Michael Brigida, my favorite professor at Berklee! I took a synth sound design class with him and he always made the patches shine with his awesome keyboard playing.
He certainly was a great teacher for me, too! Al Perlman and Bob Moog came to Berklee in 1991ish(?) and he knew I was an analog nut. He said, "There's some folks you should meet in the hall" He took me to Bob, Al, and Ray Kurzweil (meh) all standing together and I felt like I was meeting rock stars! I mean ARP and Moog themselves! What a great teacher too. Also a huge 3 Stooges fan as am I, so how can he be anything but great?
Which Person? Mike Brigida? www.berklee.edu/people/michael-brigida Al is still with us but he's about 93 and wasn't seen during the Korg/ARP revival in 2015 so I'm afraid he might be not well or just sick of it all. Here's a look into the death of ARP synthesizers. Al lost a fortune. I hope he's well since Mr Moog and Buchla are now gone, he's one of the original synth gurus but doesn't get the press he deserves. David Friend is there working with Korg. I hope Al gets a chunk from the use of his name. Probably not. I'd love to read an interview/life story before we lose him.
John Shykun, who is the guy on the far right at the beginning of the video worked for a number of synthesizer companies in the 1980s. In the red cover "Vintage Synthesizers" book that was put out in the late 1980s by Mark Vail, John Shykun is seen in a black and white photograph standing next to Ray Kurzweil at a NAMM show the 1st year the Kurzweil 250 went into production.
Arp was a great company. I started doing factory service for them in about 1972 ish when the 2600 and Odyssey were just out. Their national service manager was Phil Dodds who really put them on the map by holding service "schools" nationwide to support the instruments. When Close Encounters of the third kind came out Speilberg rented a 2500 for the trademark sound to communicate with the aliens. Phil Dodds is the guy on screen playing the 2500 in the movie. He wouldn't tell me how much he made for that short shot but said he "did OK".
There are two things that come immediately to my mind. First, this is a lovely example of imitative synthesis and truly shows how the way you perform a given sound is much more important than the quality of the sound itself. Second, there are plenty of comments here about how today you can do the same with this or that synth, but you forget the key ingredient: the musicianship. Without that you won´t get really far at all and with it it doesn´t really matter what gear you use.
mootbooxle Have to agree! In the comparison you did a while ago on You Tube between ARP and Moog bass, I had to give the ARP the edge. I hadn't expected that outcome, but that was something about the ARP that just cut through and dominated!
No f'ing kidding! I'm not a synthesist or anything, but ARP synths have this edge over any Moog I've heard out there. You can still spot one in a song, to this day and you JUST KNOW, that wasn't a Moog, it's was an ARP that you just heard on your radio, CD player or phone! I still think that the 2600 sounded better for the more, dare I say "commercial songs?" than any of the Moog modulars available when they were all new. I think the Odyssey sonically felt and sounded better than my beloved Minimoog. I am referring to the most popular radio hits of the day throughout the 1970's. We heard the 2500, 2600, Odyssey, and the Pro Soloist A LOT during that decade.
Thats some amazing left hand walking bass playing on the Odyssey by Mike Brigida. The rare ARP electronic piano on this too. I believe the mylar switches melted if in a hot car as they rushed it out and they were coming back as fast as they were going out. Love ARP synths though and thankfully a few companies remaking the Odyssey and 2600 now. My ARP Omni 2 did set on fire however due to dodgy tantalum capacitors!
There was a time, back when these were all new, that it wasn't considered "music" by many. It's interesting to see the initial reaction followed by the eventual acceptance of a particular instrument or technology.
Well, synthesizers are still not accepted but a great number of mainstream population. Probably the patch memory and then the auto-accompaniment keyboards kind of ruined the reputation of the keyboard player as a musician, in the eyes of most mainstream public, and in the eyes of classical musicians, as well, as playing a keyboard could be done with one finger without any musical knowledge whatsoever. And even today, I mean, I don't think they made more than 200 Minimoog Voyager OS. Not sure how many MS-20 mini's Korg sold though. Maybe they'll do killing with the reissue of the ARP Odyssey. I mean, I am synthesizer enthusiast. So, I like those kind of things. And then I showed the ARP Odyssey announcement to this non-synthesizer guy (piano player though), and the first reaction of his was: "Oh, this is such a niche." To me, synthesizers is my entire life. But to most is something they wouldn't give two seconds to even think about.
***** Let me explain. In the olden days of the synthesizers, the '60s, mainstream people did not accept synthesizers as musical instrumens. Only very fiew classical and experimental musicans loved synthesizers. In '70s, after the Switched on Bach had been realeased by Wendy Carlos, more people got convinced by synthesizers, however it was still a hard sell. Jeorge Duke, Harbie Hancock, and Chick Coreak on ARP Odyssey and Jan Hammer on Minimoog were primarily jazz fussion affiars, which was relatively small niche in music. Vast majority of classical musicans did not accpet synthesizers, as much as they don't they accept them today. Rick Wakemen solo career was not enough to convince too many either, although he was at least accepted as great keyboard player by prog-rock fans. Now, in the '80s, Bontempi, Casio, and Yamaha introduced autoaccompaniment keyboards, and this basically ruined reputation of electornic keyboard players because these instrments could play by themsleves at a press of one key, and hardly anybody was impressed by that aside from maybe kids or retired men. I am not going to even mention the term "sequencer" here, because hadrdly anybody knows what that is. Anyway, my point is, that meainstream non-musical public doesn't treat us electronic keyboard players as musicians, since the keyboards are capable of playing automatically by themselves. Even if I show to somebody my D-50, they will still thing it is an autoaccompaniment keyboard, even if the D-50 hardly has any automation aside from chase function. Classical musians don't even consider Hiromi a viable keyboard player, because she touched electronic instruments. Even jazz reviewers generally hate fusion, and criticize Hiromi album that she is using too much electronic, where she only played some parts on Nord Lead 2 on only couple of tracks, without any computer, automation, whatsoever. It was one take live performance on the synthesizer, and stunning at that, but jazz reviews will dismiss it as too much electronics in jazz album. So, basically, modern keyboard player can't make anybody happy. And when it come to parties, most public will chose a DJ with turntables, because lets face it, most of todays bands sound quite crappy since hardly anybody can play instruments well anymore. So, this is where are now. We are misundertstood, ridiculed, etc. Now, when we sit at the piano and play something, they change their mind. But no matter what kind of electornic keybaord we use, being it a fine synthesizer such as DX7, with no autoamation whatsover, people will still treat it as autoaccompaniment keyboard or organ thingie. Such are the attitudes of morend society towards us, keyboard players. So, very often, I wish I played guitar. But then electric guitarist make noise and don't play music, because only acoustic guitar is real instrument, and the argument goes on the same... You can just never make mainstream public appreciate any clever stuff. As Keith Emerson said long time ago: "People don't buy clever stuff". That's a generalization, but when applied to mainstream consumer public, it's probably accurate in like 99% procent with I find not only disappointign, but also depressing and sad.
The DX7II and D-50 are even purer instruments because they don't have any arpeggiator or step sequencer like the new Sequential Prophet-6 has. Of course if you attach the MC-500 sequencer to them via MIDI, they are all becoming unpure. However, sequencer is not necessary. These instruments can be played all live like acoustic instruments.
+Gerald Quaglia How dare you? Not musicians? Your interpretation of what YOU call a musician, is insulting across the board! How is a key on a piano different to a synth key? How is a percussionist any different to someone who can trigger sounds simultaneously on a controller? You press them, they make a sound. How is a pitch bender any different to a trombone slider, you actuate them, they change pitch. Jesus, what a pompous ass! You are straight out of the 70s, with your 'idiot boxes', those 'idiot boxes' don't damn well play themselves, they take skill, just like any instrument.
+LFOVCF He's referring to DJ's who don't have keyboard skills or drumstick skills. He talks about Ableton users and turntablists. I agree with him that Ableton users and turntablists are questionable as musicians, since they trigger compete music phrases at a push of a button. If you have; however, control over every single note dynamics and duration at any moment (i.e. you can play keyboard or drums in real time) than you are more likely to be accepted as a musician. To me personally, turntablists and Ableton users don't differ much from a consumer who presses play button on CD player, or a play button on touchscreen device. Well, everyone has their own opinions. Nonetheless, I was trying to explain to you that the guy you replied to, he didn't really mean to dismiss synthesizer keyboard players. The players features in this video seem to be classically trained musicians. They do no harm to music. Turtablists and Ableton users whored out music quite a bit, I think.
I owned most of those synthesizers that those men are playing. Hated each and every one of them they were a pain in the neck to stay in tune. But, love the way they sounded.
I absolutely could not agree more. There really wasn't a better synth manufacturer back in the day. Not Moog, not Oberheim. Not even Yamaha or Sequential Circuits. And it's a fact too, that while they may not have the name recognition that Moog has at this point in time, back in the they day when both of those companies were in their prime ARP outsold Moog SEVERELY. At least something like three to one, if not four or five to one. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Moog too, but if I HAD to choose, I'd rock the ARP over the Moog ANY day.
Korg now has out the ARP Odyssey FS (fs standing for 'full size') that's a perfect scale reproduction of the original. Also, Behringer, who have been REALLY turning things around in the last few years and have really made a new place for themselves in the synth world with their DeepMind synthesizers (6 & 12) and their new tabletop MiniMoog replica, the "Model D" (for only $299 no less!!!), have said they are most definitely going to be going forward with making an ARP 2600 clone. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that at least at some point, they wind up producing a perfect, full sized replica of one, keyboard and all. My prayers would be answered.
These guys play to many notes for me to tell how the raw waveforms sound. I need a hipster to hold down one note for 20 minutes of a one bar sequence for me to know how the filters sound.
Your relation (your Dad?) is a very accomplished musician! Very enjoyable to see 2x Odysseys, 2x Quadras, 2x Electronic Pianos, a 2600 and 2x Pro/DGXs all at full steam :-) Interesting to see John Shykin, I've only ever heard his name before (apologies if I spelt it wrong!)
Damn amazing! Talk about not only musicianship but good ol American synth. No wonder why Joe Zawinul stuck to the ARP sound its so dam warm and personable. Btw Roger Powell of Utopia release an album Cosmic Furnace in 1972-3 ALL ARP and damn amazing album for fans of this gear you should check it out!
uhmm... i find it interesting that the vibrato part is unique to trombone that saxophone is not capable of; but the overall rhythm and improvisational style reminds me of saxophone. What about let's call it tromxophone! LOL that's the beauty and uniqueness of synthesizer!
Watching this, I'm immediately reminded of the exchange from Fame! between the snooty synthesist Bruno Martelli (Lee Curreri) and the music master (Albert Hague): "That's not music, Martelli, that's masturbation!" Then, I wonder if any real-life incarnates of that teacher ever went to a Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ concert like I have. Presentations like this synthesized big band are like an extension of what came from the theater organ community, and that's in no way a crime.
@@audiodood It didn't sound like a piano at all but it did catch on with the likes of Tony Banks from Genesis. He would eventually ditch one for a Yamaha CP-70.
Oh I get it. Something something DUBSTEP! I'm so old I remember, "something something Chuck Norris". Another new one is "something something Obama's fault".
I dislike that they treat the synthesizer as something to copy the sound of something else.. while yes, using existing sounds as inspiration gives guidance on what part to make the synth play, and each synth has a unique character, making the sound its own and not just a copy of the source sound, i still believe it isnt a good mindset to have that the synthesizer is to copy the sound of something else. The synthesizer can make so many sounds never heard before, people just need to adopt that mindset and harness it.
At that times the synthesizer was seen mainly as a mean to replicate "real-world" sounds. Actually if you look at any synth advertisement of the 70ies/80ies, the first thing the manufactured praised was how "realistic" their products sounded. And machines with preset memory were full of emulations of acoustic instruments. They were pushing analog technology to sound as much as possible like pianos, trumpets, violins, brass/string ensembles, etc. and, besides some exceptions of musicians that creatively used synths for what they are, that was what the vast majority of keyboardists wanted from synthesizers. Actually, as soon as the Korg M1 came to life, all the FM and analog stuff was seen as old, obsolete technology and was quickly abandoned. In the middle there were the samplers like the E-Mu machines, but they were very expensive. Not to mention the impossibly expensive workstations like the CMI Fairlight and the Synclavier. The Korg M1 and all the subsequent PCM-based keyboards swept all those instruments out. Then, a decade after, finally people started to realize that the real strength in FM, PD, LA, analog, etc lies in creativity and experimentation, to create new and never heard sounds. And synths finally were seen as instruments of their own, rather than emulating machines, to the point that now manufacturers are again rolling out analog, FM, and whatever machines. And samplers too are now used in the same creative and experimental way, leaving real world emulation of acoustic instruments to VSTs with huge sample libraries, eventually helped with a bit of physical modeling. It took 20 years, but finally synths can be themselves.
