computer chronicles - midimusic 1986 - 1992

Computer Chronicles midi music 01

"TheCyberbedouin | January 24, 2011 | 0 likes, 0 dislikes

MIDI Music
Computers and music, MIDI machines and interfaces,
and music composition software.Guests: Chris French,
Music Software; Bob Moore,
Hybrid Arts; David Schwartz,
Compusonics; Chris Potter,
Mimetics; Curtis Sasaki,
Apple; Gary Kildall,
Digital Research; Gary Leuenberger,
Midi RevolutionProducts/Demos: Casio SK-1 Synthesizer,
Atari ST, Activision's Music Studio, ADAP Sampler, DSP-1000,
Apple II GS, Ensoniq Sound Chip, Soundscape,
Commodore AmigaEZ Track, Kidnotes

Episode year: 1986"

Computer Chronicles midi music 02

Vintage Computer Synthesizers

Published on Nov 2, 2016 House of Angels

A bit of vintage computer synth history followed by a more recent overview of the Alpha Syntauri Digital Synthesizer. Also see this post for two other episodes of Computer Chronicles.

Playlist:
Computer Chronicles Computer Music 1984 Alpha Syntauri Synthesizer Apple II
Sampler Greengate DS3, Apple II - Stevie Martin aka Snowdome Science In Action BBC 1986
Sampling, Synths and Computer Music on UK TV 1984 Greengate DS3 - Mike Thorne Sampling, Synths and Computer Music on UK TV 1984
The Alpha Syntauri Digital Synthesizer - Apple II

Foundations of Computer Music & The Music Machines, Curtis Roads, MIT Press

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

via this auction

"Foundations of Computer Music Overview ($72us new, 700 pages+)

This survey chronicles the major advances in computer music that have changed the way music is composed, performed, and recorded. It contains many of the classic, seminal articles in the field (most of which are now out of print) in revised and updated versions. Computer music pioneers, digital audio specialists, and highly knowledgeable practitioners have contributed to the book. Thirty-six articles written in the 1970s and 1980s cover sound synthesis techniques, synthesizer hardware and engineering, software systems for music, and perception and digital signal processing. The editors have provided extensive summaries for each section.

Curtis Roads is editor of Computer Music Journal. John Strawn is a Research Associate at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University.

The Music Machine Overview ($70us new, 700+ pages)

Since its inception in 1976, Computer Music Journal has led the field as the essential resource for musicians, composers, scientists, engineers, and computer enthusiasts interested in contemporary electronic music and computer-generated sound.

In The Music Machine, Curtis Roads brings together 53 classic articles published in Computer Music Journal between 1980 and 1985, providing a cohesive survey of the major developments in computer music and in the related technology during the last decade. The book includes interviews with major figures in the field and articles devoted to composition, artificial intelligence, and the popular Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). Roads has written an overview of each of the book's seven parts, highlighting the major topics and placing the various articles in a thematic and historical context."

Amiga & Music

YouTube Uploaded by ckmogo on Jan 11, 2008
Roland D-50, Kawai R-50 & Amiga
"http://cchronicles.com 1988 from the Computer Chronicles"

Search on Computer Chronicles in the Search MATRIXSYNTH box on the right for more.

Update via Adrien in the comments: "it's david joiner (known as "talin"), he's a real genius ... he's made on amiga "faery tale adventure", probably one of the best video game ever, all by himself (graphics, musics, programming) in 1986, it was a 17000 screens wide game, on a single floppy (880 kb !!!)"

Yamaha CS80 and Gary Leuenberger's Patch Guide and Demo CD

via this auction
Anyone know more about Gary Leuenberger's Patch Guide and Demo CD mentioned in the auction description further below? He is mentioned in this prior post on Computer Chronicles from 1986 on MIDI Music.

"Included with CS80 and E1010 are:
* (1) Original Yamaha Metal Instrument Base / Stand. One of the feet / leveler's is missing.
* (1) Original Tolex Covered Wooden Synth Cover w/(4)Casters
* (1) Original Yamaha Bag / Soft Case to hold metal stand & accessories
* (1) Original Yamaha Sustain Pedal
* (1) Original Yamaha Volume / Control pedal
* (1) Original Yamaha CS-80 Owners Manual
* (1) Yamaha CS-80 Service Manual on CD in PDF Format
* (1) Gary Leuenberger's, Patch Guide - This guide is a compilation of detailed patch sheets which shows positions for all of the parameters.
* (1) Gary Leuenberger Patches Demo CD - This has been transferred from a cassette tape. It is an audio tape that discusses, in detail, the best way to utilize Gary's Patch Guide per patch. It's noisy, has noticeable channel crosstalk and overloads at points. However, The CD provides very detailed examples of his famous patches, how to create them and, more importantly, how to play them. If you follow Gary's instruction, you will get a unique look at some ways, in which, Gary uses initial and aftertouch and how he puts the CS80's envelopes and ring modulator to good use.
* (1) Original Yamaha Factory Music Rest - One of the flush mounted flat head screws is missing. This will need to be replaced or other another fix created for the music rest to work properly.

Features:
Specifications
Polyphony - 8 times two patches
Oscillators - saw, square, sine wave, noise, PW and PWM, LFO
LFO - 5 waveform function LFO can modulate either or all of VCO, VCF and VCA
Filter - HP, res, LP, res, filter ADR envelope
VCA - Mix in for the VCF out and the sine, ADSR
Keyboard - 61 weighted keys w/ velocity and polyphonic aftertouch
Memory - 4 Patches
Control - external modulation input
Date Produced - 1976-79
Total # of units made - 2000

External Input for special sub oscillator effects - It allows for modulation of the filter, oscillator or amplifier by line-level sources, such as external oscillators, rhythm boxes, or other "cyclic" electronic instruments. The input is high impedance,so it will not overload the external device. Sensitivity is adjustable with the External Level Control, but even at maximum sensitivity the input will not provide a discernable effect with mic-level or guitar pickup level signals." via adrien

1986 Passport Designs Master Tracks MIDI Sequencer Ad

via Retro Synth Ads where you'll find the write-up.

"Passport Designs Master Tracks MIDI sequencer software "The 1-2-3 of MIDI Sequencers" 1-page advertisement from page 11 in Keyboard February 1986."

Also see:

computer chronicles - midimusic 1986 - 1992
And the Passport Designs label below for more.

Speech Synthesis (1984)

YouTube via ckmogo. via Nusonica.
"http://www.cchronicles.com From the Computer Chronicles TV show."

MIDI Music - 1986

Click here for an episode of Computer Chronicles from 1986 on MIDI Music. Amazing how far we have come. $100 for a singe CD-R. : ) Links to video stream on on the left pane when you get there. Via this post on VSE.



Computers and music, MIDI machines and interfaces, and music composition software.

Guests: Chris French, Music Software; Bob Moore, Hybrid Arts; David Schwartz, Compusonics; Chris Potter, Mimetics; Curtis Sasaki, Apple; Gary Kildall, Digital Research; Gary Leuenberger, Midi Revolution

Products/Demos: Casio SK-1 Synthesizer, Atari ST, Activision's Music Studio, ADAP Sampler, DSP-1000, Apple II GS, Ensoniq Sound Chip, Soundscape, Commodore AmigaEZ Track, Kidnotes

Innova Recordings Releases Schrader's Monkey King CD

Be sure to see the notes from Barry on the synths used further below.

"Barry Schrader’s Monkey King CD has been released by Innova Recordings on Innova 703. The CD contains music inspired by the five elements of ancient Chinese tradition in Wu Xing – Cycle of Destruction, and by stories from the great Chinese classic Journey to the West.

Wu Xing - Cycle of Destruction deals with the Chinese concept of Wu Xing, the five elements in ancient Chinese tradition: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. These are important in Chinese astrology, medicine, and BaGua, a system of trigrams used in Fengshui and other areas of Chinese life and culture. The five elements are often arranged in one of two cycles: the cycle of birth, ending with earth, or, as in this work, the cycle of destruction: metal, wood, earth, water, fire. Wu Xing - Cycle of Destruction explores these elements in transcendent ways. The Metal and Wood sections are aural depictions of the elemental density of the mediums, while Earth considers the metaphysics of planetary rotation and revolution. Water reflects on the conceptual aspects of the world's oceans at various depths, voyaging from the darkest abyss to the light of distant shores. Finally, in Fire, there are the physical and spiritual effects of all-engulfing flames.

Monkey King is based on scenes from the classic Chinese book Journey to the West, written around 1550 by Wu Cheng-en. Considered one of the great classics of Chinese literature, the book chronicles the adventures of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, one of the most fascinating fictional characters ever created. Barry Schrader has taken some of the most famous scenes from this book and created Monkey King, a new electronic music journey into the imagined past of Chinese legend. In the tradition of Schrader's Lost Atlantis, Monkey King explores an immense imaginary aural landscape.

Tobias Fischer of Tokafi writes:

"Monkey King is a colorful combination of Schrader's recognizably arousing orchestral maneuvers with an immediate melodic appeal, gentle harmonic textures, and electronic echoes of traditional Chinese instruments. While individual elements sound strangely familiar, the resulting entity is without direct reference, a style which is as timeless as it is futuristic and which revels an ancient mythology with the tools of today. Without a single doubt, this piece is the most accessible in Schrader's oeuvre."

Some of the scenes depicted in Schrader's Monkey King are the birth of Monkey, his underwater journey to visit the palace of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea where Monkey takes possession of the Staff of the Milky Way, Monkey's attempt to jump over Buddha's palm, and Monkey's apotheosis in becoming the Buddha Victorious in Strife.

Barry Schrader has been acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times as "a composer born to the electronic medium," named "a seminal composer of electro-acoustic music" by Journal SEAMUS, and described by Gramophone as a composer of "approachable electronic music with a distinctive individual voice to reward the adventurous." "There's a great sweep to Schrader's work that puts it more in line with ambitious large-scale electronic works by the likes of Stockhausen (Hymnen), Eloy (Shanti) and Henry (take your pick), a line that can be traced backwards to Mahler, Bruckner and Beethoven." writes Dan Warburton of the Paris Transatlantic Magazine. Computer Music Journal states that Schrader’s "music withstands the test of time and stands uniquely in the American electronic music genre." Schrader's compositions for electronics, dance, film, video, mixed media, live/electro-acoustic music combinations, and real-time computer performance have been presented throughout the world. He has been a member of the Composition Faculty of the California Institute of the Arts School of Music since 1971, and has also taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the California State University at Los Angeles. His music is recorded on the Innova label. His web site is barryschrader.com."

I asked Barry what he used on the CD:
"As to what I used to compose 'Monkey King' and 'Wu Xing - Cycle of Destruction,' the only hardware I used (other than my Mac) was a Yamaha TX816. Here's a list of the software: Digital Performer, Unisyn, Peak, Rocket Science, and Cycling 74 Pluggo. The last two, of course, are bundles, and have multiple plugins, too many to name. DP also has a lot of plugins.

"As for synthesis techniques, I used additive synthesis, subtractive synthesis (including granular), amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, and transfer functions, which, of course, involve the use of wavetable synthesis. So everything, including all of the sound sources, is digital. I know most of the people who visit your site love analog. I composed with analog equipment for many years, and I still enjoy hearing music created on analog systems. But I'm so used to working with computers now, that I don't think I could go back to analog, and I also don't think I could get the degree of control I need to compose the way I want.

"I work mainly in event lists so that I can specify data. All of the timbres for 'Monkey King' and 'Wu Xing - Cycle of Destruction' were designed specifically for these works. This is a general practice of mine and relates to my compositional point of view. (There's some information on this on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Schrader.) As a result of these practices, I compose very slowly, and I average about 20 hours of work for 1 minute of music. There were times with 'Monkey King,' particularly Part 2, where the work was so strenuous that I had to quit composing for several weeks in order to maintain my equilibrium. The composition of that movement alone stretched out over 6 months.

"I think these may be the last works that I compose with the TX816. I've bought Native Instruments Complete 5 package and have been porting my timbral designs into FM8, which allows for more possibilities than the Yamaha 6-operator design. I'm also learning other programs in the NI package, mainly those that allow me to create electronic material directly. I remain rather uninterested in dealing with concrete (acoustic) sound files. Everything on the 'Monkey King' CD, by the way, as is true of almost all of my music, is electronic. The only computer concrete piece that I did was 'Beyond,' and that was done on the old WaveFrame workstation at UCSB. I'm also going to get additional software for my next big work, which I'll probably begin in January, as I have a sabbatical from CalArts next year. I have a need to keep pushing myself to create new things in new ways. It may be difficult to top some aspects of the music on the 'Monkey King' CD, which, I think is some of my best, but I'm not going to worry about it. For me, each new work is its own universe."

Newton 09 Retro Sci-Fi Sound Art Radio Theatre Production

Newton 09, Dance Dance Beat: for the World to Remember

Published on May 31, 2014

"www.NEWTON09.com

The final track from Episode 2 of Newton 09, composed entirely with a 1986 Commodore 64c computer (& processing). Software used for the piece was the C64 MSSIAH monosynth, bassline, and wave player.

Newton 09 is currently in post-production, and the full three part saga will be available at the end of this Summer.

-------------------

Newton 09 is a retro sci-fi sound art radio theatre production, in 5.1 multichannel (and stereo). Story by Daniel Nadeau, foley and electronic composition by Peter van Haaften and an accompanying graphic adaptation by illustrator Robin Clugston combine to create a new trans-disciplinary work, inspired by classic British broadcasting.

Presented in three acts, Newton 09 chronicles the re-emergence of a lost art after generations of silence. 300 years in the future, mental slavery has buried the memory of joyful activity. In a house, on a hill, a lonely electronic mind has been waiting to remind the world of its forgotten beat.

With live voice acting, a progressive electronic score, and original atmospherics, Newton 09 looks to make an immersive electroacoustic experience accessible to new audiences. The piece takes ideas from the past, present and future--patching them into a surreal sound odyssey for all ages."

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.