EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 65, Issue 08 This issue's topics: " Putney" /Soundbeam EML Recorded EML VCS3 "Putney" (8 messages) The Fate of EML (11 messages) The Fate of EMS. Ltd. VCS3 "Putney" Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 19:12:58 -0500 From: Matthew R Beron Subject: " Putney" Soundbeam Gee what is a Soundbeam? Is that too built by the Putney bridge? By the sound of its name I imagine a holster mounted hand held directional projecting synthisizing device. Can I witness one of these musical devices in America or must I sail to the Old World. ===-=--=--=----=-- Matt Beron beron001@maroon.tc.umn.edu |-=-=-====- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 10:02:22 CDT From: "Michael D. Whitten" Subject: EML Recorded John Rossi wrote: > Actually, Foreigner (the Cold As Ice solo, for example) is the only band I >can think of which used EML equipment. Personally, I feel that the EML-101 >was the most versatile synth of the period, however, there are sounds which >you can make with EMS equipment which can not be duplicated. When I was in > >John The Domain of EML Practitioners continues to be ruled by Allen Ravenstine of Pere Ubu. Foreigner...sheesh, John, give us all a break :-). Michael ---------------------------------------------------------- Michael Whitten | m-whit2@vm1.spcs.umn.edu | m-whit2@staff.tc.umn.edu | "Sentience is over-rated." ---------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 1994 23:56:31 -0500 From: Matthew R Beron Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" I remember an EML synth,it was in an e-music"lab"at the university in Moorhead Minnesota. I recall it was a wonderful synth, it was in a room with Buchala (sp?)and a group of Serge music modules. Enough to keep me bannana plugging for hours.. drifting pitch ocillators and all. Do you remember which 70's band used one of those VCS3 synths ... some band back then credited the VCS3 on the jacket of the record album,if i'm not mistaking...the EML and the VCS3 are different instruments. Can anyone tell me about a synth called a "putney" probably from the same era I do not know if that is it's real trade name or if it is a nickname.I think it had some kind of matrix patch bay..anyone play with a synth like this? Are any of these above mentioned synth companys still active ?Just wondering too. Matt Beron beron001@maroon.tc.umn.edu On Thu, 23 Jun 1994, Stephen Deutsch wrote: > >G'day, all... > > > >Does anyone know of the fate of Electronic Music Laboratories, a synth > >company from the 70's? I owned a tiny synth (my first), that had 3 > >oscillators (one was a dedicated HFO, one a HFO/LFO, one a dedicated > >LFO), a bunch of knobs, and a patch board. A very "synthy" synth (to > >use a term from an earlier thread), which even had Ring Modulation. I > >wish I still had her. :-( > > > >Harry Haecker (haeckerh@nwrc.gov) > > > Are you thinking of Electronic Music Studios, Ltd, who made the VCS3 and Synthi? > I still have one, and it's great (although almost useless for anything > except earli Sci Fi sounds. > > s deutsch > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Jun 1994 00:11:42 CDT From: HARRY HAECKER Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" >...it was enough to keep me bannana plugging for hours... I love it! I never heard that term before :) Do I have to credit you when I casually use it at the next cocktail party I'm at? Going through my old albums to search for one which might feature a EML, I picked up Wakeman's "Six Wives". Nope, none there; however, I noticed that Wakeman credits the use of a "custom built Oscillator". For some reason, I bet there's a story there somewhere. When I first bought that album in the *early* 70's I remember drooling over the Holy Sight of Him surrounded by so many doubly-stacked keyboards. I still get a goose bump or two ! HFPH ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Jun 1994 00:57:18 -0500 From: Matthew R Beron Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" Bannana plugs are a style of patch cord that are not used too much any more, at least in my experience. What was so much fun about bannana plugs was that they stacked up one on top of the other and from the side if I'm not imagining it. So you could patch a patch Dr.Frankenstein would not dare do. Plugs on top of plugs,enjoying the sculptural aspects as much as the aural... sitting in a tangle of multi colored patch cords.. surrounded by an equal if not greater tangle of noise. :') OH by the way Harry feel free to use the expression no credit due! ===-=--=--=----=-- Matt Beron beron001@maroon.tc.umn.edu |-=-=-====- On Sat, 25 Jun 1994, HARRY HAECKER wrote: > >...it was enough to keep me bannana plugging for hours... > > I love it! I never heard that term before :) Do I have to credit you when > I casually use it at the next cocktail party I'm at? > > Going through my old albums to search for one which might feature a EML, > I picked up Wakeman's "Six Wives". Nope, none there; however, I noticed > that Wakeman credits the use of a "custom built Oscillator". For some > reason, I bet there's a story there somewhere. When I first bought that > album in the *early* 70's I remember drooling over the Holy Sight of Him > surrounded by so many doubly-stacked keyboards. I still get a goose bump > or two ! HFPH > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 10:37:48 -0500 From: Joe McMahon Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" > ... drifting pitch ocillators and all. Remind me to post my "Top Ten Reasons Analog Is Better Than Digital" sometime. > >Do you remember which 70's band used one of those VCS3 synths ... some >band back then credited the VCS3 on the jacket of the record album,if i'm >not mistaking... Well, Pink Floyd used several on "Dark Side of the Moon". EML was apparently still in business producing the VCS3/Putney (same box, different name) as of last year. Very expensive, though. --- Joe M. -- "Will somebody get the cat off the fender Rhodes?" (MST3K) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 16:07:00 PDT From: "Rossi, John" Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" EML and EMS are entirely different companies. EML was an American company located in Vernon CT, EMS was/is a British company located in London. The Putney synthesizer was made by the British company EMS. It was called the Putney because the manufacturing location was Putney Bridge Rd. in London. The actual designation was VCS-3. All of the early EMS components are similarly named after geographic locations in the area of the factory (Crickelwood, etc). The EMS synths were, in fact, used quite extensively by Pink Floyd in the early days. Pete Townshend also used one for the synth sounding part of Won't get Fooled Again but it wasn't a synthesizer but an organ treated using the VCS-3's filter. Of course, every space band from Hawkwind to Tangerine Dream used EMS synths. EML synths are represented a lot less frequently in the Rock band 70's. Actually, Foreigner (the Cold As Ice solo, for example) is the only band I can think of which used EML equipment. Personally, I feel that the EML-101 was the most versatile synth of the period, however, there are sounds which you can make with EMS equipment which can not be duplicated. When I was in the band Coitus/Afterglow, I brought both an EML-101 (with PolyBox) and a EMS Synthi-AKS (basically a VCS-3 in a suitcase with a digital ssequencing keyboard), along wth my MiniMoog and Sequential Pro-1 to each gig. Oh, the time I spent a' tuning. John ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 22:03:42 +0100 From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" >EMS was/is a British company located in London. Still going. Building and shipping Soundbeams. Dancers love 'em. Nick Rothwell CASSIEL Contemporary Music/Dance nick@cassiel.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 17:30:35 -0400 From: Nicholas J Patterson Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" On Wed, 29 Jun 1994, Nick Rothwell wrote: > >EMS was/is a British company located in London. > Still going. Building and shipping Soundbeams. Dancers love 'em. > > Nick Rothwell CASSIEL Contemporary Music/Dance nick@cassiel.com Sounds interesting -- are they motion-sensitive triggers? And while on the topic, would anyone care to comment on their experience using motion- and other sensitive triggers in their work? Good products, custom-made stuff, problems, etc....I'd like to hear this group's experience....especially cheap, garage-style set-ups :) ! Nick Patterson Columbia University Music Library ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Jun 1994 11:16:40 -0400 From: Bob Ceely Subject: Re: EML VCS3 "Putney" Dear Nick"';; Way back in l965 Bob Moog designed some antenae type triggers for Merce Cunningham.You might write him a letter Hope all is fine. I enjoy your constant communications. Cheers. B. CEEEEEEEEEEEELY ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 12:53:13 LCL From: "Colin T. Smith" Subject: Re: The Fate of EML My very first electronic music course in college was using a 1968 (I think) Moog where you had to use patch chords to connect what oscillators, VCFÕs, VCAÕs, etc. That, to me was the best way to learn synthesis and how combining different wave shapes controlled your sound. It helped when learning things like how FM synthesis and other forms worked. Colin. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 08:27:43 CST From: "Harry F.P. Haecker" Subject: The Fate of EML G'day, all... Does anyone know of the fate of Electronic Music Laboratories, a synth company from the 70's? I owned a tiny synth (my first), that had 3 oscillators (one was a dedicated HFO, one a HFO/LFO, one a dedicated LFO), a bunch of knobs, and a patch board. A very "synthy" synth (to use a term from an earlier thread), which even had Ring Modulation. I wish I still had her. :-( Harry Haecker (haeckerh@nwrc.gov) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 15:10:05 +0000 From: Stephen Deutsch Subject: Re: The Fate of EML >G'day, all... > >Does anyone know of the fate of Electronic Music Laboratories, a synth >company from the 70's? I owned a tiny synth (my first), that had 3 >oscillators (one was a dedicated HFO, one a HFO/LFO, one a dedicated >LFO), a bunch of knobs, and a patch board. A very "synthy" synth (to >use a term from an earlier thread), which even had Ring Modulation. I >wish I still had her. :-( > >Harry Haecker (haeckerh@nwrc.gov) Are you thinking of Electronic Music Studios, Ltd, who made the VCS3 and Synthi? I still have one, and it's great (although almost useless for anything except earli Sci Fi sounds. s deutsch ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 11:58:26 EDT From: "Waldron M. Faulkner" Subject: Re: The Fate of EML >Are you thinking of Electronic Music Studios, Ltd, who made the VCS3 and Synthi? >I still have one, and it's great (although almost useless for anything >except earli Sci Fi sounds. > >s deutsch My first synth was a monophonic, 32-key Moog Rogue, which I won at a drawing at my local music store during a Moog "clinic" where they were hawking MiniMoogs. I was a guitarist only, back then, but put the thing to good use in my band, using it primarily for wind and helicopter sound effects. The thing proved essential to my later understanding of more sophisticated synths. Anyone familiar with the Rogue? - Waldron M. Faulkner ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 12:15:33 CDT From: Charlie_Stokes@ORATQM.CFA.ILSTU.EDU Subject: Re: The Fate of EML Reply to: RE>The Fate of EML >Does anyone know of the fate of Electronic Music Laboratories, a synth >company from the 70's? I owned a tiny synth (my first), that had 3 >oscillators (one was a dedicated HFO, one a HFO/LFO, one a dedicated >LFO), a bunch of knobs, and a patch board. A very "synthy" synth (to *use a term from an earlier thread), which even had Ring Modulation. I *wish I still had her. :-( *Harry Haecker (haeckerh@nwrc.gov) I think you are remembering the EML "Electro Comp." I got a chance to work with one long about 1973 or so and at the time it was just amazing for the price. I do not remember what happened to the company but if you are that interested I think this instrument has been covered in the various Vintage Synth articles in Keyboard within the past few years Charles Stokes cfstokes@ilstu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 18:32:09 +0000 From: Stephen Deutsch Subject: Re: The Fate of EML >My very first electronic music course in college was using a 1968 (I think) >Moog > where you had to use patch chords to connect what oscillators, VCF%s, VCA%s, > etc. That, to me was the best way to learn synthesis and how combining > different wave shapes controlled your sound. It helped when learning things > like how FM synthesis and other forms worked. > >Colin. Of course, we old timers can remember when there was no such thing even as a Voltage Controlled Synthesizer. Back in those days we used Buchla devices which had little gates. In those days people who made music with electronics usually came from a techno background, and were pretty hostile if a real musician asked questions (this is true more of the *classical* electronic music area). When FM came in, everybody could get into the act, and many did, causing some wonderful things to happen. It also meant that some of the lesser Stockhausens had to dig big trenches. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 13:14:19 CST From: "Harry F.P. Haecker" Subject: The Fate of EML >My very first electronic music course in college was using a 1968 (I >think) Moog where you had to use patch chords to connect what >oscillators, VCF!s, VCA!s, etc. That, to me was the best way to >learn synthesis and how combining different wave shapes controlled >your sound. It helped when learning things like how FM synthesis >and other forms worked. >Colin. Although I've never taken any e-music courses (but would _love_ to, someday), I imagine that starting from "patch cord sysnthesis" is the way to begin. At Louisiana State University's electronic music concert series, Dr. Stephen Beck's keyboard-less synth is usually featured. That always impresses me and seems to be a more visceral way of having artistic communion with an electronic instrument than simply programming a digital patch, which can seem almost clinical. The unexpectedness of what sound you can end up with by plugging and unplugging patch cords is really cool. Not that I'm gonna sell my k2k or tg77 just yet... HFPH haeckerh@nwrc.gov) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Jun 1994 08:52:47 -0400 From: Bob Ceely Subject: Re: The Fate of EML The EML group of SYNTHESIZERS began with the EML 200 which was a phone plug patch cord synth. Then the 10l which was their answer to the ARP 2600 (a better answer, I might add). Soon the 100 and 101 were followed by the EML 400 SEQUENCER which csame in increments of 16 stages.We still have a 96 stsage SEQUENCER. At any rate the demise of EML in VERNON,CT...is a sad tale which I don't wish to talk about in public. They never used banana plug patchg cord as did the BUCHLA. The also made an EML 300 and EML 301 push buytton voltage controller for the other synths. A good company with minimum hype. Frank ZAPPA had an EML 101. The best source for all this is-I might add- My own ELECTRONIC MUSIC RESOURCE BOOK. CHEERS ROBERT CEELY ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 09:58:00 PDT From: "Rossi, John" Subject: Re: The Fate of EML To the best of my knowledge, there was never a 3-oscillator EML synth (unless that guitar-like thing they almost (Syntar?) marketed) had three. The 200 had 2 and a control (non VCO) oscillator and was no small synth (3' wide, 2'high, 1.5' deep). The 101 had 4!!! VCOs. I think you must be referring to the EMS Synthi. BTW, only a techno-weenie would consider that a synthi was good only for si-fi sounds ;-). I'll be glad totake it off your hands if you are that unappreciative of it. John ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 11:42:12 CST From: "Harry F.P. Haecker" Subject: Re[2]: The Fate of EML >To the best of my knowledge, there was never a 3-oscillator EML synth >(unless that guitar-like thing they almost (Syntar?) marketed) had three. I'm positive that it had three, because (as I indicated before): 1 was a HFO (probably not the correct term, but anyway, couldn't be used to control another osc.) 1 could be switched to be either a LFO or HFO 1 was a dedicated LFO It was like a suitcase: the top half lifted up and sat on the back edge of the keyboard, and was where the phone plugs inserted into. Mine was a small keyboard...approx 2'x 1.5'x 1'. I remember that it was EML because I had romantic visions of some kind of Frankenstein Laboratory (accent on the 2nd syllable :) ) where I would've dearly loved to lose my soul for the cause of synthesis. >BTW, only a techno-weenie would consider that a synthi was good only for >si-fi sounds ;-). I'll be glad to take it off your hands if you are that >unappreciative of it. You must be referring to someone who wrote me back, earlier in this thread. I bought it in 1980 from a composer someone out there might know: Jim Oliverio. He ended up wanting it back 6 months later, when I had to divest myself of my equipment. Anyway, I digress. Thanks to all for your comments on my soljourn down memory superhighway. Harry Haecker (haeckerh@nwrc.gov) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 1994 15:41:16 -0400 From: Bob Ceely Subject: Re: The Fate of EML The EML L00 and EML 101 both had four oscillators. The EML 200 had three. Havew a nice day. R, Ceely ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 09:56:32 CST From: "Harry F.P. Haecker" Subject: The Fate of EMS. Ltd. >Are you thinking of Electronic Music Studios, Ltd, who made the VCS3 and >Synthi? I still have one, and it's great (although almost useless for anything >except earli Sci Fi sounds. >s deutsch Hmm, I could very well be mistaking the name: it's been about 15 years and approx. 500 million brain cells ago... Yeah, mine was great for elementary learning about ASDR's, LFO's, simple filtering, envelopes, etc., and served to heat up my desire for more complicated machines. They must've gone out of business, right? I've noticed quite a surge of interest in the old machines; I'm sure in some circles it never died. It's understandable, since IMHO, humans tend to wax nostalgic over concepts thru ~20 year cycles. It was great twiddling dem knobs, though. Had to sell it for tuition--WHAT dedication! :-* later, HFPH (haeckerh@nwrc.gov) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Jun 1994 12:52:41 -0800 From: Brian Fredrickson Subject: Re: VCS3 "Putney" I'm afaraid I came into this conversation a little late so forgive me if I tell you something you already know. The Putney was the nickname for the model VCS3 made by EMS not EML another synth manufactuer. It was my very first synthesizer and one that still occupies a soft spot in my heart. Sad to say I don't own one any longer. It was manufactured in England and was used by numerous British artists. A couple more prominent uses of this machine was on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and a whole host of work by Brian Eno. I sold mine so I could purchase a series of Aries modules that I still use on occassion for sound design. The Putney was one of the first synthesizers that could actually be afforded by a normal person. They pioneered a velocity sensitive two note "polyphony" keyboard, recallable interconnects and a crude sequencer in the breifcase version of the Putney. A rather remarkable instrument for the time. Brian Fredrickson Audio Con Brio ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************