1969: Introducing the MOOG SYNTHESISER | Tomorrow's World | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

video upload by BBC Archive

"Derek Cooper introduces the Moog synthesiser, an instrument that can produce a variety of noises and arrangements, both mimicking real instruments and creating new sounds - all electronically.

This clip is from Tomorrow's World, originally broadcast 30 September 1969."

Also see 1970: WENDY CARLOS and her MOOG SYNTHESISER | Music Now | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

1969: What Is ELECTRONIC MUSIC? | Workshop | Radiophonic Workshop | BBC Archive

video upload by BBC Archive

Be sure to check out 3:59 on. I won't give it away, but it's interesting they had the same views back then. Note 7:33 for a glimpse of what would come. Finally also see this post for Daphne Oram's Oramics and her Bird of Parallax. See the Oramics label for more.

"What is electronic music? How is it produced?

Desmond Briscoe - the head of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop - enlists the help of Daphne Oram, David Cain and John Baker to explain the fundamentals of synthesised sound.

This clip is from Workshop: The Same Trade As Mozart, originally broadcast 3 August, 1969.

You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of tv to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic tv clips from the BBC vaults."

Yamaha Synths | CK88 Artist Profile | Belle Chen

video upload by Yamaha Synths Official

"Belle Chen is a pianist and composer with a musical style that is as uncategorisable it is captivating. With her curious blend of classical, avant-garde, world, and jazz sound-worlds, Belle performs her original works onstage as a solo artist. Her recent commissions and syncs include those for BBC Sounds, BBC Concert Orchestra, Gucci Archive, and London Fashion Week. Find out more at www.bellechen.com

With authentic piano, organ and synth sounds, intuitive controls and built-in speakers, the CK88 makes everywhere a stage or studio."

1975: KRAFTWERK - Music of the FUTURE? | Tomorrow's World | Classic BBC Music | BBC Archive

video upload by BBC Archive

Click the BBC Archive link above for more.

"Derek Cooper reports on Kraftwerk, a German pop group who are pioneers of a new kind of electronic music. Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Wolfgang Flür and Klaus Röder create and programme sounds at their Dusseldorf laboratory and recreate them on stage using a variety of synthesisers and bespoke electronic instruments.

Here, they perform an excerpt from their most popular track to date, 'Autobahn'.

Originally broadcast 25 September, 1975."

1970: WENDY CARLOS and her MOOG SYNTHESISER | Music Now | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

video upload by BBC Archive

"Electronic music composer Wendy Carlos - whose debut album Switched-On Bach has introduced a new audience to classical music - explains the fundamentals of electronic sound using her Moog Synthesiser, and demonstrates some of the techniques she employed to adapt Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions for the electronic age.

This clip is from Music Now, originally broadcast 8 February, 1970.

You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of tv to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic tv clips from the BBC vaults."

Also see Wendy Carlos Interview 1989 BBC Two including the GDS Digital Additive Synthesizer & TRON. You can find additonal posts mentioning Wendy Carlos here.

1976: Roger Limb, of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop with the EMS SYNTHI 100

#OTD 1976: Roger Limb, of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, demonstrated how electronic music was made for TV and radio pic.twitter.com/pJyUI9PQTJ

— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) November 7, 2017

Synthesized - Event at The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge 23 & 24 July 2016

via computinghistory.org:

"A weekend of retro synthesizers, drum machines and samplers ...

Come and try the synthesizers, samplers and drum machines that changed the way music is created. This weekend will explore how computers and digital equipment changed the music industry. With classic keyboards, Raspberry Pi computers running Sonic Pi, BBC Micros with sound programming guides, and Apple Macs that let you remix music with bananas… there’s something for all!

Free drop-in event included as part of your admission fee. Bring your own headphones!

Come and experience some classic machines of the 80s and 90s including :

Roland D-50
Roland S-750
Roland MC-202
Roland TB-303
Roland SH-101
Roland Alpha Juno-1
Yamaha SY-85
Yamaha CS5
Akai S1000
Casio FZ-1
Casio CZ-101
Casio VZ-1
Akai AX-80

CLICK FOR MORE »

Previously Unreleased Video of BBC Radiophonic Workshop Founder Daphne Oram

Sound Of The Future | The Archivist Presents # 22

Published on Dec 1, 2015 British Movietone

Great find via @AtomicShadow

"This week's Archivist Presents slot features a genius of electronic music, Daphne Oram.

This converted oast-house in Kent is really a kind of studio where Miss Daphne Oram is engaged in scientific research into electronic music. Thanks to a Gulbenkian Foundation grant, she's surrounded by very expensive equipment. With it, she can compose the sound and music of the future.

GV house. GV building (converted oast house). LAS top of house. MCU (sign) "Tower Folly". Zoom through one door out of another. MCU woman. CU ditto. MS woman at controls. MS tape recorder. MS controls. MS bell (2 shots) woman mends tape. MS tape recorder. CU woman. MS tape recorder. MCU woman. MS woman at controls. MS tape recorder. Pan to woman. MS trees. LAS top of house. MS tape recorder. CU woman. MS trees (at night). MS tape recorder. LAS top of house. MS trees.

You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
Find out more about AP Archive: http://tinyurl.com/qjfu7wx"

Click here for all posts on Daphne Oram

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."

1997 Video of Dave Smith on MIDI

Published on Feb 9, 2013 Eric Chasalow·22 videos

"Dave Smith at his home studio in Napa Valley, CA. Interviewed by Eric Chasalow, filmed by Barbara Cassidy 1997.

Copyright 1997 The Video Archive of Electroacoustic Music, all rights reserved."

Also see:
NAMM 2013: Panel discussion: Past, present and future of MIDI
How MIDI Changed the World of Music with Dave Smith on the BBC & The Orb

Online Wobbulator - 1960s BBC Oscillator Emulation

"In the early 1960s, synthesizers did not exist. Instead the Radiophonic Workshop begged and borrowed as many test oscillators as possible from other BBC departments.

The versatile "wobbulator" was a sine-wave oscillator that could be frequency modulated. It consisted of a metal box with a few switches and one very large knob that could sweep the entire frequency range..."

Check it out here.

"The "Wobbulator" was one example of a recycled or salvaged piece of equipment put to creative use in the Radiophonic Workshop. The Wobbulator was in fact a oscillator (looking at archive pictures quite likely a Brüel & Kjær Beat Frequency Oscillator 1022 used by sound engineers to measure the acoustic properties of studios or by electrical engineers to test equipment.

The large centre knob sets the frequency of a primary oscillator. This frequency is then modulated (or "wobbled") a small amount by a secondary oscillator. The depth of the wobble is controlled by the amplitude of the secondary oscillator, and the frequency of the wobble by its frequency.

When the frequencies are in the audible range, the wobbulator can produce a wide variety of space-y sounds.

To simulate the wobbulator we use the OscillatorNode from the Web Audio API. We've taken a historical liberty by including a switch to control the waveshape of the primary oscillator. While probably not true to the original device, the OscillatorNode makes this too easy to resist!"

Daphne Oram The Oram Tapes: Volume One Now Available

"Daphne Oram, founder of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, died in 2003 leaving a colossal archive of reel-to-reel tapes and documents behind. This important collection of material eventually made its way to Goldsmiths College, London, who have been administering it on behalf of the Daphne Oram Trust for the last few years. The collection holds over 400 tapes made by Oram during her lifetime, and 211 of those have been archived and catalogued by the college so far."

You can find the release on bookmat and Amazon here.

See the Oramics label below for additional posts. Also added this one to the Synth CDs post.

via Boing Boing

Tara Busch EP Remix Contest to Benefit The Bob Moog Foundation

"Moog Siren Tara Busch Releases EP, Remix Contest to Benefit Bob Moog Foundation

Foundation Celebrates 5th Anniversary with EP, New Logos, Fresh Program Direction, Limited Edition Poster and Archive Inspired Apparel

Asheville, NC - August 24, 2011 – The Bob Moog Foundation (BMF) is honored to announce that synthesizer and vocal sensation Tara Busch has donated a three song EP to support its mission of igniting the innovator inside us all. The ethereal electronica EP, Rocket Wife, created specifically for and donated to the Bob Moog Foundation, is available for download at Bandcamp.com at the following link: [link]

In conjunction with the release of the EP, Busch and the Foundation have issued a remix contest using the 17 stem tracks from the title track of the EP, Rocket Wife. The stem tracks are available for download at: [link]

The remix contest begins today and ends at midnight on October 15, 2011. All submissions should be uploaded to the “Rocket Wife” group on SoundCloud via this link.

The Bob Moog Foundation will announce three winners on November 10, 2011. The winners will have their remix posted on the BMF Bandcamp site where it will be available for sale, with proceeds benefitting the Foundation. The grand prize winner will receive a framed limited-edition archival image of Bob Moog, a selection of BMF merchandise, and the opportunity to collaborate virtually with Busch on a track where she will supply vocals and synth soundscapes. Two other winners will receive runner-up prizes.

Tara Busch is an American producer/musician/remixer and score composer. She is influenced by the rich, complex harmonies of Brian Wilson, BBC Radiophonic Workshop diva Dellia Derbyshire, and the innovations and futurist attitudes of electronic music pioneer Bob Moog. She is known for her richly textured, vocally orchestral electronica, and her psychedelic, ethereal remixes.

Busch reflects, “This is a homage not only to Bob Moog and his legacy, but to the effect the synthesizer had on my music, creativity, and life. What Bob did, most famously with the Minimoog, was to make the groundbreaking world of synthesis available to everybody, not just for the privileged few.

Though grateful for my voice and writing ability, I think having a more embracing attitude towards merging the creative and scientific worlds when I was a child would have been beneficial; not just for my music, but also for my development in general. I think Dr. Bob's SoundSchool will help kids to develop open, bright, embracing and creative minds.

I'm excited and inspired by their quest to educate children and adults alike about ‘the intersection of science & music’ and hopefully this EP will help introduce more people to the Bob Moog Foundation. One hundred percent of the profits from the EP and the remix stems will be donated to the Bob Moog Foundation.”

Sunday, August 21, 2011 marked the sixth anniversary of Bob Moog's passing and the fifth anniversary of the BMF's formal launch. In celebration of that milestone, the foundation is making daily announcements of new projects, branding and fundraising opportunities. Monday, August 22 saw the launch of the Moogstress blog, written by Michelle Moog-Koussa. On Tuesday, the BMF announced their new logo, which features the innovative spirit of “Dr. Bob” and an offer for a limited edition poster designed with materials from Bob Moog's archives. Later in the week the BMF will release a new merchandise line, Dr. Bob's Archive Series, featuring artwork found in Bob Moog's extensive archives. The BMF directs the preservation and interpretation of the archives for future generations of journalists, educators, innovators and fans.

The Bob Moog Foundation ignites the creative and innovative spirit in us all through exposure to interactive educational experiences rooted in the pioneering legacy of Dr. Bob Moog. Our work includes:

· Dr. Bob's Sound School (formerly MoogLab) teaching children and adults science through music in a hands-on environment.
· Dr. Bob's Archive Preservation Initiative. The BMF directs the preservation and interpretation of Bob Moog's extensive and historic archives for future generation.
· The Moogseum, a future interactive facility where music, science, history and innovation will converge. The creation of the Moogseum is pending adequate funding.

www.tarabusch.com
www.analogsuicide.com
www.moogfoundation.org"

A Radiophonic Weekend - Bristol

Update: The event is in April, not March.

Two day event via Cube Cinema, Saturday April the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd.

"Day one of a weekend of special events, performances, screenings and more - dedicated to the output and legacy of the one and only BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

With their often primitive hand built devices, tape loops and early synth explorations, the workshop brought the sound of electronic weirdness out of the realms of academia and into the home, re-adjusting the ears and minds of an entire generation in the process. As interest in their oddly British, and often somewhat crackpot approach to electronic experimentation grows, and as many of their key instigators finally begin to gain the worldwide recognition their pioneering efforts deserve, we spend a special one-off weekend looking back on some of the characters, stories, sounds and inventions that shaped an era.

On day one (Saturday), we’re delighted to welcome very special guests - Radiophonic boffins, David Cain and Dick Mills - who will be presenting a history of the workshop, discussing their work, and presenting a wealth of material unheard for decades.

CLICK FOR MORE »

"Dr. Bob's Modular" Benefit Sample Library for Bob Moog Foundation

"Acclaimed Sound Designers Drew Neumann and Kevin Lamb Create Dr. Bob's Modular Sample Library to Benefit the Bob Moog Foundation

December 1, 2010 – Asheville, NC/Los Angeles, CA – California-based sound designers Drew Neumann and Kevin Lamb have joined forces to create a sound library entitled Dr. Bob's Modular as a benefit for the Bob Moog Foundation. Sounds from Dr. Bob's Modular were sampled from a vintage modular Moog System 15 belonging to collector Dr. Howie Shen. The sample library of unique modular synthesizer sounds is available in the Native Instruments Kontakt 3.1 format at http://www.droomusic.com/dn_prodbundles.php.

The complete library of over 120 sounds is available for $50, while smaller bundles of 13 sounds each are available for $10 apiece. Purchase of the entire library offers significant savings. All bundles come with a special BMF electronic drum kit. Two compositions made with sounds from the library, “Bad Monkeys” and “BMF Carol of the Bells,” can be heard at www.droomusic.com and SoundCloud:


[Bad Monkeys get loose in the house. A short demo...

This was done entirely with one analog synth, a vintage Moog System 15 Modular loaned to me by Dr. Howie Shen. All sounds were generated on the synth, sampled using Redmatica software and loaded into Kontakt. Sequence written using Digital Performer. No monkeys were harmed.]


[Another one--this was also done entirely with the vintage Moog System 15 Modular loaned to me by Dr. Howie Shen. All sounds were generated on the synth, sampled using Redmatica software and loaded into Kontakt. Sequence written using Digital Performer. This showcases a sound set that will be sold at www.droomusic.com starting December 1, 2010 as a fundraiser for the Bob Moog Foundation. 50% of all proceeds go directly to the foundation. Happy Holidays!]

Fifty percent of all proceeds from the purchase of the library and bundles go to benefit the Bob Moog Foundation.

Dr. Bob's Modular is a downloadable-only sample library created to honor synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog's memory and to support the Foundation's mission of igniting creativity at the intersection of music, history, science, and innovation. Kontakt was chosen because it is a widely supported platform with powerful synthesis capabilities of its own. Kontakt supports monolithic file formats that make Web downloads and installations easy. There is a free downloadable Kontakt Player available at Native Instruments' website.

The full version of Kontakt is recommended for users who would like to dig deeper and want to edit and create their own new sounds using the raw waveforms.

Droomusic.com is a work of collaboration between award-winning and renowned composers/sound designers Drew Neumann and Kevin Lamb, who have nearly 70 years of combined experience working with analog synthesizers, both as builders and as players. The website offers extremely affordable sounds ready for immediate download.

Neumann and Lamb state, “Both of us became interested in electronic music through Dr. Moog's wonderful instruments—a passionate interest that led to our careers. We feel that this is one way we can give something back, to help a new generation discover music technologies, and to honor Dr. Moog's highly influential work.”

Drew Neumann (www.drewneumann.com) is an L.A.-based musician and composer of film and television scores for Disney, Paramount, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network. He created the soundtrack of the science fiction animated series Æon Flux and has composed music for many other shows including The Wild Thornberrys, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. He studied film, animation, and composition at the California Institute of the Arts. In addition, Neumann has contributed sound design and music composition for a variety of synthesizers, sound libraries, and software and computer products.

Kevin Lamb (www.premeditatedmusic.com) has worked as a keyboardist, synthesizer programmer, keyboard tech, and engineer for a number of notable international acts such as the Temptations, Chad Hugo (Neptunes), Guitar Legends, the BBC, John Wetton, Phil Manzanera, Tam White, Boz Burrell, Heitor Pereria, Steve Goodman, Simply Red, Thompson Twins, Icehouse, Vitamin Z, Take 6, The End, The Doors, Al Jarreau, Device, Tavares, and the Four Tops. He is an Ivor Novello-nominated composer for UK/European television. Kevin also creates sounds for synthesizer manufacturers and libraries, including Moog, Arturia, and Native Instruments. He is the designer of v4 firmware for C-Thru Music's AXiS-64 MIDI controller.

The Bob Moog Foundation (www.moogfoundation.org) honors the legacy of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog through its mission of educating and inspiring people with the intersection of music, history, science, and innovation. Its projects include its MoogLab Student Outreach Program, which brings electronic musical instruments into the schools to teach children science through music; the Archive Preservation Initiative, an effort to preserve and protect the inventor's extensive and historic archive; and the future Moogseum, an innovative educational, historic, and cultural facility to be located in Asheville within the next five years.

The Bob Moog Foundation is an independent, donor-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is not formally affiliated with Moog Music, Inc."

Micro File - If I Had A Hammer (BBC Two, United Kingdom, 1985)

synth spotting. via archive.org via BS-1 http://www.bs-1.nl/ http://www.myspace.com/bs1electro

BBC Archive Tomorrow's World Moog Synthesiser

YouTube via Synthasy2000
"Synopsis

In this report from a longer programme, Derek Cooper introduces the Moog synthesiser, an instrument that can produce a variety of noises and arrangements, both mimicking real instruments and creating new sounds, all electronically.

Did you know?

Developed by Dr Robert Moog, the Moog synthesiser evolved from a kit known as a Voltage-Controlled Electronic Music Module, which Moog demonstrated in prototype form in 1964. The first production models emerged in 1967, accompanied by a sample record of music composed by Walter Carlos (later Wendy Carlos, after her sex-change operation in 1972). It was Carlos's 1968 album 'Switched-On Bach' that catapulted Moog-produced music into popular culture, though examples of music made on the synthesiser had already been released by The Doors, The Monkees and Simon & Garfunkel, among others.

Contributors
Derek Cooper
Reporter"

The Alchemists of Sound

"ALCHEMISTS OF SOUND
Saturday 28 May 2005 8.30pm-9.30pm; 3.15am-4.15am

"The BBC's Radiophonic Workshop was set up in 1958, born out of a desire to create 'new kinds of sounds'. Alchemists of Sound looks at this creative group from its inception, through its golden age when it was supplying music and effects for cult classics like Doctor Who, Blake's Seven and Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, and charts its fading away in 1995 when, due to budget cuts, it was no longer able to survive.

There are interviews with composers from the Workshop, as well as musicians and writers who have been inspired by the output. Great archive footage of the Workshop and its machinery is accompanied by excerpts of the, now cult, TV programmes that featured these sounds."

Title link takes you to more info.