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Strange sounds are heard on the streets.

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They leak through open windows.

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Flowing out the doors
recording studios.

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And they rumble inside concert halls.

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Sounds from ancient times

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but strangely fantastic.

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They come from a machine that requires touch.

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A machine that exists outside the world of computers

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and beyond the virtuality of the Internet.

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A machine that requires dedication

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bordering on obsession.

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And, we are not afraid to say,

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a car you can fall in love with.

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The modular synthesizer is the pinnacle.

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It's almost a fetish

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amazing device with flashing
lights, making sounds.

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I thought “god, I need one of these.”

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It was all about the power of sound,

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you heard a sound literally tearing the fabric of the universe.

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For almost half a century modular
synthesizers fascinated musicians

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and listeners with tannic sound
and amazing, impressive appearance.

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In this age of touch screens
and wireless controllers,

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he scares a lot of people. It seems rather
on an airplane cabin than on a musical instrument

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What is a modular synthesizer?

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To understand the origins of these amazing devices,

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we have to return to the beginning of the era of electricity.

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By the end of the 19th century,

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first power plants like this one at Niagara Falls

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began to generate electricity.

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This new scientific miracle has become part of almost all components

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human life.

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It's no surprise that electricity has found a use

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and in the world of music.

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Not only by recording it, as the phonograph did,
and creating it,

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using electricity as a sound source.

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Real electronic music.

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Inventions such as the theremin amazed people
with its strange, otherworldly sounds.

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During the first half of the 20th, many amazing electronic instruments

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emerged from both laboratories and workshops

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inventors and sound explorers.

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Most of the equipment in the first electronics studios

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consisted of converted laboratory equipment
and expensive generators for testing radio devices

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In the scientific community, music departments were thirsty

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explore these new horizons.

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And by the mid-50s in Europe and North America

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there were several disparate
electronic music studios.

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Without a doubt, this was a milestone.
This was a new area of ​​music.

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The ability to work with sound at a different level,
find new compositional

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approaches, new methods,

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new ways of working.

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It was an amazing, amazingly tempting sphere.

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But there were very few real electronic musical instruments.

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Basically, musicians had to
be content with little.

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First you needed a microphone

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and two tape recorders to

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you could take sound from one and record it

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on the other,

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while changing in the process.

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My studio at the time was a garage,
and I had the details

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cars and trams, and various things,
who made sounds

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pianos hung and laid out inside.

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PBS television station in San Francisco
hired me to write music for

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The Computer and the Mind of Man and her
They really liked it, they were delighted.

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I received the money and bought the oscillator.

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My first oscillator, it generated
sine or square wave,

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you could switch between them, and it sounded something like this.

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No control voltage or anything like that.

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Oscillators were very expensive, in 1958-59 they cost

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about four hundred dollars.

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Now, I don’t know, it would probably be four thousand just for the oscillator.

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There was a real need for a ready-made solution,

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in something that could give the composer
complete set of tools

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in one special device.

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This mysterious building on the edge of Harlem in New York

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once served as a home for secret experiments.

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This is where the Manhattan Project began.
Albert Einstein had an office

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here on the second floor.

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They gathered secretly here, not in the physicists' buildings,

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keeping your meetings and work secret,

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so that no one knows about them. Hence the name "The Manhattan Project".

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After the end of the war, he settled here
Columbia University Center for Computer Music.

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At that time it was one of the most advanced
electronic music studios

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on the planet.

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And its center was a machine that promised
give to modern composers

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the ability to turn the music around.

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Here we have an RCA Mark II, probably
first modern

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electronic synthesizer

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built and preserved to this day.

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It still stands in our office,
because it's actually screwed on

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to the concrete floor.

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It will be difficult to move it
and we like to be close to him,

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this is an amazing specimen.

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Mark II combines various specialized components,

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generated, filtered and shaped

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sound with a level of control never seen before.

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But it was the only tool
only a few serious composers

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had a chance to use it.

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The Mark II was similar in many ways to the first computers of the 1950s,

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including high price.

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Approximate cost I think
was one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars.

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Which is quite a lot.
I think

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in today's money that's several million.

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But by the end of the 1950s, widespread
small and efficient transistors

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made all kinds of electronic devices
more compact and cheaper to manufacture.

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The birth of a convenient music synthesizer was

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just a matter of time.

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At the same time that RCA came here,
a man studied in the physics department at Columbia

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whose name was Robert Moog.

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Robert Moog apparently knew almost nothing
about a music center and a huge synthesizer.

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However, he was already involved in the creation of electronic instruments.

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But much smaller.

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For several years, Moog successfully sold DIY kits by mail.

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for assembling a theremin.

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He ran his business from a small shop in a remote town

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Trumansburg, New York.

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One of those who had a Moog theremin,
was the composer Herb Deutsch.

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The parents of one of my students showed me a copy of, uh,

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I think it was Electronic Times magazine or something like that,

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and there was an article called “Build Your Theremin.”

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I read this article and thought “this is the way to get into a new world”

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and I can do it.

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I built my own theremin,
who now stands next to us.

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And the man who designed this theremin was a guy named Robert Moog.

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Later I went to New York State for a music conference,

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and there was a room in which
people showed tools

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which they themselves created.

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And in this room stood Bob Moog,
demonstrating his kits for assembling a theremin.

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The room was empty.
He was there completely alone.

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Bob and I immediately started talking about the idea of having a synthesis

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in your own hands.

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About having a synthesizer right at home.

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Something that will allow you to work with sound,
record sound

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change the sound.

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He asked the young inventor
make an oscillator for it,

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which can be controlled with precision.

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Armed with voltage controlled Moog oscillators,

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Deutsch was able to create clean electronic sounds with a level of control that

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which no laboratory oscillator was capable of.

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And most importantly, Moog connected
traditional piano keyboard

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to control the pitch of the sound.

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From the very beginning he hoped to attract
attention of working musicians to their instruments.

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And Bob realized this when he bought an organ keyboard
just to play

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and I said she's good for management and, yeah,

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if you're going to do this, a keyboard would be a good addition.

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She won't stop people from
experimenting with sound.

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And you will probably earn a little more money.

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Moog's VCO quickly attracted the attention of musical
departments of several universities,

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and he began to develop various
auxiliary components that

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can be connected together.

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Soon the small Muga plant in Trumansburg became a destination

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for anyone who was looking for tools
exploring new horizons in music.

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In 1965 I was asked to collect
electronic music studio,

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although at that time I did not distinguish a patchcord from a banana,

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and I went to Trumansburg, New York
and met Bob.

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And we hit it off immediately. Very soon
we became friends.

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And my grant from SUNY Albany was enough to buy my first synthesizer.

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And by the way, I still didn’t have enough money to buy a power supply, so about a year

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I powered it from a car battery.

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Thanks to contacts with
universities and colleges

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Moog developed new modules based on
on the offers and needs of musicians,

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engineers and composers.

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But it was during a visit to the University of Toronto that he was advised

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create a new module type.

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One that will create one of the most characteristic and recognizable

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sounds in modern music.

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This is the secret weapon of the Moog modulars.

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Voltage controlled filters.

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When Bob Moog came up with the idea of pitch control using a VCO,

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All that remained was to create the concept of sound formation so that electronic music

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became really interesting.

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At that time, a gentleman named Gustav Cimaga was working at

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University of Toronto,

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he was in charge of the electronic music laboratory.

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He commissioned Bob Moog to create the very first VCF.

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Anyone familiar with Moog modulars will recognize the format in which

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the filter came out.

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And here's something no one has seen before,
so this is the earliest prototype.

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This was the first filter Bob Moog ever created.

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Filter "movement" is probably the most recognizable sound

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analog synthesizer.

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Everyone is familiar with this characteristic effect.

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Moog eventually redesigned the design,
releasing the 904 series filter.

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Its original "ladder" transistor circuit gave the filter a very steep frequency cutoff,

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which resulted in a rich, deep sound.

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And although these sounds are familiar to us now,
back then, in the mid-60s, they were revolutionary.

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Now voltage controlled resonant filters
it is an integral element of almost any synthesizer,

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but no one will deny that the early Moog filters are true classics.

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For many, they remain the best filters of all time.

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For this beautiful four-pole 24dB Moog low-pass filter with

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you can safely die with a feedback regulator.

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He's fantastic.
He is very handsome.

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The 904 series filters are the best thing that has ever happened to sound.

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Even Moog himself must have realized that he had created something special.

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The "ladder" transistor design is the only part of its modular synthesizer,

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which he patented.

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Moog's combination of VCO and VCF,

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connected to a familiar piano keyboard

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became a defining component of his approach to electronic instruments.

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It was destined to be called East Coast philosophy.

200
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Meanwhile, new unusual sounds were heard from the opposite direction.

201
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sides of the country.

202
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But not from university halls.

203
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The West Coast was experiencing a social revolution.

204
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San Francisco became the epicenter of the birth of the counterculture,

205
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mass denial of the values and ideals of the post-war generation.

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Young people from all over America gathered in neighborhoods like Haight-Ashbury,

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where they found freedom to experiment with new ways of living.

208
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And drugs that expand consciousness.

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Experiments also took place in art. Especially in music.

210
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And it was here that a completely different modular synthesizer was born.

211
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More than forty years later, the two founders of San Francisco

212
00:19:03,365 --> 00:19:04,435
Tape Music Center

213
00:19:04,601 --> 00:19:10,190
came to Mills College in Berkeley, California to visit an old friend.

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This is the very first Buchla synthesizer.

215
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A prototype of what would later become
modular system 100 series.

216
00:19:33,088 --> 00:19:35,600
Well, I haven't used this machine for quite some time.

217
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:41,328
There were no drawings, so half the time I didn't know

218
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what's going on inside.

219
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This instrument was the brainchild of Don Bookle,

220
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a former NASA engineer drawn into the West Coast counterculture,

221
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and its community of artists and musicians.

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I remember Don going to tape music festivals, and I remember that experimental

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sound current that existed in those days.

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And I think it was the environment that helped Don create his unique aesthetic.

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He eventually became a member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center,

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a collective of experimentalists and avant-garde composers founded

227
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Ramon Sender and Morton Sabotnik.

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Tape Center came about because none of us individually could

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afford to buy equipment.

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So I call Morton and say, listen, you have a garage full of weirdos.

231
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gizmos, several tape recorders.

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And I have the same attic, why don’t we
Why not collect it all in one place?

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And we decided to call it tape music <i>(tape music)</i>.

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Anything that can be recorded on tape
and playing through speakers suited us,

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This is how the name San Francisco Tape Music Center came about.

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By that time there were several composers among us,

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musicians came to work with this equipment, there was a lot of talk,

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00:21:12,936 --> 00:21:17,586
and I knew that transistors had appeared, it was big news.

239
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This meant that electronics would soon become much cheaper.

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And I realized that after five, six, seven generations

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00:21:27,201 --> 00:21:32,005
a new genre will arise in music that will not inherit

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00:21:32,173 --> 00:21:33,770
traditions of existing art,

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arisen due to the fact that any person will have the opportunity

244
00:21:38,505 --> 00:21:42,258
work with sound, something like home painting.

245
00:21:42,591 --> 00:21:46,136
This person can become a studio artist, composer.

246
00:21:46,303 --> 00:21:50,641
There will be a kind of complete freedom of electronic creativity.

247
00:21:50,808 --> 00:21:53,561
We advertised in the newspaper
several engineers responded,

248
00:21:53,728 --> 00:21:58,711
but none of them could understand what we were talking about,

249
00:21:58,878 --> 00:22:01,695
we saw that they were completely off topic.

250
00:22:01,861 --> 00:22:06,866
Besides, we didn't offer payment, but then Buchla showed up and Don was

251
00:22:07,033 --> 00:22:11,036
magnificent, simply amazing.

252
00:22:11,245 --> 00:22:14,540
I began to explain what I needed
specific configuration

253
00:22:14,706 --> 00:22:17,418
I don't need a keyboard, those typical black and white keys,

254
00:22:17,585 --> 00:22:21,756
and I don't want to create music that already exists.

255
00:22:21,923 --> 00:22:26,595
And everything I talked about eventually came true
in an analog computer,

256
00:22:26,761 --> 00:22:29,366
an analog computer that creates sounds.

257
00:22:29,533 --> 00:22:36,563
It must have appeared at the San Francisco Tape Music Center in 1965.

258
00:22:36,855 --> 00:22:41,568
And so he brought it, there was an inscription on it
"San Francisco Tape Music Center Incorporated"

259
00:22:41,818 --> 00:22:45,863
and when Ramon and I saw this,
I got angry

260
00:22:46,030 --> 00:22:49,033
I told Don we don't want to be in business,

261
00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,163
we just want to make electronic music.

262
00:22:53,330 --> 00:22:55,706
He said we'll sell it

263
00:22:55,873 --> 00:23:00,170
and I replied, well, if you want,
sell it, you're an inventor,

264
00:23:00,336 --> 00:23:04,173
but we don’t want to be part of the business, make money, i.e. seriously...

265
00:23:04,340 --> 00:23:07,968
Sorry, but we didn't do that.

266
00:23:08,678 --> 00:23:13,016
Buchla later renamed the modules under the Buchla and Associates brand,

267
00:23:13,183 --> 00:23:17,633
and eventually they reached the hands of other sound researchers

268
00:23:17,801 --> 00:23:19,271
outside Tape Center.

269
00:23:22,983 --> 00:23:27,446
This is one of the very first Buchla
from San Francisco Tape Music Center,

270
00:23:27,613 --> 00:23:33,251
some modules are labeled and some are simply signed

271
00:23:33,420 --> 00:23:35,413
hand drawn prototypes, as you can see,

272
00:23:35,580 --> 00:23:36,706
so it's a mishmash.

273
00:23:37,870 --> 00:23:42,711
The famous red panel, apparently soaked in LSD,

274
00:23:42,878 --> 00:23:46,966
so you can lick it,
and get a surge of inspiration.

275
00:23:52,096 --> 00:23:55,516
Mysterious electronic sounds Buchla

276
00:23:55,683 --> 00:24:00,230
served as the backdrop for many events in the San Francisco hills.

277
00:24:01,690 --> 00:24:07,486
Hear these wonderful pulsating sounds right in the middle of some gardens,

278
00:24:07,903 --> 00:24:12,066
while you're stubborn about something, yes, perhaps that's a little bit

279
00:24:12,235 --> 00:24:13,576
blew the roof off

280
00:24:13,743 --> 00:24:17,246
many of those who had the chance to hear Buchla in such an environment.

281
00:24:27,131 --> 00:24:30,426
In the world of modular synthesis you can hear about

282
00:24:30,593 --> 00:24:33,763
Eastern philosophy and philosophy
West Coast.

283
00:24:35,931 --> 00:24:41,823
And the roots of this lie in the fact that in the 60s, when Bob Moog and Don Buchla were both developing

284
00:24:41,991 --> 00:24:44,753
their original systems,

285
00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:49,111
they approached this with a few
philosophically different points, as a consequence of which

286
00:24:49,278 --> 00:24:53,283
became two different schools of using synthesizers.

287
00:24:54,075 --> 00:24:58,825
In the world of Bookl and Sabotnik, the approach was - let's create

288
00:24:58,993 --> 00:25:00,540
something completely new.

289
00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:07,546
Let's create sounds, let's create music that is not based on tradition.

290
00:25:07,713 --> 00:25:12,353
And I think this was only possible at that time
only in a place like San Francisco

291
00:25:12,521 --> 00:25:13,761
or on the West Coast,

292
00:25:13,928 --> 00:25:17,728
where people were far from many rules, restrictions and etiquettes

293
00:25:17,896 --> 00:25:18,850
East Coast.

294
00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:29,986
Moog systems, Eastern philosophy systems, use rich waveforms such as

295
00:25:30,153 --> 00:25:36,810
sawtooth, rectangular, pulse, noise. Shapes rich in harmonics, from which then using

296
00:25:36,978 --> 00:25:39,015
delicious four-pole filter

297
00:25:39,181 --> 00:25:43,041
these harmonics are cut out, creating “motion” using feedback

298
00:25:43,210 --> 00:25:45,335
sound in time, making it more interesting.

299
00:25:54,426 --> 00:25:59,660
Buchla used oscillators with different waveforms, but very simple ones

300
00:25:59,828 --> 00:26:01,286
filters after them.

301
00:26:01,453 --> 00:26:05,126
In most patches in West Coast synths

302
00:26:05,295 --> 00:26:07,023
There is no special filtration.

303
00:26:07,690 --> 00:26:11,068
If you want to create a harmonically interesting sound,

304
00:26:11,235 --> 00:26:13,321
you need to use a waveformer.

305
00:26:13,488 --> 00:26:17,971
You get sine waves superimposed on each other several times,

306
00:26:18,140 --> 00:26:19,953
to get something dense.

307
00:26:21,621 --> 00:26:24,680
This is a completely different approach to synthesis.

308
00:26:24,848 --> 00:26:27,855
This is not subtractive synthesis in the usual sense.

309
00:26:28,021 --> 00:26:32,808
This gives the sound a unique quality that you

310
00:26:32,976 --> 00:26:36,551
you can't recreate it with any other system.

311
00:26:47,646 --> 00:26:53,401
However, of these two different devices, it was the Moog modulars that forever became

312
00:26:53,570 --> 00:26:56,321
associate with electronic music.

313
00:26:57,615 --> 00:27:03,293
The reason is simple - the presence of an understandable to the average musician

314
00:27:03,461 --> 00:27:06,581
a piano keyboard with which he could immediately work.

315
00:27:10,128 --> 00:27:14,145
Bob was interested in achieving success among

316
00:27:14,313 --> 00:27:15,716
commercial musicians.

317
00:27:15,883 --> 00:27:19,268
By "commercial" I mean musicians
who earn

318
00:27:19,436 --> 00:27:20,430
money with music.

319
00:27:20,596 --> 00:27:24,183
Most avant-garde artists are not one of them.

320
00:27:24,350 --> 00:27:30,585
The idea of ​​adapting a piano keyboard to a synthesizer was hotly discussed.

321
00:27:30,751 --> 00:27:34,068
I immediately said, we don’t need a black and white keyboard.

322
00:27:34,235 --> 00:27:36,041
Because I knew what would come of it.

323
00:27:36,210 --> 00:27:38,906
If I have a keyboard,
I'll start making regular music.

324
00:27:39,073 --> 00:27:40,700
This is not what I wanted.

325
00:27:44,203 --> 00:27:49,000
The Moog worked great with a piano keyboard because...

326
00:27:49,166 --> 00:27:52,086
could easily generate notes of the Western scale.

327
00:27:53,505 --> 00:27:56,090
This was extremely difficult for Buchla.

328
00:27:58,551 --> 00:28:00,345
It was really difficult to do this with Buchla,

329
00:28:00,511 --> 00:28:04,713
they were simply not designed for this, and could not

330
00:28:04,881 --> 00:28:06,266
hold formation for a long time.

331
00:28:08,561 --> 00:28:11,521
Classic picture of a musician turning a knob with one hand,

332
00:28:11,688 --> 00:28:14,066
and the other hand playing the keyboard,

333
00:28:14,233 --> 00:28:18,780
immediately created the image of a convenient musical instrument for the Moog modules.

334
00:28:19,571 --> 00:28:22,741
It seemed like a natural progression.

335
00:28:22,908 --> 00:28:28,030
As if out of nowhere, this electronic musical device appeared, which could

336
00:28:28,198 --> 00:28:31,160
controlled from a piano-like keyboard.

337
00:28:37,548 --> 00:28:41,708
One of the first professional musicians to try

338
00:28:41,876 --> 00:28:43,596
the Moog modular was Bepney Crouse.

339
00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,518
Together with his partner Paul Beaver
they saw a potential market in Hollywood

340
00:28:48,685 --> 00:28:52,546
for the new, innovative sounds that could be achieved with the Moog,

341
00:28:52,715 --> 00:28:54,231
and decided to take a risk.

342
00:28:54,815 --> 00:29:00,655
We flew to Trumansberg, where the Muga plant was located.

343
00:29:00,821 --> 00:29:05,118
He showed us the whole process of assembling synthesizers, how everything works.

344
00:29:05,285 --> 00:29:10,206
It was a wonderful instrument, not only from an aesthetic point of view,

345
00:29:10,375 --> 00:29:15,711
but also reliable and works great.

346
00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:17,838
We had a choice, buy a Moog or a Buchla,

347
00:29:18,005 --> 00:29:23,595
etc. Moog gave more control over parameters,

348
00:29:23,761 --> 00:29:26,221
we bought a Moog.

349
00:29:26,806 --> 00:29:31,226
Moog realized that these two could bring out
his synthesizer to a new market,

350
00:29:31,393 --> 00:29:35,046
and invited them to become agents
for West Coast sales.

351
00:29:35,215 --> 00:29:37,941
But at first things were difficult.

352
00:29:38,441 --> 00:29:41,933
We didn't succeed in Los Angeles because

353
00:29:42,101 --> 00:29:43,406
no one understood what it was.

354
00:29:43,573 --> 00:29:46,633
A year passed in attempts. We showed the tool

355
00:29:46,801 --> 00:29:52,623
to all the producers and composers we found.

356
00:29:53,206 --> 00:29:56,795
And they did not meet with understanding. They asked us, is it possible on it?

357
00:29:56,961 --> 00:30:02,133
play Monday Monday, do a cover version?

358
00:30:04,010 --> 00:30:06,678
Finally we were at the Monterey Pops Festival,

359
00:30:06,845 --> 00:30:10,850
with the last bill in his pocket. The rest is history.

360
00:30:16,105 --> 00:30:19,150
Lots of bands came to the Monterey Pops Festival,

361
00:30:19,316 --> 00:30:24,005
with a lot of money in their pockets, and they suddenly decided that they needed

362
00:30:24,173 --> 00:30:25,906
spend them on shopping.

363
00:30:26,365 --> 00:30:31,620
It's very American to buy things. We sold there at the festival,

364
00:30:31,786 --> 00:30:36,573
I think ten or twelve synthesizers, each at a cost

365
00:30:36,741 --> 00:30:38,836
fifteen thousand bucks, in 1967.

366
00:30:39,003 --> 00:30:41,818
It was very good money then.

367
00:30:41,985 --> 00:30:45,863
Due to the fact that synthesizers are from the East, Moog synthesizers have integrated so well

368
00:30:46,031 --> 00:30:48,053
into the rock music of that time,

369
00:30:48,220 --> 00:30:50,118
approximately late 60's, 70's,

370
00:30:50,285 --> 00:30:53,433
we found ourselves among all these superstars, like Keith Emerson and others.

371
00:30:53,768 --> 00:30:58,255
Pop groups had them, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Monkees, The Osmonds,

372
00:30:58,423 --> 00:30:59,876
everyone who wanted

373
00:31:00,043 --> 00:31:04,058
to be on the wave and produce these unconventional sounds was

374
00:31:04,226 --> 00:31:05,613
modular synthesizer.

375
00:31:05,780 --> 00:31:09,225
While Moog continued to penetrate the hands

376
00:31:09,393 --> 00:31:10,868
professional musicians,

377
00:31:11,035 --> 00:31:16,290
Don Buchla persistently resisted inclusion
keyboard controller to your configuration.

378
00:31:16,831 --> 00:31:18,250
He had another idea.

379
00:31:19,085 --> 00:31:22,546
In this way you can get a very powerful sound, and

380
00:31:22,713 --> 00:31:26,476
I really like it too, you can’t do that with a piano keyboard,

381
00:31:26,645 --> 00:31:27,510
that's for sure.

382
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,931
There were two keyboards, well, or rather not keyboards,

383
00:31:32,098 --> 00:31:34,933
I don't know why we call it that, it's not a keyboard.

384
00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:38,020
This is a sensory source of tension.

385
00:31:38,186 --> 00:31:42,025
We call it a pressure sensor, although this is not entirely correct.

386
00:31:42,191 --> 00:31:47,321
The more skin touches this area,
the more electricity is conducted.

387
00:31:47,488 --> 00:31:50,700
By pressing harder, you increase the area of ​​contact.

388
00:31:52,118 --> 00:31:55,205
While Moog had the famous filter on his side,

389
00:31:55,371 --> 00:32:00,078
Buchla also did something for his modular,
had a huge impact

390
00:32:00,246 --> 00:32:01,793
to modern music.

391
00:32:06,215 --> 00:32:11,011
The analog sequencer has become very popular among synthesizers,

392
00:32:11,178 --> 00:32:17,288
Buchla designed it primarily to replace film cutting.

393
00:32:17,455 --> 00:32:21,271
Many of us were already using magnifiers back then, but film magnifiers.

394
00:32:21,438 --> 00:32:22,065
Yeah.

395
00:32:22,315 --> 00:32:26,360
After creating Buchla, it became obvious that we wanted to be able

396
00:32:26,526 --> 00:32:29,905
do what we did before.

397
00:32:30,113 --> 00:32:36,370
This is an eight-step sequencer, with three voltage regulators.

398
00:32:36,536 --> 00:32:39,665
When Moog started working, I had the chance to get to know him well.

399
00:32:39,831 --> 00:32:43,961
He came to my studio to figure out how the sequencer worked.

400
00:32:44,128 --> 00:32:47,006
After all, as you know, he did everything with a keyboard.

401
00:32:47,173 --> 00:32:51,635
And I showed him how I use the sequencer.

402
00:32:51,801 --> 00:32:55,806
He said "isn't it just a loop" and I replied
"no, no, I don't use it that way."

403
00:32:55,973 --> 00:33:00,226
I mean, it can be used for loops, yes, it's good for that.

404
00:33:00,393 --> 00:33:06,650
A sequence can be made using a loop. A metronome is essentially a rhythm loop.

405
00:33:13,698 --> 00:33:20,163
Let's measure the loop. Sequence,
in theory, infinite.

406
00:33:20,330 --> 00:33:23,083
And together it’s just a bomb.

407
00:33:24,918 --> 00:33:29,433
Saboteur was ready to start using Buchla, but some members of Tape

408
00:33:29,601 --> 00:33:31,300
Center began to move away.

409
00:33:31,883 --> 00:33:34,220
I essentially lived in the village, socialized there

410
00:33:34,386 --> 00:33:41,895
with redwood trees, played acoustic music, chants, and in general did everything,

411
00:33:42,063 --> 00:33:44,438
what can you do in the open air?

412
00:33:46,981 --> 00:33:51,986
For me, all this electronic stuff looked like something urban, I threw it all away.

413
00:33:54,406 --> 00:33:57,285
And I thought, I'll go to New York,
why not?

414
00:33:57,451 --> 00:34:02,063
I will do my music, and only there will everyone be able to know about me,

415
00:34:02,231 --> 00:34:03,833
not in San Francisco.

416
00:34:05,710 --> 00:34:09,636
While in New York, Sabotnik received a new assignment,
write in full

417
00:34:09,805 --> 00:34:11,048
electronic album.

418
00:34:11,215 --> 00:34:16,888
For him it was a chance not only
explore the possibilities of Buchla,

419
00:34:17,056 --> 00:34:20,056
but also to engage in my concept of studio work.

420
00:34:21,016 --> 00:34:26,296
In Silver Apples of the Moon I had a patch, I had two sixteen step

421
00:34:26,465 --> 00:34:28,190
sequencer and eight-step.

422
00:34:29,233 --> 00:34:35,365
I set the first one to sixteen steps, the second one to fifteen,

423
00:34:35,531 --> 00:34:38,470
and eight-step by seven.
In the end it worked out

424
00:34:38,638 --> 00:34:43,790
15 times 16 before
the sequence will repeat.

425
00:34:43,956 --> 00:34:50,630
So I could make a sequence that was 18 <i>(disclaimer?)</i> by 15 by 7 steps long, and it worked.

426
00:34:52,298 --> 00:34:55,603
But when it ended, with the help of another voltage I could

427
00:34:55,771 --> 00:34:57,220
transpose the whole thing

428
00:34:57,386 --> 00:35:01,348
and slightly change the entire range. And I can

429
00:35:01,515 --> 00:35:06,830
improvise with it until I get something that makes

430
00:35:06,998 --> 00:35:10,148
I’ll be delighted, say, three minutes long.

431
00:35:15,530 --> 00:35:17,323
It was something, seriously.

432
00:35:17,490 --> 00:35:23,973
Thanks to this machine, I was able to look at myself in a new way, to find in myself what I had previously

433
00:35:24,141 --> 00:35:25,080
and had no idea.

434
00:35:33,796 --> 00:35:37,426
Silver Apples of the Moon is considered a milestone in history -

435
00:35:37,593 --> 00:35:43,836
an entirely electronic album created
performed and recorded by one person,

436
00:35:44,005 --> 00:35:46,226
essentially "on the knee".

437
00:35:49,146 --> 00:35:52,758
But this legendary work by Sabotnik did not have much impact

438
00:35:52,926 --> 00:35:54,026
to the general public.

439
00:35:54,193 --> 00:35:58,836
Modular synthesizers burst into people's minds thanks to

440
00:35:59,005 --> 00:36:00,616
this album.

441
00:36:01,158 --> 00:36:05,870
The real turning point, the reason why Moog became

442
00:36:06,038 --> 00:36:08,623
"Diapers" in synthesizers in the early 70s,

443
00:36:08,790 --> 00:36:13,025
became Switched on Bach.
Many people don't

444
00:36:13,193 --> 00:36:15,213
recognized electronic music

445
00:36:15,380 --> 00:36:21,595
real music until it appeared
something recognizable, but made with synthesizers.

446
00:36:23,721 --> 00:36:27,726
Switched on Bach was created by Walter, now Wendy Carlos,

447
00:36:27,893 --> 00:36:32,288
physicist and successful pianist who, among other things, admired

448
00:36:32,456 --> 00:36:33,900
sound recording technologies.

449
00:36:34,066 --> 00:36:39,271
The Moog, with its keyboard and ability to play Western scale notes, was a great fit

450
00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,031
for Carlos's bold idea -

451
00:36:41,198 --> 00:36:45,828
play the classical works of Johann Sebastian Bach using the most modern

452
00:36:45,996 --> 00:36:47,496
musical instrument.

453
00:36:47,663 --> 00:36:49,655
His record came out after Silver Apples.

454
00:36:49,823 --> 00:36:52,751
I was shocked that it was called electronic music.

455
00:36:52,918 --> 00:36:55,755
She could become very popular and I said, hmm, wait a minute,

456
00:36:55,921 --> 00:36:58,465
but this will happen, and I don’t want it.

457
00:36:58,631 --> 00:37:03,715
Because we're trying to expand the musical vocabulary here, and this work

458
00:37:03,883 --> 00:37:05,640
squeezes it back again.

459
00:37:06,140 --> 00:37:11,235
It was a very famous record, and I think the best-selling one,

460
00:37:11,403 --> 00:37:12,145
for all time.

461
00:37:12,311 --> 00:37:16,473
My first reaction was "wow, all these things can make amazing sounds, why

462
00:37:16,641 --> 00:37:18,443
use them to create this?"

463
00:37:18,610 --> 00:37:21,823
Those. it was a great, great technique exercise.

464
00:37:21,991 --> 00:37:22,531
But...

465
00:37:22,698 --> 00:37:27,435
But I still recognized that it was electronic and that it was music.

466
00:37:27,603 --> 00:37:30,371
So this is still electronic music, but

467
00:37:30,538 --> 00:37:35,415
they couldn't... Silver Apples of the Moon was electronic, and Switched on Bach

468
00:37:35,583 --> 00:37:37,045
was electronic, but it

469
00:37:37,211 --> 00:37:42,815
there were two different things, completely different, and ultimately

470
00:37:42,983 --> 00:37:44,803
the world has gone this way.

471
00:37:44,970 --> 00:37:50,016
Modern popular electronics can be said to have evolved from him,

472
00:37:50,183 --> 00:37:54,695
but let's say there have always been outsiders on the East Coast,

473
00:37:54,863 --> 00:37:55,565
pioneers

474
00:37:55,731 --> 00:38:01,153
the unknown, so to speak. Very significant, but not included in the mainstream.

475
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,453
Eventually Moog released his sequencer,

476
00:38:09,620 --> 00:38:13,406
and coupled with the ease with which his modular synthesizers worked

477
00:38:13,575 --> 00:38:15,710
with a traditional tempered scale,

478
00:38:15,876 --> 00:38:19,761
music based on sequences, from krautrock to disco, quickly

479
00:38:19,930 --> 00:38:21,960
has become part of pop culture.

480
00:38:27,971 --> 00:38:32,796
As for the question of who was the first to create a modular synthesizer,

481
00:38:32,965 --> 00:38:35,395
usually the answer is Moog. But is this true?

482
00:38:36,730 --> 00:38:40,971
A couple of years before his death, Moog said when we were at a conference,

483
00:38:41,140 --> 00:38:42,611
someone asked, they say,

484
00:38:42,778 --> 00:38:45,740
who created the first synthesizer, and I answered

485
00:38:45,906 --> 00:38:49,368
"I guess it was Bob."

486
00:38:49,535 --> 00:38:52,913
But he said, no, you made it a year before me.

487
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,458
I'm sure of this, because I only made a few modules,

488
00:38:56,625 --> 00:39:02,551
and when Buchla came out, I was amazed, he collected everything I needed

489
00:39:02,720 --> 00:39:04,591
in one finished device.

490
00:39:05,801 --> 00:39:09,816
Although there is no exact answer to the question of who was first,
it's absolutely clear what exactly

491
00:39:09,985 --> 00:39:11,598
Moog became the most famous.

492
00:39:11,765 --> 00:39:16,993
The reason for this was, perhaps, that Moog developed
your system, listening to the wishes

493
00:39:17,161 --> 00:39:20,733
to its target audience of professional musicians.

494
00:39:20,900 --> 00:39:25,336
As a result, Moog was able to bring to market a relatively practical

495
00:39:25,505 --> 00:39:28,240
and a reliable electronic musical instrument.

496
00:39:29,283 --> 00:39:32,953
That's the power of Bob Moog.
He turned synthesizers into a brand.

497
00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:36,748
He made the word Moog synonymous with the synthesizer.

498
00:39:36,915 --> 00:39:38,833
People often say, oh, you collect mugi?

499
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:44,653
I hear this a lot because they instantly identify everything as analog or

500
00:39:44,821 --> 00:39:46,466
synth with Moog.

501
00:39:52,515 --> 00:39:58,691
It sounds amazing, really. Rich, Deep, Infinitely Variable

502
00:39:58,860 --> 00:40:01,690
sound. This is a wonderful car.

503
00:40:12,535 --> 00:40:15,955
It doesn't matter whether Bukla was the first, or Moog,

504
00:40:16,121 --> 00:40:17,915
soon their competitors began to appear,

505
00:40:18,081 --> 00:40:21,543
quickly released their large modular systems.

506
00:40:21,710 --> 00:40:26,048
Such as the American ARP 2500,

507
00:40:26,215 --> 00:40:34,055
British EMS Synthi 100,

508
00:40:36,475 --> 00:40:39,811
and Japanese Roland System 100M,

509
00:40:39,978 --> 00:40:45,150
and System 700. They began to take away Moog's market share.

510
00:40:47,778 --> 00:40:50,530
All of these systems were created for large studios,

511
00:40:50,696 --> 00:40:55,160
university music laboratories
and wealthy musicians.

512
00:40:55,326 --> 00:41:00,415
An ordinary person could only dream about them.

513
00:41:01,333 --> 00:41:03,835
On my thirteenth birthday

514
00:41:04,001 --> 00:41:08,715
got tickets to Emerson Lake and Palmer and Brain Salad Surgery.

515
00:41:08,881 --> 00:41:14,380
Keith Emerson had a huge synthesizer, and from wrist controllers

516
00:41:14,548 --> 00:41:16,765
he had fireworks going off,

517
00:41:16,931 --> 00:41:19,268
flashes flashed above the keyboard,

518
00:41:19,435 --> 00:41:21,561
and I thought, damn, what is this thing?

519
00:41:21,728 --> 00:41:23,730
He looked like a car from a Ferrari catalogue,

520
00:41:23,896 --> 00:41:29,026
we were all drooling over Keith Emerson's Moog 55,
for us he was out of reach.

521
00:41:29,193 --> 00:41:31,530
At that time, only Keith Emerson could afford this,

522
00:41:31,696 --> 00:41:35,910
Yes, we wouldn’t be able to carry all this with us.

523
00:41:36,076 --> 00:41:40,715
All these things were so far from anything I could buy

524
00:41:40,883 --> 00:41:42,123
an ordinary person.

525
00:41:42,290 --> 00:41:46,920
Modular equipment has always been out of reach,

526
00:41:47,086 --> 00:41:53,010
like big rooms with a lot of laboratory equipment and stuff like that.

527
00:41:57,848 --> 00:42:02,291
Finally, the Moog factory in Trumansburg produced the first synthesizer,

528
00:42:02,460 --> 00:42:04,980
which has become an object of desire for ordinary musicians,

529
00:42:05,146 --> 00:42:09,383
an electronic instrument that they could play and understand

530
00:42:09,551 --> 00:42:11,028
without the help of an engineer.

531
00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:16,441
In 1970, Moog released an instrument that became a model for

532
00:42:16,610 --> 00:42:18,243
synthesizers for many years,

533
00:42:18,410 --> 00:42:21,663
up to the present day - Minimoog.

534
00:42:22,371 --> 00:42:28,211
It was thanks to the Minimoog that he became a cult figure.

535
00:42:34,133 --> 00:42:39,271
It was small, easy to use, and
despite the still high price, there was already

536
00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:41,300
affordable for a serious musician.

537
00:42:45,980 --> 00:42:50,358
In the appearance of the front panel one could still recognize modular elements.

538
00:42:50,525 --> 00:42:54,905
Importantly, the Minimoog had the legendary “ladder” filter,

539
00:42:55,071 --> 00:42:59,241
giving it a sound that instinctively attracts musicians and listeners.

540
00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:05,875
It was an elegant instrument that gave the average musician access

541
00:43:06,041 --> 00:43:10,670
to the deep, rich sound of Moog modulars at a fraction of the cost and weight.

542
00:43:14,550 --> 00:43:18,803
Of course, it was much lighter. And the older you are, the less you want to carry weights.

543
00:43:18,970 --> 00:43:25,101
But as for the rest, he didn't have nearly the versatility of his older brother.

544
00:43:25,268 --> 00:43:30,940
Bob wasn't particularly thrilled with the Minimoog's success.

545
00:43:31,566 --> 00:43:36,030
He really didn't like the reduction in functionality.

546
00:43:36,196 --> 00:43:40,491
I don't want to say this, but it seems to me that he believed

547
00:43:40,658 --> 00:43:43,843
making the Minimoog a necessary evil, something like that

548
00:43:44,011 --> 00:43:45,121
although in the end

549
00:43:45,288 --> 00:43:48,603
he realized that it was all for the good.

550
00:43:48,770 --> 00:43:53,976
This is the forty-ninth copy, and it works as well as

551
00:43:54,145 --> 00:43:55,590
many years ago.

552
00:44:00,845 --> 00:44:07,285
Next year ARP will also be released
a smaller version of the mighty ARP 2500,

553
00:44:07,453 --> 00:44:09,355
semi-modular 2600.

554
00:44:21,408 --> 00:44:25,868
The 2600 was an attempt to create a portable, affordable synthesizer that had

555
00:44:26,036 --> 00:44:27,496
flexibility of modular.

556
00:44:27,663 --> 00:44:33,276
The individual components have already been connected, but
these connections could be overridden using patches

557
00:44:33,445 --> 00:44:35,213
included in the inputs and outputs.

558
00:44:42,345 --> 00:44:45,598
Coupled with their sequencer, it was a powerful, portable

559
00:44:45,765 --> 00:44:49,728
and a relatively inexpensive alternative to a full-fledged modular.

560
00:44:53,940 --> 00:44:58,111
Almost any group in the world could afford
yourself a Minimoog or ARP 2600,

561
00:44:58,278 --> 00:45:03,066
and so these tools gained popularity in creating

562
00:45:03,235 --> 00:45:04,826
pop music and on stage.

563
00:45:05,576 --> 00:45:10,475
Minimoog and ARP 2600 were sold out well by working musicians,

564
00:45:10,643 --> 00:45:12,208
who could afford them.

565
00:45:12,375 --> 00:45:16,891
But outside the mainstream there were plenty of musicians willing to try

566
00:45:17,060 --> 00:45:18,840
myself in electronic music,

567
00:45:19,006 --> 00:45:22,051
and unable to buy even these stripped-down synthesizers.

568
00:45:22,426 --> 00:45:25,805
I remember there was only one on Tottenham Court Road, or at least

569
00:45:25,971 --> 00:45:29,643
one of the few shops in London that sold Minimoogs.

570
00:45:29,810 --> 00:45:33,911
I remember going there to try it and not being able to make a single sound,

571
00:45:34,080 --> 00:45:35,856
like, “how does it work?”

572
00:45:36,023 --> 00:45:38,751
They were so expensive that I
there was no chance

573
00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:39,736
buy one like this.

574
00:45:39,903 --> 00:45:42,990
In the 70s, Minimoogs were expensive.

575
00:45:44,658 --> 00:45:47,451
And I began to collect my own.
I thought, oh well

576
00:45:47,618 --> 00:45:52,255
I can put this together myself, I can make filters just as good and

577
00:45:52,423 --> 00:45:54,208
oscillators, which is what I did.

578
00:45:55,668 --> 00:46:00,848
However, in the late 70s something happened
because of which the synthesizers were temporarily lost

579
00:46:01,016 --> 00:46:03,760
attention from both musicians and listeners.

580
00:46:16,940 --> 00:46:20,793
In those days there was a lot of hostility towards synthesizers,

581
00:46:20,961 --> 00:46:22,028
especially punks

582
00:46:22,195 --> 00:46:26,325
they say, we’re just pushing buttons here,
this is not real music, supposedly you can

583
00:46:26,491 --> 00:46:28,993
just press a button, get some noise, and that's it.

584
00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:32,166
They didn't understand at all how much effort it required,

585
00:46:32,335 --> 00:46:34,708
especially in my case, because I did everything myself,

586
00:46:34,875 --> 00:46:37,753
and that all this needs to be patched and configured, and this requires effort.

587
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:41,715
It's not just "push a button." People were throwing things at synthesizers.

588
00:46:41,881 --> 00:46:45,635
People didn't like them because they reminded me of Pink Floyd,

589
00:46:45,801 --> 00:46:51,475
there was some stupid prejudice against psychedelics.

590
00:46:51,641 --> 00:46:54,811
Non-conformism and music go hand in hand.

591
00:46:54,978 --> 00:47:00,400
What drives me crazy is that the craziest
non-conformist musicians,
which ones you can imagine

592
00:47:00,566 --> 00:47:04,303
become incredibly conservative
when it comes to their equipment.

593
00:47:04,471 --> 00:47:05,863
Especially guitarists.

594
00:47:10,243 --> 00:47:13,428
Synthesizers are actually much more radical than guitars,

595
00:47:13,596 --> 00:47:14,498
one finger

596
00:47:14,665 --> 00:47:16,875
enough to play music on them,

597
00:47:17,041 --> 00:47:20,798
and the noise from them can be extracted much more cruel and varied,

598
00:47:20,966 --> 00:47:22,338
than from any guitar.

599
00:47:23,548 --> 00:47:27,551
I played in a three piece punk band, guitar, bass and drums,

600
00:47:27,718 --> 00:47:31,390
and we recorded some demos, got a contract, came to the studio,

601
00:47:31,556 --> 00:47:36,436
and there, in the control room, in the corner stood a Minimoog.

602
00:47:36,603 --> 00:47:39,195
I've never seen a synthesizer live before.

603
00:47:39,363 --> 00:47:41,650
To be honest, I wasn't even a fan.

604
00:47:41,816 --> 00:47:45,053
I liked some of Kraftwerk, but I was a particular fan

605
00:47:45,221 --> 00:47:46,716
I wasn't into electronics.

606
00:47:46,883 --> 00:47:51,676
But I still became interested, I loved the technology, I liked its appearance,

607
00:47:51,845 --> 00:47:54,411
knobs and buttons.
I started playing around with him

608
00:47:54,578 --> 00:47:58,791
just like that, without having the slightest idea what I was doing.

609
00:47:58,958 --> 00:48:06,383
And I got some phenomenal sounds, I was absolutely stunned by what I heard.

610
00:48:06,550 --> 00:48:10,761
In a hurry, on the fly, I remade mine

611
00:48:10,928 --> 00:48:14,731
guitar punk songs in pretty amateur synth

612
00:48:14,900 --> 00:48:16,226
j-j-j-j-j.

613
00:48:16,393 --> 00:48:19,688
Came with this to the record company

614
00:48:19,855 --> 00:48:23,158
and told them that I had come across a synthesizer and thought that

615
00:48:23,326 --> 00:48:24,316
this is the future.

616
00:48:24,483 --> 00:48:28,613
I wanted to make this kind of music for the rest of my days, seriously,

617
00:48:28,780 --> 00:48:30,656
I was simply captivated by it.

618
00:48:31,700 --> 00:48:35,066
And just at the time when electronic music began to find its place

619
00:48:35,235 --> 00:48:36,100
in the musical landscape,

620
00:48:36,203 --> 00:48:40,143
cheap, easy-to-use synthesizers were born

621
00:48:40,311 --> 00:48:41,626
mostly from Japan

622
00:48:41,793 --> 00:48:45,171
and at a price affordable to the average person.

623
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:50,385
A friend of a friend was a musician and he had a 700S

624
00:48:50,551 --> 00:48:53,305
he showed it to me and I thought, “this is what I need.”

625
00:48:53,471 --> 00:48:57,010
And the reason I needed him is what sold him to me,

626
00:48:57,178 --> 00:48:58,310
this is the repeat function,

627
00:48:58,476 --> 00:49:02,278
which could do
something like sequences without a sequencer, using

628
00:49:02,446 --> 00:49:04,440
re-triggering of the envelope,

629
00:49:04,606 --> 00:49:06,860
and for me this was the decisive moment,

630
00:49:07,026 --> 00:49:10,755
I'm not good at music, so something that plays rhythm

631
00:49:10,923 --> 00:49:11,740
it will be just right.

632
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:19,915
It was very impressive, and with it you could
get really scary noises,

633
00:49:20,081 --> 00:49:22,553
the speakers were simply torn apart.
I liked it so much

634
00:49:22,721 --> 00:49:25,628
what I thought is we need to do this.

635
00:49:25,795 --> 00:49:28,506
I was so overwhelmed by the fact that I had

636
00:49:28,673 --> 00:49:33,095
synthesizer that I didn't even think about something more complex.

637
00:49:34,680 --> 00:49:36,515
Depeche Mode started out as a guitar band.

638
00:49:36,681 --> 00:49:39,951
We realized that we could achieve much more interesting things with synthesizers.

639
00:49:40,120 --> 00:49:41,436
sound than with guitars,

640
00:49:41,603 --> 00:49:43,105
because our game was terrible.

641
00:49:43,271 --> 00:49:46,608
It was perfect for what I wanted to express.

642
00:49:46,775 --> 00:49:48,943
You didn't have to be a musician in the traditional sense.

643
00:49:49,110 --> 00:49:53,480
Of course, I had to imagine something of myself,
but not that much.

644
00:49:55,033 --> 00:49:59,536
And to the joy of many, to synthesizers
digital components have been added,

645
00:49:59,703 --> 00:50:03,841
allowing you to save settings into presets,
called by pressing a button.

646
00:50:04,010 --> 00:50:07,670
The era of preset synthesizers has arrived.

647
00:50:08,463 --> 00:50:10,673
You press the button and it sounds great. Give me two.

648
00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:13,676
I immediately sensed danger in the presets.

649
00:50:13,843 --> 00:50:16,721
The point here is me, not the devices, because it was still possible

650
00:50:16,888 --> 00:50:19,390
spin something of your own on them if you were willing to spend the time.

651
00:50:19,556 --> 00:50:21,726
I noticed that our attitude has changed, like,

652
00:50:21,893 --> 00:50:25,230
let's try a different sound, click on the presets, and I get it,

653
00:50:25,396 --> 00:50:28,566
that this won’t work, my brain is drying up from boredom, I’m not interested.

654
00:50:29,566 --> 00:50:32,361
While small affordable synthesizers

655
00:50:32,528 --> 00:50:38,368
filled the market, large modular Moog, Buchla,
ARP and EMS are back where they started.

656
00:50:38,535 --> 00:50:41,330
In the hands of elite experimental composers.

657
00:50:41,498 --> 00:50:44,081
And university music centers.

658
00:50:48,043 --> 00:50:50,963
In addition, new technology has been developed

659
00:50:51,130 --> 00:50:54,590
threatened to take away from modular synthesizers
superiority in opportunities

660
00:50:54,758 --> 00:50:56,010
sound editing.

661
00:50:56,176 --> 00:51:00,891
Some of the methods we use to describe music are:

662
00:51:01,060 --> 00:51:02,475
graphic function,

663
00:51:02,641 --> 00:51:07,021
You can also join us for a speech, and we
we can benefit a lot

664
00:51:07,190 --> 00:51:08,606
learning these simple sounds.

665
00:51:16,071 --> 00:51:20,331
Computers have long been associated with electronic music,

666
00:51:20,500 --> 00:51:22,590
mainly as controllers.

667
00:51:26,248 --> 00:51:28,376
But as computers got smaller

668
00:51:28,543 --> 00:51:32,456
and cheaper, the day when synthesis itself becomes completely digital has become

669
00:51:32,625 --> 00:51:34,256
just a matter of time.

670
00:51:37,676 --> 00:51:42,765
A completely redrawn wave will appear on the screen.

671
00:51:42,931 --> 00:51:47,520
A synthesizer that can play bell sounds,

672
00:51:47,686 --> 00:51:56,586
crystal clear piano, drums, and so on, and so on, and all this

673
00:51:56,755 --> 00:51:59,615
in one bottle.

674
00:52:00,533 --> 00:52:03,578
Synclavier, and later, the powerful Fairlight

675
00:52:03,745 --> 00:52:08,040
quickly replaced modulars as the tool for elite

676
00:52:08,208 --> 00:52:09,500
commercial musicians.

677
00:52:09,708 --> 00:52:12,628
What I liked about Fairlight was the sampling feature.

678
00:52:12,795 --> 00:52:15,631
In addition, he came with a large library, which helped a lot.

679
00:52:15,798 --> 00:52:20,580
The novelty of sampling and the ability to play with real sounds

680
00:52:20,748 --> 00:52:21,846
amazed me.

681
00:52:22,013 --> 00:52:26,643
I am inclined to think that it was with him that the death of the analogue began.

682
00:52:31,856 --> 00:52:34,316
If the Synclavier was the beginning of the end,

683
00:52:34,483 --> 00:52:38,801
then the real killer of the analogue was the small, cheap

684
00:52:38,970 --> 00:52:40,365
japanese synthesizer

685
00:52:40,531 --> 00:52:46,370
Yamaha DX7. His appearance hit the synthesizer business like a tsunami.

686
00:52:50,916 --> 00:52:56,178
DX7 used incredibly complex FM synthesis algorithms to create

687
00:52:56,346 --> 00:52:59,885
its recognizable, albeit artificial sound.

688
00:53:00,051 --> 00:53:04,430
There was only one data entry slider on the front panel.

689
00:53:04,596 --> 00:53:08,601
Creating custom patches for the average user was a nightmare,

690
00:53:08,768 --> 00:53:13,981
so it came with hundreds of pre-programmed
presets that were rarely even edited.

691
00:53:20,655 --> 00:53:22,406
If you buy it somewhere second-hand now,

692
00:53:22,573 --> 00:53:28,246
the presets are guaranteed to be in place because
no one actually programmed it.

693
00:53:28,413 --> 00:53:31,791
I can understand, there are working musicians, they perform live,

694
00:53:31,958 --> 00:53:34,910
they want to be able to press a button and get the sound they want.

695
00:53:39,510 --> 00:53:41,680
It sounded pretty good at the time, I mean

696
00:53:41,850 --> 00:53:42,635
now it's old

697
00:53:42,801 --> 00:53:45,346
but then it was quite a revolution.

698
00:53:45,513 --> 00:53:49,475
I've never played DX7, so I don't really care.
nothing to say, but I hated the sound of it.

699
00:53:49,641 --> 00:53:54,490
The convenient human interface flew out the window, there were completely unnatural sensations,

700
00:53:54,658 --> 00:53:56,566
when you were sitting over DX7, poking into numbers,

701
00:53:56,733 --> 00:54:01,060
moved them back and forth with a slider, and, like,

702
00:54:01,230 --> 00:54:01,780
ok,

703
00:54:01,946 --> 00:54:03,676
so, that sounds good, doesn't it?

704
00:54:03,843 --> 00:54:07,701
They dedicated an entire factory to the production of DX7,

705
00:54:07,868 --> 00:54:11,610
and were able to spit out in batches what everyone wanted,

706
00:54:11,778 --> 00:54:12,790
at a very low price.

707
00:54:12,956 --> 00:54:16,501
And everyone immediately wants the DX7, because of its distinctive sound,

708
00:54:16,668 --> 00:54:20,766
and then some other synthesizer comes out,
it is used in some

709
00:54:20,935 --> 00:54:21,966
rock hit,

710
00:54:22,133 --> 00:54:24,010
and everyone already needs him.

711
00:54:24,176 --> 00:54:27,256
When Enqosiq Mirage came out, people started selling everything

712
00:54:27,425 --> 00:54:28,265
your equipment

713
00:54:28,431 --> 00:54:31,681
and buy them, simply because it was available, they could not

714
00:54:31,850 --> 00:54:32,935
act differently.

715
00:54:33,101 --> 00:54:36,581
There were no longer high-end tools on the market that created

716
00:54:36,750 --> 00:54:37,690
real magic.

717
00:54:37,856 --> 00:54:41,523
Now they tried to do anything and everything, the first ones began to appear

718
00:54:41,691 --> 00:54:42,986
primitive workstations,

719
00:54:43,153 --> 00:54:49,451
and new interesting sounds gave way to cheap junk,

720
00:54:49,618 --> 00:54:53,665
capable of a little bit of everything, but without his own character.

721
00:54:56,918 --> 00:55:01,715
Huge modular systems that were once
the beauty and pride of elite studios,

722
00:55:01,881 --> 00:55:04,925
often sold for scrap metal.

723
00:55:06,218 --> 00:55:09,888
I bought my first 2600 at a pawn shop for about $250,

724
00:55:10,055 --> 00:55:11,728
in a fairly battered state.
Looks like

725
00:55:11,896 --> 00:55:14,560
he had to go through a lot, but still.

726
00:55:14,726 --> 00:55:17,855
Remember the computers of the early 60s, the size of a house -

727
00:55:18,021 --> 00:55:22,723
this is how it looked then, like, you can buy a modern one

728
00:55:22,891 --> 00:55:24,361
digital Roland,

729
00:55:24,528 --> 00:55:28,156
at a price of a thousand dollars, who needs these rooms anyway,

730
00:55:28,325 --> 00:55:29,366
full of modules?

731
00:55:29,533 --> 00:55:33,603
Even in Berkeley at that moment there was a room full of analog synths,

732
00:55:33,771 --> 00:55:34,998
which no one needed

733
00:55:35,165 --> 00:55:36,625
I think there were a couple of ARP 2600s there.

734
00:55:36,791 --> 00:55:39,960
And they were simply abandoned, you know, they were thrown out.

735
00:55:41,921 --> 00:55:46,466
They no longer needed these huge, always upset,

736
00:55:46,633 --> 00:55:50,346
and generally unstable things.

737
00:55:52,931 --> 00:55:56,645
In the 80s for modular synthesizers
These are difficult times.

738
00:55:56,811 --> 00:55:59,438
Some of it ended up in scrap yards.

739
00:55:59,605 --> 00:56:04,401
Most just accumulated dust in basements and closets,

740
00:56:04,568 --> 00:56:09,281
except for those few who served and
saved by those who cared for them.

741
00:56:15,330 --> 00:56:17,665
But in the late 80s something happened that changed

742
00:56:17,831 --> 00:56:20,626
the fate of analog synthesizers.

743
00:56:23,295 --> 00:56:27,716
Acid house was the true comeback of analog synths.

744
00:56:27,883 --> 00:56:32,243
People who made dance music realized that the sounds that could be made from

745
00:56:32,411 --> 00:56:33,806
some old appliances

746
00:56:33,973 --> 00:56:37,830
much, much better and more convincing than those they give out

747
00:56:37,998 --> 00:56:39,103
new toys.

748
00:56:41,355 --> 00:56:46,631
With 909 and 303 you just had to tweak the bass settings and that's it

749
00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:48,405
very impressive!

750
00:56:48,571 --> 00:56:50,740
Tons of bass!

751
00:56:52,075 --> 00:56:54,451
When people started going back to analog sound,

752
00:56:54,618 --> 00:56:58,785
it turned out that twisting real knobs and jerking faders and all that

753
00:56:58,953 --> 00:57:00,541
much more interesting and fun.

754
00:57:00,708 --> 00:57:03,685
I felt that rock music was over and I didn't want to have

755
00:57:03,853 --> 00:57:05,171
nothing to do with her

756
00:57:05,338 --> 00:57:09,466
and dance music was exciting, it seemed like the future of music.

757
00:57:09,633 --> 00:57:11,970
People have used Squid 8s, this is it

758
00:57:12,136 --> 00:57:17,058
chord sequencer, and Mirage,
and 808th and 909th,

759
00:57:17,225 --> 00:57:21,561
and one guy, I remember, had a Memory Moog, which is my favorite synthesizer.

760
00:57:21,728 --> 00:57:26,985
From being very inexpensive, they have become unimaginably, unreasonably expensive.

761
00:57:27,151 --> 00:57:30,568
Because everyone around, like myself, people like me, began to do what

762
00:57:30,736 --> 00:57:31,655
what I did, you know.

763
00:57:31,821 --> 00:57:37,301
People began to understand vintage equipment, everyone fell in love with such devices,

764
00:57:37,470 --> 00:57:39,121
like TB303 and TR909,

765
00:57:39,288 --> 00:57:44,210
but when it came to big modules and stuff like that,

766
00:57:44,376 --> 00:57:49,506
they still didn’t really understand why all this was needed.

767
00:57:53,301 --> 00:57:57,526
While dance music producers were greedily buying vintage drum machines and

768
00:57:57,695 --> 00:57:58,891
simple analog synths,

769
00:57:59,058 --> 00:58:02,061
modular synthesizers remained in the shadows.

770
00:58:03,478 --> 00:58:07,108
For those who have never lost their craving for modular synthesizers,

771
00:58:07,275 --> 00:58:10,986
this was a chance to finally master the instruments,
which they had only dreamed of before,

772
00:58:11,153 --> 00:58:16,158
and so the community of vintage and modular synthesis lovers began to develop.

773
00:58:16,741 --> 00:58:19,073
I hate the word "outdated".

774
00:58:19,241 --> 00:58:22,581
It pisses me off when people say "oh, that's outdated technology."

775
00:58:22,748 --> 00:58:24,083
Does it work?

776
00:58:24,250 --> 00:58:32,883
There was a time, roughly between the release of DX7 and the advent of acid house,

777
00:58:33,050 --> 00:58:35,595
those were the few years when

778
00:58:35,761 --> 00:58:40,558
digital ruled, and no one cared about analog audio.

779
00:58:40,725 --> 00:58:44,395
People probably thought I was crazy
I bought all this great equipment,

780
00:58:44,561 --> 00:58:48,191
which is so difficult to transport, which always breaks down and never

781
00:58:48,360 --> 00:58:49,483
doesn't stay in line.

782
00:58:49,650 --> 00:58:54,680
And then there was this moment, like, “oh, this is a very rare thing,

783
00:58:54,848 --> 00:58:56,406
take it while you can."

784
00:58:57,866 --> 00:59:01,318
I love analog for its unpredictability, it's like

785
00:59:01,486 --> 00:59:02,705
wobbling car

786
00:59:02,871 --> 00:59:06,171
on a plane or a bicycle that tries to escape from your hands,

787
00:59:06,340 --> 00:59:07,460
and you must go forward.

788
00:59:07,626 --> 00:59:12,006
You never know what's going to happen next, and that's part of the fun.

789
00:59:12,173 --> 00:59:14,800
It's different every time.

790
00:59:26,980 --> 00:59:31,338
Jack Dangers - responsible for the sound palette of the influential industrial dance

791
00:59:31,506 --> 00:59:33,235
Meat Beat Manifesto project.

792
00:59:35,946 --> 00:59:38,783
His studio is on top of a hill
outside San Francisco

793
00:59:38,950 --> 00:59:43,675
filled with an enviable collection of top and rare vintage

794
00:59:43,843 --> 00:59:45,665
modular synthesizers.

795
00:59:54,965 --> 00:59:59,998
Around '93, I think, the word "vintage" began to be applied to

796
01:00:00,166 --> 01:00:02,223
synthesizers.

797
01:00:02,390 --> 01:00:06,226
I remember seeing them for the first time and thinking they looked weird.

798
01:00:10,271 --> 01:00:16,570
I don’t even know why I’m drawn towards old equipment and not new.

799
01:00:16,736 --> 01:00:20,281
I still can’t, um, buy everything.

800
01:00:33,461 --> 01:00:39,655
There was a time when the modulars of the 70s and all that were replaced by

801
01:00:39,823 --> 01:00:42,055
Fairlight and synclaviers,

802
01:00:42,221 --> 01:00:47,436
so around the early 80s prices for such equipment

803
01:00:47,605 --> 01:00:49,853
were quite tasty.

804
01:00:57,403 --> 01:00:58,780
Here's to you, Wendy Carlos!

805
01:01:07,788 --> 01:01:10,206
And this is System 700 from Roland.

806
01:01:12,293 --> 01:01:14,795
It all started with an interest in drum machines,

807
01:01:14,961 --> 01:01:17,965
Andy and I were in Erasure writing the album in Hamburg.

808
01:01:18,131 --> 01:01:20,008
I have already had experience with many drum machines,

809
01:01:20,175 --> 01:01:22,928
but then suddenly I thought it would be great to use a bunch of small

810
01:01:23,095 --> 01:01:25,890
drum boxes, ones that will sound like drum machines should,

811
01:01:26,056 --> 01:01:28,643
unlike sample-based drum machines like Linn,

812
01:01:28,810 --> 01:01:33,605
which will not look like real drums. Well, it started to turn

813
01:01:33,771 --> 01:01:38,736
I started buying small drum machines,
and then switched to synths.

814
01:01:41,363 --> 01:01:45,951
Synthesizers from different manufacturers sound very different,

815
01:01:46,118 --> 01:01:50,238
for example, I began to distinguish the sound of Korg filters from, say,

816
01:01:50,406 --> 01:01:52,083
sound of Moog filters.

817
01:01:52,250 --> 01:01:54,418
And I needed as much variety as possible.

818
01:01:54,585 --> 01:01:59,506
I still have these cheat sheets, just in case.

819
01:01:59,673 --> 01:02:04,950
There are no rules here, you know, there are no entrances and exits that say

820
01:02:05,118 --> 01:02:06,930
what can't be inserted insert this wire

821
01:02:07,096 --> 01:02:10,685
into this connector. Everything is done
by trial and error.

822
01:02:11,351 --> 01:02:16,481
The first thing I bought, new by the way, was the System 100M from Roland.

823
01:02:16,648 --> 01:02:19,318
This was in '83 or '84 at the time.

824
01:02:19,485 --> 01:02:22,238
Then I started learning to use modulars.

825
01:02:22,405 --> 01:02:25,783
At the beginning, I used cheat sheets with settings,

826
01:02:25,950 --> 01:02:28,828
like, this is how a trumpet sound is made, take it

827
01:02:28,995 --> 01:02:32,590
this patch, you paste it here, turn this knob on

828
01:02:32,758 --> 01:02:33,750
quarter past seven

829
01:02:33,916 --> 01:02:37,378
seems to be all. It never looks like a pipe.

830
01:02:41,131 --> 01:02:44,051
With the growing interest in vintage modulars,

831
01:02:44,218 --> 01:02:48,848
the shortage of these tools also grew,
which was just one of their shortcomings.

832
01:02:50,140 --> 01:02:55,270
One of the biggest problems with vintage is reliability.

833
01:02:55,436 --> 01:02:58,775
I want to say, to hell with the system and other similar problems,

834
01:02:58,941 --> 01:03:04,071
you can just sit still and then bam,
and something breaks, it drives you crazy.

835
01:03:04,238 --> 01:03:05,990
For me, old electronics are crap.

836
01:03:06,156 --> 01:03:09,241
It amazes me that they were able to put all this together with

837
01:03:09,410 --> 01:03:11,078
all these crap components.

838
01:03:11,245 --> 01:03:13,121
If you climb inside an old Moog,

839
01:03:13,288 --> 01:03:18,990
it all looks like a dusty pile of junk,
which even homeless people would not pick up for non-ferrous metal.

840
01:03:22,046 --> 01:03:23,631
By the beginning of the 90s,

841
01:03:23,798 --> 01:03:28,511
modular geeks who bought unnecessary systems on the cheap from the basement,

842
01:03:28,678 --> 01:03:34,435
We were faced with the real cost of owning a vintage item - expensive repairs and maintenance.

843
01:03:37,020 --> 01:03:41,670
Collectors often contact us for repairs and maintenance.

844
01:03:41,838 --> 01:03:43,318
your equipment,

845
01:03:43,485 --> 01:03:46,821
and the older it gets, the more difficult it is to get the necessary spare parts,

846
01:03:46,988 --> 01:03:48,908
and maintain their performance.

847
01:03:49,075 --> 01:03:55,371
So, the question here is to keep the old analogue alive,
and its application in the modern world.

848
01:04:00,043 --> 01:04:04,840
Even if you have the money and patience to maintain vintage modular systems,

849
01:04:05,006 --> 01:04:08,845
there will always be a shortage of components
an insurmountable problem.

850
01:04:10,010 --> 01:04:12,848
In the end, despite the efforts of those who cared for them,

851
01:04:13,015 --> 01:04:16,851
modular synthesizers seemed doomed.

852
01:04:20,021 --> 01:04:22,400
But if there is a desire, there will be a way.

853
01:04:22,800 --> 01:04:27,928
And so, one devoted fan of modular synthesizers decided

854
01:04:28,096 --> 01:04:29,656
take matters into your own hands.

855
01:04:33,618 --> 01:04:36,996
By and large, I was more interested in hardware than music,

856
01:04:37,163 --> 01:04:41,501
it was simply a way to use iron.

857
01:04:41,668 --> 01:04:47,048
Equipment is where my interest in this is focused,

858
01:04:47,215 --> 01:04:50,468
so I'll do that.
I'll handle the equipment

859
01:04:50,635 --> 01:04:52,638
what I'm good at.

860
01:04:55,473 --> 01:04:58,435
Bruce Duncan, the man who created Modcan,

861
01:04:58,601 --> 01:05:03,013
became the first in decades to release a modern full-fledged

862
01:05:03,181 --> 01:05:04,525
modular system.

863
01:05:08,153 --> 01:05:10,906
Like many enthusiasts of the mid-90s,

864
01:05:11,073 --> 01:05:14,660
Bruce built modules for his own vintage systems.

865
01:05:14,826 --> 01:05:17,036
But then he took a step forward.

866
01:05:19,665 --> 01:05:23,520
It all started as a hobby, and when my modules became enough

867
01:05:23,688 --> 01:05:24,878
good for sale,

868
01:05:25,045 --> 01:05:29,151
I just made a website and people started bombarding me
letters, wanting to buy something

869
01:05:29,320 --> 01:05:30,635
from what I made.

870
01:05:30,801 --> 01:05:35,028
There was no calculation for the business, a plan or anything like that, there was

871
01:05:35,196 --> 01:05:36,348
just a hobby.

872
01:05:39,143 --> 01:05:43,521
Although Bruce's Modcan was the first new module manufacturer,

873
01:05:43,688 --> 01:05:45,273
he was not alone for long.

874
01:05:50,570 --> 01:05:54,408
When I started MOTM, I took a pack of drawing paper,

875
01:05:54,575 --> 01:06:00,080
back when we used drafting tables,
and began to talk about what Bob Moog was missing.

876
01:06:00,246 --> 01:06:04,671
I made a list of everything he had in the late 60's,

877
01:06:04,840 --> 01:06:05,335
early 70s

878
01:06:05,501 --> 01:06:07,713
it wasn’t, but we had it.

879
01:06:08,588 --> 01:06:13,093
I looked at the blueprints of the old modular Moogs and snorted.

880
01:06:13,260 --> 01:06:17,556
He did the best he could, it was 1968 after all.

881
01:06:18,556 --> 01:06:22,311
On Valentine's Day in 1998, I launched my website,

882
01:06:22,478 --> 01:06:26,606
and put up for sale two modules, a power supply and a noise generator.

883
01:06:26,773 --> 01:06:29,276
This is where it all started.

884
01:06:31,111 --> 01:06:34,365
That same year, Roger Errick launched his website,

885
01:06:34,531 --> 01:06:40,536
synthesizers.com, offering ready-made systems in the form of Moog modulars.

886
01:06:40,703 --> 01:06:45,626
Like a Ferrari building kit, you got the look and feel of the real thing,

887
01:06:45,793 --> 01:06:48,628
but without the high price and maintenance costs.

888
01:06:48,795 --> 01:06:53,598
It all looked too good to be true for a while

889
01:06:53,766 --> 01:06:55,343
many believed it was a hoax.

890
01:06:57,888 --> 01:07:01,225
But soon everyone realized that the mythical giant modular,

891
01:07:01,391 --> 01:07:06,476
which they once saw Keith Emerson behind may take up residence in their home studio

892
01:07:06,645 --> 01:07:08,356
for a very reasonable price.

893
01:07:09,566 --> 01:07:11,901
In the late 90s, full-size modular synthesizers,

894
01:07:12,068 --> 01:07:16,615
that looked and functioned like a Moog became very popular,

895
01:07:16,781 --> 01:07:20,285
mostly thanks to people wanting to indulge their childhood dreams.

896
01:07:20,451 --> 01:07:25,766
These cars were new, equipped with advanced electronics, but at the same time

897
01:07:25,935 --> 01:07:27,918
looked familiar and cozy.

898
01:07:29,336 --> 01:07:33,131
However, for many, these new modulars
remained an unbearable burden,

899
01:07:33,298 --> 01:07:37,595
too big and impractical
still beyond the average musician's wallet.

900
01:07:41,931 --> 01:07:45,435
By the mid-2000s, many electronic musicians

901
01:07:45,601 --> 01:07:49,356
chose a device that in the majority
They already had cases.

902
01:07:50,398 --> 01:07:52,316
Our generation is perhaps the first

903
01:07:52,483 --> 01:07:55,988
who had a thing that cost a hundred bucks that you could play games on.

904
01:07:56,155 --> 01:07:58,990
And, unexpectedly, it can replace an entire studio,

905
01:07:59,156 --> 01:08:04,163
when I went to university, the computer was capable of being a studio.

906
01:08:04,330 --> 01:08:07,715
Yes, I think everyone has used them at some point at least

907
01:08:07,883 --> 01:08:08,958
everyone I know

908
01:08:09,125 --> 01:08:12,760
because back then it was fantasy come to life, to accommodate your entire studio

909
01:08:12,928 --> 01:08:13,963
to the computer

910
01:08:14,130 --> 01:08:16,300
after all, it would seem that this is what everyone was waiting for.

911
01:08:18,176 --> 01:08:23,348
Everyone does everything on one device, their laptop.

912
01:08:23,515 --> 01:08:28,061
And it's great, and it sounds good, without a doubt good.

913
01:08:28,645 --> 01:08:33,108
You have a soft CS80 that sounds great,

914
01:08:33,275 --> 01:08:38,308
and there is no real CS80, and there is no 20 thousand dollars to

915
01:08:38,476 --> 01:08:40,323
buy it, you understand.

916
01:08:42,618 --> 01:08:47,080
I started using Logic, Reason, Pro Tools,

917
01:08:47,246 --> 01:08:52,836
do everything on the computer, and then I had to work a lot with Excel,

918
01:08:53,003 --> 01:08:56,756
and that’s when I decided that I didn’t want to do music anymore

919
01:08:56,925 --> 01:08:58,383
touch the computer.

920
01:08:58,550 --> 01:09:01,720
When you sit behind this thing that you spend your whole life with,

921
01:09:01,888 --> 01:09:04,055
a state arises, they say, I’m tired, or I have

922
01:09:04,221 --> 01:09:06,620
I can't do anything with the track, don't care, I'll go

923
01:09:06,788 --> 01:09:07,435
I'll hang out on Facebook

924
01:09:07,601 --> 01:09:10,813
I'll see what my friends are doing. And so it always is.

925
01:09:10,980 --> 01:09:16,068
Perhaps people have decided that digital equipment has no soul,

926
01:09:16,235 --> 01:09:20,478
unlike analog, simpler, something to which

927
01:09:20,646 --> 01:09:22,198
you can touch it with your hands.

928
01:09:22,365 --> 01:09:25,696
I'm sitting at the computer and I think, yeah, that sounds cool,

929
01:09:25,865 --> 01:09:27,036
and the controls are convenient,

930
01:09:27,203 --> 01:09:31,536
I like the control and flexibility I have, but I

931
01:09:31,705 --> 01:09:33,126
I don't feel inspired.

932
01:09:34,001 --> 01:09:36,588
When it comes to music, I still

933
01:09:36,755 --> 01:09:40,765
I want to play music, it’s very difficult, you know,
feel like you're playing

934
01:09:40,933 --> 01:09:42,051
using a computer.

935
01:09:42,218 --> 01:09:45,596
It's a nightmare, really.
All this computer music is a nightmare,

936
01:09:45,763 --> 01:09:49,268
because of the ability to edit everything. People stopped just making music

937
01:09:49,435 --> 01:09:52,993
they tinker until they eliminate all the imperfections and blots,

938
01:09:53,161 --> 01:09:54,900
until all interest is lost.

939
01:09:56,066 --> 01:10:00,551
Despite their shortcomings, computer software synthesizers are for many

940
01:10:00,720 --> 01:10:02,488
were the best choice.

941
01:10:05,450 --> 01:10:09,196
However, the new equipment format will create a new approach to modular

942
01:10:09,365 --> 01:10:10,496
synthesizers,

943
01:10:10,663 --> 01:10:13,000
an opportunity for people to get to know them.

944
01:10:28,931 --> 01:10:33,050
There was a period when I wrote music,
and at the same time developed

945
01:10:33,218 --> 01:10:34,271
equipment.

946
01:10:34,438 --> 01:10:41,028
But very quickly I realized that I was a better developer than a musician.

947
01:10:48,951 --> 01:10:54,541
The company opened in 1992,
it consisted of one person.

948
01:10:54,708 --> 01:10:59,921
I had an oscilloscope at home,

949
01:11:00,088 --> 01:11:03,091
soldering iron and all that.

950
01:11:03,258 --> 01:11:08,888
A lot of people were looking for something new, and, well...

951
01:11:09,055 --> 01:11:12,768
although modular synths are not entirely new,

952
01:11:12,935 --> 01:11:17,521
everyone knows that there is Moog, EMS, and others.

953
01:11:17,688 --> 01:11:21,735
But I said we should
try to make them accessible.

954
01:11:23,903 --> 01:11:28,511
Dopfer developed a new form factor
for modular synthesizers, now

955
01:11:28,680 --> 01:11:29,951
known as Eurorack.

956
01:11:30,118 --> 01:11:35,665
Instead of adopting the standard five-unit height of the Moog,

957
01:11:35,831 --> 01:11:40,003
he used only three, making the system very compact.

958
01:11:40,503 --> 01:11:47,761
I remember the first time we demonstrated the A-100, in Frankfurt.

959
01:11:47,970 --> 01:11:54,810
When he told dealers he was going to make modular synthesizers,

960
01:11:54,976 --> 01:11:57,145
wants to bring them back to the market,

961
01:11:57,311 --> 01:12:02,483
they answered “yeah, okay, place them somewhere further away at the exhibition.”

962
01:12:02,650 --> 01:12:08,281
Everyone said, hey, modular synthesizers, no one needs this, let's

963
01:12:08,448 --> 01:12:12,035
at the beginning we will place our MIDI keyboards and all that.

964
01:12:12,201 --> 01:12:14,955
Well, guess where everyone went,
those who came to the exhibition,

965
01:12:15,121 --> 01:12:17,791
they reached to the end
to modular equipment.

966
01:12:17,958 --> 01:12:21,886
Because many, those who remembered them from those times,

967
01:12:22,055 --> 01:12:23,838
it was truly amazing.

968
01:12:24,423 --> 01:12:27,133
And I said, well, I told you so!

969
01:12:29,176 --> 01:12:33,598
In 2000 or so, I said, we got it.

970
01:12:33,765 --> 01:12:36,016
People are interested.

971
01:12:43,733 --> 01:12:49,068
In the early 2000s, when Eurorack and Moog 5U format modules became

972
01:12:49,236 --> 01:12:50,865
gain popularity

973
01:12:51,031 --> 01:12:57,330
Don Buchla released his 200e,
based on the 200 series from the 1970s.

974
01:12:57,496 --> 01:13:02,168
Nothing more than an attempt to revive the analogue.

975
01:13:07,548 --> 01:13:11,303
I studied electronic music exclusively on Moog instruments,

976
01:13:11,470 --> 01:13:13,305
although I, of course, knew about Buchla.

977
01:13:13,473 --> 01:13:15,806
But I saw it in person only when I bought this one.

978
01:13:15,973 --> 01:13:19,395
I had never tried it personally until I bought mine.

979
01:13:19,561 --> 01:13:23,240
What attracted me to this system, unlike traditional ones,

980
01:13:23,600 --> 01:13:26,443
like those sold on synthesizers.com,

981
01:13:26,610 --> 01:13:31,323
This is the design philosophy, the filling density of the modules.

982
01:13:31,490 --> 01:13:34,158
Each of these oscillators is a double oscillator,

983
01:13:34,325 --> 01:13:38,090
triple filters, envelope generators four at a time,

984
01:13:38,258 --> 01:13:39,205
here it is.

985
01:13:39,371 --> 01:13:43,841
Thanks to this density in modules, you get

986
01:13:44,010 --> 01:13:45,295
extensive functionality

987
01:13:45,461 --> 01:13:48,631
with small sizes, with small dimensions.

988
01:13:48,798 --> 01:13:54,011
This is, so to speak, one of the advantages of the Buchla philosophy.

989
01:13:58,308 --> 01:14:01,311
Modular synthesizers were truly experiencing a comeback,

990
01:14:01,478 --> 01:14:04,773
but for the first ten years, they remained a fairly niche market,

991
01:14:04,940 --> 01:14:08,401
supported mainly by a small, albeit dedicated community.

992
01:14:08,568 --> 01:14:12,800
But in recent years, modular synthesizers have begun to touch the edges

993
01:14:12,968 --> 01:14:14,240
mainstream.

994
01:14:21,873 --> 01:14:26,545
The annual NAMM show in Anaheim, California attracts more than 100,000 visitors,

995
01:14:26,711 --> 01:14:31,131
those who come to try out the latest new musical instruments.

996
01:14:38,515 --> 01:14:42,933
Paired with guitar amplifiers and karaoke systems
there are pavilions

997
01:14:43,101 --> 01:14:44,855
with modular synthesizers.

998
01:14:45,021 --> 01:14:47,648
Since Dopfer developed his format,

999
01:14:47,815 --> 01:14:51,966
number of companies developing Eurorack-compatible modules,

1000
01:14:52,135 --> 01:14:53,280
is growing steadily.

1001
01:14:55,615 --> 01:15:00,838
This is a very creative format in which you can take what you want,

1002
01:15:01,006 --> 01:15:02,121
install, try,

1003
01:15:02,288 --> 01:15:04,785
and if you don’t like it, sell this item

1004
01:15:04,953 --> 01:15:05,791
and take another one.

1005
01:15:08,336 --> 01:15:12,340
There are currently 45-50 different module manufacturers on the market,

1006
01:15:12,506 --> 01:15:15,801
even if some release only one or two modules.

1007
01:15:15,968 --> 01:15:20,306
This greatly influences choice and direction.

1008
01:15:20,473 --> 01:15:22,350
There are guys who make modules

1009
01:15:22,516 --> 01:15:27,146
looking at which I honestly can’t understand
how to use them.

1010
01:15:32,318 --> 01:15:36,181
There's something for everyone, I'm always amazed at the amount

1011
01:15:36,350 --> 01:15:37,573
new users,

1012
01:15:37,740 --> 01:15:42,395
who come and breathe life into all these strange ideas,

1013
01:15:42,563 --> 01:15:43,996
invented by different people.

1014
01:15:44,163 --> 01:15:47,571
Sometimes you come across very strange people who come up with their own modules,

1015
01:15:47,740 --> 01:15:49,085
and it’s very happy to see this.

1016
01:15:49,251 --> 01:15:51,588
Because the majority really

1017
01:15:51,755 --> 01:15:55,716
invests in his ideas, develops technologies.

1018
01:15:55,883 --> 01:15:57,760
It's not just about making money.

1019
01:16:02,598 --> 01:16:06,733
I am very happy for music in general, and for culture, which is gradually, little by little

1020
01:16:06,901 --> 01:16:08,370
is gaining popularity.

1021
01:16:08,438 --> 01:16:12,190
It's a positive sign that people are using their minds to make music,

1022
01:16:12,358 --> 01:16:13,610
thinking about her.

1023
01:16:15,528 --> 01:16:20,010
I have great respect for Dieter Dopfer for his
contribution to the revival of the industry

1024
01:16:20,178 --> 01:16:22,243
modular synthesizers.

1025
01:16:22,410 --> 01:16:27,775
He is not at all bothered by the other people creating

1026
01:16:27,943 --> 01:16:29,416
Eurorack modules.

1027
01:16:29,583 --> 01:16:34,463
He believes that this only expands opportunities and strengthens the industry.

1028
01:16:34,798 --> 01:16:41,430
Great competition for sales
has only a positive effect.

1029
01:16:43,473 --> 01:16:45,473
People were excited.
We have collected

1030
01:16:45,641 --> 01:16:49,020
I think twenty-five modules,
and sold them all in less than 24 hours.

1031
01:16:49,186 --> 01:16:51,898
I was impressed, it was something.

1032
01:16:52,065 --> 01:16:54,943
The first module I made for Make Noise was simply

1033
01:16:55,110 --> 01:16:58,271
mod mod, I made it for myself.
I didn't think anyone would want

1034
01:16:58,440 --> 01:16:59,573
buy them.

1035
01:16:59,740 --> 01:17:01,575
And they all went their separate ways
in about 12 hours.

1036
01:17:01,741 --> 01:17:04,786
It was crazy, very cool.

1037
01:17:05,911 --> 01:17:09,331
New manufacturers are appearing and taking up where others have stumbled.

1038
01:17:09,498 --> 01:17:13,378
And they do it inexpensively, by the way. They're not trying to, like, get into people's pockets,

1039
01:17:13,545 --> 01:17:16,840
who have already bought vintage goods and will happily shell out a tidy sum.

1040
01:17:17,006 --> 01:17:21,051
They are doing this essentially for young people, essentially in an attempt to get them off the plugins.

1041
01:17:22,261 --> 01:17:26,181
Eurorack is the perfect environment for experimentation.

1042
01:17:26,348 --> 01:17:30,238
This is partly a boutique industry, and small volumes mean that sometimes you can

1043
01:17:30,406 --> 01:17:32,063
come up with something very unusual.

1044
01:17:32,230 --> 01:17:35,980
You can come up with some cool technological thing, and

1045
01:17:36,148 --> 01:17:37,276
share it

1046
01:17:37,443 --> 01:17:41,448
with a large audience. And that's great.

1047
01:17:42,240 --> 01:17:45,951
I like the fact that it's all a mixture of different companies,

1048
01:17:46,118 --> 01:17:48,371
different logos, looks, perhaps,

1049
01:17:48,538 --> 01:17:52,458
kind of punkish, which is cool.

1050
01:17:53,418 --> 01:17:56,618
Guys can do this in the garage without having a giant

1051
01:17:56,786 --> 01:17:57,796
Japanese corporation

1052
01:17:57,963 --> 01:18:02,801
which will allocate funds for them to develop a tool that, by the start of production

1053
01:18:02,968 --> 01:18:06,005
will be cut down and trampled to the level of ordinary shit by some

1054
01:18:06,173 --> 01:18:07,140
board of directors.

1055
01:18:07,306 --> 01:18:10,685
Anyone can just file something and there it is.

1056
01:18:12,936 --> 01:18:16,148
Although the modulars have trodden their way to famous exhibitions,

1057
01:18:16,315 --> 01:18:19,711
for the average person the easiest way to try

1058
01:18:19,880 --> 01:18:20,903
modular synthesizers

1059
01:18:21,070 --> 01:18:25,625
is to attend one of the informal meetings that are often organized

1060
01:18:25,793 --> 01:18:27,243
local enthusiasts.

1061
01:18:30,830 --> 01:18:35,318
At this meeting in Berkeley, California, the visitors, no matter

1062
01:18:35,486 --> 01:18:37,086
with or without your own equipment,

1063
01:18:37,253 --> 01:18:42,050
can chat, exchange knowledge, or meet developers in person.

1064
01:18:55,438 --> 01:19:00,306
Eric Barbour, founder of Metasonix,
one of the famous developers,

1065
01:19:00,475 --> 01:19:02,320
working in Eurorack format.

1066
01:19:02,486 --> 01:19:05,865
And not only thanks to the bright yellow coloring of the panels.

1067
01:19:09,118 --> 01:19:12,038
His developments based on vacuum tubes are not just a gimmick.

1068
01:19:12,205 --> 01:19:16,033
Left without work, he decided to use his

1069
01:19:16,201 --> 01:19:18,211
unusual engineering experience in action.

1070
01:19:19,838 --> 01:19:22,131
Nobody needs a forty-five year old engineer?

1071
01:19:22,298 --> 01:19:27,011
With a very unusual skill set?
Vacuum lamps. Ominously.

1072
01:19:30,556 --> 01:19:32,933
I like Metasonix.

1073
01:19:34,393 --> 01:19:36,855
This is the perfect choice for us

1074
01:19:37,021 --> 01:19:38,898
because even some noise

1075
01:19:39,065 --> 01:19:40,983
never drowns in sound.

1076
01:19:44,611 --> 01:19:48,415
They have this fat, distorted character that makes them

1077
01:19:48,583 --> 01:19:50,160
impossible to get rid of.

1078
01:19:50,326 --> 01:19:53,913
My filters sound different
my oscillators sound different.

1079
01:19:54,081 --> 01:19:56,750
You can't make them not sound different.

1080
01:20:04,465 --> 01:20:07,260
The number of modules available now is staggering.

1081
01:20:07,426 --> 01:20:12,640
And for people who are keen, they
can form a bad habit.

1082
01:20:15,226 --> 01:20:19,600
Every day something new comes out
crazy modules that people simply cannot live without.

1083
01:20:20,065 --> 01:20:24,235
Sometimes I think, "Who's buying all this?"

1084
01:20:25,861 --> 01:20:30,450
Of course, I started with two small racks, but that didn't last long.

1085
01:20:30,616 --> 01:20:33,411
You buy one case and you get a lot of empty space,

1086
01:20:33,578 --> 01:20:36,330
and you think, damn, now you have to occupy him with something.

1087
01:20:38,123 --> 01:20:43,380
Phenotype of a person who wants

1088
01:20:43,546 --> 01:20:48,968
fill this closet, collect things, I understand where they come from.

1089
01:20:50,553 --> 01:20:54,181
If I had had this kind of access to Eurorack when I started, I probably would have

1090
01:20:54,348 --> 01:20:58,258
By now I would have lost all social life and contacts

1091
01:20:58,426 --> 01:21:00,313
with the outside world, that's for sure.

1092
01:21:00,813 --> 01:21:07,446
Some people enjoy collecting synthesizers as much as others enjoy collecting

1093
01:21:07,615 --> 01:21:09,280
porcelain figurines.

1094
01:21:09,446 --> 01:21:13,285
I don't see any difference between them.

1095
01:21:13,451 --> 01:21:18,915
I know that a considerable part of what I make becomes furniture,

1096
01:21:19,081 --> 01:21:22,335
I can imagine that someone just
I like the flashing lights.

1097
01:21:22,501 --> 01:21:24,795
It's probably possible to make a patch that

1098
01:21:24,961 --> 01:21:27,923
It doesn't make a sound, but it flashes very nicely.

1099
01:21:31,343 --> 01:21:33,680
A kind of conveyor belt with new modules,

1100
01:21:33,846 --> 01:21:35,848
appetite quencher.

1101
01:21:36,473 --> 01:21:41,061
I don't have a cool car or anything
but there are all these synthesizer modules.

1102
01:21:41,228 --> 01:21:43,105
The world of modular synthesizers,

1103
01:21:43,271 --> 01:21:47,693
these are mostly boys playing with technology.

1104
01:21:48,026 --> 01:21:50,280
I often say, save a little

1105
01:21:50,446 --> 01:21:53,073
money for shoes for your children.

1106
01:21:53,240 --> 01:21:55,576
It's very addictive, like a black hole.

1107
01:21:55,743 --> 01:21:58,913
You know, it's time to stop buying
devices and start using them.

1108
01:21:59,080 --> 01:22:02,708
Good luck to these hermits who have houses

1109
01:22:02,875 --> 01:22:07,046
system for two hundred units.
Finally press the record button.

1110
01:22:11,926 --> 01:22:14,470
I have never been so passionate about anything in my life.

1111
01:22:14,636 --> 01:22:19,008
It's just like... I don't even know what to say

1112
01:22:19,176 --> 01:22:20,351
just crazy.

1113
01:22:22,811 --> 01:22:27,275
More.
I need more

1114
01:22:27,441 --> 01:22:33,800
and when I buy a new case for the studio, I sometimes say to myself,

1115
01:22:33,900 --> 01:22:38,170
Look, there's no room in this studio for another case,

1116
01:22:38,340 --> 01:22:44,166
For me it's a way to keep myself under control.
Because if I don't limit myself,

1117
01:22:44,333 --> 01:22:48,211
I can hardly stop, and it scares me.

1118
01:22:52,133 --> 01:22:56,005
While low-cost Eurorack-based systems
finally made modulars

1119
01:22:56,173 --> 01:22:57,846
accessible to a wide audience,

1120
01:22:58,013 --> 01:23:00,725
the market for exclusive systems still exists.

1121
01:23:00,891 --> 01:23:03,728
Like the formative years of Moog and Buchla,

1122
01:23:03,895 --> 01:23:08,983
modern manufacturers often install
direct relationships with your clients.

1123
01:23:13,696 --> 01:23:17,950
Working with them to create
unique, custom systems.

1124
01:23:20,953 --> 01:23:23,415
Some even deliver personally.

1125
01:23:45,018 --> 01:23:47,563
This is fucking synth.

1126
01:23:51,691 --> 01:23:55,588
The modern renaissance of modular synthesizers began with a desire

1127
01:23:55,756 --> 01:23:56,990
longtime lovers

1128
01:23:57,156 --> 01:24:01,368
finally owning a car once only available in dreams.

1129
01:24:07,250 --> 01:24:11,003
The Eurorack standard then attracted a new group of users,

1130
01:24:11,170 --> 01:24:14,548
a generation raised on laptops and digital tools,

1131
01:24:14,715 --> 01:24:19,268
looking for something new, and, ironically, finding it in the form

1132
01:24:19,436 --> 01:24:20,971
seemed outdated.

1133
01:24:23,725 --> 01:24:27,405
When I was introduced to Eurorack, it turned out to be much more

1134
01:24:27,573 --> 01:24:28,438
more accessible,

1135
01:24:28,605 --> 01:24:31,398
including financially, it was something that I

1136
01:24:31,565 --> 01:24:35,153
I could really put it together and it opened new doors.

1137
01:24:38,948 --> 01:24:42,535
Well, and of course, what’s really cool is stability.

1138
01:24:42,701 --> 01:24:45,746
If you have experience with conventional synthesizers,

1139
01:24:45,913 --> 01:24:48,833
then you are not used to thinking about replaceable components,

1140
01:24:49,000 --> 01:24:53,588
but with modulars it's like that, you can interact with anyone.

1141
01:24:53,755 --> 01:24:57,361
You learn to think differently, instead of buying some effect,

1142
01:24:57,530 --> 01:24:59,218
you can take a different type of VCA,

1143
01:24:59,385 --> 01:25:03,121
with linear and exponential curve, change one small

1144
01:25:03,290 --> 01:25:04,556
module in its

1145
01:25:04,723 --> 01:25:09,270
system, and it can radically change your sound,

1146
01:25:09,436 --> 01:25:11,981
or even the entire approach.

1147
01:25:12,648 --> 01:25:15,485
Cool, although I have no idea what it does.

1148
01:25:15,651 --> 01:25:18,938
Well, you see, it's not so bad, in a sense, there is

1149
01:25:19,106 --> 01:25:20,156
its charm.

1150
01:25:21,866 --> 01:25:28,246
As far as I can see, you can get a lot more with the Euro format.

1151
01:25:28,413 --> 01:25:31,696
More modulation options than you can handle

1152
01:25:31,865 --> 01:25:32,960
use.
That's all.

1153
01:25:33,126 --> 01:25:35,838
For example, Roland System 100M

1154
01:25:36,005 --> 01:25:40,213
I think this is one of the most interesting things that has happened in recent times.

1155
01:25:40,381 --> 01:25:41,051
five years.

1156
01:25:44,805 --> 01:25:47,725
Modulars have yet to return to public consciousness.

1157
01:25:47,891 --> 01:25:50,686
Mainstream culture resists their arrival.

1158
01:25:50,853 --> 01:25:53,438
But how long will this last?

1159
01:25:58,945 --> 01:26:01,906
Look at this one, I really like playing with it.

1160
01:26:02,698 --> 01:26:06,285
With firm confidence that these
amazing devices deserve

1161
01:26:06,350 --> 01:26:10,458
wide market, Andreas Schneider is trying to attract attention to them

1162
01:26:10,626 --> 01:26:12,208
retail stores in Europe.

1163
01:26:12,375 --> 01:26:15,878
This is all just the beginning, people come and say they just want

1164
01:26:16,045 --> 01:26:19,881
look around and I always say
you can touch everything and play everything.

1165
01:26:20,048 --> 01:26:21,156
Want to see more?

1166
01:26:21,325 --> 01:26:23,301
Interesting to see more, to see modular?

1167
01:26:23,468 --> 01:26:26,471
Okay, come with me, I'll show you.

1168
01:26:26,638 --> 01:26:30,893
I brought them to stores, and the stores did not handle them.

1169
01:26:31,060 --> 01:26:34,485
They said, oh, this is old analog junk, it’s easier for us

1170
01:26:34,653 --> 01:26:36,023
sell digital,

1171
01:26:36,190 --> 01:26:38,860
because here we need help, we need to show,

1172
01:26:39,026 --> 01:26:41,821
that they need to be connected with patches, and how to do it.

1173
01:26:41,988 --> 01:26:43,740
Otherwise they are not for sale.

1174
01:26:43,906 --> 01:26:45,533
Wow, what's going on here?

1175
01:26:45,700 --> 01:26:50,071
I said, okay, those who are interested can come and I will explain to them

1176
01:26:50,240 --> 01:26:51,330
all by myself

1177
01:26:51,496 --> 01:26:55,418
That’s what I started doing and opened my own store.

1178
01:26:56,418 --> 01:26:58,630
His famous store, Schneider's Buero,

1179
01:26:58,796 --> 01:27:03,008
serves as a link between the public and small module manufacturers

1180
01:27:03,175 --> 01:27:05,595
and other rare musical equipment.

1181
01:27:06,930 --> 01:27:09,056
This is a legendary, wonderful place,

1182
01:27:09,223 --> 01:27:12,760
it's not just a store, it's a gathering place for the community,

1183
01:27:12,928 --> 01:27:13,560
and that's great.

1184
01:27:15,061 --> 01:27:21,193
Andreas is very famous in the analog world,
at least here in Europe.

1185
01:27:23,528 --> 01:27:25,823
He has all the qualities that I don't have.

1186
01:27:25,990 --> 01:27:31,955
I think I'm a good developer and organizer,

1187
01:27:32,121 --> 01:27:34,915
I can organize production and all that,

1188
01:27:35,081 --> 01:27:38,878
but when it comes to contact with people,

1189
01:27:39,045 --> 01:27:43,340
Andreas is much better than me.

1190
01:27:44,758 --> 01:27:46,210
Who plays these instruments?

1191
01:27:46,378 --> 01:27:48,555
Who plays the music? And I found out that all these people

1192
01:27:48,721 --> 01:27:52,308
former DJs, or just music lovers,

1193
01:27:52,475 --> 01:27:55,898
not knowing the difference between A-flat and

1194
01:27:56,066 --> 01:27:57,230
before and so on,

1195
01:27:57,396 --> 01:28:01,108
or what kind of sound it is - they don’t talk about music, they live it.

1196
01:28:01,275 --> 01:28:05,278
They live for music and want to immerse themselves in it more, and so do I.

1197
01:28:11,243 --> 01:28:13,580
Look around the corner, look at the world outside.

1198
01:28:13,746 --> 01:28:21,295
It is dirty, disorderly, even the greenery is chaotic.

1199
01:28:21,461 --> 01:28:26,425
This is how it looks from my point of view.

1200
01:28:26,591 --> 01:28:30,263
You need to create your own chain

1201
01:28:30,430 --> 01:28:35,308
and if you removed something from the chain,
she will no longer be the same as she was.

1202
01:28:37,436 --> 01:28:40,940
All these things, they influence each other, they speak

1203
01:28:41,106 --> 01:28:43,735
with each other, a conversation ensues between them.

1204
01:28:43,901 --> 01:28:46,320
This is a modular synthesizer.

1205
01:28:46,486 --> 01:28:50,491
Each module has its own purpose, and by connecting them together,

1206
01:28:50,658 --> 01:28:53,535
you create a dialogue between them.

1207
01:28:55,496 --> 01:28:58,123
Almost half a century after its creation,

1208
01:28:58,290 --> 01:29:03,378
modular synthesizers are once again finding a place in our cultural landscape.

1209
01:29:03,545 --> 01:29:07,110
But in order to finally gain public recognition, which, in the opinion of

1210
01:29:07,278 --> 01:29:08,635
they deserve a lot

1211
01:29:08,801 --> 01:29:13,178
modular synthesizers will have to leave the studio and take over

1212
01:29:13,346 --> 01:29:14,765
place on stage.

1213
01:29:14,931 --> 01:29:17,893
Where the public can enjoy the sight of many pens,

1214
01:29:18,060 --> 01:29:23,775
switches, wires and express
understanding rather than confusion.

1215
01:31:04,500 --> 01:31:08,208
Half a century ago, when Robert Moog and Don Buchla developed

1216
01:31:08,376 --> 01:31:09,546
modular synthesizer,

1217
01:31:09,713 --> 01:31:13,746
they have given us an incredible sound creation tool that can change

1218
01:31:13,915 --> 01:31:15,343
music forever.

1219
01:31:18,013 --> 01:31:21,743
But were we ready to extract
benefit from this gift?

1220
01:31:21,911 --> 01:31:24,853
We let the modulars slip away from us

1221
01:31:25,020 --> 01:31:29,191
too fast for technology
managed to become comfortable and convenient.

1222
01:31:30,776 --> 01:31:35,363
Now, thanks to those who never stopped caring for them,
to those who kept them alive

1223
01:31:35,530 --> 01:31:40,326
and to those who have recreated them, both in familiar and startling new forms,

1224
01:31:40,493 --> 01:31:43,956
It became abundantly clear that modular synthesizers were in revolt.

1225
01:31:44,123 --> 01:31:48,335
And now their golden age is coming.

1226
01:31:50,045 --> 01:31:54,133
They brought magic back to the synth world,

1227
01:31:54,300 --> 01:31:57,553
lost in Korgs, Yamahas, Rolands,

1228
01:31:57,720 --> 01:32:02,766
and the same type of meaningless sampler-scratch nonsense.

1229
01:32:03,976 --> 01:32:08,143
The idea is to start with one very simple sound,

1230
01:32:08,311 --> 01:32:09,356
from the oscillator,

1231
01:32:09,523 --> 01:32:11,358
and change everything and nothing in it

1232
01:32:11,525 --> 01:32:14,723
none of this is predetermined, you control every aspect of the sound,

1233
01:32:14,891 --> 01:32:15,863
and I really like it

1234
01:32:16,030 --> 01:32:19,283
this idea, the ability to create something from scratch.

1235
01:32:19,450 --> 01:32:22,911
When you assemble a modular, taking as a basis the options you need,

1236
01:32:23,078 --> 01:32:25,498
it opens the door to a whole new world.

1237
01:32:25,665 --> 01:32:28,831
You are not held back by the limitations of a device that

1238
01:32:29,000 --> 01:32:30,376
someone came up with it for you,

1239
01:32:30,543 --> 01:32:33,840
you think about what should be in this device for you.

1240
01:32:34,006 --> 01:32:38,378
I can upgrade my system by buying a new filter for a couple of hundred

1241
01:32:38,546 --> 01:32:39,803
bucks or so

1242
01:32:39,970 --> 01:32:41,930
and not one will be like the other.

1243
01:32:42,723 --> 01:32:46,935
I can see why this is so cool.
I understand why it's so easy to get carried away

1244
01:32:47,103 --> 01:32:48,520
and now you have a choice.

1245
01:32:48,686 --> 01:32:51,023
Do you want digital oscillators?
Receive and sign.

1246
01:32:51,190 --> 01:32:54,151
Do you want everything completely analog?
You can go this way.

1247
01:32:54,318 --> 01:32:59,031
People highly value modulars for their endless possibilities,

1248
01:32:59,198 --> 01:33:03,243
the unparalleled sound palette they can create.

1249
01:33:03,410 --> 01:33:05,830
I once believed that sooner or later, software

1250
01:33:05,996 --> 01:33:08,415
synths can be as good as the real thing.

1251
01:33:08,581 --> 01:33:10,583
I don't believe in it anymore.

1252
01:33:10,751 --> 01:33:15,338
What we are seeing is an explosion of ideas
the revolution is happening right now.

1253
01:33:15,505 --> 01:33:20,051
I think we humans have a lot more fun than we care to admit.

1254
01:33:20,218 --> 01:33:22,028
It's nice. It's nice to cost the city,

1255
01:33:22,196 --> 01:33:25,473
cars, musical instruments, and powerful sound systems.

1256
01:33:25,640 --> 01:33:29,561
And we do a lot simply for the pleasure of the process.

1257
01:33:29,728 --> 01:33:35,178
When a generation sees the examples of the previous generation, it

1258
01:33:35,346 --> 01:33:37,445
also wants to participate in this.

1259
01:33:37,611 --> 01:33:39,988
Dance with it, use it.

1260
01:33:40,155 --> 01:33:42,908
And I think every generation should, without any pity

1261
01:33:43,075 --> 01:33:46,203
steal all the best from the previous generation.

1262
01:33:46,370 --> 01:33:49,206
This is their duty, this is their responsibility.

1263
01:33:54,000 --> 01:33:57,000
Film by Robert Fantinatto and Jason Emma
"I Dream of Wires"

1264
01:33:57,100 --> 01:34:00,000
Translation from English:
Jediroman