KVR Audio

MarsHottentot · Post by **MarsHottentot** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:50 pm

I'm curious as to whether or not anyone has attempted to do a VSTi emulation of the Triadex MUSE.
The Muse was one of those advanced ideas that just came WAY too early. Not really a synth, but more of a composer/ sequencer that would beep and boop as the user altered the arrangement through moving the sliders on it's face. Apparently, the Muse wasn't so much created for musicians as much as it was made to replace the radio as a form of home entertainment(!!!). Not surprising when considering that one of it's creators, MIT professor Marvin Minsky, taught Stanley Kubrick the basics of Artificial Intelligence when the director was creating HAL for the seminal sci-fi film 2001. It also comes as no surprise that it failed miserably on the commercial market with little over 200 units made. It was America 1971. Not exactly the hub of electronic experimentation.

Anyway, it's very retro-futuristic and would make for a killer novelty VSTi (with MIDI capability added OF COURSE!). There IS an old Windows 95 emulation which can be found at http://www.trovar.com/muse/muse.html.

There are clear pictures of the interface in this awesome Matrixsynth Muse Flickr set (although it's still fairly arcane to me):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matrixsynt ... 431578061/

This is not one of them

A quick video with the sounds
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff16 ... t=muse.flv

MarsHottentot · Post by **MarsHottentot** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:40 pm

Here's the basics of the operation & concept:

OPERATION:
The Muse is an algorithmic music generator: it uses digital logic circuits to produce a sequence of notes based on the settings of various parameters.
The four small sliders in the lower-left control Volume, Tempo, Pitch, and Fine Pitch.
The switches to either side are used to start and stop the sequence, or to step through it note-by-note.
Of the eight larger sliders on the right, four control the musical intervals used (labeled A, B, C, and D), and four control the theme (labeled W, X, Y, and Z).
A rest can be substituted for the lowest note by flipping a toggle switch.
The exact logic behind the composition engine is rather technical, and not exactly intuitive.
The tempo clock can be slaved to that of another Muse, allowing for multi-part compositions.

CONCEPT:
The Muse is the subject of U. S. Patent 3610801, and their patent abstract of this electronic music composer reads as follows:
In the apparatus disclosed herein, a note generator is controlled by a long term, quasi-periodic function which is in turn generated by applying digital feedback in preselected combinations around a digital register.
The register comprises means for holding a plurality of bits of digital information in a given order, e.g. a shift register or counter, the held information being changeable according to a predetermined pattern in response to input signals applied thereto.
Digital feedback is provided by applying to the register at least one input signal which is obtained according to a preselectable or adjustable code from bits of information obtained from various points in the register itself.
The apparatus thus, in effect, composes music as distinguished from merely synthesizing sound.

If that fires the imagination at all.

BFunKu · Post by **BFunKu** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:24 pm

Interesting Never heard of the Muse before. At least not one the Kept Her clothes on that is.

MarsHottentot · Post by **MarsHottentot** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:29 pm

Hi again.
Has anyone tried the old emulator with any success? I have it running in Windows XP, the lights all go, but I'm not getting any sound.

Liquidclear · Post by **Liquidclear** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:30 pm

xoxos had made VSTs similar to this....

MarsHottentot · Post by **MarsHottentot** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:48 pm

Do you remember the name?

Liquidclear · Post by **Liquidclear** » Thu May 01, 2008 4:08 pm

Talent, Minseries/Series, and Event Generator would be a good place to start. Lotus is also cool, but I don't think it's available anymore.

thoshu · Post by **thoshu** » Thu May 01, 2008 4:19 pm

MarsHottentot wrote:Hi again.
Has anyone tried the old emulator with any success? I have it running in Windows XP, the lights all go, but I'm not getting any sound.

Nice find! Thx for heads up.

Press the Hold-Button!

MarsHottentot · Post by **MarsHottentot** » Thu May 01, 2008 4:23 pm

That's Liquidclear! And, yeah, Lotus is gone...hmmmm another one for the museum?

eidenk · Post by **eidenk** » Thu May 01, 2008 5:21 pm

MarsHottentot · Post by **MarsHottentot** » Fri May 02, 2008 5:54 am

Heheheh

Man, I meant THANKS, Liquidclear, Thanks!

Triadex Muse emulation / VSTi???