Wonderful Toys: the '70's

bigmoog · Post by **bigmoog** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:18 pm

useful site and forum:

http://www.vintagesynth.com/index2.html

Seeker_UK · Post by **Seeker_UK** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:35 pm

24db wrote:lol...just lucky that the article mentions it.

I'd love to know the truth behind some of Chris Franke's equipment claims (ie that he invented a sampler, but Bell beat him to the patent office by days)...this was in the early seventies btw (with Core memory for drum sounds I seem to remember, but it would have put TD lightyears ahead of what 99% of the competition where using at the time).

Ed Buller from Node also reckons that CF had that "core memory" sampler too.

24db · Post by **24db** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:37 pm

Seeker_UK wrote:
24db wrote:lol...just lucky that the article mentions it.

I'd love to know the truth behind some of Chris Franke's equipment claims (ie that he invented a sampler, but Bell beat him to the patent office by days)...this was in the early seventies btw (with Core memory for drum sounds I seem to remember, but it would have put TD lightyears ahead of what 99% of the competition where using at the time).
Ed Buller from Node also reckons that CF had that "core memory" sampler too.

well I'm quoting from Ed actually

...I used to know Ed, he met up with Chris in hollywood around about 1995 and had a chat about it

Seeker_UK · Post by **Seeker_UK** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:40 pm

24db wrote:well I'm quoting from Ed actually ...I used to know Ed, he met up with Chris in hollywood around about 1995 and had a chat about it

If you like, I'll find the quote fro SoS

24db · Post by **24db** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:47 pm

Seeker_UK wrote:
24db wrote:well I'm quoting from Ed actually ...I used to know Ed, he met up with Chris in hollywood around about 1995 and had a chat about it
If you like, I'll find the quote fro SoS

I think I can remember roughly what he said...but any extra info would be appreciated.

I found it:

Ed Buller:

..."A lot of modern synthesizer technology came from those people as well; they liaised with the back-room boys that built the stuff. Modern synthesizer development came from people like Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk building things specifically, and then that being reinterpreted later by manufacturers. The biggest mistake was sampling -- Christophe came up with this thing called 'core memory' where using a lot of magnets you write 1s and 0s into a magnetic programme, much like a digital memory but based on electro-magnetic currents. Using that he sampled -- and this was 1976 -- drum and voice sounds and had it on this little machine. He thought 'Christ, I should patent this', rang up the US patent office, and apparently Bell had beaten him to it for use in their phone messages."

whiteeagle · Post by **whiteeagle** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:26 pm

BRILLIANT ANDY

Thanks for collecting and accumulating the data toghether.
(I know I haven't visited the forum for a while being busy latelly)

As for the invention of the sampler, I agree that americans had already done experiments with sampling technology during the early '70's. But really CF had that custom sampling drum machine, before the US commercial available models (see earlier posts about CF equipment)
As for the EKO drum machine one friend of mine had one sometime in mid 90's and it was really primitive sounding with lights indicating every step (like reason

) and...punch card programming! I've got a card that my friend gave me back then and I will scan the card to upload the picture -it's cult!

24db · Post by **24db** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 10:48 pm

whiteeagle wrote:BRILLIANT ANDY
Thanks for collecting and accumulating the data toghether.
(I know I haven't visited the forum for a while being busy latelly)

As for the invention of the sampler, I agree that americans had already done experiments with sampling technology during the early '70's. But really CF had that custom sampling drum machine, before the US commercial available models (see earlier posts about CF equipment)
As for the EKO drum machine one friend of mine had one sometime in mid 90's and it was really primitive sounding with lights indicating every step (like reason ) and...punch card programming! I've got a card that my friend gave me back then and I will scan the card to upload the picture -it's cult!

No problem, it's good to help. Many thanks for the scan of the card mate:)