Voice of the Cylon - Battlestar Galactica, The ARP 2500, and the EMS Vocoder 1000

Published on Nov 20, 2019 supajc

Amazing series sent my way via John L Rice. Playlist and descriptions for each video in the playlist above, directly below. Enjoy. ;)

See here for previous posts featuring Battlestar Galactica.

Playlist:

1. Voice of the Cylon Pt. 1 The Synthesizer [ARP 2500]

Battlestar Galactica fans & synthesizer community, rejoice! For the first time in history the mysterious sound of the Cylon voice is revealed. I tracked down probably the last person alive who knows the entire formula, very private individual still works in visual arts. To him it was just a job he did 40 years ago, to me it's one of the most mesmerizing sounds in musical/sci-fi fx history. 6 parts to this series as of 11-2019.

2. Voice Of The Cylon Pt. 2 the Voice Recording

My contact told me "they brought us the voices" on Nagra III and IV tape machines. Vocoder recorded back to Nagra for film sync. Voice actor Micheal Santiago was hired to do the voice, but didn't, telling youtube user intromix later that "they ended up getting someone cheaper" to do it. One actor did all the voices, for consistency, reading the script in a lifeless, monotone voice as to not shift the frequency spectrum in the vocoder.

3. Voice Of The Cylon Pt. 3 The Vocoder [EMS Vocoder, specifically the Vocoder 1000]

Finally it is known exactly which vocoder was used for the Cylon voice. Universal Studios had rented the EMS and Sennheiser, and when sound designer Peter Berkos was asked about it circa 2008 he mis-remembered due to having the Sennheiser manual still. Youtube user intromix has owned both and tested oscillators, it could not have been the Sennheiser but now we know for sure anyway.

4. Voice of the Cylon Pt. 4 the Phaser & Distortion [Countryman Associates Type 968A Phase Shifter]

The rare, quirky effect box that was used as an impromptu distortion device. My contact told me that they floated the idea of using a guitar amp and/or pedals, but did not even try it once they found this. ** Also, he told me NO Marshall Time modulator was used as it hadn't even been released yet.

5. Voice of the Cylon Pt. 5 Recording Gear

Two main pieces of studio recording gear that were present at Universal Studios in 1978 that had a big impact on the sonic character of the Cylon voice recording. Big thanks to Ken from Electrodyne for all his advice, as well as https://vintageking.com/ and http://petesplaceaudio.com

6. Voice Of the Cylon Pt. 6 Audio Demos & Credits

Resurrecting the sound of the Cylon Centurion from the original Battlestar Galactica 1978 using the original equipment. Once the vocoder was recorded, it was further altered/degraded by multiple tape transfers in the video editing process, post-production techniques (EQ and reverb, to "place" the character in a big room, spaceship, etc) My contact said there were just pieces of tape on the gear to place knobs/switches back where they were; and that the synthesizer frequently sounded very different from day to day or after a power outage. In the series there are wildly differing Cylon tones, tiny movements in gain or EQ settings (especially the ringy ARP 2500 filters) radically alter the vocoder due to the ultra-harmonic richness of the tone. So many preamps and transformers involved, it was hard for THEM to make the Cylon voice consistent. Supposedly sound designer Peter Berkos wrote notes on the process, Universal Studios couldn't locate any info at all, it likely all burned down in the great fire of 2008 as well as the golden ARP 2500 oscillator used all throughout Galactica 1980.
Preamp was running a bit hot in this demo, didn't catch until after, so this tone sounds extra crunchy in this example. I sampled my tones with lowpass filter a bit too low, hope to get another chance with the real thing some day.

7. Gold Cylon Voice Vulpa [extra video]

Recreating the lower voice of the Gold Cylon commander. There are so many steps and factors to re-creating the Cylon voice even the original crew could not make it consistent on a day-to-day basis. Out of hundreds of test files this year I'm only really happy with about 5 of them but will keep working to recreate it perfectly.

Star Wars - The Electric Moog Orchestra - Cantina Band

YouTube Uploaded by breadthechicken on Feb 13, 2012 - Recording from 1977.

The Electric Moog Orchestra on eBay - Close Encounters & Battlestar Galactica there as well.
The Electric Moog Orchestra on Amazon

Star Wars - Imperial Attack - The Electric Moog Orchestra

Uploaded by breadthechicken on Oct 19, 2010

"'Imperial Attack' performed by The Electric Moog Orchestra, 1977. I inserted an existing flipped video clip from my camera, a little shaky, but thought it might be (only slightly) more interesting than the LP cover. MOOG!"


The Electric Moog Orchestra on eBay

The Electric Moog Orchestra on Amazon

Close Encounters & Battlestar Galactica as well.

Battlestar Galactica Cylon theme on Eigenharp Alpha

YouTube via gbevin | September 06, 2010

"I've been studying the Eigenharp Alpha for a few months and have been looking for a nice song to cover until my own compositions are finished. I accidentally stumbled into the melody of the Battlestar Galactica Cylon theme while jamming and thought it could be a perfect fit.

The theme is heard in the series by the final five Cylons and it's a melody that Bear McCreary composed on top of the chords of Bob Dylan's 'All Along the Watchtower'. I continued improvising off of the piano song that the series' character Kara Thrace is trying to remember and made my own version of it.

This arrangement on the Eigenharp Alpha features Tonehammer's Emotional Piano, the Eigenharp's natively modeled Cello, Orange Tree Samples Evolution Electric Guitar Strawberry, Studio Devil Amp Modeler Pro and FabFilter Twin 2. The drum loops are part of the extensive collection that ships with the Eigenharp.

At the end of the song it seems that I'm taxing my two year old MacBook Pro a bit too much and there's some crackling since the CPU has trouble keeping up. It was fine while rehearsing, but recording at the same time seems to have pushed it over the edge, sorry about that. I should have expected this as these Kontakt sampler instruments are so detailed that some computers have trouble even playing them by themselves.

I hope you enjoy this performance nonetheless, do tell me what you think of it."

Eigenharp Pico - Live recording "Winter Movement"

gbevin | February 02, 2010

"If you like this song, consider supporting me on Akamusic:
http://akamusic.com/gbevin

This song got me to win the runner-up prize for the Eigenharp Alpha competition."

more videos here

Battlestar Galactica & Phantasm MOOG MODULAR MODEL 15 SYNTHESIZER

via this auction

"This 1974 Moog Model 15 is in its original portable case. The case is in poor condition but the panel and guts are in good cosmetic and working condition. I am the second owner and I bought it in the early eighties for my studio. It has been in storage for the last eleven years and I’m finally ready to part with it. It has been used on several film and TV scores including “Battlestar Galactica,” the original series, and all five “Phantasm” movies.

It contains the following:

99-902 Voltage Controlled Amplifier serial# P5401
99-902 Voltage Controlled Amplifier serial# P5400
904-A Voltage Controlled Low Pass Filter serial# P5203
99 995-3 Attenuators serial# P5136
99-907-A Fixed Filter Bank serial# P5444
99-911 Envelope Generator serial# P5309
99-911 Envelop Generator serial# P5308
99-923-3 Lo Pass/Hi Pass/Pink & White Noise generator serial# P5117
99-921 Voltage Controlled Oscillator serial# P6034
921-B Oscillator serial# 7163
921-B Oscillator serial# 5047
921-A-3 Oscillator Driver serial# 5235
Four Input Mixer
Reversible Attenuator
Controller Output Section
Two 4x Multiples
Two Trunk Lines.

No custom modifications were made to this unit; it has everything on it, just as it came from the factory in 1974."

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EMS VOCODER 2000

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

"This auction is for an original EMS Vocoder 2000. Very rare unit! Very creative and musical tool. The previous owner told me he got it from the Electric Light Orchestra (Mr.Blue Sky) but I don't have proof of this. They are known to have used this model. Many other top artists used the Vocoder 2000. It has a very complete feature set with some nice tricks. It just had a new meter backlight bulb... Everyhting is ok."

Update via VoiceEncoder in the comments: "The EMS Vocoder 2000 is the vocoder used for the voices of the Cylon Centurions in both the original 'Battlestar Galactica' and 'Galactica 1980' TV-series!!"

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EMS Vocoder 5000

Paul Sop sent in the following on the EMS Vocoder 5000. It is interesting how much it does sound like the cylons in Battlestar Galactica. Thanks Paul!


Shot via EMSRehberg, who still makes Synthis and some other EMS products including the EMS Vocoder 5000 which will only set you back 23,000 Euro.













"I'm all about Vocoders lately. Check it out

EMS Vocoder 5000- AND -
EMS Rehberg 5000 Page (great pic here)

Pretty cool. A few factoids:

http://www.bigbluewave.co.uk/ems_vocoder_5000.htm- It is probably the highest specified vocoder ever. 22 bands.
- Includes things like Frequency Shifters, Oscillators, etc.. It's a whole synth!
- It weighs about 20kg!

Cyclons Forum
- It may have been used on the cylons.
- From this page:

Here are some audio samples of both the EMS Vocoder 5000 and the Cylons, see if you think they sound a like and are. Some sites such as one from Ben Liebrand "claim" it's the Sennheiser but after hearing this audio from EMS I have to go with that one.

First the Cylons:

cylon.wav
cylon2.wav
cylon3.wav
cylon4.wav
cylon7.wav
cylon9.wav

EMS Vocoder 5000:

EMS5000plab1.mp3
EMS5000p2.mp3
EMS5000p3.mp3

Apparently it cost 5000 pounds in 1976. If you want one today, it would cost you 23,000 euro from:

Pricelist

I guess it wasn't in the new Battle Star Galactica's budget!"

Update via Derek Wildstar in the comments:
"Some say the Cylons used the EMS Vocoder 5000 and others say it was the Sennheiser VSM-201!! The only thing I knew for sure is that a ring-modulator was also used (I don't know if that was part of the vocoder or not) and that it was based on the voice of Colossus according to Mr. Glen A. Larson himself. Matrixsynth if you, Paul, or anyone knows for sure please post the answer here. I personally believe they used the EMS Vocoder 5000. Thanks."

Spaceship Battlestar Galactica

YouTube Uploaded by popitem on Feb 9, 2012

"No clue what I'm doing."

EMS Vocoder 1000 SN 12090

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated. via this auction
"Product: Vocoder 1000
Manufacturer: EMS
Release date: 1978
Country: England

This very rare EMS Vocoder 1000, from the same company that brought you the Synthi AKS and VCS3. This amazing sounding analog vocoder, perhaps the most intelligible ones out there. It has a very nice tone, and most importantly, you can hear what you're saying without having to keep changing the settings. Jean Michel Jarre, Pink Floyd plus many others in 1970-80's used them extensively, and this model was used as the sound of the robots on Battlestar Galactica and in early Dr Who episodes. The 1000 has a very similar design to the 2000; except for a few changes (they moved some of the sockets to the front panel etc). This unit is in good condition and as far as I can tell, still fully functional. I've used it for recording at home and it works great, mixed with the keyboard and mic, to give you the authentic sound of the 1970’s Vocoder.

There are not many Google entries for this Vocoder, but one of the original team that produced them was still repairing and manufacturing them in Cornwall, England up until recently. sales@ems-synthi.demon.co.uk. I have a PDF service manual that I can send on but no operating manual, but there is a Youtube clip of a Vocoder 2000 instruction demonstration available. I will send on the link if required.

I will courier this item worldwide (please ask for quotes), but I would recommend postal insurance as this will be a costly item to replace,( if you could find one). I will deliver this item up to 50 miles@45p per mile (one way) cash on arrival."

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VINTAGE EMS VOCODER 2000

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

via this auction

"Up for auction is an awesome, professionally maintained original EMS 2000 Vocoder System. Original Owner. Looks sharp and in perfect working order, there is some scratches from being in the rack (see pictures). Designed by Tim Orr and Robin at EMS, made personally for one of my U.S. studios well over 2 decades ago. It has a standard U.S. AC cord, a conversion that will cost a pretty penny on imported Euro units, and the import/customs/etc. cost over $1000 U.S. dollars even decades ago. They aren't made anymore and the EMS Vocoder 2000 is the best vocoder period. An awesome effect to have in your arsenal right now.

Vocoders were originally used to encode a voice to be transmitted over distance, having military tech functions... the compression and encoding of your signal and the synthesis. Essentially, a voice is compressed and encoded, then a new voice is synthesized. You can combine your signals with a keyboard/instrument or use the independent excitation mode to use the EMS Vocoder 2000 as a stand alone processor. With 16 analyzing and 16 synthesizing filters the EMS Vocoder 2000 has clarity and distinction in the processing that you WILL NOT find in plug ins or other Vocoders. Nice fat lows and mid range mix great with guitars and other synths. The EMS Vocoder 2000 is renowned for it's use in the show Battlestar Galactica as well as by Pink Floyd. Distinctive analog processing used by sonically renowned artists.

The coolest thing about this EMS Vocoder is you can design your own effects that are hard for others to duplicate. Bored of out of the box production and effects, the EMS Vocoder 2000 is the solution.

It cost almost $7000 decades ago to get this very special EMS Vocoder 2000 in my studio. It has been professionally maintained and otherwise safely racked in a professional studio since the 80's and is as mint as you will find.
If the price is too high, then you don't get what an EMS Vocoder can do.

Included in the auction are (1) EMS Vocoder 2000, Original EMS Manual, and AC cord."

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Galactic Moog

YouTube Uploaded by synthypnosis on Sep 25, 2011

"VELVET VOYAGE - "Galactic Moog" - performed by Bruno Ender Lee; September 25. 2011

Every sound was created with MOOG gear: MiniMoog Voyager Old School, Little Phatty Stage II & Etherwave Theremin. Basic tracks (Little Phatty - Arpeggios & Voyager - Bass) were pre-recorded. Filmed during recording of Leads, Effects & Theremin.....(and a little inspiration of Battlestar Galactica.. :-))"

EMS 2000 Vocoder for Sale

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

via this auction
yousenditworks (RSS)

"For sale is an insanely rare EMS Vocoder 2000, from the same company that brought you the Synthi AKS and VCS3. If you've seen Battlestar Galactica you've heard this vocoder as the voice of the Cylons. An amazing sounding analog vocoder, perhaps the most intelligible ones out there of the Moog / Bode / Sennheiser VSM201 / Roland VP330 SVC-350 / Korg VC10. It just has a very nice tone to it, and most important you can really hear what you're saying without working too hard at it. In mint shape and fully functional. Looks fantastic. I've tried almost all of the ones out there, and if there was one go-to vocoder to use, this one would be it. See pictures below for more details. Don't miss out on this awesome classic!.."

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XILS-Lab EMS Inspired Vocoder 5000 Arrives

"XILS-lab launches last word in vocoding with powerful plug-in inspired by EMS flagship

GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of XILS Vocoder 5000 — inspired by its expensive EMS Vocoder 5000 hardware (partial) namesake (still held high in analogue awe) as an awe-inspiring, affordable vocoder plug-in for Mac (32- and 64-bit, AU, AAX, RTAS, VST 2.4, and VST 3 for Mac OS X 10.6 or higher) and PC (32- and 64-bit, AAX, RTAS, and VST for Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8) — as of December 23...

By (typical dictionary) definition, a vocoder is an analysis and synthesis system used to reproduce human speech. Speaking historically, Homer Dudley, a research physicist at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, USA, developed the Voice Operated reCOrDER (VOCODER) way back in 1939 as a research device to test compression schemes for the secure transmission of voice signals over copper telephone lines. Later, Werner Meyer-Eppler, the Director of Phonetics at Bonn University in Germany, recognised the relevance of these machine marvels to electronic music following a visit by Dudley in 1948, subsequently using the vocoder as a basis for future writings which would inspire, in turn, the German Elektronische Musik movement. Musically speaking, the vocoder is indebted to German synth pop pioneers Kraftwerk more than most for bringing its distinctive robotic-sounding voice into commercial consciousness — so much so that Wikipedia even has a photograph of one of their early-Seventies custom-built vocoders alongside its own online definition of the word.

Whatever way one views it, actually it was Peter Zinovieff’s London-based company EMS (Electronic Music Studios) — best known for making musical history in 1969 with its introduction of the VCS3, the first portable synthesiser commercially available anywhere in the world — who released the world’s first commercially-available vocoder, the EMS Studio Vocoder, in 1976. Soon renamed the EMS Vocoder 5000, this vocoder par excellence ended up in the talented hands of a privileged few, both musical or otherwise, including Kraftwerk, predictably; Stevie Wonder; US Seventies-vintage sci-fi TV series classic Battlestar Galactica (‘Cylon’ centurion voices); and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. With its 22-band analysis and synthesis sections, the EMS Vocoder 5000 is probably the most highly-specified such unit ever produced. The fact that it can still be bought new today is testament to its still-stunning design, though there is only one (not so small) problem: purchasers should be prepared to part with a handsome five-figure sum for the privilege and then wait quite some considerable time to take delivery of this weighty (20kg) vocoding heavyweight. However, XILS-lab has an answer to that problem: now those fantastic features and more can be accessed instantly in the comfort of your computer at a fraction of that cost, thanks to the XILS Vocoder 5000 plug-in!

Put simply, XILS-labs’ software-based vocoder virtually emulates the fanciful filtering techniques and incredibly complex circuitry of its analogue predecessor to achieve the same organic sound, precision, and clarity. Just like the EMS Vocoder 5000 before it, XILS Vocoder 5000 can be made to ‘speak’ clearly in English and German — just like Kraftwerk... or in any other language for that matter! Respectively resurrecting the still-sought-after sounds of the EMS VCS3 synthesiser and Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus keyboard in popular plug-in form as XILS 3 and XILS V+ certainly stood XILS-lab in good stead when it came to meaningfully modelling the EMS Vocoder 5000’s impressive feature set of no fewer than 22 bandpass filters and envelope followers; oscillators (modelled from the EMS VCS3); noise generator; frequency shifter; and spectrum analyser — including its distinctive 22x22 pin matrix patchboard, allowing any band of the modulator signal to be connected to any band of the carrier signal. So while analogue vocoders like the esteemed EMS Vocoder 5000 typically analyse an incoming signal by splitting it into a number of tuned frequency bands with modulator and carrier signals being sent through a series of tuned bandpass filters — in the case of Kraftwerk’s beloved robotic voices, for example, the modulator is a microphone and the carrier is a noise or sawtooth waveform — with XILS Vocoder 5000 it’s just the same.

Haying that, XILS-lab being XILS-lab, that’s not all. Additional features that make XILS Vocoder 5000 a truly 21st Century product par excellence in its own right include additional filter types; more SLEW RATE modulations; two LFOs — the original Vocoder 5000 had only one; in-depth FM AMNT (Frequency Modulation amount) and PWM AMNT (Pulse Width Modulation amount) controls; additional oscillator waveforms; improved SPEECH (sibilance) input detector; GATE input; and also a keyboard for playing melodies or chords. Unlike the restrictive nature of the original Vocoder 5000’s ‘real world’ pin matrix patchboard, XILS Vocoder 5000 users can quickly populate its onscreen matrix by freely drawing lines... and it helpfully has its own presets! Picture-perfect, some might say!

So there it is. As well as feeding the human voice — truly the most variable sound source of all — into XILS Vocoder 5000 to alter its pitch, tone, vibrato, and other characteristics to synthesise a choir from a single voice or create musical melodies from ordinary speech, why not use XILS Vocoder 5000 to process drums, percussive elements, guitars, or any kind of synthesiser to breathe new ‘analogue’ life into them or reshape them totally? Try creating vocoded synth patterns from drum loops... loopy! Almost anything is musically possible with XILS Vocoder 5000, so why not give it a try today? Here at XILS-lab we’re sure you’ll love its authenticity, adaptability, and affordability.


XILS Vocoder 5000 is available to purchase and download directly from XILS-lab as an eLicenser or iLok copy-protected virtual instrument and effects plug-in for an introductory discounted price of €99.00 EUR (including VAT within the EU) until January 17, 2015 — thereafter rising to €149.00 EUR (including VAT within the EU) — from here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/XILS-Vocoder-5000.html

For more in-depth info, please visit the dedicated XILS Vocoder 5000 webpage here: https://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS%205000.html

Several short audio demos showcasing XILS Vocoder 5000 can be heard here: http://www.xils-lab.com/pages/XILS5000_Audio.html

Various XILS Vocoder 5000 tutorial videos showing several key features and functions can be seen here:
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_TutorialProcessFreqShift.mp4
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_TutorialMatrixPatchSlewRate.mp4
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_TutorialCarrierControl.mp4
https://www.xils-lab.com/audiosample/XILS5000/video/XILS5000_SideChainCubase.mp4"

Synth Books

See the Synth Books label for more.
Also see the scans label for more synth documentation.


The A-X of Analogue Synthesizers by Peter Forest


Vintage Synthesizers by Mark Vail


Essential Retro by James Grahame

CLICK FOR MORE »

SQ8L - Free Virtual Ensoniq SQ80

"There IS such a thing as a Free Lunch!

Rarely has the 'you get what you pay for' concept been more wrong than in the case of the absolutely free SQ8L VST instrument from Synthmiester Siegfried Kullmann. If you would have told me 20 years ago that someday an IBM-compatible PC would be able to run a spot-on software-based clone of the SQ80, I would have said 'yeah right, and Weird Al Yankovic will have a number one album and Battlestar Galactica will be an acclaimed series.'"

You can find it here and a couple of vids that mentioned the SQ8L here and here.
via khoral where you'll find a track titled Ambrosia featuring the SQ8L.

The Surprising Musicality of a Telephone Line Simulator

video upload by HAINBACH

You can find the post HAINBACH mentions with pics here.

"Of all the instruments in my studio filled with many obscure things, this is the one that draws most peoples attention: the vintage telephone line simulator by Axel Electronics. It looks rather disco for a piece of test equipment, with its Battlestar Galactica golden color. In this video I put it through its many surprising musical applications.

SOUNDPACKS, MUSIC and LOVE: http://patreon.com/hainbach"

EMS 1000 Vocoder

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this auction
See the seller's other items for more.

"For sale is an insanely rare EMS Vocoder 1000, from the same company that brought you the Synthi AKS and VCS3. If you've seen Battlestar Galactica you've heard this vocoder as the voice of the Cyclons. An amazing sounding analog vocoder, perhaps the most intelligible ones out there of the Moog / Bode / Sennheiser VSM201 / Roland VP330 SVC-350 / Korg VC10. It just has a very nice tone to it, and most important you can really hear what you're saying without working too hard at it. The 1000 is very similar design as the 2000. In excellent shape and fully functional. I've tried almost all of the ones out there, and if there was one go-to vocoder to use, this one would be it. See pictures below for more details. Don't miss out on this awesome classic!"

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Roland VP-03 Vocoder FUN! Boutique Synthesizer VP-330 Plus Rik Marston

Published on Apr 30, 2019 Rik Marston Official

#rolandvp03 #rolandboutique #vocoder
Roland VP-03 Vocoder FUN!!!!
Synthesizer Demo by Rik Marston
**Watch in HD!!** **TURN IT UP!!**

Roland VP-03 Vocoder FUN!!!
I just had a blast playing this synthesizer!
Such a FUN VOCODER Choir & String Synth!!!
Excellent Transformers / Battlestar Galactica FLASHBACKS!!!
Get one of these before they discontinue them!!!
Recorded into Ableton LIVE with Groove Delay FX

Thank you for watching!