Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    Crazy as it might seem, I met a chap over the weekend who has a
    sort of wooden box, with animal gut stretched over it. As if this
    weren't odd enough, he then deploys another piece of wood, this
    time with horse hair stretched over it, and scrapes it across the
    first. Can you imagine what that sounds like?
    
    At this point, I think I must have lost my presence of mind, because
    I thought I heard him say that he has many friends, and they all
    get together with their boxes, hairs and guts, and scrape away
    simultaneously. He claims he has historical precedent for his actions.
    I think he's a loony.
    
    Richard.

    re: .0--The future lies in two directions.  One you predicted: the
    digital output of the synthesizers will be recorded directly on
    consumer media: CD and DAT.  This will bypass the D/A in the synth
    and the A/D in the digital recorder.
    
    The other direction will be the selling of MIDI sequences to consumers
    rather than audio.  One company has started doing this, in a fairly
    small way, and I predict others will follow as sequencers become
    common.
    
    The company is:
    
    	Micro-W Dist., Inc.
    	P. O. Box 113
    	Pompton Plains, NJ  07444
        (201) 838-9027
    
    I got the sequence for my contribution to Commusic II from this
    company.  I got a couple of advertising blurbs from them recently,
    which I'll forward to anyone interested.
        John Sauter

    Agreed.  Also, we seem to be moving toward a "tapeless" society where
    any audio recording will be done via A/D -> RAM -> secondary memory
    storage.  This being due to the cost of MIPS, A/D conversion, RAM,
    and secondary memory dropping as time progresses.  Someday, multitrack
    reel-to-reel decks, cassette decks, and dolby labs will be a thing
    of the past...
    
    Todd.

    Yes -- and no need for your own record collection. Just connect
    to the record company's database, and whizz the latest from Bob
    Dylan (yes, I believe he'll *never* give up) across the ISDN
    net and into your bit bin while you pour yourself a beer.

    On the other hand, even with all this fancy-schmanchy digital stuff,
    what we actually *hear* will still be coming out of good ol' mechanical
    speakers.  Anybody got the "next evolutionary step" for those?
    
    Rodney M.

    Music drugs....   Just do a hit of your favorite. 
    
    "Your honor, Mr. Cote was arrested for driving under the influence
    of Ornette Coleman."
    
    Edd

    
    Ornate who?
    
    "He was "doing" some Zappa and jumped out the window..."
    

    "OD'ed on Vanilla Fudge, poor soul"
    
    "He Clayderman'ed himself into smaltz heaven. tsk tsk."
    
    

    Obviously the way to get around speakers and amplifiers is to directly
    stimulate the inner ear, or better yet, the auditory cortex.  Feedback
    from the body's proprioceptors could be used to judge the listener's
    position and suitably alter the apparent sound image.
    
    I also expect that eventually music will be published as MIDI-like
    sequences.  If you're traditional enough to want sheet music, you'll
    just have to print it yourself.
    
    The future is simultaneously going to be far wierder than any of
    us can imagine and far more familiar than we'd hope.
    
    len.
    

    Re: .8    Direct inner ear/auditory cortex stimulation
    
    Do you think that would give the same "feel", tho?  I'm thinking
    of the "body" sensation of say, a bass part, almost literally "hitting"
    the listener; all over, not just in the ear.
    
    I dunno, I'm just curious.  Anybody know of any work in this area?
    
    Rodney M.
        
    
    

    re .9 - well that's easy, just appropriately stimulate the part
    of the brain that perceives that visceral impact.  I mean, after
    figuring out the audio (and video too?) the physical stuff should
    be easy...
    
    len.
    

    What would happen if I did some early Iggy Pop?
    
    Edd

    
    re. 9
    
    Yep I once hit somebody in the gut with a bass after a paticularily
    bad gig in Stoke U.K. Those of you who know the U.K. may understand
    this. The gentleman in question insisted on taking the forks out
    of our Farfisa, the only way we could get it to work was to stick
    forks in the lid! I used the bass in the gut concept to disuade
    him.
    				Paul 

    What is a Farfisa, and why is it necessary to fork one?
        John Sauter

    A Farfisa is a "combo" organ from the 60's. The sound "60's organ"
    that comes with the original DX-7 rom sets approximates it nicely,
    so you can have a listen, John. "Combo" in the sense of "rock combo",
    etc. An organ, like today's synths, that could be carried by one
    person, not the MANY required for a Hammond (the alternative organ
    of the times). Other companies also made combo organs. Among the
    most popular competitors was the Vox Continental.
    
    I have no clue or concept about the forks, however!!!
    
    
    	- Rick
    

    Yes, I believe Len is right - the days of those old fashioned audio
    speakers is numbered; I mean, hey, they won't even work in a vacuum.
    Only other problem I see in the future relates to the uncontrollability 
    demonstrated in the present associated with blowing up speakers.  We 
    must be careful that in the future we don't turn up the volume to 
    such excessive levels that we find out just how good a conductor our 
    left hemisphere really is.
    
    I do believe that the days of buying records and CDs will end soon.
    I have every inclination to believe that the record companies will
    allow us to download the latest and greatest music by the latest
    and greatest artists....oh yes, of course, I forgot to mention the
    cost.  Umm, well, let's see.  CD's are around $14, so they naturally
    must charge around $21 for each downloaded album, given the conversion
    costs associated with the Record-CD bridge.  Of course, the data's
    got to be copy protected.  Current advances toward the future has
    shown us dat...
    
    Todd.

    Oh swell, then the recording industry will be lobbying for a big
    'royalty payment' to be levied against EVERYONE who buys a terminal
    because downloading other artists' software will be the 'only'
    reason anyone would want a terminal.
    
    DEC's stock will plunge, we'll all be layed off and won't be able
    to afford any techno-toys. Civilization as we now know it will
    cease to exist (def. 'civilization' - n. people using MIDI) and
    the whole planet will plunge into 18% grey....
    
    This is true.
    
    Edd

    Re 13,14                             
            
    Hah !!                        
                                  
    So now we're beginning to find out who the real pro musicians were
    in the 70's. :-)       
                        
    You are absolutely right a Farfisa was the alternative to the Hammond
    back in the days of yore. Edd Cote would even think that they sounded
    to "cheesy" to be considered a real instrument. I think the Doors
    used one on "Light My Fire". But I Digress.
    
    The Farfisa was never a durable instrument at best and after a couple
    of years gigging, (ours was about 10 years old) used to get very
    inconsistent in the production of tone. I.E. no organ sounds at
    all.
    
    The cure for this was to insert a fork into the gap between the
    Lid. Just so much to generate enough pressure to bend the lid which
    must have exerted some pressure on some other internal components and 
    lo and behold this used to fix the problem. I have even seen Manfred
    Mann playing a Farfisa circa 68/9 with a fork stuck in the lid. 
                                             
    It had of course to be a specialised fork made in Sheffield. None
    of the Japanes or Hong Kong stuff could fix the problem without  
    snapping off and leaving a piece of metal in the lid.                        
                                                                     
    Now when I was a boy ................                
                                                         
                                     Paul                    
    							 
    
                 

    Hence the phrase, common among rock organists of the sixties,
    'That Farfisa's well forked'.

    I thought it was "That Farfisa's really forked up.".
    
    len (we had one in our '60s band too).
    

    
    What sort of Forks did you use Len ? 
    
    					Paul.

    Pitch forks, I should imagine.
    

    What kinda fork does one use with cheese?
    
    Edd 

	Ah...Farfisa organs.  I used one as a TV stand for a few years...still
have the volume pedal. 

	A friend was recently given two Farfisa organs (All he had to do was
move 'em) by the mother of a guy who used to play but now just stores junk at
her house.

	VOX also made a killer combo organ, very big in my neck of the woods.

    
    Unequivocal 60's keyboard players' position statement:
    
    	Farfisa was *never* an alternative to a Hammond.
    
        gak. ug. 
    
    
    
    

    re: .24
    
    > Farfisa was *never* an alternative to a Hammond
    
    I agree completely.  In fact before I even had $5 to spend on music
    equipment (my folks disowned me (musically) when I suddenly dropped
    my classical piano studies for rock) I had a (get this) Magnus 
    organ that when mic'ed and run through an overdriven amp sounded more 
    Hammond like than a Farfisa.
    
    It was the only keyboard I could have/afford in my dorm room.
    Ever try to practice Karn Evil 9 1st impression on a keyboard with just
    two octaves?
    
    	db
    
    P.S. For those of you too young to know or too old to remember,
         Magnus organs were made of plastic and made their sounds by
         running a fan and blowing air through plastic tubes.  My model
    	 probably cost about $20 new (I got mine (very) used.)
    
         HEY!!! It was better than nothing (although not by much)!

    I bought a Farfisa MiniCompact back in '66 when I was .. uh.. 4.
    
    .. the one with the knee volume control.. plus when the volume came
    up, so did the top end... I kept it for some reason for years.
    In 1981 I was robbed of a complete 4track home studio, speakers,
    everything... except the Farfisa ! They left it in the middle of
    the living room.
    
    Good taste knows no boundaries.
    
    km

    
    I have to disagree Ron on the alternatives argument.
    
    The Farfisa was definitlely and alternative to the hammond.
    
    For 2 reasons.
    
    1 The price difference was about 1000 pounds,
    
    2 When our keyboards player eventually got his c3 and leslie
      we had to invest in new transport.
    
    I would add that there was absolutely no similarity between the
    2 instruments sonicly. In fact I think the only similarity was that
    they both had keyboard.
    
    				Paul.
    
    P.S. I'me upset that after a year of trying I've managed to drag   
    you guys down to my level. I was hoping I'd get pulled up to yours.
                                                 

    But all this talk of forks does have its serious side. I mean, the
    sight, sound and smell of a C3, a motley collection of valve gear,
    guitars with cigarettes jammed under the top E string, and beer
    poured accidently into the back of a treble'n'bass is an essentiasl
    part of the general experience of the live reproduction of blues
    music. I mean, I bet the bass in the gut/forks in the farfisa incident
    is one of Paul's most treasured musical memories, and I'm sure it
    must have been the talk of the Kebab house after the show.
    
    There's a robust side to modern music that will always have its
    place, but in that place there's no room for a polytymbral TZ576/33
    rev 4.22 module, I fear. Perhaps Yamaha will come up with a DX7
    III, which has integral forking points and double-insulated beer
    inlets.
    
    On the other hand, perhaps they won't.

    
    Ok. I give up. 
    
    Why *DID* I cart around an L-100 instead of a Farfisa?
    
    5 nights a week. Well, usually we were at a club for
    at least a week....Once a week. During the summer.
    Hm, and once or twice a week during school (weekends).
    
    With a H-10 Leslie. (the "tall-boy"...about 6 ft tall. 200 watts)
    
    Just young and crazy. And ok, I admit you had to own a van.
    
    wouldnt change that for anything.....
    
    Owned a VOX befor the L.
    
    Owned a C3 after the L. (no. did *not* schlep this around.)
    
    The good old days. eh?
    

    
    re .-2
                   
    Or A Drum Machine which gets in the back of the van with the best
    looking girl at the gig ! Gets Drunk ! and can still eat a curry
    on the way back home.                 
                                               
                         		Paul
     
                                               
                   
    
    

    It's amazing how a topic entitled "Evolution of Musical Production"
    can turn into a trip down memory lane for everyone to reminisce
    about his first keyboard!  Oh, well, here's mine:
    
    I guess I'm too young or I bought my first instrument too late --
    Unfortunately I missed all the years of carting around a B3 with
    6' high leslies; or playing forked farfisas; or micing Magnus (?)
    organs !(hey, whatever works...).
    
    My first setup was the Crumar T1 organ with an MTI Rotophaser and
    Ampeg bass amp.  This organ was (I believe) the first good
    approximation of a hammond in a portable package -- it had 9 drawbars,
    five percussion stops, the whole bit.  And the rotophaser sounded
    great!  It was just a rotating horn enclosure, but could fool anyone
    for a full Leslie.
    
    Wow, gigs used to be real simple! . . .

    
    Rotophasor?
    
    Recant: I lied. Still have the leslie, and just measured it and,
    
    well, gee, its only 5ft tall. 
    
    Sure seemed taller from memory at work.
    
    Maybe I was shorter?
    
    Anyway. Ron Barth: This *IS* "evolution of musical production" (!)
    
    we'ze just focussing on LIVE production...
    
    get it?
    
    rr
    

    re 30
    
    Speaking of the back of the van, I seem to remember that our
    keyboard player used to keep his stock of forks there.
    
    At least, I _think_ that's what he used to say he was 'popping
    out to the van' for...
    
    Richard. 

    
    	You'll know somethings changed when you see laser energized
    speakers hooked up with fiber optic cables (that light up!)
    
    	JJJ

    
    Big deal.  I got my first drum at the age of 3.  I can remember
    it quite clearly...
    
    Well, I think we all miss the good old days of music when
    multi-timbral meant multiple tape overdubs, and a keyboard controller 
    was the guy who pressed the keys, and synths had a nice fat sound,
    and keyboard instruments heated the room (now we rely on digital 
    reverb units), and speakers had motors, and people had long hair.
    
    Hmmm, maybe I'll grow my hair out...
    
    Todd.