Rare SYNERGY II+ SYNTH w/Kaypro Computer + Software

synergy_demo_divx.avi

YouTube Uploaded by jeanielotsacats on Sep 9, 2011

"This is a demo of the Synergy II+ synthesizer. Based on the Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer created by Hall Alles in 1975, the Synergy II+ remains one of the rarest and most sophisticated digital synthesizers in music history. There are only a few dozen of these left in working condition today."


via this auction

Additional video at the auction and below.

"DKI SYNERGY II+ SYNTHESIZER WITH KAYPRO 2X

VOICE PROGRAMMER, SYNHCS 3.22 SOFTWARE,

COMPLETE SYNERGY VOICE LIBRARY AND MANUALS

In 1975 an engineer at Bell Labs, Hal Alles, created the world's most sophisticated digital synthesizer. A set of cards in a IEEE-696 computer chassis, it used an RS-422 digital instrumentation interface to talk to a minicomputer. There was no preset voice program, no predetermined synthesizer architecture. Each researcher at Bell Labs had to write a custom program on a DEC PDP minicomputer just to produce sounds from the Alles digital synthesizer.

The Alles synthesizer (eventually known as the Bell Labs digital synthesizer) offered the user a pool of digital oscillators with variable waveforms. It had no fixed synthesis architecture. Unlike other synthesizers -- for example, a typical analog Moog synthesizer with 3 oscillators in parallel -- the Bell Labs digital synthesizer let the user arrange the oscillators in any architecture desired. The Bell Labs digital synthesizer could use 2 oscillators per voice or 32 oscillators per voice, or anything in between.

But Alles went further. He designed the Bell Labs digital synthesizer with immensely flexible envelopes and filters. It had two types of digital filters, A filters and B filters. It had 16-point amplitude and frequency envelopes, far more complex than the simple-minded ADSR envelopes used even today, and it used two different 16-point envelopes for each oscillator. The user defined a maximum envelope and a minimum envelope for both frequency and amplitude. Then the Bell Labs digital synthesizer automatically interpolated the shape of the final envelope between those two radically different 16-point envelopes depending on how hard the keys on the synthesizer keyboard were struck.

The Bell Labs digital synthesizer was complex and unwieldy. But it could produce an amazing range of timbres. Most digital synthesizers have a distinctive overall "sound" -- metallic and sharp (the Casio FZ series), or cold and sterile (the K5 additive synthesizer), or fuzzy and hummy (the Emu Morpheus). But the Bell Labs digital synthesizer had no typical "sound" -- it could caress your ears with timbres as organic and velvety as an analog synthesizer, or whack you upside the head with sounds as brash and sharp as a phase distortion digital synthesizer.

The Bell Labs digital synthesizer could produce anything from raunchy timbres as harshly brutal as a Mack truck smashing through a brick wall to delicate evocations as diaphonous and ethereal as a butterfly's wing. It could sound hi-tech and futuristic and digital, or retro and touchy-feelie and analog.

Laurie Spiegel programmed the Bell Labs digital synthesizer using the C programming language, then brand-new, on a DEC PDP-8 minicomputer, to generate many notes from single keys on the synthesizer keyboard. You can hear the Bell Labs digital synthesizer on Laurie's CD Obsolete Syetems on the track called "Improvisations on a Concerto Generator." Don Slepian used the Bell Labs digital synthesizer to general digital soundscapes with arpeggios synchronized to the player's tempo. (You can hear it on Slepian's CD Ocean of Bliss, tracks 1 and 2.) Max Mathews and Larry Fast used the Bell Labs digital synthesizer to make breathtaking music. Fast used it on several tracks on his CD Games.

In 1978, the synthesizer manufacture Crumar licensed the design of the Bell Labs digital synthesizer. They hired another engineer, Stoney Stockell, to turn Alles' collection of IEEE-696 circuit boards in a minicomputer chassis into a commercial digital synthesizer with a built-in keyboard and front knobs. (The original Bell Labs digital synthesizer had 4 joysticks, 10 buttons and 16 sliders, but no other controls. It didn't even have a synthesizer keyboard. Researchers had to wire up an external organ keyboard to the RS-422 lab interface to communicate with it.)

With 32 digital oscillators and 2 sixteen-point frequency and amplitude envelopes for each oscillator, the Synergy digital synthesizer had 128 envelopes total, with 16 points each. No other synthesizer had ever used such a complex architecture. There were too many oscillators and envelope points even to be controlled by the dozens of buttons and knobs on the Synergy's front panel, so an external computer was used. To voice the synthesizer, a Kaypro 2 computer got connected to the Synergy via RS232 serial interface, and Crumar programmers wrote a Z80 assembly language program for the Kaypro 2.

When Crumar licensed the Bell Labs digital synthesizer, they changed their name to DKI (Digital Keyboards Incorporated). The DKI Synergy synthesizer originally sold for $3500, not including the Kaypro 2 computer -- that added another $1795. Attached to the Synergy by an RS232 serial port, the optional Kaypro 2 came with SYNHCS: the Synergy Host Control System. This was the program that let the user program the Synergy's staggeringly sophisticated digital synthesis architecture and create and store user-defined synthesis architectures on Kaypro floppy disk. The SYNHCS program has many different pages that let the user define the number of oscillators and the shape of the max and min envelopes, set the oscillator architecture, set up aperiodic vibrato and envelope loop points, define the A and B digital filters, edit voice banks, set up real-time perofrmance presets for the Synergy II+ synthesizer and store Synergy timbres and real-time performance banks on Kaypro floppy discs.

The Synergy came in two models: the Synergy I, with 24 sounds in ROM and no MIDI and no user programmability, and the Synergy II+, which added a modification board inside the synthesizer to allow MIDI in and out and full programmability and user storage of new timbres by means of the Kaypro 2 computer.

DKI originally hoped that users would buy the Synergy and then keep on buying Synergy ROM cartridges, like customers buying one razor and many razor blades. Wendy Carlos signed on to create timbres for the Synergy, and eventually 22 different banks of 24 voices were created for the Synergy, for a total of 524 Synergy timbres. These timbres ran the full gamut from spacey digital sounds to chimes and gongs, to ethnic instruments like drums and xylophones and membranophones, to plucked and struck sounds, to brass and woodwinds, and rich strings and subtle keyboard timbres like the celesta and the vibraphone and the electric piano.

The Synergy doesn't sound like any other synthesizer. It's warm and vibrant. It sounds alive. This is party due to the unprecedented sophistication of the synthesizer envelopes, which interpolate between 16-point max and min values depending on how hard each synthesizer key gets pressed on the keyboard. In part it's due to the interaction of the A filters and B filters with the digital oscillators, since each digital filter gets defined for each separate oscillator. And in part the unique sound of the Synergy results from the synthesizer's aperiodic vibrato, which add user-controlled unpredictability to the amplitude and frequency envelopes of each oscillators, just like a real acoustic instrument, where each note on a violin or each note on a flute sounds slightly different.

All the timbres on this YouTube video were created using the Synergy with multitrack tape. This video shows SYNHCS running on the Kaypro 2x and sending the Wendy Carlos voice bank number 1 to the Synergy:" [video above]

CLICK FOR MORE »

Laurie Spiegel's "The Expanding Universe" Extended Release in the Works

See the update in this post.


[Re-posted. This one was a casualty of the recent Blogger outage.]

Laurie Spiegel 1971

via Laurie Spiegel's Photos
(see link for additional details in the comments)

"The photo was taken by Stan Bratman in the apartment I had in New York for about 5 years before moving into my loft in 1971."

Electrocomp system.

Update via Spiegel's Reflections in the comments:
"A greatly expanded CD re-release of "The Expanding Universe" is in the works thanks to this excellent fairly new label http://unseenworlds.net

It is currently planned as a double cd with about 2 1/2 hours of music from that period all created on the BTL GROOVE system.

Due to the ongoing craziness of life it could take a few months more before it's out."

[Re-posted. This one was a casualty of the recent Blogger outage.]

DK SYNERGY II+ SYNTHESIZER, KAYPRO II & SYNHCS SOFTWARE

synergyII timbres Uploaded on Sep 5, 2010 xenmaster0


s 2 demo 1 441 final 320x240stream Uploaded on Sep 5, 2010 xenmaster0

Warning: this is a long post and can't be paged with the "click for more" link otherwise the videos will not load. Also, no time to parse the entire listing, so everything captured below for the archives.

via this auction

"DIGITAL KEYBOARDS SYNERGY II+

WITH KAYPRO II & SYNHCS 3.182 PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE, 14 FLOPPY DISCS OF SYNERGY TIMBRES, and 3 SYNERGY ROM CARTRIDGES

This is the legendary Synergy synthesizer. It comes with the Kaypro II CP/M computer I bought with the Synergy and the SYNHCS software used to program the Synergy. Three Synergy ROM cartridges are included, WC-1 and WC-2, the Wendy Carlos Voice cartridges 1 and 2, and the VCART 4 cartrdige, along with a null modem cable that you use to connect the Synergy synthesizer with the Kaypro II computer.

Using the Kaypro II computer running the Synergy Host Control System software (SYNHCS), you gain access to the full capabilities of the Synergy synthesizer. With the Kaypro II computer + SYNHCS software, you can program the Synergy synthesizer to generate any kind of sound you can imagine. Then you can save the timbres you create on floppy disk and organize those timbres into banks of sounds, and send them to the Synergy synthesizer. (Originally the Synergy was sold with ROM cartridges but with the Kaypro you don't need 'em because you can send new timbres to the Synergy from the Kaypro. I am, however, also including one original Synergy ROM cartridge.)

You will also get the complete set of 13 Synergy voice library banks on floppy disk, L1 through L13 (on 7 floppy discs) as well as the 6 Synergy VCart voices banks 1 through 6 (6 floppy discs). You also get the WC-1 and WC-2 voice banks on floppy disc. Each synergy ROM cartridge or CRT file holds 24 timbres. So you get the complete set of 20 x 24 voices, or 480 Synergy voice library timbres. This is the complete set of timbres that were offered for the Synergy II+. You also get the Wendy Carlos WC-1 and WC-2 voice cartridges (these are duplicates of the WC-1 and WC-1 voice banks on floppy disc) plus the VCART4 cartridge. The VCART4 cartridge has been disassembled so that you can resolder the socket to use a ZIF (zero insertion force) socket if you prefer, and burn your own ROMs and swap them out in the ZIF socket. I'll include information on how to do that. As a practical matter, the Kaypro II computer can transfer voice files to the Synergy II as fast as swapping out EPROMS, but it's nice to have the ability.

The SYNHCS control program included with this Kaypro is the latest version, from October 11 1985, version 3.182. You can see the version number in one of the photographs of the Kaypro II screen. It's later than the version 3.15 SYNHCS that sold with most Synergy/Kaupro II combos. SYNHCS V 3.182 fromOctober 1985 is the final version of SYNHCS, and includes menu options the earlier SYNHCS didn't have -- the earlier version 3.15 dates from September 1983. This later version October 1985 version 3.182 of SYNHCS has features the earlier SYNHCS didn't have, and it's not generally available. I got it from Stony Stockell. I'm pretty sure that only a handful of other people have this latest final version of SYNHCS from 10/11/85.

There are 18 floppy discs all told: 7 discs containing Synergy voice banks 1 through 13 (2 banks per disc, so 7 discs there total) and Vcarts 1 through 6 (6 discs there) and the Wendy Carlos 1 and 2 Vcarts on a single floppy disc. along with the Kaypro CP/M 2.2 boot disk to boot up the Kaypro II computer and a disc of CP/M utilities, like UNERASE and some other very useful utilities. That makes 16 floppy discs. I've also included a CP/M 2.2G boot disc in case you want to use another model of Kaypro II. The boot discs differed depending on whether your Kaypro II had ROM 81-149C, ROM 81-232, or ROM 81-292. All that is spelled out in detail in one of the information sheets I'm including with this Synergy II+. I'm also including SYNHCS V 3.12, the earliest versionof SYNHCS, in case you pick up another Synergy II with older ROMS.

Some of these Synergy voice banks were designed by Wendy Carlos, and all of 'em sound gorgeous.

The Synergy synthesizer boasts a unique sound, unlike that of any other synthesizer. It can caress your ears with silken delicacy or hammer you with brutal rancor. The Synergy can sound raucous or subtle, and it can change from one to the other as you hit the keyboard harder. There's a reason for this: it has arguably the most complex and sophisticated synthesizer architecture ever created, unparallelled evern today. The Synergy's amplitude envelopes are more complex, its oscillators are arranged in a more sophisticated way, and its advanced features like digital noise source, quasiperiodic vibrato and digital formant filter still have not been fully duplicated by any other digital synthesizer -- even today."

"THE BELL LABS DIGITAL SYNTHESIZER AND THE SYNERGY II+

The Synergy is based on the Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer designed by Hall Alles. The Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer used a remote computer to program the synth, with access by a different kind of port (RS-488 serial port, then common for programming lab equipment over a serial link). The remote computer at Bell Labs had to use software written by the composer (Laurie Spiegel, for example, whowrote programs on a DEC minicomputer in the then-new C programming language to control the Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer) to program the synth. When Digital Keyboards licensed the design of the Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer, they also built an 8-bit microcomputer that could program a version of the Synergy called the GDS.

About 700 Synergy I synths were sold all told, but less than 100 are still working today. A small handful of (I believe no more than 6) GDS systems were built in addition to the originl non-programmable Synergy I synths: GDS stands for "General Development System." These were versions of the Synergy with 16 front-panel digital sliders to control parameters of the synthesizers that hooked up to an associated CP/M computer thta used 8-inch floppy discs. With the GDS, you could program the Synergy and store voices on 8" disk via an S-100 buss CP/M computer based on the Ohio Scientific Challenger. Wendy Carlos bought a Synergy General Development System, Stockell kept one in his basement, Klaus Schulz had one, and someone else reportedly bought one (I don't know who).

When Kaypro started producing the Kaypro II CP/M computer in the early 1980s, Stony Stockell, the lead engineer on the Synergy synthesizer, saw an opportunity to replace the cumbersome General Development System with a cheaper setup for programming timbres on the Synergy, so he hired someone to write the Synergy Host Control Program in Z80 assembly language to program the Synergy using the Kaypro II instead of the S-100 buss IEEE 696 CP/M computer used with the GDS.

The new SYNHCS software was much more straightforward and didn't require any programming on the user's part. The Kaypro II was a standalone computer running CP/M, once again easy to use (unlike the Bell Labs minicomputers, which the user had to program to get anything out of 'em, even to send a note to the synthesizer!) and the Kaypro used a simple null modem cable linked to the RS-232 serial port in the back of the Synergy to program timbres, download and upload voice banks, and control the synthesizer's many subtle functions from the Kaypro.

The general method of programming involves pressing a specific button on the front of the Synergy to access a given function, then typing in a value in the Kaypro II to adjust the synthesizer parameter. Once you get the sound you want, you save it on the Kaypro floppy disk as a single .VCE file. Then you can load the VCE file off the Kaypro floppy disk and send it to the Synergy to recreate that timbre whenever you want. The SYNHCS program lets you arrange timbres defined by VCE files into banks which get saved as a single large files called a .CRT files, so SYNHCS combines the functions of synth programming and a synth librarian (and remember that this was back in 1981-1982!).

There was no such thing as the MIDI protocol when Hal Alles designed the Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer in 1974-1975, and no such thing as a finalized MIDI spec when Stoney Stockell adapted Alles' design into the Synergy in 1978-1980 for Crumar's Digital Keyboards subsidiary.

MIDI became a big deal between 1981 and 1984, so Stockell retrofitted the Synergy synthesizer with an add-on circuit board that added full MIDI in and out capabilities. This was the Serial I/O board, which Crumar sold for owners of the original Synergy I synth to upgrade to a fully programmable Synergy II+ along with the SYNHCS software and the voice library discs and the Kaypro II. These new modified versions of the Synergy were called the Synergy II+. This Synergy II+ of course includes a MIDI IN and OUT port, along with the RS-232 serial port for programming the timbres via the Kaypro computer.

The last and most sophisticated version of the SYNHCS software was version 3.182, which is the version I'm including with this Synergy II+ synthesizer. To quote from the manual PRELIMINARY OPERATION OF THE SYNERGY II WITH COMPUTER, "The SYNHCS version 3.xx significantly extends the capabilities of the Synergy II+ synthesizer even beyond the original General Development System." Yes, this combination of the Kaypro II plus null modem cable plus Synergy II+ plus the final SYNHCS version from 1985 gives you more abilities than Wendy Carlos had when she programmed the Synergy voices for her albums Digital Moonscapes and Beauty In the Beast.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Laurie Spiegel and NASA's Golden Record

"Born in Chicago in 1945 she took a degree in social science before studying music at Juilliard specialising in Baroque and Renaissance lute. She then took a leap into electronic music and in the 1970s wrote interactive compositional software at Bell Labs and founded the New York University Computer Music Studio. She also became famous in rock circles for her music software for personal computers. Lauarie Spiegel's own electronic music is minimalist and deals with textures, not melody. Among her works in the 1970s was a piece using mathematical algorithms to make audible a set of laws of planetary motions devised by the 17th century astronomer Johann Kepler which he called the Harmony of the Planets, and it was this work which NASA chose to be part of 'The Golden Record' on board the Voyager space craft."

via Rhythm Divine where you'll find a full transcript and audio if you have WMP or Real Player.

Pictured: "Pioneer in the field of computer-generated music: Laurie Spiegel"

via @stretta

Update: be sure to see the comments in this post for more bits of info.

Some Additional Info on the EML 100 and 200 by Laurie Spiegel

See the update to this post.

Info on the alphaSyntauri via Laurie Spiegel

See the bottom update in this post.

Alpha Syntauri for Sale

via bodsterbug in the comments of this post.

"I have a alpha syntauri synth that has been sat around for years... Can anyone shed any light on it as I have no idea how it is used etc? How much is it worth? I am looking to sell it to free up some room. My email is bodsterbug aol.com.
Here are a few pics"

Update via Steve in the comments: "Check out this youtube video featuring the Alpha Syntauri (spelled there Alpha Centauri, like the constellation). The sound quality is somewhat muffled." Video below.


UFO from the PLEIADES Mark Murdock SOUNDTRACK
YouTube via musicproductionnotes
"Soundtrack by Mark Murdock for THE MEIRE CHRONICLES UFO documentary film featuring Apple 2 and Alpha Centauri [alphaSyntauri] Mountain Music- the first digital music software introduced in 1981 performed by Mark Murdock and assisted by Joe Berger on a very low budget" Update via Deadpan110 in the comments: "Quote: At the same time synthesizers were becoming less and less analog. Digital sequencers and digital keyboards were the norm, and digital oscillators offered better stability than the analog type. A microprocessor of the day could be programmed to produce 16 voices of somewhat limited tone colors, and this cold be build on a circuit board that would fit into a slot on an Apple II. These boards were mostly built by hobbyists, but commercial versions were sold by companies like Mountain Hardware. The Alpha Centauri was based on such a board and also included a piano style keyboard and sequencing software. Also: There must have been over a thousand hybrid systems built between 1978 and 1984. Most of these were home made. Found on: Short History of Computer Music - Part II." Update via Laurie Spiegel: "To elucidate this mysterious antiquity somewhat: The alphaSyntauri (note: not "C...entauri") "The Origin Syn" (as our promo buttons said): http://www.purplenote.com/syntauri/" link to proximaSyntauri website.

laurie spiegel - appalachian grove I

YouTube via zulutron.
Update: Re-Published on Feb 13, 2015 PermasmokeSoundLab

via A Brief History of Computer Voltage Control on The Stretta Procedure. Be sure to see that post.

video description:
"The main intention of this youtube-account is to feature mixes and tracks somewhere between deep-minimal-dub techno/house and sounds from detroit/chicago.

well, it's sometimes hard to categorize and some tracks won't fit into that pattern at all. let's eclecticize a bit. anyway, it's music that i would like to share with others. constructive comments are highly appreciated!

- support the music : buy vinyl -

track: appalachian grove I
artist: laurie spiegel
label: 1750 arch records / sonar kollektiv (S-1765 / SK096LP)
year: 1977 / 2006

taken from ame's "...mixing" LP, originally released on "new music for electronic and recorded media" LP in 1977. for more info on laurie spiegel:

http://retiary.org/ls

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Laurie+..."

Update via fluxmonk in the comments:
"Originally from "New Music For Electronic And Recorded Media: Women In Electronic Music-1977", which included:

Johanna M. Beyer
Annea Lockwood
Pauline Oliveros
Laurie Spiegel
Megan Roberts
Ruth Anderson
Laurie Anderson"

Laurie Spiegel plays Alles synth - temporary replacement

video upload by Laurie Spiegel

YouTube via MusicMouse
"Concerto for Self-Accompanying Digital Synthesizer. The instrument is possibly the first realtime digital synthesizer, built at Bell Telephone Labs, NJ by Hal Alles and team, with C language software written by Laurie that processes the player's live input into an ongoing accompaniment that will continue to be played live against.

This is a legal copy uploaded by the owner of the original tape. The OHM DVD's video was taken from this.

For more info on see http://retiary.org/ls/obsolete_systems

For tech info on the synth see:
http://www.matrixsynth.com/blog/media..." [mirrored here]

You might remember the video from this previous post. The original video was suffering from data corruption so Laurie Spiegel uploaded the video again. Be sure to see the comments on YouTube here for more.

Music Non Suck - Early Electronic Music

Radio 216;s Musique Non Suck

Track listing:
01. Raymond Scott - Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. (1960)
02. Laurie Spiegel - Patchwork (1976)
03. Pauline Oliveros - Bye Bye Butterfly (1965)
04. Tom Dissevelt - Ignition (1963)
05. Roger Powell - Lumia (Dance Of The Nebulae) (1973)
06 RCA - demonstration of synthesizing a human voice on the RCA Modular Synthesizer (1955)
07. Ralph Lundsten - IT (1968)
08. Ron Geesin - U.F.O. (1972)
09. Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece - Waterwheel (1976)
10. Charles Dodge - discussion on the cumbersomeness of early computer music
11. Charles Dodge - He Destroyed Her Image (1972)
12. Bell Labs - demonstration of the VODER speech synthesizer (1939)
13. Ursula Bogner - Für Ulrich/Pulsation (1969)
14. Erkki Kurenniemi - Sähkösoittimen Ääniä #1 (1971)
15. Gil Mellé - Wildfire (Andromeda Strain Soundtrack) (1971)
16. Delia Derbyshire - Effervescence (1972)
17. Tom Dissevelt - Syncopation (1958)
18. Raymond Scott - IBM Probe (1963)
19. Morton Subotnick - Silver Apples Of The Moon (1967)
20. Hugh Le Caine - demonstration of synthesizing strings on the Electronic Sackbut (1953)
21. Ilhan Mimaroglu - Agony (1965)
22. Raymond Scott - Futurama (1964)
23. Tom Dissevelt - Pacific Dawn (1963)
24. Louis And Bebe Barron - Once Around Altair (Forbidden Planet Soundtrack) (1956)
25. Herbert Eimert And Robert Beyer - Klangstudie II (1952)
26. Erkki Kurenniemi - Improvisaatio (1969)
27. John Pfeiffer - Orders (1968)
28. Frank Coe/Forrest J. Ackerman - Tone Tales From Tomarrow (1964)
via Jez

OHM-01

YouTube via rasppatrol
"Early days of synthesizers."
OHM on Ebay
OHM on Amazon
Look for The Early Gurus of Electronic Music - DVD and CD.

Click for more Laurie Spiegel on MATRIXSYNTH
Regarding what she is playing (from a prior post):
"Concerto for Self-Accompanying Digital Synthesizer. The instrument is possibly the first realtime digital synthesizer, built at Bell Telephone Labs, NJ by Hal Alles and team, with C language software written by Laurie that processes the player's live input into an ongoing accompaniment that will continue to be played live against."

Update: the video above was posted on YouTube without permission from the makers of OHM. The following video is approved and was uploaded by Laurie Spiegel.


"Concerto for Self-Accompanying Digital Synthesizer. The instrument is possibly the first realtime digital synthesizer, built at Bell Telephone Labs, NJ by Hal Alles and team, with C language software written by Laurie that processes the player's live input into an ongoing accompaniment that will continue to be played live against.

This is a legal copy uploaded by the owner of the original tape. The OHM DVD's video was taken from this.

For more info on see http://retiary.org/ls/obsolete_systems

For tech info on the synth see:
http://www.matrixsynth.com/blog/media..." [mirrored here]
Be sure to see additional comments here.

Part 1: Laurie Spiegel Bell Labs Interview 1984

YouTube via MusicMouse
"This interview was taped at Bell Labs in 1984, with brief intro by Max Mathews. Some of this footage may have made it into the documentary for which this was recorded but most of it has not been seen anywhere yet. Apologies for not knowing the name of the interviewer. This is Part 1 of 2."

Part 2: Laurie Spiegel Bell Labs Interview 1984


video upload by Laurie Spiegel

Update: also see this video.

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"

Kind Words on MATRIXSYNTH

"-the best synth site on the web,always updated,always interesting"
-Tom (The Chemical Brothers)

"You do a great job maintaining that blog. It has become essential daily viewing for myself and lots of other people I know. Your efforts are greatly appreciated."
-Thighpaulsandra (Coil, Spiritualized, Julian Cope, etc.)

"Congrats on the site...It's become an addiction, especially now that i am on tour..."
-Alessandro Cortini (NIN, Modwheelmood)

"Isnt Matrixsynth better than a big cuppa cocoa & a Christmas cookie on a cold cold Southern California morning?"
Tara Busch & Analog Suicide

"I think that the matrixsynth blog is great and keeps people well in touch with everything synth- I visit everyday to see what's going on!"
Ken MacBeth

"I know I said it before... but good job with the blog... I don't know how you do it! always something new & interesting to be seen there... but I have to stop myself from looking sometimes... because I'd never get any work done! ;)"
Mike Brown of Livewire

""I just wanted to let you know that I love your blog, and read it throughout the day. There is always something new and interesting to read about. Its also very informative, and provides a wonderful community for all synthesizer lovers like myself." =)"
Richard Devine of Devsnd

"a huge thanks to Matrix of MatrixSynth (matrixsynth.blogspot.com) for all his years of ongoing support to the synth community. This one's for you...from Bacon and I."
Shagghie

"Matrixsynth really helps to showcase all the wonderful little synth & sound setups operating today -- your blog is a large part in helping such things thrive. Absolutely - hats off!"
Tom Bugs of BugBrand

"Thanks again for a great site Matrix,

- Laurie Spiegel"

"The best synth site www.matrixsynth.com" - AtomoSynth



The Packrat by Dave

MATRIXSYNTH Swag & Hall of Fame


MATRIXSYNTH THANKS from 2007.

MATRIXSYNTH THANKS!!!

The following people have been supportive of the site in one way or another and deserve a special mention.

• Chris Randall
• Chris Carter
• Jacknife Lee
• Laurie Spiegel
• Thighpaulsandra
• Mitchell Sigman
• Velvet Acid Christ
• Peter Grenader (Buzzclick and Plan B)
• Allesandro Cortini (Modwheelmod, NIN)
• The Chemical Brothers
• Richard Lainhart
• Barry Schrader
• Nick Batt (Sonicstate)
• Cynthia
• Ken MacBeth
• George Mattson
• John Bowen
• Parallel Worlds
• Tom Whitwell

The First Synth to....

Update: The new home for this list is now here. You can add to the list there or comment here and I will update both lists. Note that the complete list however will be there as I do not plan on updating this list with updates made there. That would be too much work and would compete with me being able to put up new posts here. Can't let that happen. : ) Related but separate from that list also see https://120years.net. That said...

If you are going to add to the list in the comments, use the same format.

Year - Manufacturer - Model - First at
1837 - C.G. Page (Salem. Mass) - first to produce electronically generated sound (not necessarily associated with a musical instrument). After inventing the Volta in 1800 (an early battery), in 1837 Page was doing experiments with coils and realized when certain coils were attached to a batter they omitted a ringing sound. While he initially thought the ring came from the electrical current was interrupted (battery disconnected), what was actually taking place was the induction through the coils was causing them to vibrate. via Peter Grenader
1885 - Person and Ernst Lorenz -'Elektrisches Musikinstrument' - the first musical instrument designed to produce electrically generated sound. It used electronic vibrations to drive an electromagnet that were connected to resonating boards, which translated these vibrations to sound. via Peter Grenader
1897 - Taddaeus Cahills - Telharmonium - electromechanical instrument.
1936 - Oskar Sala - Mixturtrautonium - first synth using Subharmonic synthesis
1939 - Homer Dudley invents the Parallel Bandpass Vocoder (VODER) - A manually key operated speech synthesizer
1940 - Homer Dudley invents the The Voder speech synthesizer - A device which used the human voice and an artificial voice to produce a composite
Both were researched as a way to transmit speech over copper wires (id est, telephone lines)
1948 - Hugh LeCaine - Electronic Sackbut - First voltage-controlled synthesizer
1948 - Dr. Raymond Scott - Wall of Sound - First polyphonic Sequencing Worstation (electromechanical) and the Electronum - first sequencer.
1950 - CSIR - Mk 1 - The first known use of a digital computer for the purpose playing music
1956 - Louie and Bebe Barron - Produced the first all-electronic musical score for a major motion picture - MGM's 'Forbidden Planet'
1957 - Max V. Mathews at Bell Labs - MUSIC - the first digital synthesizer. Technically, it was a computer program, though it set the stage for every digital synthesizer that proceeded it. See Laurie Spiegel with one here.
1963/64 - Buchla - model 100 modular - 1st "modern" modular synth
1967 - Moog - Moog modular synthesizer I, II & III - 1st commercial modular synth.
1969 - EMS - Synthi VCS-3 - first non-modular mini-synth
1970 - MOOG - Minimoog - 1st Mono Synth with keys (non-modular)
1971 - Tonus/Arp - Soloist - 1st preset mono synth
1971 - John Chowning - developed FM synthesis using the MUSIC-IV language (source), a direct descendent of Mathew's MUSIC program. FM synthesis was later licensed by Yamaha, and used in popular synths such as the DX-7.
1972 - Triadex Muse - first digital synth
""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. It has four small sliders
in that control Volume, Tempo, Pitch, and Fine Pitch. It is not known how
many were made, but they are considered extremely rare.
The Muse is the subject of U. S. Patent 3610801"
1973 - Coupland Digital Music Synthesizer - First Digital (Triadex beat it?) Update via Peter Grenader: "No time to read through all these posts to see if it's come up yet, but the Coupland was vaporwear...it never existed. I met Mark Vail, who's now a friend, by writing him a letter informing him that his story about the Coupland in his Vintage Synthesizers book (GREAT book) which mentioned it's only recorded showing was at the AES show in LA in 1978 was a farce. I was there - at their booth and their suite in the Hilton where the instrument was said to be. I was there on the first day, I was there on the last day. The only thing they had was a small model - about six inches across, sitting on a table. The booth was amazing - this radial orb multiple people could sit in, with a cover that came over each person which played what I remembered was a very impressive demo which swirled around four speakers inside the box. I, and everyone else, were blown away. They kept saying...'it will be here tomorrow, it'll be here tomorrow'...so I showed up the last day just to see it, figuring by the then it would have arrived...it didn't. I did see the frst Synthclavier at that show however. Their suite was across the hall from the Coupland folk. That completely kicked the crap out of everything else shown that year."
1973 - Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer - NED - Synclavier prototype - first digital synth
1974 - Roland - SH-3A - first commercial additive synth
1974 - RMI - Harmonic Synthesizer - first commercial additive synth
1975 - Buchla 502 - six voice polyphonic with minicomputer and ability to save patches to tape drive. Development on the 500 series began in 1969.
1975 - Oberheim FVS - four voice polyphonic with Polyphonic Synthesizer Programmer. Not sure if the Buchla 502 or FVS was released first.
1976 - PPG - PPG 1003 sonic carrier - 1st programmable mono/duo synth with patch memory (this, along with the model 1020, might have been the 1st synths to use DCO's as well)
1977 - Yamaha - CS50/CS60/CS80 - first single enclosure polyphonic keyboard synthesizers with the CS80 to be the first synth with poly aftertouch
1977 (late) - Oberheim - OB-1 - 1st commercial programmable mono synth with patch memory
1978 (late) - PPG - Wavecomputer 360 - 1st wavetable synth
1978 - Sequential Circuits - microprocessor control the SCI prophet 10 (briefly) and the P-5 --- again based on existing E-mu tech stuff
1979 - NED - Synclavier - First FM
1979 - Fairlight CMI - First Sampler, First Workstation
1980 - Performance Music Systems - Syntar - First self contained keytar
1982 - Sequential Circuits - Prophet 600 / First Midi Synthesizer (though some argue the Prophet 5 rev 3.2 is pre-MIDI MIDI)
1983 - Yamaha - DX7 - Digital takes over, FM goes mainstream
1983 - OSC - OSCar - First real-time additive with analog filters
1984 - Sequential Circuits - SixTrak - first multitimbral
1985 - Casio - CZ-101 - First battery-powered all digital mini-synth
1987 - Kawai K5 and Technos Axcel - first additive synths
1989 - E-Mu Systems - Proteus - First dedicated ROMpler
1992 - Seer Systems - first host-based software synthesizer in 1992
1994 - Yamaha - VL1 - first physical modelling synth
1995 - Clavia - Nord Lead - 1st Virtual Analog
1996 - Rubberduck - still not the first softsynth but came before Seer Systems Reality.
1996 - Steinberg - VST - Ok not a synth but enabled a lot to be written as plug-ins and used simultaneously
1997 - Seer Systems - Reality - First Modular Soft Synth
2002 - Hartmann Neuron - first neuronal synth
2912 - KalQuestoTron - the first genetically engineered synth. Each cell is an oscillator, filter, and neural sequencer. Can be delivered via injection to always play 'hold music' in your head.

I thought it might be fun to have a "first synth to..." post. There's been a lot of buzz over Sonic State's Top 20 Synths of All Time with good reason. What exactly is a "top synth?" Is it it's influence on the music scene? It's rarity and lust appeal? The number of synths sold? According to Sonic State their list was the result of Sonic State reader's voting for their favorite synths. Blame the voters if you don't like what you see. Based on what has come up on the list so far, the E-Mu Proteus and Roland JV-1080 for example as well as the Roland Jupiter 8 not even making the top ten, I'm guessing a bit of it has to do with the vote and... possibly the most influential/ground breaking synths for their time. The JV1080 and Proteus? Not super sexy in this day and age, but what they offered in their time? Who knows. It's obviously subjective. But there is something that isn't. The most influential synths of all time not because they were super sexy or utilitarian, but because they offered something that was not previously available.

I thought what might be interesting to create a list of the first synths to feature a particular technology or feature. For example what was the fist synth to bring FM to the table? Was it the DX7 or a predecessor? What was the first digital synth and when? The first additive synth? I have a good idea and could probably look it all up, but that wouldn't be any fun, so.... You tell me. I am going to make this an open post that will live over time. You get to participate by putting an entry in the comments. I will update the list and when I do I will change the time stamp of the post to keep it current. That said, for the archives, this post went up with a time stamp of 4/11/07 7:20 PM PST. I'll start the list (btw, do correct me on the MOOG, what model should we be talking about here? The A, B, C or D or all of them?).

Year - Manufacturer - Model - First at
1970 - MOOG - Minimoog - 1st Mono Synth with keys (non-modular)
1978 - Sequential Circuits - Prophet 5 - 1st Programmable Polyphonic Analog
... List continues above.

Update 3/34/12: Also see the first synthesizers to offer patch storage here.

EML Electrocomp 100

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


via this auction

There's a cat in the bunch. As always, if you are going to bid on this stuff, be careful. This one is Money Order only.

Update1 via cornutt in the comments:
"Info on the EML 100 is surprisingly hard to find, compared to its better-known cousin, the 101. Here's a link to an email chain that discusses some of the differences. The 100 is actually a lot more rare than the 101."

Update2 via Laurie Spiegel in the comments; "Hi Matrix. The guy running that auction is in error. I've sent him messages saying the 200 was before the 100 but he doesn't believe me and won't change it. I want to correct the choronology before this misinfo spreads any further because once something's all over the net it's forever.

According to the 1st edition of Mark Vaile's book (the edition I happen to have here) the 200 dates from 1969, and the 100 came out in 1971. Mark gives 2 dates for the 200: 1969 on p. 128 and 1972 on p. 129. The p. 129 date was a typo.

I am just about certain from my own experience that the 100, with its black and white keyboard, was released after the 200 purely modular model and its Model 300 Controller. I visited EML in CT a couple of times and their eariler products were meant to be marketed for educational use, not live performance. Also I've owned a 100, a 200 and a 300 since the early 1970s and IMHO the 200 has a just plain older feel and style and concept.

Though my memory for specific dates may be a bit fuzzy 4 decades later, my paper records show I was hired in fall 1970 to teach at a college that had an Electrocomp studio based on the 200 modular synth its 300 controller.

If anyone has any info that differs from what I've written here, please post it. It was a long time ago.

Thanks again for a great site Matrix,

- Laurie Spiegel"

Peter Forrest's A-Z of Analogue Synthesizers confirms the order as well, although he has the 100 starting in 1970 vs. 1971. According to that book, the 200 came out in 1969 (1969 - 1980) and the 100 in 1970 (1970 - 1972). Regardless, the order is 200 followed by 100. Both books are listed in the Synth Books section.

Update3 via Sasha. The verdict is still out:

"I ran across some background info on the Electrocomp 100 from Christopher Landers who was a famous newscaster back in the day. Thought you might be interested as it seems to suggest that the EML100 was the first synth in the line and that the separate modules came later (as opposed to what Laurie Spiegel is saying here: http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2006/11/eml-electrocomp-100.html ). He said it would be ok to post this info and quote him.

I got mine directly from Walter Sear when I was in high school (I worked at his studio in NYC and was in the room when Keith Emerson was being taught how to work his new Moog C3). Sear had been working with Moog in a business deal until Moog brought in Musonics and Sear split. At that point, Sear found the EML guys in nearby CT and had them create a box that could take on Mini-Moog ...but with the two note deal. The Electrocomp thus became the first "polyphonic" synth--using the top and bottom notes played on the keyboard so the oscillators knew what command to carry out--and also the first device to use IC's. I believe it was later that EML came up with a "box" without a keyboard. I should mention here that Bob Moog, while being the exceptional engineer that he was ...with the higher invention of "voltage control" that permeated many more electronics systems than simply synths (such as medical devices). It was Sear who suggested using a keyboard controller (Moog was set on a resistance strip, which also showed up sitting on top of keyboards for a while). Controllers, back in those days, were the holy grail. It was Sear who experimenting early with the guitar controller. As he related to me: "We can control an oscillator with almost any instrument because we can determine what frequency the controller is making and send that information to the oscillator; the problem with the guitar and other stringed instruments is multiple strings. A guitar has six strings and you can have six oscillators but, which oscillator plays in reponse to which string?" Is that great or what?

Best, Sasha"

Update4 via mr.scappy in the comments: "I have a 100 and a blue-face 200, and each has a different address for EML screen-printed on the control panel. Both list P.O. Box H, but the 100 has the city address as Talcottville, CT, 06080, and the blue-face 200 has the address at Vernon, CT 06066. (Today the 06080 zip is specific only to MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. Interesting.)

All of my literature for EML synths shows the Vernon address, and the EML-100 is not included among the synths shown. Perhaps the 100 was built at the Talcottville location and all others at the Vernon location? This would seem to place the 100 first in line. Just a thought."

Update5: Sasha contacted Jeff Bachiochi who worked for EML. Here is what he had to say:

"If I'm not mistaken the 100 was the first keyboard synthy that EML produced but not the first synthesizer. The first was a studio type that was just oscillators, mixers, filters, sampler, and ring modulator connected by patch cords and manually controlled with knobs. Which blue was the original color of all EML products, the line quickly went into a brush aluminum style with etch black nomenclature. These were originally made for class room use and the blue paint used would chip off, from all the patch cord plugging and unplugging by the students. Ah, those were fun times."

followed by:

"Yes, Sasha, the first was the 200. That's how I got started with EML. My wife (then girl friend) told me that her High School music class had gotten this electronic music box and the address on the front was the local town. I stopped by the factory, which was in basement of one of the three co-owner's house. We began a long time friendship and I started to work for them as their first employee. The 300 came on line soon after using a keypad as the first crude kind of keyboard."

Update (6/29/2011) via Prosper in the comments:

"I now own this synth. It was refurbished and repaired in 2007 with the following mods. A) Filter has been opened up so the Filter Octave Switch goes one higher and one lower than on the synth. Very handy. B) For the Noise pot in the filter mixer, instead of going between white and pink noise it goes from white to OSC 1 output so OSC 1 does not have to patched into the filter mixer. Very handy.

I've pointed out the differences between the 100 and 101 on the VSE page for the 100."

Laurie Spiegel and the Bell Labs Programmable Digital Synthesizer

YouTube Uploaded by MusicMouse on Jan 26, 2007
Audio on left channel only.
"Concerto for Self-Accompanying Digital Synthesizer. The instrument is possibly the first realtime digital synthesizer, built at Bell Telephone Labs, NJ by Hal Alles and team, with C language software written by Laurie that processes the player's live input into an ongoing accompaniment that will continue to be played live against.

This is a legal copy uploaded by the owner of the original tape. The OHM DVD's video was taken from this.

For more info on see http://retiary.org/ls/obsolete_systems

For tech info on the synth see:
http://www.matrixsynth.com/blog/media/misc/spiegel/Alles1.pdf"

Laurie Spiegel's website: http://retiary.org/ls/.

Laurie on Wikipedia

Update embeddable video and description above sent my way via Laurie Spiegel, and via Reed in the comments before the embed: "She's playing a digital synthesizer built by Hal Alles of Bell Labs. Somehow it found its way to Oberlin College in Ohio, where it has remained broken & unused in the basement for over 20 years. (The video, btw, is from the new Ohm DVD compilation). "

Update via Andrew Dean on AH:
"Here's the credit for the Spiegel trackl on the DVD:

Track 12: Laurie Spiegel Improvisation on a 'Concerto Generator'
(2:40) Music, Performance, and Interactive software by Laurie Spiegel,
1977

So, "Concerto Generator" it is. Probably early digital by Hal Alles."

Update: PDF on the instrument. Via ivan on AH.

Update: And more from steve sloan on AH.

Update via Loscha: You can find the patent for Laurie Spiegel's machine here.