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array2020 archiving Preserving Hardware History: ing condition? Should this equipment Archiving the Studios at Columbia be refurbished, maintained, or pres- University erved?The RCA MarkII synthesizer, by Seth Cluett which has been well-documented in the historical literature on electronic Otto Luening and Vladimir music, was just one technology Ussachevsky began their first among manyparticipating in a 70- academic experiments with studio year history ofengagement with electronic music in the United States electronic music at Columbia. By in the early1950s atBarnard College understanding the development and and Columbia University. Since that use ofhardware assets, custom tools, time,atwhatis nowknown as the and bespoke electronic devices, we Computer Music Center at Columbia hope to raise awareness and provide University, storage closets and boxes critical evidence for researchers and filled with paper files, media artifacts, composers to understand the creative and numerous pieces ofcustom process and technological affordances electronic equipment have associated with historical studio accumulated, which are nowin need practices. ofpreservation and safekeeping. Inter- The first formal facility dedicated to linking histories ofpeople, facilities, sound experimentation on Columbia and technologies present complex University’s 116th-Street campus in challenges for conventional archival the late 1940s was known as the approaches, collection management, Columbia Experimental Music Studio; and storage.While personal papers of with the acquisition ofan Ampex400 personnel, studio documentation, and tape recorderin 1951 (Monroe, Mary audiovisual media fall within estab- 1996), it became the Columbia Tape lished practices for archival collections Music Studio. After moving to 125th in the arts and music, the technolo- Street in the late 1950s, the facility gical holdings—hardware devices grew substantially with the acquisition unique to each studio—raise a compli- ofthe RCAMarkII and the founding of cated set ofquestions:What criteria do the Columbia-Princeton Electronic we use to determine whatis kept? Is it Music Center(CPEMC) in 1959 (Gluck important that the devices be in work- 2007).When the collaboration with 1 5 array2020 archiving Princeton ended in the late 1980s, it including photographs, paper-based became the Electronic Music Center materials, and recorded media.While (EMC). In 1996, occupying the same individual composer archives remain footprint, the facility was renamed the spread out between the NewYork Columbia University Computer Music Public Library for the Performing Arts Center (CMC). Because ofthe long (NYPL), the Library ofCongress (LoC), history, changing locations, and ex- and other repositories, archival collec- panding academic and cultural impact tions related to the CMC facilityare ofmultiple generations ofelectronic now housed at Columbia’s RBML, and experimental music facilities at whose music holdings are separate Columbia, archival efforts have fo- from the main Music Library. cused on saving at-riskpaper records and audio and moving image media. While there are numerous com- Until recently, the hardware history mercial releases ofworkcreated at and documentation surrounding the Columbia, these documents represent technical infrastructure have remained onlya fraction ofthe workproduced largelyunaddressed. In the past 10 in the studios.Verylittle ofthe rich years, significant workto consolidate earlyaudio historyofthe studios has archival materials related to the CMC’s been easilyaccessible, until, in Mayof historyhave been made through the 2018, the Columbia University Library efforts ofBrad Garton, Director, and was awarded a majorGrammyFoun- Terry Pender, former Associate Direc- dation grant to digitize approximately tor, ofthe CMC.We have worked 400 hours ofrecorded electro-acoustic closelywith Elizabeth Davis and Nick workcurated from 1000 ofthe roughly Patterson from the Music &Arts 5500 reel-to-reel tapes in the studio Libraryat Columbia to assess hold- archival holdings (Lovell, Abigail ings and safelystore and transport 2020). In July2020, these recordings materials to the Rare Books and were made publiclyavailable in the Manuscripts Library (RBML) at University’s online catalog and pub- Columbia’s main Butler Library lished to the Library’s Digital Libraries (Patterson 2011).The focus has been Collection. The recordings reveal to centralize decades ofhistorical hours ofpathbreaking experimen- materials from each ofthese facilities, tation with technology, documenting 1 6 array2020 archiving the creative process and practice of ledgers, correspondence, manuals, hardware exploration in the studio. In and photographs, remain to be pro- addition to these audio holdings, 312 cessed. With the highest-riskmaterials linear feet ofpaper documents, rang- safelycared for, the CMC is now work- ing from equipment receipts, budget ing towards gaining intellectual con- Equipment racks, oscillators, custom tape machines, Room 324 Prentis Hall, Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (c. 1960). Photographer: Unknown. 1 7 array2020 archiving trol ofthe remaining technological RCA MarkII Synthesizer, drawn from holdings in storage in our facility. the archives atNokia Bell Labs and the CMC. In January2018, I curated Sounding The wonder, curiosity, and passion- Circuits: Audible Histories at the New ate engagement ofexhibition atten- YorkPublic Library for the Performing dees encountering early sound exper- Arts at Lincoln Center (Cluett 2018). imentation technologies for the first This exhibition explored the networks time revealed the urgency ofarchiv- ofcomposers and engineers—as well ing, maintaining, and in some cases, as the groundbreaking facilities and renovating the extant historical revolutionary technologies—that equipment stored at the CMC.We played a crucial role in the expansion have begun the process ofstabiliz- ofelectronic sound from the 1950s ing physical storage, creating an to the present. Drawing together pri- inventory, and assessing the opera- mary source materials, including tional viability oftechnologies rang- personal correspondence, historical ing from custom mixers made in the recordings, technical documentation, early1950s to one-of-a-kind and rare and musical sketches and scores from equalizers and delays from the 1960s across the NewYorkPublic Library for and synthesizers and sound process- the Performing Arts’rich archival col- ing units from the 1970-1990s.While lections, this exhibition highlighted some devices have been in continu- the significant contributions ofpio- ous operation and maintained since neering composers like Otto Luening, theywere initiallyinstalled, manyhad Pauline Oliveros, EdgarVarèse, and been placed into long-term storage as Charles Dodge to the then newly-de- each new incarnation ofthe facility veloping practices ofelectronic and adopted current, innovative techno- computermusic during the last cen- logies and expanded its resources for tury.These materials were placed in creative applications.The CMC is now dialog with electronic sound process- cataloging, cleaning, and testing ing equipment, oscillators, an early stored equipment with the long-term mixing console, a full-scale photo- goal ofcreating technologies to inte- graphic reproduction ofthe Columbia- grate historical pieces into contempo- Princeton Electronic Music Center's rarystudio spaces for creative use and 1 8 array2020 archiving scholarly study. Columbia’s RBML, including circuit Manyare not aware that the RCA schematics, photographs ofmodules MarkII Synthesizeris still installed at taken before Columbia received ship- the CMC today. First assembled in ment, as well as electronics textbooks Prentis Hall at the founding ofthe and manuals from the time ofits CPEMCin 1959and in continuous use design and construction.We have through the 1960s and 70s, the MarkII started the process ofreaching out has been the subject ofhundreds of to historically-important synthesizer pages ofscholarly writing on electron- designers, electrical engineers in- ic music.The MarkII was operational vested in the historyofcircuit design, until 2015, when an electrical malfunc- former technical directors for the tion caused staffto discontinue its use. Center, and decades ofgraduate Last year, after more than 60 years in students who have completed re- Prentis Hall, CMC staffreceived notice search on the MarkII and its users. from Columbia University that we Peter Mauzey, who installed the MarkII need to begin planning forthe possi- in 1959and was both a longstanding bility ofrelocating the facility.While I staffmemberofthe CMC and on the am confident that the important work faculty ofColumbia’s electrical engi- we are doing to gain intellectual neering department, has agreed to control over the hardware history of participate in an oral historyinter- the Center is valuable and indispens- viewand engageourteam in a dialog able, this plan would necessitate mov- about the original installation, in ing theMarkII -a process which will hopes that his extensive experience require additional careful planning, might guide its renovation, disas- archival research into the operation sembly, and reassembly.We plan to and design ofthe technology, and make all ofthese materials publicly scholarly engagement from electrical available so that scholars, students, engineers, historians, and composers and practitioners can engage actively alike. with the renovation process. By shar- ing schematics, images, design To thatend,we