![]() Operation required a thatch of multiple patch cables running back and forth, to set up a “patch” or basic sound. They were obviously not at all portable so studios were often built around them. ![]() These rack units were huge, heavy collections of hand-wired things that could fill a wall or a small room. You placed your collection of modules in large racks and patched between them. By modular I mean that each function was offered by the synth makers as a separate, discreetly-wired electronic module. At their birth in the period of 1960-1970, synthesizers were modular and analog. In case you care.īut let’s back up a touch and look at the beginnings of portable synthesis. But before I finished at the school I was hired away to a career in audio-for-film-and-video which led to my becoming a sound designer. I wrote several electronic pieces which were premiered to audiences in the community. We were introduced to the Synclavier II as well, which was at that point the premier digital FM synthesizer and sampler. I hopped on for a ride and was soon up to my eyeballs in large scale synthesis, utilizing their many units including the Arp 2600, EML Electrocomp 101, EML 400/401 sequencer, and Synthi-A. The professor who taught those subjects also taught electronic music and electronic music composition and operated a studio at the school. From that moment on I was hooked! A year later I decided to study music composition and recording techniques at the University of Tennessee. I took in a portable tape recorder to a local guitar store and spent an afternoon with a Moog Sonic Six suitcase synth, building a rudimentary piece that worked out great for us. Then in 1978, my band needed an intro for the beginning of their second set. This 1973 Joe Walsh and Barnstorm song is full of synth bass, accents, and sound effects: The video's initial freeze frame features that section of the solo, exactly:īut back then, everyone was getting into the act. You can see him use the MiniMoog as the bass end of his pipe organ sound, starting at 3:58. Check out this video of his solo section in a 2003 YES concert. Years later he is still using his original MiniMoog Model Ds from the ‘70s. The next year Rick released of his first solo album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, featuring a huge battery of keyboards including a pair of MiniMoogs. Then in 1972, YES released their magnum opus, Close to the Edge, which was liberally seasoned by Rick Wakeman’s synth work. I remember Keith Emerson’s work with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, was the first to hit the radio with the 1970 song, “Lucky Man,” which was the very first outing of the Moog in popular music. That time of innovation was an extremely exciting period in music. Throughout the early and mid-70s, players were coming out with fresh, brand new sounds that they made with synthesizers. Rick Wakeman of YES and Peter Bardens of Camel pioneered the use of the MiniMoog, Keith Emerson played a full-sized Moog modular system, and Edgar Winters, Joe Walsh, and Pete Townsend played Arp Synths. At the dawn of the 1970s, synthesizers burst into rock music for the first time. My first brush with synthesizers was way back in the analog days. Rick Wakeman with a pair of MiniMoogs on top of Mellotrons Oh, maybe a certain amount of impetus came from the recent Moog Music newsletters that I always read. ![]() Covid strikes again! So there I sat with a bit of cash in my pocket when suddenly I sort of stumbled across the instrument that is the subject of this review through a bit of nostalgic browsing. After seeing some videos of modern Alt Folk groups during the lockdown I came across the harmonium with its rich timbre and thought, “Hey this is cool! It could fill the corners.” But as I got ready to purchase one, the company I was dealing with ran into problems with supply. In order to get them right I needed some keyboard sounds that were in my mind when I wote them. I've also been gearing up to record a pair of musical pieces I wrote way back between 19. Lately I’ve been building up the tools I need for scoring and music sessions. Today we are taking another side trip down yet another obscure road I’ve traveled as a guitarist and musician.
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