Wesleyan University STORES at the MALL by Peter Blasser Faculty Advisor: Ron J Kuivila a Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty O
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Wesleyan University STORES AT THE MALL By Peter Blasser Faculty Advisor: Ron J Kuivila A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Wesleyan University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Music Middletown, Connecticut May 2015 Table of Contents A Survey of Modular Folk.............................................................................................1 Naming Synthesizers...................................................................................................16 Form-Flow Synthesizer................................................................................................23 Cast of Characters........................................................................................................32 Nabra............................................................................................................................33 Stores at the Mall.........................................................................................................37 Alternative Materials for Creativity.............................................................................42 Sidrazzi Gamelan....................................................................................................55 Analog Assemblage.....................................................................................................65 Rolz-5......................................................................................................................69 Roolz Republic........................................................................................................80 Plumbutter...............................................................................................................84 Designing Mobenthey..................................................................................................86 Fourses....................................................................................................................87 Swoop......................................................................................................................89 Denum.....................................................................................................................91 Sprott.......................................................................................................................92 Dunst.......................................................................................................................93 Deleuzian Synthesizer..................................................................................................95 Blockage....................................................................................................................102 Tocante.......................................................................................................................112 Analysis of Preferred Number Tunings................................................................116 Schematics.............................................................................................................121 Thyris................................................................................................................126 Bistab................................................................................................................128 Phashi...............................................................................................................130 Power ...............................................................................................................131 The Tocante Makerspace......................................................................................135 Zenert....................................................................................................................144 At the Lead Mine.......................................................................................................149 Bibliography..............................................................................................................156 Appendix I: Mobenthey Schematics..........................................................................158 Fourses..................................................................................................................159 Swoop....................................................................................................................160 Denum...................................................................................................................161 Sprott.....................................................................................................................162 Dunst.....................................................................................................................163 Dust...................................................................................................................163 Noise.................................................................................................................164 Appendix II: Historical Instruments..........................................................................165 Admiral's Coat.......................................................................................................171 Nabra.....................................................................................................................174 Slope.................................................................................................................174 Port...................................................................................................................176 Shot...................................................................................................................177 Dust...................................................................................................................178 Stair...................................................................................................................179 Rand..................................................................................................................179 Trand.................................................................................................................180 Swoop...............................................................................................................181 Pulse.................................................................................................................181 Trang.................................................................................................................183 Noise.................................................................................................................183 Sine...................................................................................................................184 Wave.................................................................................................................186 Pow...................................................................................................................186 Out....................................................................................................................187 Recipes and Conclusion...................................................................................188 Radio Instruments.................................................................................................188 Trimin...............................................................................................................189 Radiozither.......................................................................................................192 Deerhorn...........................................................................................................194 Deerhorn Baltimore.....................................................................................195 Deerhorn Providence...................................................................................196 Deerhorn Moon............................................................................................196 Deerhorn Berlin...........................................................................................197 Deerhorn Gewei...........................................................................................198 The Deerhorn Symbol..................................................................................198 A Survey of Modular Folk While for many years I avoided the normative synthesizer community, the Eurorack modular standard proliferated, linking a multitude interfaces and philosophies in an infinitely configurable system.1 Why should I avoid it? One reason was its three-rail power system; I prefer a two rails for the most efficient use of batteries and space.2 Also, my typical use of wood panels would not port well. Wood insulates the exposed brass nodes of an experimental playing surface. In contrast, Eurorack encourages aluminum face-plates and gendered connectors, continuing a historical philosophy focusing on inputs, outputs, and their correspondence.3 A modular panel system offers the designer a single two-dimensional face. Of course, knobs protrude and indicator lights shine, but consider how well modules represent on flat screens; they easily cross the border between physical and virtual.4 I resist flattening my synthesizers; with multiple control faces, ovoid shapes, or surfaces for physical contact, my instruments accentuate their own physical presence vis a vis the virtual. However,