DELIA is a new 6-Voice Bi-timbral Polysynth from MELBOURNE INSTRUMENTS that brings together our own motorised synth technology, digital oscillators and filters, superior analog modelling and a classic analog low-pass filter to create a sound we're very excited to share.

This video features a selection of 24 FACTORY PRESET Demos. The featured Presets showcase an array of sounds from DELIA's Preset Banks, spanning classic polysynth and organ sounds to evolving arps and growling leads. Our guest artist, Daniel Mougerman also adds DELIA's A/B MORPH, BI-TIMBRAL SPLITS, EXPRESSION, SUSTAIN and some subtle envelope and filter manipulation. Enjoy! (with headphones on)"

DELIA Polysynth Melbourne Instruments - Dub Techno

video upload by Melbourne Instruments

"Melbourne Instruments DELIA with licorice custom key caps sequenced by a single Elektron Syntakt MIDI track. Sequencing the Delia via an external sequencer can open up more sound design qualities when you address the various CC parameters on the Delia. All knob movements addressed via CC are motorized for instant visual feedback. We got that Dub Techno feel here and more to explore!"

Delia Derbyshire Honored with Posthumous PhD

via theguardian

"The under-appreciated electronic music pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme is to be honoured posthumously with a doctorate from her hometown university as the programme gears up for the debut of its first female lead.

Largely ignored in life and barred from working in studios because she was a woman, Delia Derbyshire, will be awarded an honorary PhD from Coventry University on Monday."

---

This one was sent in via MATRIXSYNTH Reader Gareth.

An interesting side note is that I once almost picked up Delia Derbyshire's EMS VCS3/Putney. Peter Kember, aka Sonic Boom of Spectrum and Spacemen 3 fame, was selling it along with a Synton Syrinx years ago, before I started this format of MATRIXSYNTH. I seem to remember he wanted around $7k or so for it at the time, but I might wrong. I didn't have the funds so I passed. Also, a little unknown bit of synth history is that EMS sent the BBC an EMS SYNTHI 100 during the time Delia Derbyshire was there, and she actually did not take to it. It is my understanding that she preferred to work with tape. Curious what she might have thought of a Buchla, as the focus of Buchla was to compliment electronic music composition on tape.

Melbourne Instruments Delia - motorised bi-timbral fun!

video upload by Signal Sounds

"The Unperson returns to the channel to check out the Melbourne Instruments Delia - a bi-timbral polysynth inspired by the motorised control panel and voice architecture of the original Melbourne Instruments Nina.

Delia introduces a 49-key velocity and aftertouch sensitive keyboard, new multi-mode analogue filters, high pass and low pass resonance control, 3-stage overdrive, and even more modulation possibilities. Paired with Rotary Recall technology, Delia opens the door to the sounds and direction of tomorrow.

Available here:
https://www.signalsounds.com/melbourn..."

DELIA DERBYSHIRE- "The Wizards Laboratory" (1972)

YouTube via funknroll

"The Women of ELECTRONIC MUSIC! From the 30's to the 70's!

Before synthesizers, electronic music was honed the hard way in universities, by splicing tape loops, distorting sounds, endless dubbing, and blind instinct. Here are the timeless women of future music who created our present...

Since the 1930's, CLARA ROCKMORE was the master of the notoriously difficult Theremin, and later championed by synthesizer-creator Bob Moog; LOUIS & BEBE BARRON created the first all-electronic score for the film "FORBIDDEN PLANET" (1957), using oscillated sounds and tape loops; //STUDIO d'ASSAI (Paris): Danish ELSE MARIE PADE studied under musique concrete founder Pierre Schaeffer, becoming a noted composer; ELAINE RADIGUE used the Buchla and Arp synthesizers in her work, heavily influenced by Buddhist meditation, and records now with laptop improv group The Lappetites; MICHELE BOKANOWSKI has composed for film, televison, and theatre; //BBC RADIOPHONIC WORKSHOP (London): ...was created and directed by DAPHNE ORAM, inventor and sonic pioneer; she was followed by DELIA DERBYSHIRE, who brought Ron Grainer's "DR. WHO" theme to brilliant, eerie life with her studio wizardry; MADDALENA FAGANDINI co-created the proto-Techno single "Time Beat/ Waltz In Space" (1962) with young producer George Martin under the alias 'Ray Cathode'; GLYNIS JONES produced some of the Workshop's classic albums like "Out Of This World" (1976); ELIZABETH PARKER scored many BBC shows including "BLAKE'S 7", and was the person to see the Workshop out in its 1998 finale; //Fluxus performance artist YOKO ONO expanded John Lennon's mind and range with electronic music, musique concrete, and 'happening' experiments; //COLUMBIA-PRINCETON ELECTRONIC MUSIC CENTER (New York): A premiere focal point for international composers since the 50's, including composer and Associate Director PRIL SMILEY; ALICE SHIELDS combined her operatic voice and poetry with the revolutionary synthesizers of the late 60's and early 70's; teacher DARIA SEMEGEN wrote traditional classical music as well as electronic; WENDY CARLOS had massive mainstream success with the all-synth "Switched On Bach", before writing groundbreaking film scores for "A CLOCKWORK ORANGE," "THE SHINING" and 'TRON"; nearby at Bell Labs, LAURIE SPIEGEL spearheaded computer graphics and software design as well as new music; maverick ANNETTE PEACOCK went from Free Jazz piano to the first synthesizers, threading her early 70's raps and rock with freeform electronics; //Argentinian BEATRIZ FERREYRA, who also studied with Schaeffer, is an esteemed composer and teacher; //SAN FRANCISCO TAPE MUSIC CENTER: The crucial West Coast electronic center, including Morton Subotnick, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and PAULINE OLIVEROS in 1962; it moved across the Bay to become the... //CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC (Mills College, Oakland, CA): Oliveros was the first Director, perfecting her signal processing system for live performance; student and now Co-Director MAGGI PAYNE trailblazed video imagery and record engineering along with her music; alum CYNTHIA WEBSTER played in the early synth band Triode, founded electro mag SYNAPSE, and now runs Cyndustries designing software for electronic music, such as the Zeroscillator.

Their innovations led to Progressiv Rock, Krautrock, New Wave, Coldwave, Darkwave, Electro Funk, Industrial, Techno, and Electroclash. Their fringe future music is now the soundtrack of today.

DELIA DERBYSHIRE: This song is from a 1972 LP called "Ultrasonic", collecting music library pieces Delia scored for use in TV shows. It was recently issued on CD, as was "Oramics" by Daphne Oram:
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=89395
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=35793

See also:
ALICE SHIELDS -"STUDY FOR VOICE AND TAPE" (1968)


"Sound, the infinite frontier! Science had chopped the world into atoms, components from which to build. Modern art deconstructed reality, reconstructing our perceptions of it. And the first Electronic Music likewise took apart sound and turned it inside out for new compositions. Vladimir Ussachevsky founded the first Electronic Music Center jointly with Columbian and Princeton universities in 1952. He brought in avant composers from countries worldwide with new perspectives and radical expirementation. This included women like Daria Semegen, Pril Smiley, Wendy Carlos, and Alice Shields. In the 50's, Electronic Music was distortions of recordings. Sounds on a tape recorder would be manipulated by feedback, repeated spliced loops, overlapping tracks with multiple recorders, and using oscillators and reverb to sculpt the tempo, tone, or texture. This prevailed in continually advancing ways well through the 1960s. Alice used these techniques in creating this composition. A gifted mezzesoprano, she first sang a poem she'd written. She accompanied this with the first analog Buchla synthesizer, a rare and recent device only beginning to draw the attention of the hippest pop musicians. She then manipulated pitch and speed in textural patterns to supplement the freeform song. This was the cutting edge music of the future, usually heard only in academic circles. But it made its way into film soundtracks (from FORBIDDEN PLANET to Wendy Carlos' A CLOCKWORK ORANGE), Fusion Jazz (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock), Progressive Rock (from George Harrison's 1969 ELECTRONIC SOUND to Krautrock and Kraftwerk), Funk (Stevie Wonder's T.O.N.T.O., Bernie Worrell), on to the synthesizer explosion of New Wave, then Hip Hop (from Bambaataa's ElectroFunk to Public Enemy's radical sculptures of noise), Industrial (synthetic abrasion), and the Electronica music of today; as such, Alice Shields is a godmother of Le Tigre, Peaches, Chicks On Speed, Lesbians On Ecstasy, and Ladytron, to name a few."

MALARIA! -"Your Turn To Run" (1982)

"The Women of 80's ELECTRO! Coldwave, Darkwave, Synthpop, Industrial!

As synthesizers got smaller and cheaper through the 70's, 'future music' went from acedemia to the street. Punk, PostPunk, Funk, and HipHop artists brought attitude and new styles into the pop vocabulary throughout the 80's that forged the music of today. Here are many women from the first Electro rock era..."

http://www.cyndustries.com/woman.cfm
http://www.newyorkwomencomposers.org/...
http://www.aliceshields.com/
http://www.imtheone.net/annettepeacoc...
http://whitefiles.org/rwg/index.htm"