August 1983 P 0 fyplior$7M $2.50 ELECTRONICS-MUSIC-HOME RECORDING m s s . • t 7 b a t 6 6 t ___ ’ _ i . 1 2 3 BASS SNAHf MI-MAT TOMS CYMBAL PCWC METRONOME VOUJMC 0 » M SOFT ___CAWCTT*_^__ MW»M MH1M *fT»*<T mo Marx** 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.