Posted on 18/04/1995
[gdlr_divider type=”solid” size=”100%” ] The digital detangler. This is one of those boxes for the recording studio that does not make a sound of its own, but makes life a whole lot easier especially for large setups. The Akai DP-88 allows you repatch your full digital audio setup in a split second, by using the […]
Posted on 25/04/1985
I owned or operated every major early brands of Hard Disk recorders in the mid 80’s. Together with the NED Synclavier II (with Sampling Option), the AMS “Audiofile” system was the most prominent and well-executed. It came with an absolute serious price tag, that made it too expensive for regular studios. Around € 40,000 (1985) for the basic version. […]
Posted on 18/10/1984
It may seem odd today, but the Roland SBX-80 sync box was a real relief for syncing up MIDI sequencers to analog tape recorders. Released in the mid 80s, it was the perfect companion for e.g Rolands own MSQ-700 and MSQ-100 MIDI sequencers, but could be used with anything that slaves to MIDI sync. After […]
Posted on 01/10/1984
Same, same – but different Synclavier is an FM synth with add-on sampling. Fairlight is a sampler with additive synthesis capabilties. This is the major conceptual difference between the machines, that also have major operational differences. I was a long time resident studio programmer in PUK studios using both machines in the 80s. Had them […]
Posted on 06/11/1983
After having used – and loved – the Roland MC-4B Microcomposer for quite a few years, I was looking for something similar, but with better editing facilities and file system. The arcane cassette interface for the MC-4B was slow and unreliable unless you had the dedicated hardware cassette unit, which was quite expensive. So when […]
Posted on 24/11/1982
Merging with the computer After using a combination of analog synthesizers and CV MicroComposers (see The Sequencers) for some time, a new semi-affordable digital product was launched that promised to deliver a combination of the two functions – much like the absurdly expensive NED Synclavier and Fairlight Series II systems. The synth was called The […]
Posted on 01/01/1981
Posted on 10/05/1980
A sound innovator Wolfgang Palm is a leading synthesizer hardware designer from Germany, who started out building custom accessories and modular synthesizers under the name “PPG”. The product were originally custom made for professional users, like the German “Berlin-school” electronic band Tangerine Dream . The wavetable synths But Palms real innovation was probably his work with Wavetables – […]