Keyboard and Synthesizers

Keyboard and Synthesizers

The Totally Cybernetic Jam

"Actual sounds are running out," says, Rick Wakeman, Yes keyboards player and solo album star. Rick feels that traditional instruments like the piano have just about had their day; they've been played to death. He thinks he can find the lost chord and that his new $20,000 custom Moog synthesizer is what he'll play it on once he finds it. "You can program it to record sounds and all sorts of things," he says. "A piano is a piano and that's that. As far as keyboards go, the Moog is the only instrument that's expanding. It's a fight to keep up with the new things happening. I don't think that the music becomes too scientific, because the person still has to do the programming." Mozart was not available for comment.

Whether you think there might still be a few chords left in the old piano or whether you're all for this new kind of music, you've got to agree that electronics has come to music. Much of it's been of the "Switched On Bach" variety, but that seems to be more the result of the equipment being in the wrong hands than anything inherently wrong with the process. Keyboards have always been part of rock - even central as a rhythm instrument to some styles such as those that came out of New Orleans in the late 50s. But getting a keyboard instrument across to an audience has become a tremendous problem which only electronics has been able to solve. As the level of guitar based sound has created the need for total music amplification, including the drums at this point, the piano, organ, and other keyboards have been faced with an increasingly difficult task: being heard. The piano especially has been a problem since the Hammond Organ with a Leslie Speaker has proved effective in competition with electric guitars and basses. The result was the development of many different devices for amplifying the piano sound ranging from simply installing a microphone over the piano to connecting the keyboard directly to a set of frequency producing electric circuits.

While work was going on to make the piano a rock instrument, capable of projecting in a live concert situation, a second set of problems had developed recording the piano in the studio. The wide range of frequencies that the piano produces over its three octave range is very difficult to record properly, necessitating expensive, ultra-sensitive microphones and a good deal of attention to spurious noise levels. The result being that if you want to record a piano in conjunction with the rest of a rock bandtrack, the sound is never as clear and responsive as you might want it. Again, the necessity of some electronic generation of the piano signal became apparent.

The original electric pianos were acoustic pianos with individual microphones or pickup elements placed over each string or reed that vibrated within the body of the piano. This proved more effective than placing a mike over the top of the piano, but it still presented problems: it was sensitive to temperature, humidity, and rough handling, so it didn't travel well. The next step was to eliminate the producing of sound by the mechanical vibration of a string or reed by hitting it with a padded hammer connected to a key. The development of transistorized circuitry which could generate tones had occured and it was incorporated into electric piano design.

A set of transistorized, circuits could just as easily produce a range of tones, the piano scale, as strings being hit with hammers. In fact they could produce the scale with more precision than the old method — a fact that could be considered one of the major drawbacks of the electric piano by old line purists, but then they probably hate the sound of the electric guitar.

Once this circuitry and electronic amplification was incorporated into the piano as an electrically amplified instrument it ceased to become a piano with respect to its playing properties, characteristics, and potential. Sure, you could still play it like a piano — producing an inhumanly perfect sound. But by crossing a few wires here, modulating the sound there, and various other bits of electronic wizardry, you could do any number of things that no piano had ever done.

While this was happening to the electric piano and the people who were playing it in rock, a number of scientists - mostly notably Robert Moog - were experimenting with the generation of sound by electronic circuitry. Voltage variations, frequency variations, and amplitude variations could be combined to produce sounds that man had never heard before and couldn't make himself - machine music.

These "synthesizers" could be activated by flipping switches, varying the potential of resistors, or through the keyboard arrangement that we're familiar with on the piano. This common meeting ground of the piano keyboard as an electric switch on the synthesizer and the last remnant of the old piano on the electric piano was where today's electric keyboard was developed. It's still possible to get an electric piano, organ, harpsicord, or otjier electric version of a" keyboard instrument. But these are just limited potential synthesizers - mini-synthesizers designed to do a special job. The total synthesizer can be amplified as loud as you want it, and there is no problem recording it in the studio. It can also be used to process the sounds of other instruments, as Roxy Music does, and can remember things from one concert to the next - like Rick Wakeman's.

Many people don't at all care for the concept of the synthesizer, the threat it holds of the machine's telling us what to do, telling us what the beat of the drum is that we're going to dance to. Well, somebody's still got to program it, and if you happen to like the programming, like all you Rick Wakeman fans, then you'll like the program. And besides, what other musical instrument can aiso check your bank balance and answer your phone while you're out of the house?

Electric Keyboards And Synthesizers

The following is a list of the electric pianos, organs, synthesizers, and other electronic music producers currently available:

Acetone (Sorkin Music Company, 370 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, New York 11787). Ace Tone is highlighting their new combo organ, the GT-7, as their latest top of the line professional model. The sound is similar to the Hammond B-3, but a lot lighter to lug around. The GT-7 has five lines of percussion, brass-mute, delay vibrato, pitch control, bass pedal keyboard, reverb; output is 25 watts RMS. The GT-7 comes complete with connectors for Leslie models 147 and 120.

ARP (ARP Instruments, Inc., 320 Needham Street, Newton, Massachusetts, 02164). You've heard the sound of the ARP on hits like Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" and Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." Other ARP users include Jerry Garcia, Pete Townshend, Gary Brooker, Sly Stone, and Mick Taylor.

ARP makes a number of snythesizers, ranging in size and price from the Pro Soloist to the Odyssey to the ARP 2500. The Soloist is typical of their well-built line. It's only 33 (inches) x 10x4, weighs 25 pounds, and has controls which include pitch change, speed, brilliance, volume repeat, vibrato, and octave transpose. You can create sound like oboe, sax, cello, fuzz guitar, banjo, steel drum, and so forth.

EKO (EKO, S.P.A. del fu O. Pigini & Company, Recanati, Italy). EKO makes a number of portable electric organs including their Tiger Mate D.L., Tiger 61R, and Corsaire SB. Check with your dealer for models available and prices.

ElectroComp (Electronic Music Laboratories, Inc., P.O. Box H, Vernon, Connecticut, 06066). There are three ElectroComp synthesizers presently available, starting with the 500 at $895, then the 200 at $950, finally the 101 at $1,295.

The EleetroComp Model 500 is a simple, very portable unit that is easy' to use and creates a number of interesting effects. There is a 44 note keyboard that has variable tuning so that it can be transposed over three octaves, a pitch bend, modulation oscillator, vibrato and timbre controls, mike amp, noise generator, audio oscillators, filter, and envelope generator. There is also a convenient patch panel for signals in apd out. The 500 can be expanded by inter-connecting it with the 200 or 400.

The EleetroComp Model 101 is a total synthesizer in a case weighing in at 29 pounds. Special features include an oscillator control to determine the type and amount of variation in pitch, a noise generator for creating sound such as wind, thunder, or percussive effects, a filter input mixer, a filer control, two envelope generators, amplitude shaper, output mixer, and other controls all neatly laid out on the board with the patch facilities strung across the top of the board.

Farfisa (Chicago Musical Instrument Co., 7373 North Cicero Avenue, Lincolnwood, Illinois, 60646). Farfisa has a great line of electric pianos and organs including their Electronic Spinet "Super Piano", their Matador/R portable electric organ with builtin amp, their Matador organ, and their VIP 345 organ. If you need a good, dependable portable organ or piano that's also lightweight, you can't go wrong with a Farfisa. See your dealer fqr prices.

Fender/Rhodes (Fender Musical Instruments, 1300 East Valencia, Fullerton, California, 92631). Fender/Rhodes pianos are excellent for rock with their cutting sound and potential for super amplification. The following models are available: Suitcase Piano with amp, 88 keys for $1,245; top only without amp, 88 keys for $850; Suitcase Piano with amp* 73 keys for $1,095, etc.

Hohner (M. Hohner, Inc., Andrews Road, Ricksville, New York 11802). Hohner makes a number of electric pianos and an item known as an "Organetta". This Organetta has 37 keys with a three octave range, metal reeds, variable volume control, resonator plate for tone, and weighs-only 8V2 pounds!

Kustom (Kustom Electronics, 1010 West Chesnut, Chanute, Kansas, 66720). Kustom is now making a Kombo II which is an electric organ, piano, and harpsichord all in one unit. There are two keyboards, 61 notes, with a full range of stops and tab controls for use as an organ; with the piano you simply push one tab and the upper keyboard gives you a piano sound while the lower remains an organ sound; for the harpsichord the same is done -upper keyboard harpsichord, lower organ. Controls include sustain, percussion, speed, reverb, vibrato, and a fast-slow switch for rotating speakers. List price is $2y495.

Mellotron (Dallas Arbiter [USA] Ltd., 24 Industrial Avenue, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458). First introduced in 1963, the Mellotron has been used by any number of groups including the Moody Blues, Stones, Hollies, Yes, Pink Floyd, and Kinks. The Mellotron is difficult to explain - it has been described as a series of controlled tape machines manipulated by a single keyboard. Each key relates to and when played activates a tape on which has been pre-recorded a single note of an orchestral instrument. Fqr example, if you want to play a flute, one key is

depressed, and you'll hear the sustained note of one flute but a real flute. If a five note chord is then played, the sound of five flutes will be heard playing in harmony. The same applies to violins and cellos. The Mellotron 400 model has these three basic sounds which can then be combined,' controlled and changed in pitch, and amplified. The end result is a full orchestra at your fingertips.

Moog (Moog Music, Inc., Academy Street, Box 131, Williamsville, New York, 14221). Moog makes a variety of synthesizers from portable units for studio and concert use to rooms full of components. At the lower end of the price range are the Sonic Six ($1,195), the Minimoog ($1,495), and the Synthesizer 12 ($2,595). The Sonic Six is the neatest of them all, complete with all controls and a keyboard built-in to a molded plastic case. One of the things about the Moog series is that you don't have to use just the keyboard to create your effects. Moog has a number of other signal initiators including a percussion controller (looks like a snare drum) which you hit to create the signal to be processed ($199.95), a ribbon controller that looks like a miniature runway of rubber which you run your hand along to create signals ($199.95), plus foot pedal controllers and other ,extras.

If you're seriously interested in getting a Moog, you should get their catalog, see what they have available, and how the equipment you want to buy can be added onto, modified, and inter-connected with other equipment as you become more capable of using the Moog to its and your full potential.

Rhythm Ace (Sorkin Music Company, 370 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, New York 11787). That's right, a Rhythm Ace. It's a little box that creates percussive effects and is, therefore, a specially designed synthesizer. There are half a dozen Rhythm Ace models available, both with and without amps and speakers, which will produce unlimited sound patterns (from cow bells to bass drums) which you control.

Roland Synthesizer (Roland Corporation, address not available at press time.) Roland is making electric pianos, synthesizers, and rhythm units. Their SH-1000 synthesizer has a 40 key keyboard, pitch control, vibrato, envelope control, white noise generator and modulation generator among its capabilities. Their electric piano is a fully electric instrument,'which will also give harpsichord effects.

Synthi Hi-Fli (Musonic Inc., 7161 North Cicero Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60646). The Snythi Hi-Fli is a total rock sound effects unit in one package for $695. Effects include top boost, octave shift, fuzz and buzz, decay, attack, vibrato, and a modulator section. All the controls can be run through the top of the board or with optional foot pedals.

Univox Mini-Korg (Merson Musical Products, 33 Frost Street, Westbury, New York, 11590). If you want an inexpensive synthesizer to get started on, the Univox Mini-Korg at $499.50 may be just what you're looking for. It has a 37 note keyboard with a five octave range. Features include hi-lo pass filter, three waveforms, two-Speed phaser, instant set tabs for expand, bright, sustain, bend, repeat, vibrato; slide modifier circuits for volume, attack, percussion, pitch control, and other effects. The Univox Mini-Korg really is a mini, measuring 30 (inches) X 11 by 4% and weighing 17Vi pounds.