An Interview with Barry Schrader

Hi everyone! As you know Barry Schrader will be giving his farewell concert at CalArts on September 26. The following is the beginning of my interview with him. I opted to post the questions and answers as they come in.  New QAs will get a new post so you do not miss them and they will be added to this post so we have one central post for the full interview. This should make it easier for all of us to consume in our busy lives, and it will allow you to send in any questions that may come to mind during the interview process.  If you have anything you'd like to ask Barry, feel free to send it in to matrixsynth@gmail.com.  This is a rare opportunity for us to get insight on a significant bit of synthesizer history, specifically with early Buchla systems, and I'd like to thank Barry for this opportunity. Thank you Barry!

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MMM Fable........ MMM03 JHVE

via John Van Eaton
"1st shot from way out in outer space as I examined and opened this strange case..................... (yes pretty cool I had a flat screen HD TV in outer space ..... almost looks like a hotel room in Los Angeles.........

It almost looks like a Kubrickian monolith, or something built in the Planet of the Apes............ but with such thin style and grace.....................

I went on a journey, oh so far away,
I called Mr. Mattson just to say,
"I know your modular's symmetrical,
but I am talking beyond the hypothetical,
in the theoretical, can you make my modular more mono dimensional ?"
"I'm to stow away in a leaky shallow boat,
and then to outer space, me and my synth must elope.........
But slight and thin it must be, (I'm not talking about synth babes on playboy TV)
but....... to be my outer space partner in symphony,
or roll in a small bed of cacophonous polyphony,
will you good Sir please be kind, & answerer me?"


Mr. Mattson soon replied, " Don't commit modular suicide,
I've heard thee well, and I shall make you something thin and swell"

"Is it a mint girl scout cookie ?" , I had to pry...............

" No, I made the Syntar I can not lie!"
"it is a case of delight, so svelte so thin so slight,
but it protects your sonic dynamite!"

So now I've reveled around the world, and Mr. Mattson's flag's unfurled,
I've returned from space, mountains seas and rivers,
Now 1/2 a Mattson- thin cover........... may it give you shivers.........."

http://mattsonminimodular.com/
http://www.myspace.com/nocturnelament
www.jhve.com

A strange thing happened the day after Christmas...

"A Bugbrand Weevil 08, showed up and knocked on my door this morning. He was very cute, and the weather outside, was very cold. I invited him in.

I gave him a standard greeting, and introduced him to my Mattson Mini Modular, whereupon, I said I would go fetch some tea.

Well, wondrous things do often come to pass and never cease to amaze me, on my way back up the stairs, I heard a very perturbable conversation ensuing...

Luckily, I was able to capture it in a quicktime blip, as well as a written transcript.

The conversation went as follow, please read transcription concurrently with the audio rendition [launch, listen and read the following translation while playing]:

"Hello"
"Hello"
"What's up?"
" Well......."
"(Let's) Hang Out, Together ! "
(Sound of Laughter)"
"What the F@#%CK ! "
"Hell NO!"
"Boy Friend-Together-(let's) Hang Out !"
"Hell NO! (I've got to) Comb my Hair, Brush my Teeth, Wash my Face...."
"Bud Light-Bud Light-Bud Light, I'm so wasted ! " ( Begins to laugh like a Drunken Monkey)
"By the way..........HANG UP ! "
"Anyway..........."
"Good By " .....(Click)......
"Wow.............So What.............Oh What Ever..............."

Standing there, at the top of the Stair Case, with 3 Cups of Tea, a Machine 3 Sheets to the Wind, and my Jaw on the Floor, I was besides myself with a conundrum of condarned confusion............ That was no way for the MMM and the Weevil to be conducting themselves. Sensing my displeasure, at their apparent lack of civility, the MMM spun round seemingly trying to tell me something. Then I noticed it, he wasn't even patched in! He couldn't have been involved in that conversation, after all, he and I had been getting along grandly since his arrival a week ago...

I quickly arrived at the obvious conclusion: I had a Rude/ Drunk/ Schizophrenic Weevil.

OK, Mattson Mini Modular stays, Weevil has to go......any takers? (LOL)

Happy Holidays

Peace, JHVE
John H. Van Eaton
www.jhve.com
http://www.myspace.com/nocturnelament"

Roland TB-303 Vintage Analog Synthesizer w/ Box & Bag

This one not up for auction.

Click the image and note the background.

via John Van Eaton
jhve.com
http://www.myspace.com/nocturnelament

"Anybody want to rent a Birotron?


Gotta pay the !@#$%^&*ing rent some how..............................."

EML they grow on you...

via John Van Eaton in response to this post

The Birotron

"Rick Wakeman of the band "Yes" invented and developed this instrument along with help from David Biro. Wakeman formed the company Birotronics, Ltd. which made just 35 Birotrons. Like the Mellotron, the Birotron "sampled" instruments and uses 8-track tapes for the various sounds. This was necessary before digital sampling became available. They were mainly used for strings, choirs, brass, and flutes; sounds not easily reproduced on the synthesizers of that era."

via 8-Track Heaven where you will find more info.

via John Van Eaton

Updates via the comments:
via Darren Landrum:
I seem to recall this one used tape loops, which contained continuous sounds. Shaping could then be added via an envelope generator. Great for sustaining sounds like strings, organ, and choir, but not so good for transient sounds like tubular bells. Of course, the Mellotron was most famous for the sustaining sounds, so maybe the Biro fellow was on to something. The only artist I can recall using the tubular bell tape for the Mellotron is Isao Tomita.

via Milo Johnson:
"The Birotron used 37 8-track tapes, one per key (with all of the attendant problems of 8-tracks) instead of strips of tape like the Mellotron and Chamberlin. Mellotron sounds last about eight seconds and then the tape has to rewind to play the note again. The Birotron used hand-crossfaded recordings to give "infinite" sustain, or at least until the 8-track clicked and changed direction. Rick was the money man and contributed some ideas for improving the instrument, but Dave had already developed it when he approached Rick for financing. It looks like fewer than 20 were ultimately produced and about half of them are accounted for. Dave didn't have one of his own instruments for many years until David Kean of Mellotron.com found and restored one and gave it to him. There is a Yahoo! Birotron Group moderated by Dave Biro, open membership so you can get the story straight from the horse's mouth."