August 1983
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MW»M MH1M *fT»* COLO COLO OWN UXV LOUD ****** iwcono (mm copy * ***.».« ^ OlMTllcilll BUILD: A SIMPLE D r u m u l a t o r DRUM DONALD BUCHLA SYNTHESIZER I INTERVIEW _ cJSB,, THE ULTIMATE «*— «B ASS. _____ DIGITAL DRUMS ’ 1 1 > < I COMPRESSOR AN OVERVIEW WM €-mo Systems, Inc. [ _____ ------Wk U. J l 1 I___ I L---I .. 1 j L 1 1 1 L 'n” i IT! , ; n 7, r i I DRLJIVl COIV\F>LJTEF< / I I ISSN: 0163-4534 T H G OB6 RHGIM 5 YSTGM 'Let me overturn a The system inspires "In truth, these "There's no other way "The interface with myth here—this is creativity and three little boxes to record a symphony the DSX exponentially the greatest drum box experimentation on (DMX, DSX & OB-8) by yourself...." enlarges the for sound and every level." will do far more than possibilities of Sting (The Police) programmability... we yet know howto what I can do.” David Sancious Musician/ June 1983 make use of musically. Stewart Copeland May 27,1983 Jeff Lorber (The Police) Jim Aikin Obernotes/Fall 1982 Melody Maker Keyboard/ April 1983 June 18,1983 OB6RHGM (ELECTRONICS, INC. Some things are better than others. 2 2 5 0 So. Barrington Avt Los Angeles, CA 9 0 0 6 4 DX Digital DMX Digital DSX Digital OB-8 Polyphonic 700 Professional Drum Machine Drum Machine Polyphonic Programmable Stereo $1395.00 $2895.00 Sequencer Synthesizer Power Amplifier Suggested retail Suggested retail $1995.00 $4395.00 $895.00 Suggested retail Suggested retail Suggested retail STAFF CONTENTS ISSN: 0163-4534 PUBLISHER Polyphony John S. Simonton, Jr. Volume 8, Number 5 EDITOR Craig Anderton August, 1983 MANAGING EDITOR Linda Kay Brumfield TECHNICAL ILLLUSTRATOR Caroline Wood An Interview With Donald Buchla by: John K. Diliberto ...... 14 CIRCULATION Ramona French Peggy Walker Build a Simple Drum Synthesizer by: Doug Young ...... 36 BOOKEEPING Cathi Boggs Digital Drums, An Overview PRINT PRODUCTION by: Craig Anderton ...... 22 Phuong Nguyen SEMCO Color Press Exploring Just Intonation by: David Doty ...... 38 POLYPHONY (ISSN 0163-4534) is published bimonthly at 1020 W. Wilshire Blvd., Fender's Triad Interface ...... 43 Oklahoma City, OK 73116, by Polyphony Publishing Co. Entire contents copyright Gate - Sample/Hold Circuit (c) 1982 by Polyphony Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No portion of this by: Michael Rogalski ...... 20 publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission frpm The Penultimate Compressor the publisher. Second Class postage is paid at Oklahoma City, OK 73125. By: Thomas Figueiredo ...... 10 ADVERTISING rate card and deadline Viewpoint: Why Spring Reverb Will Never Die schedule is available upon request. Contact Linda Brumfield at (405) by: Craig O'Donnell ...... 18 842-5480. DEALERS & DISTRIBUTORS bulk prices are available upon request. Contict Linda Brumfield at (405) 842-5480. SUBSCRIPTION rates: Book Review: Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, American 1 year $12.00 2 years $22.00 and Controls Foreign 1 year $14.00 by: David Doty ...... 9 2 years $26.00 We now accept MasterCharge and Visa payment for subscriptions, back issues, On Location: Concerts, US Festival, NAMM and PolyMart items. Foreign payments by: Craig Anderton ...... 5 must be by charge card, money order, or certified check in US funds drawn on a US bank. Practical Circuitry, Micro Drums Part I by Thomas Henry ...... 32 BACK ISSUES are available at $2.50 each ppd. Send SASE and request pur 'Back Issue List' for a complete index of Re-View issues and their features, or see the by: Robert Carlberg ...... 4 back issue ad in this issue. CHANGE OF ADDRESS notifications must include your former address and zip code, and any numbers from the mailing label, as well as your new address. When you move, be sure to notify your post office that you DO want second Ad I n d e x ...... 44 class and controlled circulation ublications forwarded. This will save f ost or returned issues. Polyphony is Current Events ...... 27 not responsible for replacement of lost or returned issues when we have not been supplied with change of address Equipment Exchange ...... 46 information. TO POSTMASTER, send address changes to: POLYPHONY PO Box 20305 Oklahoma City, OK 73156 COVER PHOTOGRAPH by: Vesta Copestakes - CAVE GRAFIX Ph. (405) 842-5480 Polyphony August 1983 3 von Deyen/Schuetz I n v e n t i o n s Robert Carlberg’s “ | (Sky 082). Diester Schuetz is a guitarist, and Adelbert von Deyen a synthesist. I put this record on automatic repeat on my turnta ble, and after six or seven cycles it still hadn't made much of an impression. But I did get the re-view Sunday paper read — these short, pleasant, non-involving tunes are perfect for that. Mnemonists Biota (Dys Records). Garrison, although Ricky's pieces All music is just noise, arranged are shorter and generally more Straight Shooter 5 (Sky 080). A in patterns we can recognize and daring. His equipment is top- cultural oddity — heavy metal identify with. The Mnemonists notch: Prophet 5, Pro-1, and with synthesizers. Well, it's not work with the raw materials of Roland drum unit (all self-pro really heavy metal, but it would music, without the comforting re grammed). A very full 90 minutes 1 ike to be. ference points of tune or rhythm for $8.50 postpaid from Starbuster — pure noise elevated to a night Productions, PO Box 5582, Madison, Culturcide Y e a r O ne (L.P.). mare soundtrack. The key to a WI 53705. Culturcide has been described as good "noise portrait" is to keep modern day Faust, which tells only you so busy trying to figure out Various Elektronische Musik (Or part of the story. As originators how it was done that you never nament CH7.921). Tape studio of much of the musical Dada move question why it was done. Mnemon works in the old "cut-and-splice" ment of the 70s, Faust showed a ists succeed.* style, including the usual oscil lot of wit and verve. But their lator sweeps, tape speed changes, music was also uncommonly economi Tomek Lamprecht T o m e k (ATL odd taped tidbits, and text-poems cal and unpretentious — qualities 21057). Bass, guitar, and drums, (in a combination of German and singularly missing in Culturcide. aided by a Fairlight C.M.I., in English). Unlike some others, Culturcide is more akin to Throb funky tunes with occasional vo there's enough variety and subtle bing Gristle, based as it is on cals, all by this one guy. It's humor to keep it light and enter rhythm box, spoken lyrics, and pretty hot stuff.* taining.* distorted instruments. For pri cing write Culturcide, 3305 Mon Miles Davis Star People (CBS Gregory Taylor Given Names (cas trose #114, Houston TX 77006. 38657). My biggest complaint with sette). A good collection of Miles is that he gets into pat mesmerizing drones (mostly in the Peter Gabriel Plays Live (Geffen terns and can't break out — I lower register) along with some 4012). Live albums have always mean he must have remade Jack uptempo numbers built on^e-percus- been kind of a contradiction: Johnson six times in the 70s. sion and S & H triggers. Taylor's trying to capture the special While this one and We Want Miles search for tonalities includes not excitement of a live concert with (see February '83) are definitely only rich, vibrant synthesizer another recording, but without echoes of Man with a Horn (his big chords, but some unusual taped either duplicating the original 1981 comeback album), at least voice loops, soothing nature re recordings or changing them too it's a fertile field and he does cordings, and guest spots by a much. Gabriel does a good job of add one interesting twist — play guitarist, sax player, drummer, proving that he can play his ing Oberheim as only a non-key etc. $6 plus postage from Taylor, heavily-processed music live (see boardist could. 330 North Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn, also February '83), but the rowdy IL 60137. audience, who whoop, holler, and Marcus Miller Suddenly (Warner yell requests (some even for Eno's Bros. 23806-1). When Man with a Moebius Tonspuren (Sky 083). It music), prove more a distraction Horn thrust this bass player into looks like the Teutonic explosion than an addition. the "hot new talent" spotlight, a has about fizzled out. The "other follow-up solo LP must have seemed half" of Cluster sets unfiltered, Nicola Frangione (ed.) Mail Music inescapable. Unfortunately, he's raspy synthesizer voices against Project (LP 001). 47 artists a better bass player than song each other in mechanical, pre from around the world were invited writer/ vocal is t/ synthes is t , and dictable patterns. Even the cover to send a free piece for this the contrast is apparent. tries to elevate ugliness -- a project, without any limits as to closeup photo of mindless graffiti length or content. The results Ricky Starbuster Starburst (cas over rusted metal. Nein danke. have been arranged chronologically sette). The first release by one according to date received, and who intends to "make a career in Tyndall Durch Die Zieten (Sky released in a numbered edition of this stuff or starve to death". 081). Sky is rapidly becoming the 1000. The artists range from He's got a better chance than ECM of e.m., putting out joyless obscure to unknown, and the pieces most, with enjoyable pieces con records with such endearing covers from very arty to extremely arty, sisting of everything from intro as a bare tree on a frozen plain. but Frangione overlaps and edits spective mood drones to punk rock Jurgen Krehan and Rudolf Langer them to keep things moving. $15 (featuring the voice of his 6 year have programmed computers to re postpaid from Frangione, Via Orti- old niece). The majority have a peat what sound like finger exer gara 17, 20052 Monza, Italy. quiet soloing over a repetitive cises ad infinitum over a rhythm background, not unlike Michael box. Sound enticing? continued on page 9 4 Po ly p h o i^---- — August 19X3 ON LOCATION* By: Craig Anderton Since a lot of you enjoyed reading about the as contributing one of the strongest and most ex activities that go along with being a Polyphony pressive voices I've heard in a long time — even editor (February 1983 issue), here's the latest late in the set on a vocally difficult song like installment (subtitled "How I Spent My Summer In "Vienna". Search of Interesting Things to Write About"). One of the highlights occurred when the stage One of my first priorities for the summer was lights dimmed, and four Simmons drum pads were lined seeing more live music, since (among other reasons) up in a row. With Cann's drum machine purring away, I feel it's my duty as editor to keep up with as all four musicians played in real-time on the Sim much of the music scene as possible. I also wanted mons pads. It was one amazing percussion break, and to find out how various groups solved certain stag the audience reacted appropriately. Overall, Ultra- ing problems inherent in the use of electronic in vox impressed me a lot. They have a power and struments . professionalism on stage which is only hinted at on The first group I saw was Ultravox. The most their records. striking aspect of their stage setup was that it was A few weeks later I saw Ronnie Montrose & painted entirely in light gray — amps, instruments, Mitchell Froom at the Cotati Cabaret, one of my speaker cabinets, drum set, everything except the favorite venues in Northern California. (Montrose musicians. Dull, you say? Not when you carry good is well known for his guitar work with the groups lighting equipment. Color changes were incredibly Montrose and Gamma; what is not well known is that vivid when projected on an all-gray background, and Montrose plays soldering iron too, and has built in addition the lighting seemed to be computer-con- several custom devices as well as modified many trolled and synchronized to the music on stage. commercial ones.) Anyway, Montrose and Froom have Their set was tight and included virtually all put together a synthesizer duo that uses programmed the post-John Foxx era "hits" -- "Sleepwalk", "New sequencers, drum machines, keyboards, and guitar to Europeans", "the Voice", "Reap the Wild Wind", and make a very full, electronically-assisted sound with so on. Drummer Warren Cann alternated between stan only two people. The all-instrumental set touched a dard drums and what sounded like a TR-808, often lot of bases — improvisatory rock, electronic combining the two. Chris Cross played mostly syn sounds, dance music, and even some touches of fu thesized bass (apparently synched to the drum unit), sion-like jazz. But I was not only surprised by the but when he switched over to electric bass, the richness of the sound; I was also amazed they could visual jolt of movement (as opposed to standing keep all this technology under control in a live behind a keyboard) helped keep the pacing moving performance contest. The technology is not really right along. Billy Currie played keyboards and quite adequate yet to do what they're doing, but occasional violin (which the crowd loved), and Midge somehow Montrose and Froom pull it off (just wait Ure added textures on guitar and keyboard, as well until MIDI takes over...). Polyphony August 1983 5 ON LOCATION: Heavy metal day was an experience -- 300,000 denim clad humans, mostly young men, attending a modern day ritual. It was something to walk into Highlights of the set included Montrose playing the festival area and see five times as many people a custom-made percussion controller along with drum sitting on a hillside as inhabit my entire county. machine, and a powerful version of the theme from Not being that big a heavy metal fan, I figured this "the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" that absolutely would be a good day to check out the technology knocked me out. If you get the chance, catch exhibits. Montrose and Froom's act — they're musical and The premise of the Us Festival was that we technological pros who wring some real music out of should all work together, that technology is wonder a bunch of silicon. ful and can help us work together, and other vague- Next, I checked out the Us Festival with a ly-ESTish stuff. There was even a much-publicized couple of friends (audio/video technician David and well-meaning (but probably ultimately irrele Karr, my collaborator on the PAIA "Vocal Zapper", vant) live video hookup with the Soviet Union. Yet and former DEVICE author Gary Kirkpatrick). For the technology exhibits themselves were very dis those who don't know what an Us Festival is, it's appointing. What was there was fine (Danny Sofer basically Steve Wozniak using the bucks he made from showing off the Oberheim "System", for example), but Apple Computer to stage his particular vision of there wasn't very much of it. I was told the tech Woodstock-for-the-80s. The 1982 version had mostly nology exhibit was about half the size of the pre gotten pretty favorable reviews; it had been well- vious year. organized, but of particular interest to me was the Then there were the seminars...a chance to hear technology fair section of the festival. This was Emmett Chapman play and talk about the "Stick" (he billed as a high-technology exhibit that allowed sure can play that thing), and listen to Bob Moog, hands-on meetings with (Computers, electronic instru Robin Jigour (alphasyntauri), John Bowen (Sequential ments, etc. Circuits), and Chapman talk about instruments and The first good move we made was renting an R.V. subjects such as the MIDI interface. While I en and parking it close to the festival site, which was joyed running into all these people, and had a fine in Devore, California (near San Bernadino). Between time chatting with Moog about computers and stuff (I the heat (often in the 100s) and the pollution think we both felt somewhat out of our element and (gasp, choke — it was pretty bad), air conditioning were glad to see a kindred soul), the talks were never looked so good. Having a mobile kitchen also poorly attended. Too bad — the main reason I went made us somewhat more independent of the synthefood to the Us Festival was because of the technological being sold at the festival. come-on, but in reality the whole thing was really The event was spread over three days, with the not much more than a three day series of rock con first day being nominally "new wave" groups (INXS, certs . Divynals, Wall of Voodoo, Oingo Boingo, English The main attraction of the third day was David Beat, Flock of Seagulls, Stray Cats, and the Clash), Bowie, who was exceptional. It was almost worth the second day heavy metal (Judas Priest, Ozzy Os waiting what seemed like forever in the cold of the bourne, Scorpions, Van Halen, etc.), and the third night, breathing air so foul you could develop film day "top 40" (Berlin, Quarter flash, U2, Missing in it, to see his unusually crisp and professional Persons, Pretenders, Joe Walsh, Stevie Nicks, and show. David Bowie). There was more, but you get the idea. There As you might expect, the performers were ant was good music, mediocre music; a couple of neat like dots on a distant stage; however, unlike many laser shows, whose effects were diluted by heavy- outdoor concerts, the sound was quite good. The handed and naive propagandizing; crazy people, nor total wattage was 400,000 Watts, but what really mal-looking people, but mostly, LOTS of people. made the sound work was four speaker towers located Quite an experience. halfway between the stage and the perimeter of the Next on the agenda was the Chicago NAMM (Na listening area. These were fed with time-delayed tional Association of Music Merchants) show, where signals so that no matter where you sat, there was a all the manufacturers strut their new products. I'm minimum amount of echo. There were two large "Dia- sure every other music magazine will, by this time, mondvision" screens, bright enough so that you could have covered the event, so I'll keep it short. even see them during daylight, which showed what was First, though, the disclaimers: I didn't see half happening on stage. There were also two huge of what I wanted to see, and I apologize in advance screens for nighttime viewing (each "day" typically to those manufacturers who had neat products at the ran from 10 AM to past midnight). While the tech show which did not make it into this article. nology was well-applied, I still feel there is no Probably the most talked-about item among jour way that a loud sound system and video screens can nalists at the show was the Kurzweil piano, shown in substitute for seeing a hot group in a small club. prototype form at a hotel suite. It was impressive. The first day had the most reserved, and small Basically, the Kurzweil is a sampling keyboard a la est, audience ("only" about 150,000 people). My Emulator or Fairlight, but claims to use artificial main conclusion at the end of the day was that most intelligence to create a model of an instrument new wave music is sinfply not designed for stadiums based on multiple samples of the instrument's sound. and huge outdoor concerts; the audience seemed most All I can say is regardless of whatever technology responsive to the Stray Cats, anything but a new they use, the Kurzweil is amazing. The piano sound wave group. They seemed to love what they were is uncannily like a piano -- dynamics, timbre doing, avoided the standard rock cliches ("hey- changes, and all — and the other sounds they demon everybody-clap-your-hands-let's-party etc."), and strated were equally strong. Kurzweil projects a perhaps most importantly, had simple instrumentation price under $10,000 and delivery in early 1984. that carried well over the big space. Synthesizers We'll see...a lot of promising start-up companies definitely do not "carry" as well as guitar. ------¥ 6 Polyphony------August 1983 Hot all Wireless are never heard from again when faced with the realities of production and distribution, but I wish Microphones Kurzweil well and hope they succeed in what they're doing. Even as a prototype the piano seemed like a are Created Equal genuine breakthrough. 360 Systems introduced a relatively low-priced keyboard with digitally recorded sounds (strings, fuzz guitar, nylon string guitar, etc.). While not as sophisticated as the Kurzweil, the price/perfor- mance ratio showed that sampling instruments are no longer playthings for the elite. The other big keyboard buzz was the long- awaited introduction of Yamaha's DX series of FM- based keyboards. The price is right (under $2000 for their most costly model), and the sounds are different from standard analog synthesizers — sort of bright, bell-like, and complex. There is also a breath controller available which helps create high ly realistic brass articulations; however, I should emphasize that the DX keyboards are capable of far more than imitative synthesis. While I don't think that the DX series will displace standard analog synthesizers, if you're looking for an entirely new family of synthesized sound colors, Yamaha — never a me-too company in the first place -- has come through. In guitars, Fender probably got the most atten tion due to their re-designed line of amps (by technician and former DEVICE author Paul Rivera), and their revised guitars. The Steinberger guitar This One Is A also generated a tremendous amount of excitement, and considering how great it sounds, that's not Telex surprising. Recommendations by performers, as well as engineers, have I was disappointed once again to see that the made Telex the fastest growing wireless mic system in infamous Roland GR-700 guitar synthesizer was no the industry. where to be found. Will it ever come out? Performers tell us they prefer Telex wireless mics because of Drum machines were a big deal at the NAMM show. the rich, full-bodied sound. And because the mics feel and look MXR introduced their Drum Computer, Linn was still like conventional microphones. To quote performers:...the Telex wireless mic sounds superior showing the LinnDrum although rumors abounded that to any I've used for vocals—wired or wireless... the next Linn product would be a combination drum ...the freedom it gave our group sold me on the concept, and machine and poly sequencer, Oberheim showed off the the sound sold me on Telex... DX and DMX in conjunction with the Oberheim System, Audio and broadcast engineers stated that they prefer Telex and E-mu continued to amaze and delight with the because with just the addition of a second antenna, they have Drumulator (they also showed their pad programmer the most reliable diversity* wireless mic receiver available, and IBM PC interface). All these companies seem to indoors or out. And because the compander circuitry provides dynamic range from a whisper to full fortissimo. be selling drum machines as fast as they can make To quote engineers:...the Telex wireless is the best we've them, and I can see why...they're great fun (see the tested, and we’ve checked them all... related article in this issue). Curiously, there ...from a quarter mile, the signal was still crisp and clear... was no Japanese entry in the digitally-recorded ...for the money Telex outperformed all others we tried... drums sweepstakes, although Yamaha showed some or When you’re ready for wireless mics, Telex offers you a choice gans incorporating drum machines that used PCM of three VHF frequency groups, hand held or belt-pack trans digital recording. mitters, dynamic or electret microphones and a host of accessories. Compare our specs against any others, and by all Signal processing was dominated by digital means, compare the price. We’re quite certain you’ll also prefer delay lines, but Korg also showed a cute, inexpen Telex. Made in USA. Please write for full details. sive, good sounding effects system where individual *US Patent No. 4293955. Other patents applied for effects boxes plugged into a compact pedalboard. This approach reduced the cost of the effects, so Quality Products for the Audio Professional that you could buy four effects plus the pedalboard for the cost of four conventional effects. MXR showed their new "Precision" line and got good reac tions, while DOD also showed their new line (the FX series). In digital delays, Roland introduced a low-cost delay line that can sync to external events, as well as some other low cost delay devices. Ibanez has really cleaned up their act, producing delay lines with far better specs than last year's models while retaining competitive pricing. ------V TELEX COMMUNICATIONS, INC. 9600 Aldrich Ave. So., Minneapolis, MN 55420 U.S.A. Europe: Le Bonaparte—Office 711, Centre Affaires Paris-Nord, 93153 Le Blanc-Mesnil, France. Poiyphoi^ 7 O N L O C A T IO N : After NAMM, I stopped over in Oklahoma to visit the folks at PAIA and of course, the Polyphony Long delays (beyond 4 seconds or so) were also offices. There was a bunch of business that re abundant. Electro-Harraonix (yes, they're back) quired tending to, but I also managed to spend some showed off their new 64 second delay/recorder, which time hanging out with John Simonton at his local lake, swimming, coming up with new ideas for the looked quite promising. DeltaLab showed the "Echo- magazine, and talking about his incredible VIC-20 tron", and used a demo tape I had recorded using the device as part of their show demonstration. This based SMPTE program (which was in its final design stages). After all that time in Southern California variation on the "Effectron" line delivers 4 seconds and Chicago, it was a welcome change of pace to be of delay for under $700. DeltaLab also introduced a low-cost programmable delay line scheduled for in somewhere with a more relaxed lifestyle. troduction later this year. Audio/Digital showed a After that, the summer started to wind down. I saw a Pat Metheny (jazz guitarist) concert in Ber 6.5 second broadcast delay, and mentioned that soon their TC-2 digital delay would be expandable to 6.5 keley, and it was very impressive. Pat Metheny has seconds (total cost of TC-2 plus expansion, about a truly engaging personality to go along with his $1400). Lexicon didn't have any new long delay superb musical sense, and unlike many flashy jazz products, but continued to spotlight the PCM-42 (one musicians, played pretty egoless music. The band's of the first long delays) and their other products. new drummer (I didn't catch his name, but think it Incidentally, I've written an article about long was Paul Wertico) was exceptionally solid and dyna delay techniques and manufacturers which will appear mic. The use of electronics was subtle yet perva soon in Musician magazine. sive, and despite being primarily a piano player, What else was there? Well, the Fostex X-15 Lyle Mays showed a lot of sensitivity towards his multitracker -- a portable 4 track recorder that synthesizers. Catching Metheny's band was a nice lists for under $500 -- caused a real stir; but a counterpoint to all the rock and techno-pop music I lot of the things I like best about a NAMM show had seen. The electronics was just as important, happen after the show closes each day (and not all but was far more delicately used and was, at all of it would be suitable for discussion in Polypho times, subservient to the players. ny! ) Suffice it to say that I had a great time So that's how I spent my summer. I hope you hanging out with fellow writers, editors, engineers, enjoyed reading about it, and got some vicarious and musicians, eating everything from superb Italian pleasure out of a little armchair travelling. food to sushi, and talking about anything that touched on electronics and/or music. NAMM shows are remarkable events but it's the people, as well as the products, that make the event remarkable. parametric m • • • •9 *** 1 D 99. 1 s.8 Delay | j | * sir »***p'" | ..... 1 e.B.De'ay 9 ■ QUALITY AUDIO KITS M a sterC ard 91 ELM STREET PHOENIX SYSTEMS MANCHESTER CONNECTICUT 06040 203-643 -4484 8 Polyphony August 1983 re-view1 BO O K R E V IE W continued from page 4 Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls (second edition). By Allen Strange; published by TRAX 0982 XTRA. A compilation William C. Brown Co., Dubuque, Iowa 1982. project of Piermario Ciani (also l/47th of above), wherein 9 groups traded tapes back and forth until By: David Doty they seemed finished. Three of the 9 are made up of accomplished When the first edition of Allen Strangers Elec musicians playing normal instru tronic Music appeared in 1972, it was a very nearly ments; the other six play "tape", comprehensive guide to an emerging medium. In the "noises", and synthesizers. The decade following its initial publication, electronic final mix is an odd event, to say music hardware and techniques hav^ evolved rapidly, the least. $5 plus post from but until recently no similarly detailed book had Ciani, 33032 Bertiolo, Udine, Ita emerged to chronicle the new developments. Now, ly. this lack has been remedied by what is ostensibly a new edition of this same book. In fact, what we Michael Jackson Thriller (Epic have here is an almost entirely new book, rather 38112). By now probably everyone than a mere revision of the earlier work. has heard how hot this album is. As stated in the preface, Strange, who is a Sure, a couple tracks with Paul faculty member at San Jose State University, intends McCartney and Vincent Price border his book as the text for a college course in elec on the ludicrous, but the rest is tronic music. For this reason the synthesizer is very surefooted. Listen in parti portrayed as a modular monophonic instrument instal cular to the synthesizer work led in an institutional studio. That most of the (from an even dozen studio synthe- synthesizers in the world today are hard-wired and sists) — it doesn't dominate but relatively portable is a fact that Mr. Strange has it is very effective. chosen to ignore. This fact need not trouble the potential reader too much, however, as the book The Creatures Feast (Polydor explores the behavior of synthesizers primarily at SHELP-1). Songstress Siouxsie and the module and patch levels. While only the owners her Banshee drummer Budgie with of large modular systems will be able to utilize all lots of studio reverb, tapes, and of the techniques in this compendious 272 page book, pseudo-Hawaiian posing. It's kind virtually any analog synthesizer on the market today of cute. can be understood in terms of the information pre sented here. Bill Nelson C h i m e r a (Mercury The organization of the book follows a fairly B19). Similar in approach to familiar plan, beginning with a brief chapter on the Nelson's last release (see April basic parameters of sound, followed by introductory '83), with the addition of some accounts of the basic building blocks which make up drumming by YMO's Yukihiro Takaha- al synthesizers. Successive chapters introduce the shi. This is sort of a "home concept of voltage control and the various types of recording" -- Nelson plays nearly sub-audio and audio-rate modulation. Each technique all the instruments (and there are presented is illustrated by one or more patches, in a lot of them) and recorded the a version of the standard patch chart format famili main tracks in his well-equipped ar to regular Polyphony readers. Often, several home studio — but the drum tracks alternative patches are presented, to illustrate were flown in from Japan. Ah, the that different methods can be used to obtain similar marvels of multi-track. results from different systems. The selection of techniques and devices enumerated is exhaustive, Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues including such relatively recent developments as (Sire 23883-1). On one hand it's linear F.M. and hard and soft sync, and exotic comforting to know that some devices such as frequency shifters and vocoders. things never change. After going Having thoroughly examined all of the compon off in their own individual direc ents of the typical modular synthesizer, Strange tions (see Jan/Feb '82), the band goes on to offer chapters on the various other can come together again and turn devices commonly found in an electronic music stu out an album nearly identical to dio, including tape decks, mixers, and reverb units. the last one three years ago. On While these chapters are not always as detailed or the other hand, where was this as up-to-date as those concerned with synthesizer album two years ago when we needed modules, they still constitute a valuable resource it? for anyone wishing to become familiar with the operation of an electronic music studio. The book Thomas Dolby The Golden Age of concludes with a chapter on performance electronics Wireless (Capitol 12271). Dolby and a collection of scores for performance. This is similar to Peter Gabriel (see feb '83) in that he fills out continued on page 12 continued on page 35 Pioiyptiof^ August 1983 9 The Penultimate Compressor B y : Thom as Hgtteiredo j| became interested in the lems are solved by compressing the choice for a high impedance input NE572 high performance compander high and low frequencies separate- stage. Since input buffer Al and IC because I've always had an ly. the active filters it drives (A2 obsession to find the best sound Al, A2, A3 and their associ and A3) are both inverting, the ing compressor. This circuit ated components in figure 1 form crossover output is non-inverting comes close to the realization of an active electronic crossover with respect to the input. a perfect compressor. The NE572, with a 1 kHz crossover point. The next stage (see figure 2) like the NE570, has two separate These are 3rd order Butterworth consists of two parallel compres channels or gain blocks to work filters which exhibit -18 dB per sors built around the NE572, and with. In this circuit we use both octave cutoff and flat magnitude includes A4, A5, and A7 through halves of the IC. response. LF356s are chosen as A14. The circuit is only drawn Some problems that plague all the active devices for their very once for the sake of brevity, single channel companders are high input impedance, fast slew however it must be repeated twice third harmonic distortion and low rate, and extremely stable opera using each half of the NE572. frequency distortion (due to con tion into capacitive loads (see A4 and A5 are external op trol signal ripple), along with National Semiconductor "Audio amps in the feedback loop of the high frequency channel overload Handbook", 1980 edition). They compressor. I chose the NE5534N, and n o i s e m o d u l a t i o n (i.e. are also very quiet, and in my however a dual type such as the "breathing"). The first two prob opinion bi-fets are the best NE5532 could be used for A4 and 10 Potyphon^ August 1983 A5. Dl, D2 and Dll, D12 limit the of 4.7 uF yields a 200 ms recovery loading due to their high input output to approximately 7 Volts time, as recommended by the May impedance. peak-to-peak, which protects the 1981 Signetics "Compander Product Op amps A4 and A5 are con equipment following the compres Guide" for high end audio process figured in the inverting mode. We sor. C19 and C24 assure that the ing. I chose 10 uF capacitors, need another inversion, which is diode capacitance doesn't inter resulting in a 400 ms recovery accomplished in the next stage. fere with full audio bandwidth time which gives more sustain with Op amp A6 is our output mix operation. guitar. er. I chose an NE5334A for this C22 and C23 are the attack Simple compander systems are stage (see figure 3). R32 and R33 capacitors. They determine the subject to a problem called limit the current consumption to attack time of the compressor, in breathing. As the system changes approximately +_ 10 mA (these re other words, the amount of time it gain, the change in the background sistors are necessary on any takes the compressor to react to noise level can sometimes be audi NE5534 in the circuit; see the May an incoming signal. With a 0.1 uF ble. In our design the circuits 1981 Signetics application note, cap giving an attack time of 4 ms built around C20, C21 and C22, "Single and Dual Low Noise Opera at high frequencies, and a 1 uF C23, along with op amps A7 through tional Amplifier"). A4 and A5 cap giving an attack time of 40 ms A14, buffer the timing capacitors require the same treatment to at low frequencies, the result is and allow improved accuracy of the prevent large quiescent currents very low distortion. compressor with low level signals. from flowing due to the 2 to 3 C20 and C21 are the recovery Combining this technique with Volt DC offset at pin 6 of A4 and capacitors; they determine the band-splitting virtually elimi A5. This bias is induced at pin amount of time it takes the com nates any breathing problems. 3; it may be trimmed out by adding pressor to release. They can also A7 through A14 could be 1/4 82k to 100k resistors from the be thought of as controlling the of an LM324. I chose TL084s how +15V supply to pin 2 of A4 and A5. amount of sustain. A recovery cap ever, because bi-fets cause less However, this introduces extra hiss, so I recommend not worrying about the offset since it does not affect the audio performance of the op amps. R14,15 R16,17 Bypass capacitors C28 through C31 are necessary with the NE5534 to isolate the op amp from any spurious noise riding along on the power supply lines. It's also good practice to add bypass caps to A1 through A3 as well; in fact, this is recommended for bi-fet op amp applications in general. Finding parts, and other tips. This circuit is relatively complex and many of the parts are hard to locate. The resistors and most of the capacitors are avail able from Mouser Electronics (11511 Woodside Avenue, Lakeside, CA 92040). The NE572, NE5532, and NE5534 are available from PGS Electronics (Route 25/Box 304, Terre Haute, In 47802). The NE572 and TL084 are available from Radio Shack. Also note that power supply connections and pinouts for A7 through A14 are not shown since a number of different op amps will Po^phony August 1983 11 work. Pinouts can be found on the IC spec sheet or package (i.e., Radio Shack parts package). For best stability, all fil ter caps should be polystyrene or mylar, and all timing caps (for attack time, release time, etc.) should be tantalum or mylar. All resistors in the inputs and feed back loops of the audio amps should be metal film, 1% types (although you can use a DVM to match 5% tolerance types if you have a bunch to choose from Ed.). Finally, it’s necessary to use a well-regulated and filtered +15 Volt power supply. PARTS LIST Resistors (see text) RI, R2, R34 100k R3 150 Ohms R4 8.06k R5 9.53k R6-R9, R29-R31 10k RIO, RI1 17.3k R12, RI3, R20-R27 lk R14-R17 9.1k R18, R19 3.3k R28 102k R32, R33 100 Ohms Capacitors (see text) Cl 0.22 uF C2-C4 8200 pF C5 3900 pF C6 ‘0.039 uF ->BOOK REVIEW C7 0.033 uF continued from page 9 C8 3300 pF C9-C16, C25-C26 2.2 uF C 17 , C18, C28, C31 10 uF section of the book will likely prove the least C 19, C24, C29, C30 0.1 uF useful for most readers, as the circumstances des C20, C21 see text cribed clearly belong to the academic avant-garde of C22, C23 see text the 60s and early 70s. It is doubtful that many C27 5 pF non-academic readers will have either the equipment C32 22 pF or the inclination to perform Strange's Vanity Faire or Douglas Leedy's Entropical Paradise (with Bird- Semiconductors call). There are, however, some useful tips on organizing and troubleshooting a performance setup. Dl, D 2 , Dll, D12 3.6V Zener Taken as a whole, Electronic Music: Systems, diode Techniques, and Controls should prove a valuable resource for any student of synthesis. More ex D3-D10 1N914 or equivalent perienced players may find that its encyclopedic collection of patches alone justifies the $11.75 A1-A3 LF356 bi-fet price. My only real complaint about this book, and op amp it is a relatively minor one, concerns its style. A4, A5, A6 NE5534A op amp Because of its academic orientation, the language A7-A14 LM324 or TL084 used is sometimes more pedantic than the content (see text) seems to require. I hope that this fact does not IC1 NE572 discourage any would-be readers from utilizing what compander is clearly the most comprehensive electronic music book on the market today. Misc. Sockets, jacks, box, etc. ------• 12 Polyphony August 1983 PLAY DRUMS AND GUITAR-AT THG SAME TIME? of any sound you want into tne The INSTANT REPLAY isn’t Yes!! with Electro-Harmonix’ unit’s digital memory. That same limited just to drummers, new INSTANT REPLAY you sound can then be instantly Guitarists and keyboard players can accent your playing with replayed by hitting the external can trigger the replay with a tap any sound under the sun. drum pad that comes with the of the hand or foot, INSTANTLY Glass breaking, a chord or lick INSTANT REPLAY. The pad is generating the creative, unique from a guitar or synth, real touch-sensitive, so a harder beat sounds that have been stored in handclaps, vocal sounds like produces a louder sound, and the unit, burps, yells or singing-ANY the pitch of the sound can be The INSTANT REPLAY, sound that can be picked up by transposed if you like - make available at leading music stores a microphone, produced by a your voice sound like Darth throughout the world, gives you guitar or other electronic Vader or The Chipmunks! A access to sounds and effects instrument or transferred from continuously looping replay of the previously obtainable only on the tape!! sound is also possible, providing Fairlight or Emulator, but at a Push a button on the INSTANT an opportunity for sequenced or small fraction of their cost. It REPLAY, a red LED comes on metronomic effects. comes with all necessary and you’re ready to record. hardware to mount on Roto-Tom You can now input up and most brands of to 2 seconds cymbal stands. ELECTRO HARMONIX The Best Sounding Effects In The World!! 27 West 23rd St. • NYC, NY 10010 • (212) 741-1770 An Interview W ith musicians like Wendy Carlos, Keith Emerson, Tomita, and Jan Hammer. Buchla, on the other hand, was Donald Buchla himself a practicing musician and composer. He's a self-proclaimed avant-gardist and experimentalist, and his instruments reflect those concerns. He is opposed to the concept of imitative synthesis to the point that he doesn't even like having keyboards on his in struments: his concession is a nald Buchla is a classic metal touch-plate system. So, it's not surprising to h im or American loner — a living reali zation of the all-too-mythical anyone else that his instruments have been embraced by artists on individualist who follows his par the sonic frontiers, such as Mor ticular vision despite all the ton Subotnick, rather than the obstacles, hardships, derision, popular mainstream. and easy exits that are available Determined individualism can to him. Like Lewis and Clark, become self-righteous smugness Buckminster Fuller, and Harry with some artists, and Buchla has Partch he flies against the winds been almost willfully obscure in of convention and sometimes, by pursuit of his musical purity. By: JohnK. his very effort, changes those conventions. More than one musician has told me Donald Buchla makes electron stories about trying to buy a Buchla instrument and actually ic music instruments. And though Diliberto being turned down because Buchla those instruments resemble what we didn't think their music was seri know as synthesizers, and work in ous enough. much the same way, Buchla insists Despite being an innovator of that they are not synthesizers. electronic music design, Buchla He sees each of his devices as claims to know little about the part of the larger electronic actual technology in his crea music instrument family. "Elec tions. "I don't care about cir tronic instruments are a family of cuitry", he asserts. "I design my instruments", he claims, "just instruments from the outside in". like the wind family, the brass He speaks of music in terms of family, or members of the string language, gesture orientation, and family." interactiveness. He doesn't seek Buchla began designing in the touch-sensitivity of so many struments for the electronic fami ly when he was at the San Francis keyboard synthesists, but rather co Tape Music Center in 1962. His an almost cybernetic interface “/ think that electronic technol name and instruments are not as between the body, mind, and in widely known as those of Moog, strument. His own concert perfor ogy offers us the possibility of mances entail audience interaction Arp, or Prophet, but among those divorcing ourselves from the with his computers. He relates who know electronic instruments, necessity of virtuosity „ w ithout how at one concert he gave flash the name Buchla is one to reckon divorcing ourselves from the lights to audience members, who with. He's generally credited then aimed them at a screen which possibility of intense and mean with arriving at the voltage con triggered the instruments. With ingful interaction with our trol modular synthesizer at the Buchla conducting and playing his instruments. 99 same time as Robert Moog. But instrument, it created a true from that point on their parallel feedback loop between artist and paths diverge. Moog geared his instruments towards a burgeoning audience. popular market that he in fact had Buchla is now involved with created. His instruments were digital technology. His newest tailored to the expressed needs of instruments, the 400 Series, de- 14 Polyphony August 1983 part from his modular designs and imitative aspect to a synthesizer contain everything, including a “Vm concerned with language — imitative to the extent of touch-plate keyboard and real-time and input structure everg bit as copying what we expect from per score editor, in a unit the size much as Vm concerned with cussive sounds of the world to of a medium suitcase. (The 406 generative structure.99 wbich we are accustomed. Model has a more traditional weighted clavier keyboard.) You “/ have alwags been outside and can create any waveshape imagin Vve chosen to remain there. Vve able with this instrument. During JD: A lot of people feel that the a demonstration he gave me, one recent generation of synthesizers been an experimentalist since waveshape looked like a coastal is still very non-interactive. mg earlg childhood.99 map of Norway and sounded equally DB: I'd say that's generally true. jagged and complex. JD: Why did you feel a need to go JD: What then makes yours inter After more than 20 years in outside these expectations? active? the vanguard, Buchla has evolved DB: Because I didn't feel a need DB: I' m concerned with language an enigmatic personality that to go inside them. I have always and input structure every bit as tends to undercut his obvious been outside and I've chosen to much as I'm concerned with genera enthusiasm for his music and in remain there. I've been an ex tive structure. struments. His Sahara-dry humor perimentalist since my early JD: How does that translate into cuts through many of his often childhood. I've been interested your electronic designs? cryptic answers, at once daring in avant-garde and experimental and provoking further inquiries. DB: It influences the man-machine interface, the way one communi music far more than I've been But he was also happy to talk interested in, as a composer, more cates with the instrument. It about his creations and verbalize traditional form and structure. the concepts that are embodied in takes place at the tactile level and the language level. My instruments have reflected that a Buchla electronic instrument. need. As he said, "I'm used to sitting JD: It seems that one of the in my ivory tower and passing benefits of synthesizers is that schematics out under the door. I they have made music more a func “/ grew up surprisinglg ignor don't get to talk about them that tion of the mind and less a func ant of what was going on in other tion of tactile dexterity, some much". Here, Donald Buchla talks. people9s m usic.99 thing that has been the tradition John Diliberto: When did you of music for hundreds of years. DB: Well you chose the word dex “ ...there are hundreds of start putting together electronic thousands of people interested components and synthesizers? terity, I didn't. I think that Donald Buchla: Electronic musical electronic technology offers us in alternative modes of expres instruments in about 1961-62. the possibility of divorcing our sion. 99 JD: What were you working with selves from the necessity of vir then? tuosity, without divorcing our DB: Instruments of my own inven selves from the possibility of JD: Who were some of the people tion. They were an outgrowth of intense and meaningful interaction that you were listening to in your my own personal need and acoustic with our instruments. early days? instruments. DB: I grew up surprisingly ig JD: So you came to it as a musi wouldn't call angthing that norant of what was going on in “I other people's music. I was cian. Vve built a sgnthesizer.99 DB: Yes, as opposed to a techni amazed to find, in the early six cian. ties, people in San Francisco that JD: What were the instruments were composing and experimenting JD: When did you first start that you were working with at the along lines that did not adhere to time? designing what you might call a the status quo. Since then I've DB: Well, the studio of the early synthesizer? learned that there are hundreds of 60s, the traditional studio, was DB: I wouldn't call anything that thousands of people interested in equipped with an array of elec I've built a synthesizer. I first alternative modes of expression. tronic instruments, none of which started designing members of the JD: Outside technology is still were designed to make music. The electronic family of instruments having an effect on electronic concept of designing electronic in 1962. instrument design. instruments was new at the time. JD: What differentiates what you My first instrument was a device design from a synthesizer? that read the shape of the hand DB: A synthesizer, according to and interpreted it as a waveshape. popular usage, is a keyboard in “ The advent of the microcom It embodied the philosophy that strument with the expectation that puter has reallg made it posse the instrument had to be highly when you strike a particular key ble to make the electronic interactive with the human being that you will get a particular medium a verg viable perfor who was playing it. It was a way pitch. I would even extend the mance medium.99 of transcending the limitations of expectation to having a certain the instruments that I was ac type of oscillator followed by a “Before the microcomputer, we quainted with, which tended to be filter and a gate, keyed by an Hewlett-Packard oscillators, Ampex envelope with an expected rise were verg limited as per test equipment, borrowed World War time, fall time, sustain, and so formers. 99 II gunsi<*hro and simVi on. I would expect a certain Polyphony August 1983 15 DB: The advent of the microcompu developing electronic instruments instruments have been more ori ter has really made it possible to at about the same time. ented to traditional concepts of make the electronic medium a very DB: Yes, we both had our starts musical structure and mine towards viable performance medium. Before about the same time. We both used non-traditional concepts. At one the microcomputer, we were very modular designs also. The idea of time we were considered to be West limited as performers. But now we voltage control was significant in coast versus East coast and in have a flexibility that should be that it allowed us the possibility some sense there is truth to that admired by a player of an instru of discreetness in realms that concept. Certainly ten or twenty ment . were otherwise limited to con years ago more experimentation JD: The touch-plates are some tinuums. Everybody's favorite took place on the West coast than thing that is very much associated oscillator in 1961 was the Hew the East coast. with your instruments. Why did lett-Packard because it was very JD: Electronic instruments have you go to them instead of some stable and predictable, and very changed since the first Moog and other triggering device? well calibrated. The big limita Buchlas with their big patchboards DB: Well, it's a cop-out, a com tion was accepted as something attached to a keyboard. What promise between the expectations that could never be transcended, ideas have gone into those and demands -- the psychological namely it had a knob on it so that changes? demands, at least — of the black if you wanted to go from 440 Hz to DB: A lot of learning has gone and white keyboard versus the 770 Hz you had to go through every down in twenty years. We've found generality of the sky-blue input frequency inbetween. Consequent that certain kinds of structural structure. It's easy to adapt to ly, to make a jump in frequency interactions can be assumed. Cer the expectations that many of us you had to splice a tape and put tain others can be taken over by have, and easy to transcend those the pieces together. As simple as the computer that controls the same expectations with a keyboard that may seem, it was a very fun innards of our instruments, and oriented in slightly known tradi damental limitation of the classi can be specified in a way that can tional ways. cal studio. Voltage control al make changes in patches instan lowed us to generate and conceive taneous instead of tedious. The “ ...music as we know it is rooted discreet changes in pitch, as computer has made a lot of changes in a great deal of tradition*, and opposed to continuous changes. We but it's only a small part of it. The language is the major part of is resistant to change on mang can then extend that the voltage control of other parameters. it. The operative language behind le v e ls ..." The concept of the modular our instrument has taken over a design was the original,concept of lot of the role of establishing the synthesizer, that is to syn JD: Your basic philosophy seems thesize the whole out of the sum to be derived from a concept of of the parts. And the modules “ Therein lies the exciting posse breaking away from any traditions were the parts. If we needed a bilities of electronic instru that preceeded you. lot of generators we wbuld obtain ments: the instantaneous re DB: I would guess so, yeah. My a lot of modules that had genera mapping of the relationship own interests are in that direc tive functions. If we wanted to between input gesture and out tion. We're tradition bound. We do a lot of analysis, we would put response.99 have concepts of what music is, obtain modules that did envelope and what is and what is not music. detection and perhaps filtering. We have virtuosity, that is per If we wanted rhythmic elements, we the relationship between input formance technique, developed af would string together a lot of gesture and instrumental re ter years of study and centuries sequencers. So the modules al sponses . of tradition. We have instruments lowed us to engross ourselves in JD: What do you mean when you that have been refined and re different kinds of biases, depen speak of language? fined, generation after genera ding on what we were interested DB: I like to regard an instru tion. So music as we know it is in. If we wanted we could empha ment as consisting of three major rooted in a great deal of tradi size the structure, or the density parts: an input structure that we tion, and is resistant to change or processing capabilities versus contact physically, an output on many levels: the instrumental, the generative capabilities. It structure that generates the the performance, and the listening allowed us interconnection at a sound, and a connection between levels. I'm not well-rooted in very important level, that is the the two. The electronic family of any of the traditions and. I'd like structural level as opposed to instruments offers us the limi to investigate the sonic experi systems that came along shortly tation, if we approach it tradi ence in a very general way. thereafter that made all kinds of tionally, and the freedom if we JD: Do you think that electronics assumptions like the sawtooth approach it in a new way, of total are a better way of delving into should precede the filter, should independence between input and sound? precede the envelope generator or output. And in fact the necessity DB: I'm not that involved with whatever. I don't even know how of some way of generating a con the intricaci es of sound as some. the typical synthesizer has come nection between the two. Language I pursue the investigations of together. becomes an important aspect in the timbre, but I'm more concerned JD: How would you compare your electronic family of instruments, with the investigation of musical work to Moog's? where it had played no part with structure. I think that's where DB: It's like comparing apples to all traditional acoustic instru more music lies, than with what we oranges. Both of us are making ments. The relationship between might call the static timbres. viable additions to the musical input and output is fixed with JD: You and Robert Moog began instrument family. I suppose his traditional instruments; it's to- 16 Polyphony----- —August 1983 tally tlexible with electronic that doesn't lend itself to alter instruments. It was established native musical structures. Did I FOR MUSICIANS by the setting of knobs and rout evade your question? Project kits now available ing of the patch cords in the JD: Yes you did. exclusively from PAiA and electronic instrument of the 60s. DB: I didn't claim to solve the But in the electronic instruments problem. I'm just here to eluci for a limited time at a special of the 80s it is established by date it. *10% o ff "sa le p rice Regular Sale Proj # Title Price Price human intelligence working through JD: Is it a problem that you want sophisticated electronics. 1 Preamp (less XLR and VU) & 2 .9 5 I $20.65 to solve? 2 M etronom e Ml 9.95 $17.94 Therein lies the exciting possi DB: No. What I try to do is 3 Passive Tone Control $16.95 $15.25 bilities of electronic instru persuade as many people as possi 4 Headphone Amp. $ * .9 9 $17.95 5 M ini-A m p $28.9p $26.95 ments: the instantaneous remap ble that are in a position of 6 Ultra-Fuzz $1 ia b $17.95 ping of the relationship between influencing our musical heritage 7 Bass-Fuzz $21t95 $19.65 input gesture and output response. and instrument design, to look on 8 Compressor/Limiter $27j>5 $25.25 9 Ring Modulator $29,15 $26.95 We've only begun to investigate the possibilities of the electron 10 Dual Filter Voicing Unit $29f.gfe $26.95 this because of our own ignorance ic family as a legitimate family 13 Bipolar AC Adapter $3^.95 $31.45 and our dedication to tradition, of musical instruments and not as 14 Treble Booster 612.93 $11.65 15 Electronic Footswitch S19.SC $17.95 in that we continue to build elec an imitation or a bastard or a 16 Tuning Standard *39.95 $35.95 tronic instruments with linear space wars. We should have the 17 Super Tone Control $89.65 $26.95 additive input structures, assump 18 8 in, 1 out Mixer (less XLR) $1£&38 $26.06 20 Practice Play Along $ y 95 $22.45 tive connective structures and 21 Phase Shifter $M .95 $49.45 imitative output structures. 24 Tube Sound Fuzz SI2195 $20.65 JD: You talk about gesture orien “ W hat / try to do is persuade as 25 Envelope Follower 320te5 $24.25 many people as possible that 26 Splutter (less optional parts) $14:95 $13.45 tation and interaction with the 27 N oise Gate « 3 2 S £ $29.65 instrument, yet touch-plates hard are in a position of influencing ADD $3.00 POSTAGE AND HANDLING WITH YOUR ORDER. ly seem to give musicians the our musical heritage and in These are kits of parts and circuit board only, touch-sensitivity that a lot of strument design, to look on the to allow maximum flexibility in their application them want. no cases or enclosure are included. Instructions possibilities of the electronic for the assembly of each item are part of the DB: Those same musicians are the family as a leyitimate family of book Electronics Projects For Musicians ($14.95 ones who go into the stores and plus $1.00 postage) and are not duplicated with musical instruments...99 the kit._____ say "I'm the keyboard player from such and such group and I'd like CHARGE TO VISA OR MC TOLL- FREE 1 -800-654-8657 9am to 5 pm cst mon-fri to see what you have in the way of same variety of approaches in the DIRECT INQUIRIES TO: 'synthesizers'." And the rock and electronic family as any other roll synthesizer expert shows all family. We'should stop competing B liA Electronics, Inc. the black and white keyboards and with each other and saying that, 1020 W. W ilshire, Oklahoma City, OK 73116 • (405)843-9626 sure enough, they're all spring- say, the Prophet is better than loaded keyboards with switches on the Oberheim. That's a bunch of the other end. They're all organ crap. Let's stop aiming towards keyboards and they're all adapta the same pie-in-the-sky, and start tions of something that was devel developing a variety of instrumen oped to throw hammers at strings. tal approaches and musical tech It's a really crude problem and niques and performances. Let's not too graceful an answer. get something that reflects the That's what these guys have deman true possibilities of the techno ded, that's what the marketers logy at hand, as well as the music have picked up on, and that's all and creativity behind them. we've got down there in synthesi zer-land. These same guys that It's ironic that while the electronics of your syn are complaining that their $6,000 “ We should have the same v a rc thesizer is capable of sublety of tone and color instrument doesn't make every ety of approaches in the elec that are unprecedented in the history of music, sound that they want, that it you would be better off playing a typewriter for tronic family as any other all the control of dynamics and expression you won't imitate anything, finally fa m ily .99 have from the keyboard. Now you can change start to realize that it really that with PAIA’s new Veloci-Touch Controller. will make any sound. But it won't This simple to build and install retro-fit for most electronic keyboards adds three important con imitate the musical structure of trol parameters: the thing that they had in their ■ Second Touch Pressure — pitch bends and minds that it would do. The rea vibrato the natural way. son that it won't do that is that ■ Velocity — as you play harder, output signal level increases. it only has a finite number of NEXT ISSUE s ■ Velocity Transient — apply to filter or voltage pitches and they're all designated controlled distortion device for dynamic timbral as pitches. There's no interac changes. And best of all is the incredibly low cost. Retro tion between them. It's all a B U IL D A N fit versions are available from less than $45.00. very simple linear-additive system Stand-alone package with case and power supp ly (shown in the photo) less than $70.00. Get the full details from our latest catalog of ELECTRONIC electronic kits for stage and studio. It’s yours “I didn’t claim to solve the prob FREE by calling:______lem. I'm just here to elucidate 1- 8 0 0 - 6 5 4 -8 6 5 7 it . 99 B A S S D R U M ! BVA Electronics, Inc. 1020 W. Wilshire , Oklahoma City, OK 73116 ■ (405)843 9626 Polyphony —August 1983 17 Viewpoint: W h y Spring Reverb W i ll N e v e r D ie By: Craig O’Donnell Photograph by Vesta Copestakes - CAVE GRAFIX (Craig O'Donnell is a member of the Scientific the tone. TAPCO packaged a similar unit, sans Americans, and has some unique ideas about the role limiter, in its mixers and a good-sounding reverb it of technology.) was (later, TAPCO put two in a rack-mount package with four bands of EQ on each channel). We'll talk "I don't care what people say, rock & roll is here about using non-limited units later. to stay" — Danny and the Juniors The crowning touch on this rapid advance came when Polyphony editor Craig Anderton unveiled his "Hot^ Springs" reverb in the October 1980 issue of Danny seems to be right, and I contend that as Modern Recording. It combined EQ with some of the long as there's music being recorded there will be ideas that had been floating around the guitar pick spring reverbs. Why? How about cost, sturdiness, up world: series output transducers for a hotter technological advances, size, and new applications? output, parallel input transducers, and a differen These have all combined to bring the spring back, tial "humbucking" boing-cancellation principle. especially in small studios. This unit is so good, and so elegant, it should be What is a spring reverb? It's simply a preamp put in a flat-black cube and major studios should be stage (sometimes with EQ), a driver similar in prin charged $600 for it without being told what's in the ciple to a speaker, some springs which delay the black box! Yet for under $80 (the cost of the PAIA electrical signal, a pickup similar in principle to parts kit plus power supply) the Hot Springs gives a a microphone, a pickup amplifier, and an output sound that's close to the cheaper foil-type reverbs buffer. Other bells and whistles are added at the and is of course less expensive, and totally differ whim of each designer. The principle is EXACTLY ent in nature, from the digital reverb computers that used in an acoustic reverb chamber: "dry made by Lexicon and others. sound" travels to an electromagnetic transducer We've covered cost and technological advances. (speaker) and when the sound's electronic waveshape So far, so good. Obviously if a spring reverb can propagates through the air, a time delay results. survive life in a touring Fender amp, the little Luckily, the speed of light and the speed of sound suckers are tough. They can certainly withstand are wildly different in magnitude. A transducer hostile environments better than foil- or plate- (microphone) picks up the sound bouncing around the reverbs and aren't as delicate as the digitals — reverb chamber and takes what it "hears" back to the try the "beer test". Open a can of beer so that the mixing console. Springs have internal reflections spray hits the controls of a digital reverb, drink and reinforcement/cancellation patterns just like a it, then repeat with any spring reverb. Continue "live" room. Pretty ^elegant, no? and...oh, heck, just hurl a canful onto the springs The spring reverb is so handy and so omnipre and the computer unit for laughs. Which won? sent that we should appreciate its good points. Size is a factor that will become increasingly Spring reverb technology was pretty much stalled important as companies cram more noise into less until a few years ago: the Hammond-type reverb like space. Every reverb unit made takes up at least as those in a Fender Twin Reverb amp was what you got. much space as, and usually more than, a spring unit As the 70s progressed we saw improvements; Orban and (which can be as small as one rack space complete), others came out with reverbs with an input limiter and springs fit well into most dual-purpose mixer (less sproing) and equalization controls to doctor packages. Perhaps some genius will develop a $50 18 Po^phon^ August 1983 digital-analog hybrid reverb using a piece of gold the reverb's output and use the EF output to drive foil the size of an 8-pin DIP inside a case the size any kind of modulator (such as a VCA on the elec of a cassette — I'm sure it can be done — but tronic snare during mixdown, the PWM of your synth let's not wait, okay? Let's press on. bassline, a noise gate keying the ride cymbal in and Applications. That's the magic word. As musi out of a delay or plate reverb, a delicately-adjus cal processing tends to become more digital (and we ted Schmitt trigger that'll fire a percussion de all know engineers using limiters from the 50s be vice, etc.). Think of the reverb's output as a cause they sound better — and they do), recorded quasi-synchrosonic control voltage generator. Why sounds will become more sterile in a certain funda waste an EMT plate doing something like that? I mental way. Let's circle around that statement: used to have great luck doing this on an old ARP what's inside a digital drum machine? A DIGITAL "Blue Meanie" 2600. Drumboxes, whether digital or RECORDING of an analog drum. NOT a program that's analog, need all the help they can get to provide creating the sounds using FFT procedures, which is interest to the part of our monkey-brain that moni too bad because musical signals of all sorts contain tors what we hear. incredible amounts of randomness that are extremely As you play with a spring unit, you will dis difficult to "describe" digitally. Synthesizing cover new uses. When you think of a reverb as a some trumpet at MIT takes the resources of a compu very strange combination of' envelope follower, sam ter about the size of an IBM 370 -- why not hire an ple and hold, and noise generator, you'll be on the out-of-work horn man? Sometimes digitizing can be right track. The random nature of a spring reverb's more trouble than it's worth. Of course MIT is output just might become increasingly valuable as we engaged in valuable basic research so they can be digitize our processors — its random phase-modula forgiven, but we can't expect to throw a DEC compu tion effect can be thrown onto synth tracks, es ter into our control room without taking out a pecially, to give them interest and depth. What second and third mortgage. about taking a little of everything in the rhythm Digital units operate well only within very section, mixing it into a spring, delaying the re strictly designed parameters concerning sampling sult to fall a beat or two later in the mix, and rate, bandwidth, and so on, or the hash that results easing the result way back in the center of the mix is scary. This means that our sounds are losing — or double delayed, mixed way back in the right that random, natural edge. Anyone can tell the channel followed by way back in the left channel...- difference between Johnny Ramone slamming his guitar what would that do to your electronic dance mix hit? strings 400 times a minute and a digital recording I hope this article has inspired you to spring of one "slam" gated 400 times a minute — the digi into action. tal recording will sound exactly the same, every "stroke", whereas Johnny and his guitar form a com plex cybernetic system that makes each "stroke" juht a little different from any other, anywhere, ever. A Zennish analogy: you could contemplate a water fall or a slab of Plexiglass standing on its end. BY PROFESSIONAL DEMAND Both possess beautiful, innate qualities but which DDC OFFERS FREE ADVICE, PERSONAL SERVICE is more "natural"? AND ONE-DAY SHIPPING OF THE FINEST MUSIC AND SOUND EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE: By contrast, no two spring units are the same at all due to the inherent non-linearitifes of inex g C f O L U n i r a y n o r pensive resistors, capacitors, and transducers plus the differences between each and every spring made. K0RG pol Dfus How can we utilize this to our advantage? Most simply, we can mix spring reverb in the background E y k e l s e y , jg | | i m m of instruments like guitar and synthesizer while recording to add "body". Listen to the old Lovin' T E A C ^ ^ w ( m x r ) Spoonful records and you can hear springs gaily banging away on the guitars. This sort of extra musical information can be thought of as a poor (| f | ( f t 0DiMarz!o man's "aural exciter": EQ the springs to a broad peak from 3 kHz to 10 kHz, and hide it back in the — II] REMQ mix. Limited springs work well for this, but non ©YAMAHA limited springs work best for the following unusual C HUM A R OlMThnin applications. Dub reggae, a tremendously wild form of music n i d " i » r=T 3 [whirlwindl from Jamaica, uses bursts of reverb and sometimes slamming reverb springs as a rhythm effect. Springs prophet .Ira r o # sound great in dance-dub mixes, lending an inimi table electronic texture (one that's legitimized, by 0 IKRAMERIvKATTeI the way, by dozens of 50s and 60s pure-electronic C8Q IashlyI music recordings). Try it; you'll like it (the intersound Scientific Americans do). PLEASE CALL OR WRITE FOR PRICES & ORDERING And back to those drum machines — how can we INFORMATION - YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID! "humanize" a sequencer-driven lockstep beat? Well, DICKSTEIN DISTRIBUTING COMPANY here are a few notions. Use springs on a signal 1120 QUINCY PPY— SCRANTON, PA 18510 split from your "dry" drumbox to drive effects like laic PHONE ORDERS WELCOME (7171 344 7469 flangers, DDLs, ADLs, or more expensive reverbs. Mix this back in. Use an envelope follower to track Polyphony August 1983 19 GATE - SAMPLE/HOLD CIRCUIT B Y - MICHAEL ROGALSKI As configured, the input impedance power supply rail, indicating a In the process of building a of the circuit is very high, es "gate on" condition. Since IC1A PAIA EK-x series-based synthesi pecially with respect to DC con is an inverter, as well as a com zer, I found I needed a sample- trol voltages. Cl, a 0.01 uF parator, IC1A needs a diode at its and-hold (S/H) circuit to hold my capacitor installed at the input, output (Dl) to pass only negative analog keyboard voltage in memory shunts any noise and transients voltage swings. This voltage then for as long as the VGA was letting coming into the input to ground. goes to IC1B, which inverts once the signal through. The circuit Be sure to use a shielded cable again, and rectifies only positive also required a gate output, since between your keyboard (or front signals. This lights the gate LED I used a keyboard lacking a set of panel patch point) to prevent on the front panel to show that trigger bus contacts. This arti false triggering at this input. this part of the circuit is work cle describes how to build such a The comparator built around ing, i.e., the input voltage at circuit, which is applicable to IC1A compares the input voltage pin 2 is more positive than the other types of synthesizers using with the voltage sampled between voltage present at the wiper of analog keyboard designs. the two power supply points at R 6 , R6. How it works. The control the threshold control. This con The gate signal comes off the voltage coming from the keyboard trol determines where the front junction of D2 and D3. With D3 feeds the inverting (-) input of end will start putting out the and R4 in circuit, the gate output one section of a 4558 dual op amp. appropriate voltage swing to the is +12V. Remove these two compon- i______11______i i______i COMPARATOR INVERTER EDGE TRIGGER 20 Polyphony August 1983 ents and the voltage will swing Setting up the circuit is you will get very erratic sam all the way to +15V, however PAIA simple; key the lowest note on pling. And speaking of IC2, tie EK-x circuits handle a 12V gate your keyboard, and turn R6 until all unused inputs (pins 7, 9, 11, voltage just fine as is. you get a reliable gate light and 14) to ground; also tie the The next part of the cir indication every time you hit a unused 4066 inputs (pins 5, 6, and cuitry is the edge trigger sec note. 12) to ground. tion. This takes the 12V gate Problems and solutions. Now The last precaution is to swing and passes it through IC2A we come to some of the problems make sure that your keyboard con and IC2B, which convert the gate you will encounter with these tacts are reasonably clean, and signal into a +15V pulse of de types of circuits. The first adjusted properly so as to not fined width which is compatible problem you may encounter is not bounce excessively. The edge with the sampling characteristics getting any gate out of the cir trigger circuit (IC2A and IC2B) of a typical synthesizer keyboard. cuit. This may be caused by a help to clean up the input signal This circuit also debounces the voltage drift at either end of the and square off the pulse going to pulse, so there is no question resistive ladder comprising RI, the 4066, but that doesn't mean about the sampling voltage applied R2, and R6. If you do not have a they will ignore all transients to pin 13 of the 4066 analog regulated supply feeding V+ and V- coming their way. If false trig switch. When the 4066 switch the threshold point will fluc gering becomes a problem, increase closes for the period defined by tuate, and you will end up with C2 to a larger value, which turns the RC time constant of R5 and C2, either a continuous gate on or no on the 4066 for a greater amount IC3 samples a bit of the input gating action at all (especially of time. control voltage, and holds it when at the low end of your keyboard). Final comments. Construction the pulse out of IC2B drops sharp Not all 15V regulators are created is not critical except for the ly back to 0 Volts. By using a equal! They vary a few tenths of points mentioned earlier, and of polystyrene capacitor for C3 in a Volt from lot to lot, especially course, use proper circuit board conjunction with a bi-fet type op when you are buying non-precision layout principles. Decoupling the amp, the "droop" of the sampled parts. You can increase R6 to op amps at each power supply point voltage will be very slight, com "soak up" any differences, al did not seem to be necessary, pared to using a ceramic capacitor though the larger the value, the although this is always good prac with a standard bipolar op amp. more difficult it will be to set a tice. You might want to put the The importance of using a polysty precise value. whole thing on a piece of perf- rene cap cannot be emphasized Also watch poiaritv of all board, but if you do, leave a enough; without the right cap, diodes (or the circuit won't little extra room on the board for your VCOs may not play the same work), and make sure that the future projects. This will save note each time you hit the same control pin. of the 4066 switch you from having a lot of little key, or they may drift from their gets a clean pulse to turn it on boards all over the place, and proper pitch if the VCA allows the and off. The circuit as shown minimize the chances of stray VCO signal to be audible for any works just fine; don't try to noise creeping into your cir length of time. eliminate IC2 from the circuit or cuitry. v+ . PARTS LIST • • . Resistors (precision or 5% types preferred, 1/4 Watt) RI, R2, R5 100k R3 200k R4 lk Ohms R6 5k pot Capacitors Cl 0.01 uF (mylar pre- ferred) C2 0.1 uF (mylar pre- ferred) C3 0.1 uF polystyrene Semiconductors Dl, D2 1N914 or equivalent D3 LED IC1 4558 dual op amp ... ■ IC2 CD4049 hex inverter IC3 LF351 bi-fet single op amp ______I IC4 CD4066 quad analog SAMPLE AND HOLD switch FofyptHMty August 1983 21 The new generation of digital drums represents one of the most significant advances I've seen in the field of musical electronics for quite some time. Originally pioneered by Roger Linn (the Linn- Drum has appeared on countless records, including "Dare" by the Human League), digital drums are now available from a number of other companies as well. DIGITAL Thanks to friends in the industry, I recently had the opportunity to evaluate the E-mu Drumulator (list price $995), MXR Drum Computer ($1250), and Oberheim DX ($1395). Playing with these drum units has been a truly profound experience which has al DRUMS tered the way I look at, and compose, music. In the space of a few months, working with and programming these devices has taught me more about rhythm than I had learned in the past 20 years. As a side effect, my bass playing has tightened up as well, and I find it easier to compose songs when there's a catchy drum riff churning along in the background. One of the most important features of the Drum Computer and Drumulator is sync-to-tape (a retrofit will soon be available for the DX which gives it sync-to-tape capabilities as well). This means that you can record a click track on one track of a multi-track tape recorder and, using the click track as a timing reference, overdub a drum part on a separate track. As the song develops, if it becomes necessary to change the drum part, you can simply re-program the drums and lay down a revised drum track. By syncing this new part to the click track, the drums will still be in sync with the rest of the song. In some cases, I've come back to a song weeks (or even months) later and programmed a new drum part which was more appropriate to the song. Also, synching these drums up to PAIA's "Master Synchroni zer" (see the February 1983 issue of Keyboard maga zine^ has allowed me to do a large number of syn chro-sonic tricks, such as programming a drum part designed specifically to trigger a keyboard arpeg- giator. But I'm getting ahead of myself...so back to basics. Digital drum basics. The new digital drum units record actual drum sounds on ROM (computer memory chips), which provides a degree of realism that cannot be achieved using conventional analog synthesis techniques. Unfortunately, this also means that every drum beat sounds exactly the same, but those are the breaks. Nonetheless, some judi cious signal processing can help overcome some of this sameness, as can programming "accents" (changes in volume level). Note, however, that accenting does not give any corresponding timbral change...oh well, maybe next year. These drum machines divide the programming process into segment (or pattern) and song modes. Segments represent individual riffs, fills, and so on. In song mode, these individual patterns are An Overview combined to make a complete song. For example, a verse might require four programmed segments, a chorus two programmed segments, and an instrumental break a segment which repeats over and over. In song mode, you would string these together and the drum unit would play the proper segments in the proper sequence. When programming a pattern, you put the drum unit into "record" mode. A metronome, which is usually programmable to click at your choice of By: Craig Anderton rates, lets you know where you are in the measure. 2 2 Ptfyphony------August 1983 When you press the button corresponding to a parti plan to offer additional sound ROMs (although a 1 cular drum sound, the drum unit "remembers" where second crash cymbal may be subsituted for the ride you played that drum. As the pattern keeps repeat sound), they have devised a process whereby Emulator ing, you can overdub drums until the pattern is owners can record drum sounds, at which point they complete; you can also erase unwanted sounds. Quan are programmed into an EPROM. This is not a trivial tization (also called auto correct) can optionally process, but it is not impossible either. At pre correct your timing to the nearest eighth note, sent, there are no plans for additional DX voices sixteenth note, eighth note triplet, and so on; the (however, the higher-priced Oberheim DMX does accept Drumulator and DX even offer an additional high a family of optional sounds). resolution mode, which defeats the "rounding off" One outstanding feature of the DX is that the off effect of quantization. drum sounds are individually tunable over about a The DX is the only one of the three units that half-octave range. This lets you obtain a variety offers "step time" recording (where you can step of different drum sounds from one unit without hav slowly through a pattern and program, or erase, drum ing to resort to external signal processing, thereby beats as desired) in addition to "real time" drum increasing the overall usefulness of the device. recording. This is very handy when you need to The Drumulator drums are not tunable, while the MXR erase one or two drum sounds out of a complex event has a master tuning control which varies all drums like a drum roll, or want to transcribe a drum part about +-1 full step. This is real handy when you from sheet music. want to tune lower for super-deep toms, or tune These drum units also have cassette interfaces higher for a brighter cymbal sound. However, be so that you can permanently store patterns and cause (unlike the DX) we're dealing with a single songs, battery backup so that a power interruption control, all sounds change pitch simultaneously. won't kill your stage act, and a variety of conveni While I feel that handclaps are generally the ence features...which we'll describe in more detail weakest part of any digital drum set (humans just do as we go along. not clap with metronomic regularity), the Drum Com Now for a word about the comparison checklist. puter handclaps are particularly unrealistic. How The worst possible way to select a drum unit would ever, I was able to use the handclaps to get some be to add up the various features and decide that great guiero (wood scraper) sounds. In fact, had whichever has more features is the "best" drum unit. they labelled the handclaps "guiero", I would be Musical instruments — and these are indeed musical talking about how realistic the guiero is instead of instruments -- inspire conflicting opinions. For how unrealistic the claps sound! Just goes to example, while most guitarists would say that a show... Fender Stratocaster is a "better" guitar than a The three tom sounds on all three units sound Fender Mustang, I know one guitarist who wouldtf't just fine; however, the DX will not let you play trade in his Mustang for anything. And while I feel more than one tom sound on the same beat, and if you that certain drum units offer better fidelity of try to program the different pitched tom sounds in sound than other drum units, fidelity of sound is rapid succession, the decay of the preceding tom not always the same thing as appropriateness of will be cut off by the attack of the next tom. The sound. I often find myself syncing different units Drumulator also doubles up the high and mid tom, so to the same clock signal, and using drums from one you can't have them both hit at the same time. (All unit in conjunction with drums from a second unit. three drum units double up the hi hat closed/hi hat Also, these drums "print" differently on tape. Re open sound; the Drumulator also doubles up the side- member, the checklist is intended for comparison, stick/snare and cowbell/clave sounds, while the DX not judgment; every unit makes tradeoffs, and much doubles up the shaker/handclaps sounds. The Drum of how you react to a drum unit depends on whether Computer sounds are independent of each other). or not you agree with the tradeoffs that were made. Getting a good hi-hat sound is also a problem, Also, a checklist can't describe all of the although in the context of a recorded track they subtleties, so let's look at some digital drum de usually sound okay. The MXR unit audibly re-trig tails. gers, the DX closed hi-hat doesn't cut off the open Drum sounds. Of the three units, I feel that hi-hat (which is too short for my tastes as well), the Drum Computer has the most synthetic-sounding and the Drumulator hi-hat, while in many ways the drums. However, this is neither a complaint nor a best of the three, lacks the sheen you might hope compliment. In fact, on one song I found that the for and also has a somewhat grainy sound — although MXR drum sounds fit with the piece (which was highly a little high frequency equalization pretty much synthetic) better than the more realistic Drumulator overcomes these limitations. and DX sounds. Both E-mu and Oberheim have gathered The percussive voices all sound great, but a lot of experience digitizing sounds over the extra credit to the DX for offering a shaker sound, years, and this shows in their respective products; a welcome variation from all the "struck" sounds you but remember too that one of the advantages of ROM- usually find on drum units. If you alternate be based drum units is that sounds can be updated at a tween the accented and non-accented versions, the later date simply by plugging in a new ROM. In shaker makes a great background track. However, fact, the MXR Drum Computer includes an external since this sound is doubled up with the handclaps, voice connector to allow for easy expansion and/or if you mix the shaker in the background you mix the replacement of existing sounds, and an alternate handclaps back as well. The Drumulator also de bass drum sound was included in my review unit as serves extra credit for its cowbell. If you've ever one possible option. (As we go to press, MXR has tried to record a cowbell in the studio, you know confirmed that a library of additional sounds will how hard it is to get a good sound. Well, they got available within a few months, and quoted extremely it. reasonable projected prices.) While E-mu does not With respect to snare drums, the Oberheim and PofyptMNty August 1983 23 Drumulator snares are different yet of equally high to any of the 12 sounds by pressing the accent quality. The Drumulator is little flatter and more button while you press the desired drum sound -- hi-fi, while the DX sounds more processed and has a very simple. The Drumulator has the most complex bit more of a "crack". Triggering the two simul accenting scheme, where you may program any one of taneously gives a very fat sound. When I heard the 14 accents for each drum. While this is a highly MXR snare isolated from the rest of the kit, I versatile way of dealing with accents, it can also thought it sounded quite synthetic; but it fits into be time-consuming to set an accent for each drum — tracks quite well and has a more "new wave" kind of although, of course, you can always use the default sound. settings if you're impatient and don't want to go to Cymbals are extremely difficult to record digi the trouble of programming accents. The biggest tally, whi'ch means you just aren't going to get advantage of programmable accents is that you can killer sustain or highs. The MXR crash, however, is have subtle accents on some drums and wild accents quite good, as is the DX (which also has two accent on others; these options are musically useful. For levels). The Drumulator ride cymbal is fine if you example, I find that percussive sounds seem to like like ride cymbals, but I prefer using a crash most heavy accents, while drum sounds seem to like light of the time. I often trigger the MXR or Oberheim er accents. cymbal from the Drumulator ride output, and the Or take level setting. With the Drumulator, resulting sound is excellent. I've also noticed you program the various drum levels, while with the that using a delay line, set for about 50 ms of Drum Computer and DX, you adjust mixer slide pots. delay and a touch of regeneration, extends any cym I prefer programmable drum levels since once you bal sound and gives a more natural decay effect. have a good mix, you can store it and come back to Ease of use. I feel that the MXR and Oberheim it later. Yet, there is something to be said for units are the easiest to use, however, the Drumula altering drum levels in real-time, and the slide tor is more complex to use not because of poor pots let you do this easily. Of course, with the design but because it offers more options in its Drumulator you can.always program levels but also software, which can require more extensive program feed the individual outputs into a mixing board to ming when creating a drum part. A good example is vary levels in real time, but if you don't use a accents. With the DX, the snare drum has three mixer there's no convenient way to vary multiple buttons, each corresponding to a different volume drum levels in real time. Again, it's all a ques level. If you want a softer snare, hit one button; tion of personal preference. a louder snare, the next button, and the third Another difference between units is the number button gives the loudest snare of all. However, not of buttons you use to play the drums. With the MXR all DX sounds can be accented; and some sounds have and DX, all drum sounds are available at all times two, rather than three, accents. The MXR, on the — there's one button for each sound. With the other hand, has a single accent which can be added Drumulator, there are four buttons for the twelve Digital drum machine check list Drum sounds DX Emu DC Bass drum • • • Outputs DX Emu DC Snare drum • • Snare rim ("sidestick") • • • Pre-panned stereo outputs • • Number of toms 3 3 3 Mono mixed output • • • Hi-hat open • • • Master volume control • • Hi-hat closed • • • Individual drum outputs • (2) • Ride cymbal • Metronome (click) output • • . • Crash cymbal • (1) • Metronome volume control 0 • • Shaker • Programmable trigger outputs (3) • Handclaps • • • Programmable song mix • Cowbell • • Programmable pattern mix • Wood block/clave • • Manually adjustable mix • • Individually tunable drums • Sync-to-tape (4) • • Master tuning control • notes: (1) A 1-second crash cymbal can optionally replace (5) There is one trigger input which may be as the ride sound. signed to any drum or combination of drums. (2) Some sounds are doubled up (there are 8 outputs (6) There are four trigger inputs which must be for 12 drum sounds). assigned to the desired sounds. A pad programmer is (3) Unlike the Drumulator, cannot be programmed to slated for introduction in late 1983, with a list appear at specific places in a song. price of $300. (4) Sync-to-tape will be available soon as a retro (7) Does not quantize to quarter note or quarter fit. note triplets. 24 Polyphony August 1983 sounds (and twelve accented versions of those when recording the tape sync track). With the Ober- sounds), and you must assign which drum sounds or heim DX, individual patterns have programmed tempos, accented drum sounds you want to play to these so when you combine them into a song the song will buttons. Fortunately, the Drumulator includes an reflect any tempo changes you programmed into the assign mode where, if you're in the middle of re patterns. With the Drumulator, you can store indi cording a pattern, you can re-assign different drums vidual tempos for each song, as well as store anoth to these four buttons while the pattern continues. er tempo for all the segments. You can also insert Once you exit assign mode, you can continue overdub tempo change instructions during the course of a bing with the new drum sounds. This is not as song to speed up or slow down the track. convenient as the one-sound-equals-one-button ap Or how about synching to external clocks. The proach, but it does contribute to the Drumulator's DX syncs to 96 pulses per quarter note clocks, the exceptionally low list price. MXR to 24 pulses per quarter note clocks, while the All three drum units have four seven-segment Drumulator includes software that lets you sync to LED readouts that inform you of pattern numbers and 24 pulses per quarter note clocks or any multiple the like. The Drumulator and DX also give "beep" thereof. messages to signal that a particular operation was There's so much more we could get into, but I successful (or in some cases, unsuccessful). think it's just about time to give some conclusions Software functions. Software design is one of about the various units. the Drumulator's strongest points. You can program individual tempos and tempo changes for each song, MXR Drum Computer. This device is extremely store a segment mix and transfer it over a song, straightforward to use (what the computer jocks call have three different ways to end a song (uncondi "user-friendly"), has excellent packaging (although tional end, go back to the beginning, or jump to a it is the toughest of the three to service), and is different song), program trigger outputs at one of designed for easy expansion should you want to add several rates to occur at specific places in a song new sounds (or update older sounds). As mentioned for triggering arpeggiators, or sequencers, and so earlier the sound quality is to my ears more synthe on. Clearly, E-mu went light on the hardware to tic than the DX or Drumulator, yet there have been keep costs down but went heavy on the software to several times when only the Drum Computer made the give the operator lots of programming options. The right sounds for a particular application. The Drum Drum Computer has fewer software functions (that's Computer also records extremely well, giving a one of the reasons it's so easy to use), and the DX strong, punchy sound that translates well to tape. falls somewhere in between. For example, you set For songwriters and other people who need to get tempo with the Drum Computer manually using a slide ideas down fast, this unit is probably the shortest pot (the readout can show the tempo in BPM; thank route from what's in your head to reality. It also fully, any tempo changes you make will be reflected uses 1/4" phone jacks throughout, which makes plug- Inputs DX Emu DC Pattern (segment) options DX Emu DC Sync-from-tape • • • Quantization 0 (7) (8) Sync track includes tempo changes • • • Maximum pattern length (beats) (9) 99 99 Number of patterns 100 36 100 External clock, 24 pulses per 1/4 • • Metronome (click track) • • • External clock, 48 pulses • Programmable metronome click • • External clock, 96 pulses • • • • External clock out • Downbeat indication • Real-time recording Individual drum trigger inputs (5) (6) • • • Pitch control voltage inputs • Step time recording • RS-232 computer control input • Erase individual drum beats • • • Erase specific drum sound • • • Erase entire pattern • • • Footswitches DX Emu DC High resolution mode • • Alter pattern length once set • • Run/stop footswitch • • Swing function • • Advance to next pattern or song • • Shift (subtle tempo randomizat ion) • Copy to another pattern • • • Repeat pattern until released • • • Join two different segments • • Append segment to itself • • • Accent (10) (11) (12) Programmable pattern tempo • • (8) Does not quantize to quarter notes. (9) Maximum pattern length is 99 measures rather than beats. (10) Two accents for bass, snare, and crash cymbal; (12) Fixed accent may be added to each drum sound. one accent for closed hi-hat and shaker, other sounds have no accent. (13) Each pattern will play at its programmed tem (11) Individually programmable accent for each drum po. Changing the tempo changes all segments propor sound. tionately, as indicated on the display. Piotyphof^ August 1983 25 ging into mixers and such just that much easier, and painlessly with the rest of the Oberheim "System" you can master the operation of this device in a (OB-8 synthesizer and DSX poly sequencer). The relatively short period of time. Drumulator can also be used with the "System", but requires a simple adapter box in order to be driven E-mu Drumulator. If this were Consumer Re by the DSX sequencer. Finally, the DX has more port s, the Drumulator would probably earn a "best memory than the Drum Computer or Drumulator (I buy" designation. The sound quality is exceptional counted four 6116 RAMs for the DX, as opposed to two ly realistic and clean (especially if you add some 6116 RAMs for the Drum Computer and Drumulator), and high-end EQ, which adds a crispness to the sound and has more available program memory as well (which makes it "print" much better on tape). In terms of means that we could conceivably see future software software functions this is without a doubt the most updates). versatile of the three units; in fact, I wish the other units had some of the Drumulator functions So which drum unit is right for you? You'll such as programmable mix and song tempo. Note, have to decide that, and hopefully this article has however, that this same versatility also makes the helped you figure out what features are most impor Drumulator somewhat more complex to operate; tant to you. But I can promise one thing for cer fortunately, the LED readout indications which tain: once you've played one of these babies, you "prompt" you are intelligently chosen and extremely won't want to let go. In fact, just as guitarists helpful. The inability to tune the drums will use more than one guitar to get different sounds, or bother some people, as will the use of RCA phono keyboard players use different synthesizers because plugs for the individual drum outputs. But in terms those instruments have different "sound signatures", of bang-for-the-buck, the Drumulator definitely you'll probably find yourself wanting more than one delivers — especially if you take the time to use drum unit. Sure, that could be costly — good in this device to its fullest potential. struments ,cost money, and there's no way around that. To put things in perspective, though, note Oberheim DX. The ability to tune each sound that a Drumulator, DX, and Drum Computer together over a wide range adds a degree of versatility which list for about the same as a big poly synth. And should not be underestimated. Also, the sound when you consider how much of a positive influence quality is excellent, and despite being a relatively these machines can exert on your music, just about complex machine, the DX is mercifully simple to anyone would have to agree that they're well worth operate. Having three accent levels available for the price. the bass drum and snare is quite useful (although not being able to accent the toms can be frustrat ing). Remember too that the DX, like the higher- cost DMX, is specifically designed to interface Song options DX Emu DC Number of songs ‘ 50 8 100 Catch the Maximum # of sequences per song 255 99 100 Special Note: End and repeat • audio portion of this article in End and jump to next song • "Polyphony-on-Cassette #1". This Erase song • • • 10 minute cassette side brings a Step through song • • • new dimension to reviews by demon Insert patterns • • • strating the actual sounds dis cussed in the article. You'll Delete patterns • • • Repeat pattern commands • hear the individual drum sounds from all three machines side-by- Copy, pattern parameters to song • side for easy comparision; drum Programmable song tempo (13) • sounds are presented both by them Programmable tempo changes (13) • selves and as parts of rhythms Start in the middle of song • patterns. The tape also demon strates the effects of different tunings, swing and shift func Cassette/misc. functions' DX Emu DC tions, and accenting. The com Load, save, and verify options • • • parision closes with sample drum parts from all three drums. The Number of error messages 1 1 3 other side of the tape provides an Load individual pattern • Check remaining amount of memory • • • audio demonstration of Thomas Hen LED readout • • • ry's "Micro-Drums" program. For Memory protect • your copy, send $4.95 (postpaid in Clear.all memory • • • USA) to Polyphony-on-Cassette #1, Polyphony Magazine, PO Box 20305, "Beep" help messages • • Oklahoma City, Ok 73116. Please Minimum tempo (BPM) 25 40 40 Maximum tempo (BPM) 250 240 250 allow 4 - 6 weeks for delivery. Tempo readout • • Battery backup • • • Potypticmy Augusf'1983 * Tell Them You Saw It In Polyphony ’ New pedals. MXR has intro duced a new line of effects boxes, the Series 2000. Effects include the Distortion +, Dyna Comp, Pha ser, Stereo Flanger, Stereo Cho rus, and Time Delay. These boxes feature bui1t-in voltage regula tion, status LEDs, dual outputs, FET switching, and a unique inter face connector that provides capa bilities such as remote switching, remote status indication, and se lection of the highest voltage power source available (when used New from Korg. Intended for with an AC adapter). Wireless mic. Nady Systems keyboards and guitar as well as Korg has introduced the Pro (1 145 65th St., Oakland, CA line level sources, the MM-25 is a fessional Modular Effects 40X, a 94608) has introduced the 49-HT 25 Watt monitor amplifier which pedalboard-based system that ac hand-held microphone. It features includes high and low EQ, head cepts Korg plug-in effects such as an Audio-Technica PR60 mic head, phone jack, and multi-position chorus, flanger, compressor, self-contained antenna (no function switch. The KMX-8 is an graphic equalizer, fuzz, etc. The dangling wires), and low cost. 8 channel stereo mixer with VU cost of four effects plus the meters and self-adjusting input pedalboard is comparable to that impedance from 10k to 500k Ohms. of four standard effects from competing manufacturers. Serge sequences. Serge Modu lar (572 Haight, San Francisco, CA 94117) has announced a new line of low-cost sequencers for modular New tape duplication process analog synthesizers which features from Sony. Sony is using metal- many of the same functions incor based, high-coercivity videotape porated into the Serge 16-Stage masters to print a duplicate on to Touch Activated Keyboard Sequen conventional tape. The master and tape to be duplicated are pressed cer. The 4-stage model lists for $180 kit, $240 assembled; the 8- close together with compressed stage for $240 kit, $320 assem air, while a high frequency mag netic bias field magnetizes the bled. A master unit can control one or more slave sequencers for Concert news. The McLean Mix duplicate tape. This process may highly controllable flurries of (an electroacoustic duo featuring also be applicable to PCM or audio tonal sequences, being modulated Priscilla and Barton McLean) will tape, drastically cutting dupli both harmonically and rhythmical give seven European concerts in cating time and therefore costs. ly. The series includes 4, 5, 6, November 1983, and will tour the 7, and 8-stage Sequencers, and a US in March of 1984. For booking built-in Quantizer option is and tour information, contact the available for all but the 4-stage McLean Mix at 6 Matador Circle, E M F e s 1 1 v a l -on-the-Air A version. Austin, TX 78746 (tel. 512-327- regional Electronic Music Festival 2729). is scheduled for February 1984 in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. Musicians Reverb decay time alteration. are invited to send their music # .f The Master Room DC-2 from MICMIX (tape, cassette, or album) to Polyphony August 1983 27 POLYMART BOOKS SCIENCE OF SOUND The physical and psycho-acoustical background to music is an important part of musical syn thesis. Helmholtz’s SENSATION OF TONE is, a century after its publication, still the standard text for the physiological acoustics. PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC by Carl Seashore, developer of the Seashore Music Test, provides an in-depth analysis of musical style and performance characteristics of many instruments. MUSIC, PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING by Harry Olson, who worked on the first RCA synthesizer, is a thorough discussion of the physical properties and design of traditional musical instruments (plus a chapter on electronic music). MUSIC, SOUND AND SENSATION by Winckel is much like the Helmotz work, with a bit less detail and more con centration on psycho-acoustics. #PSYCH PHYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC $6.00 #SENS ON THE SENSATIONS OF TONE $8.95 mss MUSIC, SOUND AND SENSATION $4.50 #MPE MUSIC PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING $6.50 REFERENCE Often used reference materials to answer the many questions encountered in everyday synthesis. THE SOURCE Book of Patching and Programming from Polyphony has over 125 pages of patches in universal flow chart notation; the largest publication of its type. AUDIO CYCLOPEDIA has 1760 pages with 3650 entries and hundreds of dawings and schematics to answer any question about ratio. Hardbound. ELECTRONIC MUSIC SYNTHESIZERS by Delton Horn devotes the first half to descriptions and functions of commercial electronic music synthesizers (Moog, Arp, PAIA, Oberheim, EML, and RMI); the second section provides schematics and projects for the ex perimenter. #SOURCE THE SOURCE $4.00 #CYCLO AUDIO CYCLOPEDIA (hardbound) $44.95 ELECTRONIC MUSIC SYNTHESIZERS $6.95 TECHNIQUE Synthesists must be well versed in a number of techniques and principles. “ How To” and project oriented books are a great way to pick up these skills. MULTITRACK PRIMER by TEAC is a step- by-step guide to building, outfitting and operating your home studio. The Byte Book of COM PUTER MUSIC describes computer control of electro-mechanical instruments, Fourier analysis, circuits and loads of software. HOME RECORDING FOR MUSICIANS is Craig Anderton’s original guide to outfitting and operating a budget studio for maximum results, includes mixer and other audio processing circuits and a sound sheet demo recording. #TEAC TEAC MULTITRACK PRIMER $4.95 #BYTE BYTE BOOK OF COMPUTER MUSIC $10.00 #HRFM HOME RECORDING FOR MUSICIANS $11.95 "HOW TO” GUIDES HOW TO BUILD A SMALL BUDGET RECORDING STUDIO FROM SCRATCH by F. Alton Everest covers twelve tested designs. HOW TO DESIGN TEST AND BUILD COMPLETE SPEAKER SYSTEMS BY David Weems is a do-it-yourself guide for the ultimate in sound quality. HOW TO MAKE AND SELL YOUR OWN RECORD — With the major lables having severe economic pro blems, many insiders feel that the future of the music industry may be in independent record pro duction. Learn the ropes with Diane Sward Rapaport’s indispensable handbook of how to get started. MAKING MONEY MAKING MUSIC by James Dearing — Everyong dreams of being at the top, but there’s an enormous amount of “ middle money” out there for the taking. This is not a book about how to become a Millionaire Rock Star, but the strategies revealed will give you the knowledge you need to keep afloat if you decide to pursue a recording contract. A fresh and prac tical approach to staying alive in the music business. From the publishers of Writer’s Digest. #BRS BUDGET RECORDING STUIDO $9.95 #MASR MAKE & SELL YOUR OWN RECORD $11.95 #CSS COMPLETE SPEAKER SYSTEMS $7.95 #MMM MAKING MONEY MAKING MUSIC $12.95 ORDER FROM: POLYMART, POBOX 20305, OKLAHOD USE THE ORDER FORM ON THE NEXT PAGE ELECTRONICS Electronic Cookbooks are a great way to stock your library with materials that are not only heavy on theory, definitions and educational material but chock full of practical applications as well. These books can easily replace stacks of manufacturers data sheets and applications notes all in an easy to use reference. Walt Jung’s OP-AMP and Don Lancaster’s ACTIVE FILTER Cookbooks are self-explanatory — required reading for synthesists! AUDIO OP AMP APPLICATIONS is an edited version of the Op Amp Cookbook by Walter Jung, containing only audio applications. Lan caster’s CMOS book is much more than a digital reference — phase lock loops, top octave generators, touch switches, and other things you need. ELECTRONIC PROJECTS FOR MUSI CIANS by Craig Anderton is almost in a class by itself. It discusses electronic construction technique for the novice and provides 27 projects with printed circuit board patterns and a demo recording of the effects. Even if you’re an old hand at musical electronics, you’ll appreciate that all of these processors, from Tube sound Fuzz to Phase shifter are compatible and work together without creating noise, signal loss, bandwidth compression or any of the problems common to in terconnecting effects from different manufacturers. There’s even a complete chapter on how to modify and combine effects to produce your own custom pedalboard. ELECTRONIC MUSIC CIR CUITS by Barry Klein covers synthesizer system design, power supplies, control voltage generators, VCOs, Filters, analog multipliers and more. Lots of schematics and data sheets on the most popular music oriented ICs. An excellent technical reference. #OACB OP-AMP COOKBOOK $15.95 #EPFM ELECTRONIC PROJECTS FOR MUSICIANS $14.95 #AFCB ACTIVE FILTER COOKBOOK $14.95 #EMCR ELECTRONIC MUSIC CIRCUITS $16.95 #AUOA AUDIO OP-AMP APPLICATIONS $9.95 #CMCB CMOS COOKBOOK $12.95 EXCITING NEW BOOKS! MUSICAL APPLICATIONS OF MICRO-PROCESSORS by Hal Chamberlain — If you only have space in your library for one book on music synthesis, this is the book. The easily read text is entertaining and enlightening and teaches both basics and advanced theory without plowing through pages of equations. Liberal examples illustrate theory and practice of both digital and analog signal generation and processing. #MAM MUSICAL APPLICATIONS OF MICRO PROCESSORS $19.95 THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SYNTHESIZERS by Devarahi — An extraordinarily thorough treat ment of the subject of analog synthesizers. Covers everything clearly, and the suggested ex periments are excellent. Well organized and leaves nothing out. #CGS THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SYNTHESIZERS $15.95 PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CONCERT SOUND by Bob Heil — Finally, a manual that explains in very simple language those many “ magic terms” you’ve heard for years and never really understood. It’s the first book written especially for musicians, roadies, and sound technicians who want to KNOW and UNDERSTAND what their sound system is all about. #PGC PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CONCERT SOUND $10.00 & MORE FROM POLYPHONY 4/8TRACK STUDIO LOG BOOK designed by Craig Anderton provides a place to keep all the impor tant information on your tape library. Log in timing, type of tape used, record patches, make notes and use the expanded track sheet to list sequential changes in tape tracks relating to the settings of the indes counter. Craig Anderton’s CONTEMPORARY KEYBOARD ARTICLES is a collected reprint of all the articles from June 1977 through February 1981, covers tips, technique, theory, maintenance, and numerous construction projects. DEVICE BACK ISSUES — during the year that this newsletter was published, it featured almost 200 pages of technical information for the guitarist/musician. A wealth of articles on design, product reviews, and modification and con struction projects. Sold in complete set, individual issues not available. Limited number available. CRAIG ANDERTON MUSIC TAPE — Delightful listening plus a booklet explaining how the effects were achieved. #SLB STUDIO LOG BOOK $4.95 #AA CRAIG ANDERTON’S CONTEMPORARY KEYBOARD ARTICLES $5.95 #DEVICE COMPLETE SET (12) DEVICE BACK ISSUES $18.00 #CAMT CRAIG ANDERTON MUSIC TAPE $5.95 t CITY, OK 73156 (405) 842-5480 SACK ISSUES $ 2-50 each ppd ■ ■ #0606: May/June 81: Synthesizer: Hardware Mods and Software. Modular Synthesizer Effects, Environmental music, Keyboard assignment for the 8700, new columns; Details, Practical Find out what you’ve missed! Circuitry, and On Location. Volume 6 index. ■ w #0302: 11/77: The Sensuous Envelope Follower, digital gates, LED wall art, build a bionic sax, data to music peripheral #0701: July/August: Guitar Electronics: Modify: Fender project, Apple II as a music controller, using the NE566 as a VCO, Amp, MXR Phase 100, GR-500. Input/Output Structures, $5 Analog patches. Programmer, Sample and Hold technique, Mpdular Synthesizer Effects, new column: Applied Synthesis, Marketing Your Records. #0303: 2/78: computer controled Gnome, using joysticks, build a bionic trumpet, ultra-VCO modifications, voltage control ■ ■ #0702: Sept./Oct.'81: Harald Bode Interview, Live Plus Tape the Mu-Tron Bi-Phase, oral joystick, patches. New Technique, Xenharmonics, Kraftwerk Live - Review, ■ ■ #0304: April/May 78: Minimoog modifications, non-keyboard Psycho-Acoustic Experiments, Practical Circuitry - Super module use, phasing and flanging (theory and circuits), memory Controller, Applied synthesis - Brass, Construction Tips For expansion for programmable drutffs, digitally addressed transposer Beginners. project, polyphonic software (with software transient generators), #0703: Nov./Dec.'81: Dave Rossum interview, Applied patches, Volume 3 index. Synthesis: Strings,Details: Series-parallel/Sum-Difference. The m m #0402: Sept/Oct 78: electronic music notation, notes on Sound Gizmo and Pro-One Reviews, Practical Circuitry: VCO Deluxe. the recording of "Cords" by Larry Fast, sequencer software - part one, rhythmic control of analog sequencers, touch switch projects, ■“ #0704 Jan./Feb.'82: Bob Moog interview, Chip Power - modular vocoder techniques, PET as a music controller, patches. STK-050/070, Simple Square Wave Shaper, Tape Timer Ruler, Practical Circuitry: VCAs made simple. Details: Gozinda & Gozouta w m #0404: January/March 79: add-ons for vocal F and V Revisited, Korg Trident & Casiotone 202 Reviews. converter, shorthand patch notation, more on note to frequency conversion, graphic monitor project, George Russell, super VCA #0705 Mar./Apr.'82: Electronic Music Math, Analog Delay circuit, echo software, Vol. 4 index. Clock / Modulation; Frequency Domain Modifiers; Screen-Wave for the TRS-80; Touch Switches Revisited; Practical Circuitry: ADSR ■ ■ . #0502: July/August 79: hex VCA/mixer project, electronic the Easy Wav: Getting the most out of a Cheapo (Guitar). .music schools and studios, modify the Oberheim Expander Module, profile of Ernest Garthwaite, budget microphones, digitizer #0706 May/August '82: Anatomy of a Private record, Don projects and software, bar graph ICs. Slepian Interview, Understanding Digital Synthesizers: A Digital #0505: January/February 80: Joseph Byrd, Mort Garson, Filter, Syn-Bow Review, Optical Audio, Profiles of SSM 2033 & Larry Fast on 'Games', composing for 'live plus tape', using the 2044, The PAL Filter, Bill Rhodes Applied synthesis: Bells, Pipe CA3280, recording vocals, ADSR circuits. Organ, Harpsichord, Electronic piano; The Realistic MG-1 Reviewed. m a #0506: March/April 80: Computers in Music: real time audio processing hardware, Powell sequencer system, Max Mathews, ■ i #0801 Sept/Oct.'82: Ambience in Electronic Music,Tone advanced STG software, PortaStudio, phase modulation, Volume 5 Bypass for Fender Amps, 8 Track Reviews, Parametric EQ Tips, index. Solo/Cut Circuit for TASCAM Model 3, The SSM 2011, Tube Preamp, ■ ■ #0601: May/June 80: Gary Numan, Microcomputers in Real Snare + Drum Voj.ce Circuit, Triple Pick-up Switcher, Simulated Time Audio, Build a Digital Audio Delay Line, writing Stereo, When Quality Reocrd Mfg. Counts, Independent Record Mfg. Documentation, Richard Hayman Composer/Performer Home Recording: Convention report. Applying Harmonizing and Pitch Transposing Techniques by: Craig Anderton. ■ ■ #0802 February '83: AMS-100 Gate Output, Bus Distribution « ■ #0602: July/August 80: Peter Gabriel, digital VCO project, dream modules, optimum level settings, dynamic phrasing, Modules for Modular Synthesizers, Dynamic Touch Controller, patches. Expanding Envelopes, MXR Limiter Review, New Age Music, An Overview, Synsonics Drum Review, Interface, Practical Circuitry: A a m #0603: Sept/Oct combined with Nov/Dec 80: alternate controllers, add voices to Casio M-10, voltage controlled Patch Over Scheme for Small Synthesizers, Lab Notes: Shepard quadrature oscillator project, cordless patch bay, recording Functions. rules, patches. m m #0803 April '83: Sound Interface Device, Build a Bass Pedal ■ ■ #0604: January/February 81: Special Construction Edition; Build: Audio Circuit Breaker, Pulse Width Multiplier, Magnetic System, Dr. Rhythm Mod., Switched Capacitance/Transversal Filters, Harp, 50 Watt/Channel Stereo Power Amp, Quad Sequential Switch, Voltage Controlled LF0, Rockman & Voyetra Eight Reviews. DOD Mods, patches. ■ ■ #0804 June '83: MIDI Hardware Fundamentals, What MIDI Means #0605: March/April 81: Portable Music Issue, reviews of for Musicians, The Vangelis Interview, Creative Recording on a Remco's FX, E-H Mini-synthesizer, Casio's VL-Tone, plus mods for Shoestring Budget, A One Chip ADSR, An Electronic Switch. the My 10, GR-500, mini-amp, and the Korg X-911. Introducing; Practical Circuitry and On Location, new columns. CASIO M-10 OWNERS...... RACK PANEL SPECIAL! Did you realize that your pride and joy has unseen powers? That there are voices arid effects that you can add for the Easily machined 1/8 inch unfinished aluminum rack panels as cost of a switch and a piece of wire? This latest booklet low as $3.95 each in quantities of 3 or more, (you may mix from POLYPHONY gives you the info that you need to transform sizes for discount prices) your mini-axe and gives details on adding a "stunt box", computer interfacing and much,,much more. Quantity 1 3 or more No. CMOD 16 pages ...... $3.50 single size - 1-3/4" .$5.25 $3.95 each double size - 3-1/2" .$9.25 $7.95 each SSM 2011 CHIPS triple size - 5-1/4" $12.95 $11.95 each As a special service to readers interested in evaluating this exciting new chip, for a limited time POLYMART offers the SSM 2011 Microphone Preamp/Level Detector IC. No. 2011 .... $5.75 each plus postage ($1.00) ORDER FORM------Quantity Item price ea. amount ■ We cannot invoice; payment must be enclosed with your order ■ there is a flat $.50 handling fee per order plus postage costs. | MasterCharge and Visa are welcome, ($10.00 minimum I charge ). Foreign orders must be paid by certified check or . money order in U.S. $ drawn on a U.S. bank (or by charge card) * Phone orders welcomed for charge card orders. J SHIP TO: Name: ______Address: _____ .______— _ City ______S ta te ______Z ip ______0-—0 SUBSCRIPTION <->—t * u .s, s i 2/yr . foreign SM/yr . VISA sub total »~ol iif_—>i: l y Cl lar ' y tats ■ U.S.: add 10°/o of SubTotal handling .50 on $5.°°m axim um | Card # _ shipping | MasterCharge Bank # ______Expiration Date Foreign: 20°/o of Subldtal on $10P°maximum | Signature------— total enclosed ! MAIL t o : POLYMART. PO BOX 20305, OKLAHOMA CITY. OK 73156 has introduced the D640 digital delay, which provides 0.25 ms to 640 ms with a 15 kHz bandwidth. Flanging range is 10:1; LFO range from 25 seconds per cycle to 10 Hz. The D640 fits one standard rack space and lists for $499.95. A new catalog of precision tools and computer and telecommunication equipment is being offered free from Jensen Tools, Inc. Illustrated in full color, the 160 page catalog contains more than 2,000 tools of interest to field engineers, technicians, computer and telecommunication service persons, and electronic hobbyists. Major categories covered are: test equipment,, micro-tools, soldering equipment, tweezers, screwdrivers, cutters, drafting supplies, power tools, computer Oberheim power amp. Oberheim assembled kit form with prices accessories, circuit board Electronics (2250 South Barrington starting at less than $180. equipment and misc. Also included Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064) has Detailed descriptions, prices and are many new products from Jensen introduced the Model 700 stereo ordering information are available and over 40 pages of service kits power amp. Pertinent specs are from the manufacturer: PAIA and tool cases for elctronic 200 Watts RMS per channel into 8 Electronics, Inc., 1020 W. specialists and technicians. Ohms or 350 Watts RMS into 4 Ohms, Wilshire Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK To obtain a free copy, write THD 0.1% from 20 Hz to 20 kHz at 73116. Jensen Tools, Inc., 7815 S. 46th full rated output, hum and noise St., Phoenix,, AZ 85040 or call 104 dB below rated output, and no Digital delay. ADA (2316 (602) 968-6231. fan for quiet operation. Net Fourth St., Berkeley, CA 94710) weight is 31 lbs; Oberheim also claims reliability under exceed ingly adverse conditions (such as overloading the input of one chan nel with the full output of the other channel — in other words, applying 150V p-p to the input!). PAIA's new series V keyboard controllers have so many standard features and options available that they have been termed Universal by their designer, John S. Simonton, Jr. Standard features include Pitch and Modulation Wheels, Gate and Re-trigger outputs, Low Note Rule Priority and Pratt-Read Keyboard actions. The controller's trim size takes up little space in the studio and their light weight allows them to be worn on stage for hours without fatigue. The long list of options availabe for the Series V includes 37 or 61 note actions, Exponential or Linear Control Voltage Outputs, MIDI or Parallel Digital outputs and Mono or Poly configurations. The controllers are available factory assembled or in easily August 1983 31 Practical Circuitry MICRO DRUMS PARTI figure 2 By: Tom Henry Analog design has always fascinated me, and as a consequence I've never really gotten into digital or computer type circuits. However, just recently I dipped into this field and was amazed at the things that even a novice (like myself) can get a computer to do. As my first venture into this area, I came up with a computer controlled drum unit, called "Micro-Drums", which has absolutely revolutionized HH" the manner in which I approach composition. Not being a drummer, my music has always been hampered by a lack of rhythmic expression, but this new circuit has changed all that. What is Micro-Drums? Quite simply, it is a hardware/software combination which causes the PAIA 8700 microcomputer to think that it's a drummer. Up to eight drums can1 be polytonically controlled, over the range of an entire song. Nuances, bridges, breaks, lead-ins, even mistakes can be programmed into it so that the unit really drums as if it were a person. Depending on various factors, three to ten minute songs can be programmed with a great amount of depth and variation. Editing a drum score is quite easy since an hierarchical approach is taken which closely ap proximates the manner in which you would write a song anyway. Once a score has been worked out, it can be saved to cassette and re-loaded at a later date. Thus, it is possible to create a library of drum scores and this eases the task of creating new songs later on. But here's the real kicker. By using a special technique with the computer (the IRQ, to be dis cussed later), we can sync the drum unit to click tracks on tape, other rhythm generators, sequencers — or we can go the other way around! That is, Micro-Drums can be either a master or slave with equal ease. And best of all, this special technique drastically reduces both the hardware and software needed. As mentioned, this project is based on the PAIA 8700 microcomputer. However, the same methods will work with just about any other computer using a member of the 6500 family, including the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and PET. As long as you can find one 32 Polyphony August 1983 uncommitted address and can get access to the IRQ memory mapped, and each bit in it controls a sepa pin of the CPU chip, you can make it work. By the rate drum. Writing a byte into this port triggers way, if you do configure this around the 8700 you'll the drums corresponding to the various bits. Ad be glad to know that the new hardware in no way dress $0880 ("$" means that the number is in hexa interferes with the rest of the computer. You can decimal notation) is chosen for the drum output still use it for your other applications. port, since this leaves the one at $0840 free for Like most computer projects, the basic princi other synthesizer applications. ple is simple although the explanations get quite IC1 and IC2 are quad latches; their duty is to long-winded. To keep things orderly, this install store the byte which is written to the drum port. ment of "Practical Circuitry" details the hardware Since a typical "write" operation on the data bus is needed for Micro-Drums, while next time the neces only several microseconds long, we need these two sary software and programming instructions are des chips to grab the desired byte and hold on to it. cribed. When a "write" occurs, the STROBE line of the Refer to the schematic in figure 1. Essential 8700 goes low for a microsecond or two. This line ly, we set up one address in the 8700's operating goes to pin 5 of each of the latches, hence causing system to act as a drum output port. This port is them to latch the bytes currently on the data bus. ^ 0 = 1 J1-J8J1-J DRUM o u t p u t t r ig g e r all outputs are I 1 mi Hi second wide J10 SYNC « \ / N o m ---- INPUT / IDAIRQ R20 (to J7 of 8700] repeat for a total of 100 K eight transistor stages NOTES MICRO-DRUMS Computer Drum Interface Designer: Thomas Henry All resistors in ohms. All capacitors in mfd. except where noted. All NOR gates =1/4 4001 (IC4, IC5). All inverters = 1/6 4049 (IC6). IC POWER CONNECTIONS: figure 1 4001 --- pin 7 = ground pin 14 = +5V 4049 --- pin 1 = +5V pin 8 = ground Polyphony August 1983 33 Practical Circuitry.... the vector in location $0FFE and $0FFF. Control is then sent to this service routine, and the instruc But the STROBE signal also goes to IC3, which is a tions found there will be executed until an RTI 555 timer set up as a one-shot. The output of this (return) command is encountered. Control is then one-shot, upon being fired, goes high for a period sent back to the main program. of 1 millisecond. In effect, we have stretched out Now suppose that the IRQ signal which caused the STROBE signal (which is several microseconds all of this to happen is still low. (In other long) to a 1 millisecond pulse. You will recognize words, the execution time of the service routine was this figure as being one of the standards we've shorter than the pulse width of the IRQ signal.) talked about previously — it's just the right What will happen? Just what you would expect; the length of time to fire envelope generators and drum routine is called again! The upshot is that one IRQ circuits. In point of fact, every output in Micro- signal caused the service routine to be called Drums generates a +5V, 1 millisecond wide pulse, and twice. We clearly don't need that, so the IRQ pulse thus the circuit is compatible with any of the is shaved down to 10 microseconds. With the 8700, projects described in "Practical Circuitry". 10 microseconds corresponds to about 5 program in By the way, notice how everything works out structions, so as long as the service routine is conveniently for the 555 input at pin 2. Normally, more than 5 instructions long, all will work well. you have to provide some input conditioning to this Incidentally, it should be clear that the IRQ pin pin, but as it turns out the STROBE signal from the responds to "levels", not "edges". 8700 has the correct polarity and pulse width so As you will see next time, when we discuss the that all you have to do is just hook it up directly software aspects of Micro-Drums, this IRQ business to pin 2. That ought to refute Murphy's Law! is the key to the entire system. Not only does it Now backtrack just a bit to the latch outputs. make master/slave relationships possible, but it Each output is buffered by a transistor (Q1 through also allows use to achieve a remarkable analog to Q8, one for each bit). Note that the transistor digital conversion for the price of a patch cord! inverts the bit; however, the NOR gate following the And as mentioned before, both the hardware and soft transistor inverts the bit again. The net effect is ware can be drastically simplified. that the bit passes to jacks J1 through J8 exactly The remaining three inverters of the 4049 as it was written to the drum port. To put it package are put to use as a variable clock. There's another way, write the number $FF to the drum port nothing clever here since this circuit has been and all of the drums will be fired; write a number around for years. But one interesting aspect is $00 to the port, and none of them will be fired. that C4, R19 and an inverter are set up as another Note that LEDs D1 through D8 turn on according half-monostable. This time the pulse width is made to the number written to the port. These provide an to be millisecond wide (our old standard). R23 sets excellent indication of what's going on while you're the clock rate, and with this control the output composing a song. frequency can be continuously adjusted. Even though So, the latched data is sent to the transistors the frequency can be changed the pulse width will and then to the NOR gates. Now one input o f each remain fixed at 1 millisecond. NOR gate is tied to the stretched out STROBE signal Just to give you a sneak preview, a patch cord (from IC3 and the inverter). This causes the selec will be used to connect the CLOCK OUTPUT (Jll) to ted NOR gate to go high for a period of 1 milli the SYNC INPUT (J10), and thus interrupts can be second, and as mentioned above, this is just what made to occur at an adjustable frequency. This envelope generators and drum circuits like to see. method will be employed to set the tempo of the Notice that the stretched out STROBE signal is song. also available at J9. This signal may be used as a This just about covers the hardware aspects of SYNC output and can lock sequencers, rhythm genera Micro-Drums, but perhaps a few words about construc tors, and other computers to the main timing logic. tion methods should be said. I built this circuit Its pulse width is also 1 millisecond. on a prototype circuit board (from Radio Shack), This takes care of the drum output support using ordinary hookup wire. If you employ this hardware. As you can tell, there really isn't very method, be sure to ponder the layout so that you much to it, and in fact it is quite similar to the won't run out of room at a crucial moment! Watch other output port at $0840 on the 8700. The rest of your power supply connections, but since the circuit the circuitry in figure 1 has nothing to do with the only uses a +5V supply, this shouldn't provide any drum output, but instead provides the necessary great problem. Also (need I say it?), use sockets, housekeeping circuitry to round out the complete since this project employs CMOS integrated circuits system. which can be damaged by static electricity. Figure Let's look at the peripheral circuitry;__ Since two shows the complete parts list for Micro-Drums. we will be syncing the computer through its IRQ line After constructing the circuit, give a great (interrupt request), we must condition this input deal of thought on how you will interface it with somewhat. J10 gives us access to this line. Cl, the computer. I used ribbon cable and headers to R20, and the inverter form a half-monostable and as complete the connections to J1 and J7 on the 8700. such take an input pulse of variable length and After making the connections I mounted the board to transform it into a precise 10 microsecond trigger. the back of the 8700 computer itself. If you al This trigger couples to the computer via IRQ, found ready have this computer, then you will know that it at J7 on the 8700. is a double-decked circuit board arrangement. By Why should this be a 10 microsecond pulse? The adding the Micro-Drums card, you will be left with a answer to this lies in the nature of the IRQ line in triple-decked affair. general. When the IRQ line of the 6503 CPU is And now is as good a time as any to mention a brought low, the computer will cease whatever it is modification to the 8700 that you really ought to doing and jump to the service routine pointed at by 34 PuiyphoiA' August 1983 Practical Circuitry... you can then put the thing in a suitable house, figure 2 shows how I did it. This is a home made wooden box with two sheets of steel for a top think about. I found that with just the bare-bones and bottom. The 8700 is bolted to the top panel, computer (no Micro-Drums added on), the power supply and the keyboard shines through a square hole cut in ran extremely hot. I took some measurements and the metal. I put some foam rubber around the hole discovered that the unit was drawing almost 900 mA! and this keeps dust and moisture out. By the way, This is clearly way too much for the 7805 regulator the fuse, switch, and line cord are on their own to handle with such a small heatsink. The culprit, small panel mounted on the back surface of the box. of course, is the RAM — each chip consumes almost If you are using the PAIA 8700 power supply, 70 mA. Multiply that by 8 (the number of 2112s in then bring out the 60 Hz signal output to a front the 8700), and you've got quite a load for the panel jack as well. (This is a logic level signal, regulator to handle. NOT the line voltage!!!) Since this is a reliable In general I like to have at least a 2:1 margin frequency source, it might come in handy for future of safety, so I decided to modify the computer use. accordingly. I simply built another +5V power sup As you examine the photo fig.2 you will probab ply and put the RAM on their own circuit. It's a ly notice some features not described in the article crazy scheme, I know, but it does work and both (knobs, connectors, etc.). These have nothing to do power supplies now run considerably cooler. What's with the Micro-Drums interface. For example, there more, in the future I will be able to add on extra are two D-25 jacks on the right side; one of these circuitry since I have a little more juice to play is a dummy (for future expansion) and the other is with now. an interface to my keyboard synthesizer. When you If what I've said doesn't make any sense to build your unit, you might like to plan for the you, then don't perform the modification!!! Your 8700 is a valuable instrument and you won't want to future, too, and leave some extra room for more wreck it. On the other hand, if you understand 'onnectors and whatnot. about power supplies, decoupling, and computers — Well, that wraps up the Micro-Drums hardware and if you have a steady hand for cutting PC board and it's a good thing too, since we're out of space. traces — you might want to give this a try. Remem But come back next time for the concluding episode ber, the RAMs must be completely on their own cir and see how to implement the software for a complete cuit; it's no good just wiring two power supplies in drum computer. Until then, here's a challenge for parallel (unless you get off on rampant destruction you to ponder: how would you create a real time of valuable equipment and enjoy fireworks). clock using the SYNC input, the 60 Hz output, a After building the Micro-Drums card and per patch cord, and a bit of software? forming the modification (if this applies to yoq), it's precisely because their strong, well-crafted tunes appeal to even a jaded old reviewer that re-view they're selling so many records. Despite the cheese. continued from page 9 front-to-rear as well as left-to Deckard/Cardwell/Vosh S o u n d ri ght. This 3-dimensionality (cassette). "Sound" is what it's makes his heavily-produced elec all about, as this synthesizer ’ c o t * ™ tronic pop tunes a listening ex trio spins long, introspective The new Series V Digital/Analog Keyboard perience which goes beyond their pieces full of original synthesi Controllers from PAIA offer enough stan significance as pop tunes. Other zer sounds. Sounds that soothe, dard features and options to fill every need influences might be Zappa and sounds that startle, sounds that from stage to studio. Standard features Godley/Creme. bounce off the wall and refuse to include Pitch & Modulation Wheels, Gate leave -- always the devotion for and Re-trigger outputs, Low Note Rule Priority, Smooth Pratt-Read Action, Light The Sound. $4 postpaid from David Berlin Pleasure Victim (Geffen weight and only 2” high. 2036). I didn't want to like this Vosh, 6300 Goldenrod Court, Upper group — their music is too trendy Marlboro, MD 20772. You have your choice of: and their videos have been a lit • 37 or 61 Note Actions tle pretentious. But after having Everfriend Key Essentials (cas • Exponential Or Linear C.V. played the record numerous times sette). Keyboard artist Bill • MIDI or Parallel Digital looking for a weakness to attack, Rhodes displays his skills, from • Mono or Poly • Factory Assm. or Low Cost Kits I have to admit it grew on me; Keith Emerson-like classical rock Terri Nunn's voice has a cloying to piano fusion jazz to the drama- Best of all. prices start at less than $180 innocence and John Crawford's and tic*"Life and Death of a Star" call our toll-free line David Diamond's synthi backing is (reviewed May/June '81 as an EP). very professional. It's well de There's a couple vocal numbers too 1-800-654-8657 9AM to 5PM CST MON FRI fended from sharks like me. — too bad the vocalist he chose sounds a little tentative. Never for price & ordering details Men at Work Business as Usual mind; the rest is top drawer. & get your free RAiA catalog! (Columbia FC37978); Cargo (Colum Contact Bill at 1 Windemere Rd., Direct mail orders and inquiriesto: Dept.11y bia QC38660). MAW has been called Piscataway, NJ 08854. "the Velveeta of pop". However, continued on page 44 1020 W Wilshire , Oklahoma City. OK 73116 (405)843 9626 no^ptiony August 1983 35 Build: A Simple Drum Synthesizer units were expensive, so I decided DRUM PAD DIAGRAM to build my own. Now, analog drum FIG. 2 synthesizers are commonly avail able in almost any price range, but I have yet to see one as cheap DRUM and simple as mine. If you want a basic electronic drum sound with no frills at a minimum cost — here it is. This circuit makes use of an active filter's transient response to produce the sound. This is a ►WIRE TO +9 circuit commonly used in older rhythm boxes. Lengthening the decay time and adding a pitch sweep produces a basic drum syn thesizer sound. The circuit is simple and construction is not at all criti Attach switch wires with screws. cal. Parts values are pretty Experiment with wood block size so switch closes flexible too, so you can probably with a moderate hit. build it with parts on hand. 36 Polyphony August 1983 How it works. IC1 and IC2 are common 741 type op amps. I Parts List Capacitors used a 4136 and built three sep arate drums on one board, with IC2 Resistors (10%, 1/4 Watt except as Cl 0.05 to 0.1 uF (see acting as a mixer for the three noted) text) drum sounds; however, the schema C2-C3 0.1 uF mylar RI tic in figure 1 shows the pinout 500 Ohm pot C4 0.22 uF mylar for 741-type amps. To mix in R2-R4 10k C5 2.2 uF electrolytic additional drums, feed the drum R5 10k audio or linear pot C6 10 uF electrolytic outputs into the inverting (-) R6 47k input of IC2 through additional R7 50k linear taper pot volume controls (R5) and 10k re R8 68k Semiconductors sistors (R3). R9 100k linear taper pot IC3 is one-sixth of a 4049 R10-R12 100k D1-D3 1N914 or equivalent hex inverter, and is used as a R13 270k diode voltage controlled resistor. Note R14 500k trimpot IC1, IC2 741 op amp (see text) that power is not applied to the IC3 '4049 CMOS hex inverter 4049. Remember too that this is a CMOS chip, so observe proper han dling procedures. Testing. Once the circuit is The Digital also contains: wired, set RI for minimum resis tance and R7 for maximum resis Electro-Harmonix • DIGITAL CHORUS which can tance. Apply power and connect be used at the SAME TIME the output to an amplifier (the Digital Delay as the delay and flange. circuit will also drive high- • REVERSE SW ITCH-Not only sensitivity earphones directly). I The new Electro-Harmonix Digital Delay is the can you lay down up to a 16 Turn up the volume with R5. Now first offering by the newly reorganized E-H, and if second track, but with the set R9 to maximum and adjust R14 V they continue in this vein, the company will really 1 give the Japanese something to worry about. flick of the reverse switch until the circuit oscillates; First of all, this is the smallest long delay unit I’ve ever everything you played will next, back off on R14 until the seen— you don’t even need a rack for it. Secondly, because it has such a long delay time, which can be used to store instantly play BACKWARDS oscillation just stops. sounds and play them back, you have, in essence, a without losing a beat. And, Now press switch SI and ex “Fripp-in-the-Box,” if you will— meaning that you can use this periment with the controls: box to stimulate the tape loop effects that have made Mr. you can thep lay forward Robert Fripp, famous, without two tape machines. Because tracks on top of the R9 controls the decay (length you have such a long time beween the time you play and the backwards track— all while of the tone) time it comes around again (from eight to sixteen seconds, maximum), you can sound like more than one player at any you’re playing LIVE! RI controls the pitch given moment. As a matter of fact, one of the important functions of the • DOUBLE SWITCH-Anything R7 controls the sweep rate, E-H digital delay line is to overdub yourself live using the and freeze function that takes whatever is in the "circuits" at the you lay down can play at half R5 controls the volume. time and stores it. Then it plays it back right away. So you can or double speed. And— you The range of the pitch con can lay down a normal speed trol is a bit narrow and the sweep track on top of the halved or range suffers at lower pitch set double speed track— while tings. If you want a different you’re playing LIVE!! pitch range, experiment with Cl's • You can sing through the value. Digital, laying down multiple You can use any momentary harmonies on top of each switch for SI, but in my model I other each time the unit used a Remo practice drum pad (the passes through its 16 second kind with a real drum head on it) cycle where it instantly starts for SI. See figure 2. I glued looping at the beginning aluminum foil to the bottom of the again— all without losing a drum head, and another piece of beat— all while you’ re foil to a block inside the prac playing LIVE!!! tice pad. Connect the switch wires to each piece of foil with a • You can invent a gigantic screw. When the head is struck by dub over that part, and layer it up. The designers have included variety of unusual new sound a click track that you can hear, but which doesn't get recorded, effects of your own with a stick the pieces of foil contact to allow you to synchronize yourself. This unit also interfaces each other, thus closing the to the E-H line of deluxe rhythm boxes (and perhaps to some combinations of settings. "switch" and triggering the drum. others) so that you can automatically sync the repeats to the tempo. Try the 16 Second Digital Delay Although this circuit doesn't The E-H Digital Delay is also capable of producing a digital at your favorite music store. If give touch sensitivity, noise, flange, which I like a lot. In sum, there is a lot that you can do they don’t have it in stock, upward sweep option, LFO, or simi with this unit, and in traditional E-H fashion it is priced at a half or a third of any similar unit. The unit is quiet, easy to use they can get one shipped lar extras, the basic drum sound and easy to stow away in a shoulderbag. within 24 hours. is as good as most analog commer —Peter Mengaziol March, 1983/Guitar World cial equivalents. My drummer has Mike Matthews been using it six nights a week Electro-Harmonix for two years now, and it works 27 West 23rd Street great. I hope it works as well New York, N.Y. 10010 for you. ------etecfro-frarmonix (212) 741-1770 Polyphony ■August 1983 37 equal temperament, this factor is the 12th root of 2 (approximately 1.05946). To obtain 12 equally spaced tones, you pick a starting frequency and multiply it by this factor to find the frequency of the next note of the scale. Mul tiplying this next note's frequen cy by 1.05946 gives the next note Exploring of the scale, and so on. Every interval in the conventional 12 tone equal tempered scale involves this factor, and therefore cannot be a simple whole-number ratio. The ideal system of just intonation can be envisioned as an infinite space, possessing an in Just Intonation finite number of dimensions, each dimension being generated by a ratio of the form P/2a, where P represents a prime number, and 2a the highest power of 2 less than P. All actual systems of just in tonation can be regarded as sub sets of this ideal system. The first prime number, 1, expressed in the form 1/1, repre sents the starting point in any system of just intonation. (For the sake of clarity, when ratios are used to represent tones they will be underlined.) For practi cal purposes, it can represent any selected frequency. This ratio also represents the unison, the simplest possible interval. By: David Doty The next prime, 2, generates the octave (2/1 = 2/2P). Multi plying or dividing the frequency of a tone by the successive powers of 2 generates only tones related by octaves.' 'Therefore 2 alone cannot generate a musically useful scale. The next prime, 3, generates The tonal resources of 12 Equally tempered intonation, the- interval 3/2, the "Perfect tone equal temperament have been in general use in the West Since Fifth". Three is the lowest num- exploited to, and perhaps beyond, the 18th century, sacrifices these ~be.r which can be used to build their logical limits. Fortunate simple ratios in order to achieve scales. That is to say, it can be ly, there are many alternatives to the greatest facility for modula used to fill an octave with dif this, s tandard; perhaps the most tion and transposition within a ferent tones. Scales which use promising of these is Just Intona finite set of tones. The result only 3/2 (and/or its inversion 4/3 tion. is a scale in which all consonant — two intervals whose sum is 2/1, intervals, with the exception of or one octave, are considered What is "Just Intonation"? the octave, are mistuned to vary inversions of one another), and This terms applies to any tuning ing degrees. 2/1 as generating material are system in which all of the inter For those interested in the called 3 limit scales, meaning vals may be represented by ratios mathematical concepts behind that that they contain no prime factor of whole numbers, with an implied last statement, the division of an greater than 3. They are the preference for the simplest ratios octave into equal parts, which is oldest known just scales, and the that are musically useful. Simple necessary for transposition of any easiest to tune by ear. Known as whole number ratios have been figure to any scale degree, is Pythagorean scales, they are gen recognized as determinants of mu mathematically incompatible with erated by tuning a succession of sical consonant since ancient division of the octave into the 3/2's (or alternate 3/2's and times. Modern psychoacoustic re most consonant intervals, which 4/3's). Chart 1A illustrates this search seems to indicate that the are necessarily unequal. In order method of tuning a Pythagorean human auditory processing mechan to divide an octave, which has a diatonic scale. This scale is ism is readily able to recognize frequency ratio of 2:1, into n characterized by pure 5ths and these ratios and make distinctions equal intervals, we require as a 4ths (3/2 and 4/3), dissonant 3rds among them which have tonal impli factor the nth root of 2 ( n 2), (81/64 and 32/27), and dissonant cations . an irrational number. For 12 tone 6ths (128/181 and 27/16). There 38 Rotyphony August 1983 fore, these scales are suited for addition to 4ths and 5ths, it is characteristic of traditional polyphony based on the 4th, 5th, necessary to add another prime Western harmony. Indeed, the Syn and octave, but are useless for factor, 5. Five limit scales do tonon Diatonic can be regarded as tertiary polyphony or triadic har not consist of single chains of consisting of three major triads mony. For a more complete inven one interval, as Pythagorean constructed on the "tonic", "dom tory of the intervallic resources scales do, but rather form 2- inant", and the "subdominant" de of a Pythagorean diatonic scale, Dimensional grids, with chains of grees of the scales. see Chart 2A. 3/2's intersecting chains of 5/4's In examining the 5-limit grid The Pythagorean tuning method (just major thirds -- see Chart (Chart 3B), it will be noted that is not limited to seven tones per 3B). The best known scale of this many' pairs of points labelled with octave. Indeed, it can generate type is Ptolemy's Syntonon Dia different ratios share the same an infinite series of starting tonic, generally regarded as the "name". I.e.: If starting at C = tones, without ever reaching any best just model of the Western 1/1, we ascend (move horizontally octave of the starting point. Major scale. If we compare the to the right) four perfect 5ths, When this process is carried intervallic resources of this we reach a note called "E" with a through 12 successive 3/2's, a scale to those of the Pythagorean ratio of 81/64. If, instead, we tone is reached which differs from Diatonic (Chart 2B), the most ascend (move up a vertical) from 2^/1 above the starting point by important difference is that most 1/1 by one major 3rd, we reach a the interval 531441/524288, known 3rds and 6ths are represented by note labelled "E" with a ratio of as the Pythagorean comma (see much simpler ratios in the Syn 5/4. From their ratios, it is Chart 3A). Thus, true 5ths do not tonon Diatonic. It should also be obvious that these are two dif form a closed circle, but an in noted that the Syntonon has one ferent pitches. Specifically, finite one-dimensional series. perfect 5th and 4th fewer than the 81/64 is higher than 5/4 by the In order to obtain a scale Pythagorean. Five limit scales small interval 81/80 (21.5 cents), with consonant 3rds and 6ths, in contain the major and minor Triads known as the comma of Didymus. CHART 2A CHART 1B 2nds 3rds 4ths 5ths 6ths 7ths 8ths CHART 2B Polyphony August 1983 39 If we move the figure in such a way as to modulate to G = 3/2, the "Dominant", we find that two tones, A = 5/3 and F = 4/3, are lost, and two new tones, A = 27/16 and F# = 45/32, are added. While the substitution of F# for F is analogous to procedure in equal temperament, the substitution of A = 27/16 for A' = 5/3 (these two tones differ by the above-men tioned comma of Didymus) is a subtlety peculiar to just intona tion. Examine other common modu lations on the chart, and you will observe that the scope of possible modulation in any just system is limited by the availability of the required tones. Thus far, the scales examined have harmonic and melodic proper ties somewhat analogous to those of equal temperament, the major differences being that just sys tems possess a greater degree of consonance and a greater potential for harmonic and melodic subtlety, This small interval is critical. change in perceived tonal center. while equal temperament offers E' = 5/4 is the proper pitch for This can be achieved in a variety relative ease of modulation. With the 3rd of a major triad on C = of ways, with or without altera the addition of higher prime num 1/1; E = 81/64 is the proper pitch tions to the tonal set. The clas bers, just systems can be created for the 5th of a major triad on A sical European definition of modu which involve intervals that have = 27/16. The substitution of the lation includes the notions of no equivalents in Western music. incorrecft "E" in either of these transposition to a parallel scale. The properties of 7, the next cases will change a simple conson This is also possible in just prime, have been fairly well ex ance into a grating dissonance. intonation, with the restriction plored. Certain non-European mu These matters are of great that your tuning system must have sics, including the Blues, seems importance in understanding the all of the tones of any scale to to use intervals involving seven problems of modulation and trans which you might wish to modulate. extensively, and even European position. It has frequently been Refer to Chart 3B; the heavy lines classical harmony seems to "imply" claimed that modulation is impos represent the syntonon diatonic in the existence of seven, albeit sible in just intonation. In the key of C = 1/1. Modulation to with much ambiguity. fact, modulation may be achieved a parallel key may be represented The primary interval genera in a number of ways in just inton by moving this figure in relation ted by 7 is 7/4, kno w n as the ation, depending on how you choose to the grid (without rotation) so "Harmonic 7th". This interval to define the term. At its sim that another tone occupies the adds a new dimension to the 5 plest, modulation merely means a position currently held by 1/1. limit grid, transforming it into a CHART 3A :b gb E B s Gb Db A b E F C G D A N 1 0 2 4 2 5 6 1 28 3 2 16 4 T 3 \ Tr i f i 2 ^ 3 7 2 9 7 2 9 2 4 3 81 2 7 9 3 1 2 8 16 6 4 127 512 ^ / M ' f\K B ' N f #' /j A \C' / ^G' / D' A B ' A S c # ' AS G t!' ^ 160 4 0 10 5 5 15 4 5 135 4 0 5 ? 81 27 9 3 4 8 3 2 128 2 5 6 Ab Eb Bb F C G D A E >> 128 3 2 16 4 1 3 *9 *27 81 * 81 2 7 9 3 1 2 8 16 6 4 Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, . Fb, o , F, , C 1 ^ 512 2 5 6 ' 6 4 ' 16 8 6 " 9 2 7 81 ' [so N / 4 0 5 \ / 4 5 \ / 5 20 I d 3 5 'I z 15 \ V \ \z 5 \ lz \ CHART 3B 40 Fotyphoi^ August 1983 3-dimensional lattice (Chart 3C). that there are at least three 13, 17, 19) can be of some musical While the increased complexity of possible values for the interval value, but this territory remains this system is apparent to the conventionally known as a minor largely unexplored. Indeed, the eye, the benefits to be realized 7th: 7/4 (968.7 cents), 16/9 (996 use and re-discovery of just in here are best discovered by the cents), and 14/9 (1017.5 cents). tonation is only beginning. Of ear. The difference between the great course, commitment to a new tuning The most important resources est and smallest of these is the system entails a substantial ef of this expanded tonal universe is interval 36/35 (48.8 cents), near fort. At the very least, it in a new class of relative conson ly a "quartertone". volves learning new theories and ances, involving 7 as a factor. The septimal consonances compositional techniques. In addi The substitution of intervals from listed above share a common ex tion it may require the develop the 7 limit, for those involving pressive quality, peculiar to in ment of new playing techniques for more complex ratios involving low tervals involving 7, which, for instruments which are intonation- er primes, can transform chords lack of a better term, might be ally flexible (voice, fretless traditionally considered dissonant called "Blueness". Chart 2C shows strings, trombones), modification and in need of resolution into the intervallic resources of a ten and/or retuning of those which are stable consonances. The most tone blues -scale generated by not (refretting guitars, retuning striking instances are the use of adding harmonic 7th to the tonic, keyboards, creating new types of 7/4 as the 7th of the dominant 7th subdominant and dominant degrees pitch controllers for synthesi chord, and 7/5 as the diminished of the syntonon diatonic. With zers), or designing and building 5th of the diminished triad. Oth regard to modulation, within the 7 entirely new instruments. Any of er new relative consonances in limit, the same considerations these approaches demands a major clude 7/6 and 12/7 (the "Subminor apply as were discussed above, investment of time and energy. 3rd" and "Supermajor 6th"), 10/7 except that there we are concerned For those willing to make it, the (another "Septimal Tritone"), and with the movement of a three- reward is nothing less than a new 9/7 and 14/9 (the "Supermajor 3rd" dimensional field. and unexplored tonal universe. and the "Subminor 6th"). Refer It seems likely that all of ring to Chart 3C, it will be seen the remaining primes below 20 (11, Basic International Math In just intonation, musical intervals are ex but 3/2 also represents the tone a perfect fifth pressed as ratios of whole numbers. In order to above 1/1 (remember, when ratios are used to repre understand, and, more importantly, to create just sent tones they are underlined). scales, it is necessary to be able to add, subtract, Frequency ratios should always be expressed in and compare these ratios. least terms, and the numerator should always be used' This can be easily done, with the aid £>f a few to represent the higher frequency. simple rules. First, it should be noted that ratios To add two ratios, multiply straight across: served two distinct but related functions. First, a ratio represents a particular interval, regardless 3/2 + 9/8 = (3*9)/(2*8) « 27/16; 3/2 + 4/3 = of what specific nair of tones it separates. Se (3*4)/(2*3) = 12/6 = 2/1 cond, the same ratio can represent one particular tone which is related to 1/1 by that particular interval. Thus, 3/2 represents any perfect fifth, Polyphony August 1983 41 By: l O V I N G f - i Ratios for Just Scales Craig Anderton Reading this article got me For a simple seven tone When writing to change the address interested in the idea of coming scale, start with a master clock on your POLYPHONY subscription up with a just intonation circuit 180 times higher than the desired it is important that you enclose the board that would generate a just mailing label. Our computer cannot lowest note of the octave. Here locate your name on the subscription intoned scale from a master clock. is the pertinent information: list without it. Unfortunately, time limitations have prevented me from pursuing Note Divide Master Clock By this, but I did get as far as C (low) doing some ca 1 culat ions...which 180 (ratio of 1/1) ATTACH OLD LABEL HERE are presented here. D 160 (ratio of 9/8) The basic idea behind the E 144 (ratio of 5/4) just intoned equivalent of a top F 135 (ratio of 4/3) octave divider is to have a master G 120 (ratio of 3/2) NEW ADDRESS clock which is many times higher A 108 (ratio of 5/3) than the desired frequency, with B 96 (ratio of 15/8) dividers to provide just intoned C (high) 90 (ratio of 2/1) N am e______intervals. Modulation can occur A d d re ss______by varying the clock frequency. Now all I have to do is sit C ity------State------Z ip_ The dividers can use 4017s or down and breadboard a bunch of equivalent counters to create the dividers! When I get it done, proper divisors. For example, if I'll write it up; in the meantime, mail to: Fo fyp h o f^ you need a divide-by-144 circuit, the above information should be PO BOX 20305 simply cascade two divide-by-12 enough to get most of you started. Oklahoma City, OK 73156 circuits in series. Incidentally, I have heard For a simple pentatonic electronically-generated just in scale, start with a master clock toned scales, and the sound is READ THE LATEST 60 times higher than the desired very different from conventional lowest note of the octave. Here's even-tempered scales. In fact, a how you would divide this down to standard top octave divider sounds NEWS, REVIEWS create the scale: quite out of tune if you listen to it right after listening to a just m Polyphony Note Divide Master Clock By intoned divider. The subject is definitely worth pursuing; as C (low) 60 (ratio of 1/1) David says, "the reward is nothing E 48 (ratio of 5/4) less than a new and unexplored NEXT ISSUE: F 45 (r^tio of 4/3) tonal universe." G 40 (ratio of 3/2) Orchestral Voicing A 36 (ratio of 5/3) C (high) 30 (ratio of 2/1) Film Scoring Math To subtract one ratio from another, invert the To compare the magnitude of intervals, their ratio to be subtracted, then multiply: ratios must be converted to "cyclic cents", the unit of measure invented by the 19th century British 3/2 z 9/8 = (3*8)/(2*9) = 24/18 = 4/3; 3/2 - 4/3 = physicist Alexander V. Ellis. One cent is equal to (3*3)/(2*4) = 9/8. 1/1200 of an octave, or 1/100 of an equally tempered When a ratio is used to label a particular semitone. To find the number of cents in an inter tone, the same ratio is used, regardless of what val, first convert the ratio to a decimal, then find octave the tone falls in. Suppose, for instance, we its base 10 logarithm and multiply that by 1200/Log2 wish to know what tone is a 7/4 higher than 3/2. We (approximately 3986). For example: add the two ratios arid obtain the answer 21/8. Since 21 is greater than 2*8, we know that 2 1 / 8 is 3/2 = 1.5 greater than 2/1 (an octave). It is the convention Log 1.5 = 0.17609 to represent tones with the ratios they have in the 0.17609 * 3986 = 701.9 cents (the equal tempered 5th octave bounded by 1/1 and 2/1. In order to do this, is 700 cents). we subtract 2/1 from 21/8 and obtain the correct result, 21/16. If, as a result of subtraction, we Once converted to cents, interval values are obtain a ratio m which the denominator is greater subject to the usual operations of arithmetic. To than the numerator, this means that the tone to obtain the cents value of an interval in 12 tone which it refers is below 1/1 and must be "raised" by equal temperament, multiply the number of semitones one octave in order to be expressed in proper form: in the interval by 100. 9/8 - 3/2 = (9*2)/(8*3) = 18/24 = 3/4; 3/4 + 2/1 = (3*2)/4 = 3/2 42 Polyphony ■August 1983 l e n d e n k WIND PLAYERS VOCALISTS You can use your own instrument or voice to 7 m a d control any standard synthesizer, with more expressiveness than ■ t a keyboard* ■ M O n t e n f j a c e r o O 0 p o 9 ° 1 ij o 0- o a LJ The Chroma Keyboards division Each command can be preceded of Fender musical instruments has by a time command that tells a TRIC introduced a new instrument inter Triad device when to execute the 'ViLOPE face bus, called Triadtm. This command (relative to the last system lets users connect instru execution in that logical instru ments to computers via a 25-pin D- ment). The time command values connector cable; multi-instrument are in increments of 1/192 notes. Write for our free detailed connections can be made by using Time synchronization between Triad brochure, patch diagra one Triad device (for example, a devices is accomplished by beat and application notes. Triad-equipped computer) as a commands that are sent over the star-network controller. interface by either device. The Triad-equipped instruments Also available os modules for Aries and beat commands are sent only when Serge synthesizers, or as circuit boards will have two uni-directional 8- the time base should be changed. for custom systems. Dealers inquiries bit parallel ports (one output, All Triad devices are capable * Welcome. one input) and two handshaking of time stamping the commands lines for each port. This struc representing performance and panel gentle electric ture is intended to provide extra events. That is, the device can ' v D e p t p > — y r-p p p z z . flexibility in the way that a simulate a recorder or sequencer. P.Q. Box . 132, Delta, CO 81416 (303) 874-7173 Triad system responds to data. The commands which control these The handshaking lines can be functions are standardized and polled or used to interrupt the accessible fr*dm the Triad inter Triad device. face . The software characteristics The Triad command structure of the Triad interface make it permits device-dependent data to unique among instrument inter be transferred- over the interface. faces. Multi-byte operating com A program that defines a sound, mands are transferred across the for example, can contain informa bus,and the receiver interprets tion useful to that particular and acts upon thos commands. All device. The structure of other Music Triad-equipped devices that pro device-dependent command functions duce musical sounds are organized (such as the SET PARAMETER func Teacher as logical instruments. The num tion on a Chroma Polaris synthe ber of logical instruments avail sizer) is standardized. But what I able in the device can be communi the device actually does with this cated through the Triad interface. data is device-dependent. For in a Box? To get ahead in music, you need to The instrument consists of example, ET PARAMETER 3 TO 0 could know music theory. PAIA’s Chord Compu "channels" assigned to it and a mean "set the keyboard algorithm ter helps you understand both music and data structure defining the sound keyboards better by cramming the equiva to polyphonic" in a Chroma-type lent of pages and pages of music theory of that instrument. The channels synthesizer; or "set the modula into a compact calculator-style package. are the actual sound generation The Chord Computer is easy to use. tion index to 0" in a digital Simply select a chord letter, and the Chord modules in the Triad device. The synthesizer. Also, an escape com Computer’s LCD 31-key piano keyboard total number of channels available display will show which notes to play for mand sequence is available for use the selected chord. Press another button can change (due to adding expan with device-dependent functions to to choose sharp, flat, major, minor, aug ders, etc.) and be communicated be developed in the future. mented, diminished, 6th, 7th or 9th chords — including inversions. The Chord Compu through the interface. The number The Triad interface also pro ter can also display complete scales for all of channels allocated to a parti vides other functions including keys, or even transpose them at the touch cular instrument can be controlled "peeking” and "poking", or other of a button. Serious about music? The Chord Com through the Triad interface or wise interrogating or changing the puter could be the best investment you’ll automatically set by the Triad device's internal workings. Any ever make, only $59.95 (plus $2.50 device when the instrument is cassette interface that the device postage/handling) Order yours today . . . defined. controls can be accessed over the CHARGE TO VISA OR MC TOLL- FREE All Triad-equipped devices Triad interface. And commands 1-800654-8657 9a m i o 5 p m c s t m o n fri are capable of receiving data to relating to interface data flow Ask for your free PAIA catalog. be acted upon at a future time. control are also available. This is accomplished by using Direct mail orders and inquiries to: Dept.8Y relative time commands. HttiA Electronics, Inc. 1020 W. Wilshire , Oklahoma City, OK 73116 - (405)843 9626 Polyphony August 1983 43 and Clemens Glaser on keyboards Tom Cameron Music to Wash Dishes and sequencers, and Clemens' By (Bathing 1003). Despite the re-view brother Rudiger on drums and elec title, if you tried to wash dishes tronic percussion. Their music to this stuff it would probably continued from page 35 begins with the rhythmic regulari take you all night to clear the ty of analog sequencers, adds just sink. No, this is music to stare a little drumming, and builds into a light bulb with. Most of The The Perfect (Epic A13- layers of short phrases on key it is slow, echo-laden meditations 3119)(12" single). Like his pre board synthesizers. Frequent using EML synthesizers, although vious releases (April '83, June voice, key, and phrase changes the title track builds to a frene '83), Matt Johnson plays all the keep it from sounding too repeti tic conclusion and the short num instruments himself (well, except tive, although the beat doesn't ber after it sounds like a cartoon harmonica, for some reason) apd change and the synthesizers are soundtrack.* comes up with two more pieces pretty dry. Contact Intence Mu which are attractive without being sic, Postfach, 7553 Muggensturm, condescending. S1ightly cynical West Germany. perhaps, but not condescending. *Albums marked with an asterisk are available from New Music Dis The Happiness Boys Meat Parade tribution Service. (Duo-l)(EP). Instrumental Dada Michael Garrison Eclipse rock based on, and largely con (Windspell 112882). On his third sisting of, an Oberheim DMX digi album, Garrison has his style down NEW MUSIC DISTRIBUTION SERVICE tal drum unit. The rhythms, which to a "T" — very fluid sequenced is a division of the Jazz themselves are pretty good, are bass and percussion, with a string Composers Orchestra fleshed out with minimalist gui synthesizer arpeggiating chords Association Inc. a not for tar, a little saxophone, ring over it. It's a very mild, almost profit organization. The modulation, tapes, and lots of elevator music with no surprises organization can be contacted electronic noises. It isn't pret — except the four numbers featur at: NMDS, 500 Broadway, New ty, but then meat parades never ing a female vocalist. But she York, NY 10012, Telephone are.* sings in unison with the lead 212-925-2121. instrument (the way most instru Intence A Fond Perdu (SSU 813); mentalists write vocal music) so Out of Blue Fashion (SSU 829). she doesn't really change the Intence consists of Helmut Brunner music that much. Dickstein Dist. co. 19 Guitar Tuner Electro-Harmonix 13, 37 E-Mu Systems, Inc. 48 AD Gentle Electric 43 $ 3 9 .9 5 Musitech 46 Oberheim Electronics 2 INDEX PGS Electronics 45 A c c u ra te PAIA Electronics 17,35,42,43,44,47 Phoenix Systems 8 Easy to use Polymart 28, 29, 30 Telex 7 Unbelievably inexpensive . . . .that’s our new BANANA quartz guitar tuner. Thru-jacks let you tune electric guitars without unplugging. Acoustic guitars tune with built in condenser mic. PLUG INTO Internal speaker produces by-ear tones it you want them. Two easy to use tuning indicators — a 1 FoSyphony meter to indicate pitch deviations up to Vz semi-tone and LED go-no-go indicators, FOR ELECTRIFYING IDEAS! both with quartz accuracy. Runs for months on a sinqle AA penliqht ( ) One year $12 US/$14 foreign VISA/ Mastercharge accepted. and one 9v. battery. (6 issues) Card No. No. 9700A...... only $39.95 Expiration date: plus $2.00 shipping. ( ) Two years $22 US/$24 foreign Order yours today. . . . (signature) CHARGE TO VISA OR MC TOLL-FREE Name: Mail to: 1-800-654-8657 9a m i o 5p m c s t m o n fri Address: POLYPHONY, P. 0. Box 20305 Ask for your free PAIA catalog. Citv: state: zip: Oklahoma city, OK 73116 Direct mail orders and inquiries to: Dept.8Y IM A Electronics, Inc. DON’T MISS AN ISSUE SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 1020 W. W ilshire , Oklahoma City, OK 73116 • (405)843 9626 44 I\>iyphoiiy August 1983 LINEARS RESISTORS 5%, 1/4 watt SIGNAL DIODE T L 0 6 1 ...... B iF e t...... 72 All EIA values available from 2.0 ohm to 5.1 Meg. 601-60...1N914 (1N4148) signal diode. 5/.35 T L 0 6 2 ...... Dual BiFet...... 99 Also availble is 10 Meg. T L 0 6 4 ...... Quad BiFet...... 1.95 TRANSISTORS T L 0 7 1 ...... B iF e t...... 65 100 each o f sam e v a lu e ...... $1.50 2 N 3904...... 2N 3904 NPN T ra n s is to r...... 25 T L 0 7 2 ...... Dual BiFet...... 1.15 50 each o f sam e v a lu e ...... 98 2 N 3906...... 2N 2906 PNP T ra n s is to r...... 25 T L 0 7 4 ...... Quad BiFet...... 1.95 25 each o f sam e v a lu e ...... 75 © N E 555...... T im e r...... 39 10 each o f sam e v a lu e ...... 40 POTENTIOMETERS N E 570...... Compander...... 3.80 5 each o f sam e v a lu e ...... 25 ( 3 /8 long shaft. 5 /1 6 mounting hole) N E 571...... Compander...... 2.95 8 5 4 -4 0 1 .....10K Linear taper ...... 1.09 N E 572...... Compander...... 4.95 ASSORTMENTS 8 5 4 -5 0 1 ...... 100K Linear taper ...... 1.09 U A 741...... Comp. OpAmp ...... 29 10 each o f 10 values (1 0 0 ) ...... 3.00 8 5 4 - 5 0 5 .500K Linear taper ...... 1.09 © M C1456...... Low Noise OpAmp ...... 90 25 each of 10 values (250) ...... 6.50 RC 1556...... Low Noise OpAmp ...... 1.48 85 5 - 4 0 1 .10K A u d io ta p e r ...... 1.09 50 each of 20 values (1000)...... 16.00 CA3080...... OTA ...... 94 8 5 5 -5 0 1 ...... 100K Audio taper ...... 1.09 CA3280...... Dual O TA ...... 1.98 8 5 5 - 5 0 5 .500K Audio taper ...... 1.09 CHORUS/DELAY KIT RC 4136...... Quad OpAmp ...... 1.10 856 - 4 0 1 .10K Audio taper with This chorus/delay unit, designed by Craig Anderton 0 . RC4739...... Dual Low Noise ...... 1.19 on/off switch ...... 1.25 NE5532...... Dual High P erf ...... 3.70 and featured in Guitar Player magazine, provides flanging, slapback echo, and automatic double NE5534...... High Performance ...... 2.65 tracking effects. The delay range is from 2 ms to 80 TRIM POTS (vertical mount) ms. Due to the use of compression and expansion 8 0 2 -2 5 1 .... 250 ohm trimmer...... 40 SPECIAL PURPOSE techniques, the unit has dead-quiet operation up to 8 0 2 -1 0 3 .... 10K tr im m e r ...... 40 □ □ S A D -1024...... Analog Delay ...... 17.50 about 50 ms and only minimal noise out the full 80 ms. S A D -4096...... Analog Delay...... 37.50 This project kit consists of all electronics, pots, jacks, MINI TOGGLE SWITCHES etc. Also included are the two circuit boards (etched, M K50240...... Top Octave Div...... 5.95 403-20....SPDT (on/on) sub-mini (3A).... 1.20 SN 76477...... Sound Generator...... 3.45 drilled, and legended) needed for the project. Not included is wire, solder, case, knobs, etc. The 403-40....DPDT (on/on) sub-mini (3A)__ 1.50 Chorus/Delay unit also needs a well regulated 405-10....SPST (on/off) bat handle (6A). 1.85 SANYO HYBRID POWER AMPS bi-polar 15 volt power supply (not included). (A S T K 050...... 50 Watt Power Am p ...... 19.40 punched and legended rack mount panel will soon be LEDs S T K 070...... 70 Watt Power Am p ...... 24.20 available for this project.) Please note that the typical DC forward current (l-fwd) Order KT-CD777...... $78.00 SSM- SOLID STATE of these LED's is less than those offered elsewhere MICRO-TECHNOLOGY making these LED's ideal for battery circuits or others "SNARE + " DRUM VOICE KIT where current consumption is a factor. SSM 2010...... VCA ...... 7.50 This percussion synthesizer was designed by SS M 2011...... P re A m p ...... 5.75 Thomas Henry and appeared in POLYPHONY 305-201....Red T-1% jumbo diffused (20 m a.)...... 30 SSM 2012...... V C A ...... 9.50 magazine. Here’s what Craig Anderton had to say 305-202.... Green T-1% jumbo diffused (30 ma).. .40 SS M 2020...... V C A ...... 7.50 about the "SNARE+ ” . "A t last - an inexpensive drum 305-203.... Dual T-1% jumbo diffused (50 ma)...... 90 SSM 2022...... V C A ...... 7.50 voice that has a punchy, full sound...... All in all, the SSM 2030...... VCO ...... 7.50 Snare + delivers a lot of drum sounds, and I would 305-204.... Tri T-1% jumbo diffused (20 ma)...... 1.50 SSM 2033...... VCO ...... 10.00 unhesitatingly recommend it to anybody who's tired Note: 305-204 is a three lead, tri-color (green, red, SSM 2040...... VCF ...... 7.50 of the thin sound found in most electronic drum yellow) device. It is essentially two separate LED’s in units.” SSM 2044...... VCF ...... 7.50 one package. (The yellow is obtained by turning on We offer the kit with or without a panel. Kit 3770 both green and yellow.) SS M 2050...... VCTG ...... 7.50 contains all electronic parts, switches, jacks, pots, SSM 2056...... VCTG ...... 5.75 etc, as well well as etched, drilled, and legended circuit board. Kit 3772 includes all this plus a punched JACKS and PLUGS and legended rack mount panel (standard 1 3/4 by 19 1 / 4 In. PHONE JACKS THERMISTER (Temp. Sensing Resistor) inches) available in black or blue (both with white legends). v 901-101...Mono standard phone jack ...... 45 TS R -Q 81.. ..Tel Labs Q81 1k ...... $3.50 Not included with either kit is wire, solder, mounting 901-103...Mono with n/closed contact...... 52 hardware, etc. The SNARE + also needs a bi-polar 15 901- 105...Mono end. jack (open back)...55 OPTO-ISOLATOR volt power supply (not supplied). 902- 211...Stereo standard phone ja ck ...... 70 C LM 6000.. ..Clairex CLM6000 ...... $2.85 KIT 3770 Basic SNARE + kit...... $33.95 902- 213...Stereo end. jack (open back).. .77 CAPACITORS (25 volt) KIT 3772 SNARE + with rack panel... $44.94 1 /8 In. MINI JACKS 701-100...... 100 pf polystyrene ...... 25 903- 351...Mono with n/closed contact...... 32 7 0 1 -1 8 0 ...... 180 pf p o ly s ty re n e ...... 25 THE "CLARIFIER” GUITAR 701-1000.. ... 1000 p f p o ly s ty re n e ...... 25 EQ/PREAMP 903-353...Mono end. (open back)...... 26 701-2200.. ... 2200 p f p o ly s ty re n e ...... 25 The "CLARIFIER" is an onboard preamp/EQ 903-355...Mono enclosed with contact...... 35 701-2200.. ... 3300 pf polystyrene ...... 25 module for guitar. This design, by Craig Anderton, RCA JACKS 701-3900.. ... 3900 p f p o ly s ty re n e ...... 25 was first seen in the pages of GUITAR PLAYER magazine. Here's what the CLARIFIER will do: 921-100...RCA jack, chassis m ount...... 34 702-005...... 005 uf m y la r...... 12 Replace the guitar’s standard passive tone control 921-200...RCA jack on phenolic m ount... .25 7 0 2 -0 1 ...... 01 uf m y la r...... 12 with a two control, active circuit which provides over 921-300...Dual RCA on phenolic mount... .43 7 0 2 -0 5 ...... 05 uf m y la r...... 16 12 db of bass and treble boost and up to 6 db cut ... Buffer your pickups from external loading, giving 1 / 4 In. PHONE PLUGS 7 0 2 -1 ...... 1 uf m y la r...... 21 additional output and improve high freq response.... 9 1 1 -2 0 1 ...M ono, b la ck pho ne p lu g ...... 48 7 0 2 -2 2 ...... 22 uf m y la r...... 33 Add a nominal 6 db of gain to give your signal a bit 911-203...Mono, red phone plug ...... 48 7 0 3 -1 .0 ...... 1.0 uf ta n ta lu m ...... 39 more punch, as well as improve the signal/noise ratio in multiple effects systems... make your guitar 911-205...Mono, chrome (metal) plug... .1.20 70 3 -3 .3 ...... 3.3 uf ta n ta lu m ...... 49 immune to the high freq loss caused by long cable 911-211...Stereo, black phone plug ...... 65 70 3 -4 .7 ...... 4.7 uf ta n ta lu m ...... 59 runs. 1 / 8 In. MINI PLUGS 70 4 -2 .2 ...... 2.2 uf electrolytic ...... 21 The CLARIFIER kit is available in two options, both of which include a high quality drilled, legended, and 7 0 4 -4 .7 ...... 4.7 uf e le c tro ly tic ...... 21 913-251...Mono, black mini plug ...... 38 masked circuit board, as well as complete step by 913-253...Mono, red mini plug ...... 38 7 0 4 -1 0 ...... 10 uf electrolytic ...... 21 step instructions. Kit 2450 contains everything 704-100...... 100 uf e le c tro ly tic ...... 31 needed for a complete unit.. Kit 2455 contains 913-255...Mono, chrome (metal) plug ...... 56 everything execpt the pots (for those who prefer a n. 7 0 5 -1 0 ...... 10 pf ceramic disk ...... 15 particluar brand of potentiometer). Batteries are not SWITCHING JACKS 7 0 5 -.0 1 ...... 01 uf c e ra m ic d is k ...... 12 included with either kit. These are stereo phone jacks that contain an 7 0 5 -.1 ...... 1 uf ce ra m ic d is k ...... 17 KIT 2450....Complete CLARIFIER k it. $18.95 independent switching sywtem that is controlled by the insertion of the plug. Jack 905-301 contains the KIT 2 4 5 5 .....CLARIFIER less controls ..$14.95 IC S O C K E TS (soldartail) equivalent of a DPST normally on switch. Jack IC -S -08...... 8 pin high q u a lity s o c k e t...... 27 905-302 contains the equivent of a DPDT on/on TERMS: (Check, Money Order, Cashiers Check - IC -S -1 4 ...... 14 pin high q u a lity s o c k e t... .30 switch making it ideal for switching bi-polar power Add .75 if under $10.00)— ($10.00 minimum on IC -S -1 6 ...... 16 pin high q u a lity s o c k e t... .34 supplies on and off in effects boxes, etc. C.O.D. (UPS only) add $1.50)— (Mastercard and IC -S -1 8 ...... 18 pin high q u a lity s o c k e t... .40 Visa: $10.00 minimum. You must supply exp. 905-301...Stereo jack with SPST switch.. .90 IC -S -2 8 ...... 28 pin hgih quality socket... .60 date.)— (Indiana residents add sales tax.) 905-302...Stereo jack with DPDT sw ...... 1.00 IC -C -08...... 8 pin e co n o m y s o c k e t...... 13 SHIPPING AND HANDLING: $1.00 plus 5% of IC -C -14...... 14 pin e co n o m y s o c k e t...... 15 purchase. We will credit any amount over our PGS ELECTRONICS IC -C -16...... 16 pin e co n o m y s o c k e t...... 17 standard rate. Route 25 - Box 304 IC -C -1 8 ...... 18 pin e co n o m y s o c k e t...... 20 SA TISFACTION GUARANTEED! IC -C -2 8 ...... 28 pin e co n o m y s o c k e t...... 40 Terre Haute, IN 47802 EOUIPfTHIT EXCHAfWE PUT POLYPHONY TO WORK FOR YOU. List equipmment for sale or trade, job openings, positions wanted, etc. Equipment exchange classified rates for individuals offering goods or services for sale or trade: 25c per word, 20 word ($5.00) minimum charge; Commercial establishments: 50c per word. Prices, zip, phone numbers count as one word each. DISPLAY CLASSIFIED: $15 per column inch, one inch minimum, camera ready art to be supplied by advertiser. All classified advertising must be prepaid. Advertisers using a Post Office Box number for responses must furnish Polyphony Publishing Co. with a complete street address and phone number. Readers should respond directly to advertiser. Polyphony is not responsible for claims made in ads, or for the results of any transactions. Polyphony reserves the right to edit or refuse any ads submitted. SALE music equipment || P a rt/ OVERSTOCK ITEMS CASIO 202 Keyboard: $445 ppd. PAIA 4700/J Modular series plus: BASS PEDALS without electronics Electro-Harmonix MINI-SYNTH w/ECHO: Touch- (1) 8782 Keyboard and 8700 series Birtch and pine with SPST switches sensitive keyboard & ribbon controller - once you (1) 5 octave pratt read keyboard made to withstand drug crazed rock pick it up it’s hard to put it down! $249 ppd. with 8782 encoder, (2) 8782 musicians. Under $150. Send SASE Moog TAURUS II CONTROLLER: Control your D/AC’s, (2) 8781 Quash, 3(3) to Ralph boswell Musicial synth with Bass Pedals, $400 ppd. Osc's, (1) 4712 reverb, (14711 Instruments, P.O. Box 767, Moog ROGUE Synthesizer: $322 ppd. Mixer, (2) 4710 VCA/modulators (3) Metuchen, NJ 08840 ROGUE HARDSHELL CASE: $40 ppd. Road cabinets, (2) 4740 Env. ANVIL ATA MEM0RYM00G CASE: $255 ppd. Generators, (1) 4750 LFO, (2) 4771 ANVIL ATA BRIEFCASE: $40 ppd. power supplies, (1) hex VCA, all SSMT ICs for sale. FREE SHIPPING DIGITAL factory calibrated and tested will with purchase of 4 or more. also, Moog SL-8 SYNTHESIZER: Call for price. sacrifice at $750 or Best offer; op amps, plugs, jacks, sockets, 360 SYSTEMS DIGITAL KEYBOARD: $3995 ppd. ARP Omni II - $650 or Best offer, capacitors, switches, Free Anvil ATA Case w/purchase. Free instrument $1200 takes all. Kevin Looney, E potentiometers, etc. Send for voice w/purchase of Page 2 Memory Expansion.* 314 Richmond, SunyAB, Amherst, NY Free parts list. SOUND LOGIC, Box S0UNDCHASER II: Complete system including 14261, (716) 636-5339. 49331, Austin, TX 78765. Turbo Traks, Demo disk, $1350 ppd. Plus one ad ditional Software Program free.* *Free offers expire Sept. 30, '83. DEVELOPE YOUR OWN SYSTEM! Leave MOUNTAIN COMPUTER MUSIC SYSTEM: Complete, your tape recorder at home! (1) R eco rd in gs for all Apple-compatible computers, $349 ppd. Fully expanded 8700 computer comes ELECTRO-HARMONIX 16 SEC DIGITAL DELAY: with ROM burner, 2K RAM, 2716 ROM $395 ppd. Socket, (2) 6522 VIA's to make 4 ELECTRO-HARMONIX 64 SEC DIGITAL DELAY: more I/O ports, Power Supplies and Rack-mount, call for price. Documentation. $250. Ray Roeder Pi ★ ★ ★ n o w ... ^ ELECTRO-HARMONIX “INSTANT REPLAY”: 2 sec (415) 989-6725. ON C60 CASSfTTt: ond digital recorder w/looping, triggered by percus sion controller (included), or transposed by synthe FOR SALE: Clavinet D6, needs If you like Ifit tlylo of Lorry sizer control - the “Poor Man’s Fairlight” , $195 ppd. tuning, ARP String Ensemble, Both fa il and Patrick GI to ton ; VINTAGE MOOG Excellent condition, $500 each. Try the styI * of l MINIM00G, MULTIM00G, P0LYM00G, PRODIGY: (201) 572-1455. _V * New & reconditioned units in stock. *4.95 To Sfeve M ee h I e d • r DIGITAL SYNTHESIZERS - 16 track SERVICE 16 10 J Ave Ni All items carry a full factory warranty. recording system, 8 voices, 2 oscillators/envelope generator per Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Musitech “ is a factory-authorized Moog Service note. Stereo outputs, with or Center. We service what we sell. We do custom without computer. Models start at mods. $1299. For information and demo SHIPPING send $3.00 cheque/M.O. to: Keith All items are now shipped via UPS or PRIORITY Qureshi, 2530 McKay Ave., Windsor, Mail. Free shipping on prepaid orders, sale items, Ontario, Canada, N9E 2P5. and where indicated. It’s an exciting time to be involved in electronic music. Coming in the October issue: Musitech™ 1631 -A East 25th Street Micro Drums Fart II, P.O. Box 3717 DON’T MISS IT! Chattanooga, TN 37404 Larry Fast Interview (615) 624-5600 46 POSyphony August 1983 MOTION FILTER m iA STOMP BOX EFFECTS An envelope follower/filter combination translates the normal dynamic properties of your axe into modulated timbral AT LOWER THAN 1980 PRICES changes as well, the effect is like a wah-wah pedal being used These new stomp boxes from PAIA are designed to give elec by someone with magic feet. The first time you get your tronic guitarists the highest quality effect at the lowest possible MOTION FILTER working you won’t believe that so much funk price. Cases are formed of heavy steel and covered with the and soul can be squeezed into such a tiny box. most scuff-resistant baked-on finish available. All feature Independent Initial Frequency and Sensitivity knobs give heavy duty switches for long life and electronic effect switching you the control you need to realize a wide range of effects for pop-free punch-in and punch-out. All are high input and allow the MOTION FILTER to be used with either electric impedance, low output impedance, non-inverting, low noise bass or guitar. No. 5720 MOTION Filter Kit.. $29.95 (3 lbs.) devices designed to meet all proposed FX standards. Each provides hour after hour of operation from a single 9 volt GATOR™ Noise Gate/Envelope Controller battery and provide automatic power switching; you’ll never The almost un-noticeable “hiss or swish” that each unit have to worry about forgetting to turn them off. in a multiple-effects system adds to your music can sum to annoyingly noticeable background noise just when things HOT LYX SUSTAIN are supposed to be quiet. GATOR listens while you play, and when you stop, electronically isolates your effects from your Probably the most used effect by any electronic guitarist, amplifier, zapping noise completely. a sustain unit is essentially an amplifier that automatically And despite its low cost, GATOR has added features that increases its gain to compensate for a guitar s normal decay let you do more than just make other effects sound good. characteristics. The result is the ability to hold notes and chords It’s an important effect in its own right. much longer than would otherwise be possible. The ATTACK control lets you re-shape the normal percussive Hot Lyx gives you all the control you need, continuously envelope of your guitar for bowed string and organ effects variable sustain from just enough to make your Silvertone with attack times up to 1.5 sec. and an AUXILIARY TRIGGER sound like a Les Paul to “pedal to the metal” controlled feed-back settings that give rock-guitar its “all-out” quality. SIGNAL INPUT allows the dynamics of one instrument to be gated by another (drums, for example) to impart unique Level control allows for either lower or higher volume levels “synchro sonic” rhythmic characteristics to your sound. when you’re punched into the effect and can also be used as an over-drive control to give you the sweetest fuzz/sustain Other features include High Impedance In/Low Impedance Out, Electronic Footswitch for quiet punch in/out, wide range sounds you’ve ever heard. No. 5710 HOT LYX Sustain...... $34.95 (3 lbs.) Threshold Control, Single 9v. battery supply (not included). GATOR (tm) Cat. No. 5730...... $34.95...... 3 lbs. MIDRANGER™ Midrange Equalizer Sure, your amp has bass and treble controls — but what about the all important midrange? When you need more sound from your axe than most amps can give, but don’t have the bucks for a fancy equalizer, the MID-RANGER is for you. Featured in Craig Anderton’s June 1982 Guitar Player column, this special purpose equalizer gives more presence and “punch” by providing continuously variable boosts of up to 12 db. at switch selectable frequencies of 90, 200, 1000, 2000 or 4000 Hz. Designed for guit&rs, voice, rhythm boxes and keyboards, the MIDRANGER features High Input/Low Output Impedance, quiet electronic switching and single 9v. battery supply (not included). MIDRANGER (tm) Cat. No. 5740...... $32.95...... 3 lbs. 5750 — AXE GRINDER(tm) A classic fuzz to FX standards. The AXE GRINDER might be a pretty routine fuzz if it weren’t for a couple of subtle but significant features. Like a Distortion Intensity Knob that provides smooth control of clipping from just a hint when you really get it on to pure square waves when you even think of picking. And the Distortion Tone, Distortion Level, and Clean Level controls are like having a built in mixer and E.Q., letting you precisely set the amount of distortion and its tone as well as the mix of clean and distorted signal. You probably never realized you could get so many sounds from a “simple" fuzz. The AXE-GRINDER also features totally pop-free electronic switching and adherence to uniform FX standards that allow any Effect to work with any other without concern for mismatch noises or phase incoherence. 9 volt battery power (not supplied). 5750 Axe Grinder(tm) Kit... $29.95...... 3 lbs. 5760 ROCKTAVE DIVIDER(tm) Whereas most effects that alter the harmonic content of a signal can only produce or accentuate frequencies higher than the fundamental frequency produced by the instrument, the ROCKTAVE DIVIDER fills out your sound by adding in wave forms that are sub-harmonics of those produced by your axe. Compandor stages are used to stabilize input for reliable triggering of the divider circuitry and to impress the original dynamics of your playing onto the newly created subharmonics. Independent level controls on the extracted fundamental and first and second sub-octaves allow you to produce just the mix you're after and master tone control lets you round the square wave sub-octaves off to near-sinusoidal purity. The ROCKTAVE DIVIDER also features automatic power switching when in use, pop-free electronic cancel function and single 9 volt battery power source (battery not supplied). 5760 Rocktave Divider(tm)...... $39.95...... 3 lbs. ORDER TOLL FREE WITH VISA OR MASTERCARD 1- 800 - 654-8657 DIRECT MAIL ORDERS & INQUIRIES TO: BMA Electronics, Inc. 1020 W. W ilshire , Oklahoma City, OK 73116 - (405)843-9626 / Introducing from E-mu Systems, Inc. A digital drum computer with an amazing new feature. .ms,'**- The Drumulator. Now E-mu Systems technology brings programmed to repeat until cued to continue by the press you a digital drum machine with features you don’t expect. of a footswitch. This allows you to change the length of a At a price you won’t believe. song each time it’s performed, shortening or lengthening With the Drumulator, you’ll create complete rhythm tracks solos, or repeating choruses as many times as you like. with the digitally recorded sounds of real drums. The A dd to all these features the ability to sync to tape or Drumulator’s computer makes it easy to program complex other sequencers, assignable play buttons, external triggering rhythms in any time signature. It will even correct timing from drum synthesizer pads, and individual channel outputs, errors in your playing. and you have a digital drum computer that would be an The Drumuiator’s enhanced programmability gives you amazing value at $1990.00. But what’s even more amazing precise digital control over virtually every musical parameter. is that for $1990.00 you would get something that you With its program m able mixer you can store and instantly probably wouldn’t expect recall a completely different mix for each rhythm track Two Drumulators. that you create. The tempo of each track can also be programmed, along with tempo changes within the track. The Drumuiator’s suggested list price in the United States The Drumuiator’s unique programmable dynamics offer is $995.00. expressive capabilities never before possible with an electronic drum machine. You have access to normal and accented versions of every sound, with the accent levels independently programmable for each drum, cymbal, and percussion instrument What’s more, these accent levels can be €-mu Systems, Inc. program m ed differently for each song and, like the mix, opplied magic for the arts stored in m em ory for instant recall. For flexibility in live performance, the Drumulator allows 2815 Chanticleer, Santa Cruz, Cfl 95062 you to define sections within each song that can be (408) 476-4424