KVR Audio

quincy · Post by **quincy** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:48 pm

Hey folks,

So i'm doing my dissertation on how music technology is going digital, and i thought it would be good to establish a few landmarks that i can work between to form the history etc.

So my first thoughts, to be corrected no doubt -

* Rebirth, first "self-contained" music studio?
* Trackers, early "samplers" would we say?
* Early MIDI sequencing, Atari led i believe?
* Software Multi-Track recording.
* VST plugin standard, opened it wide.
* Exponential growth in software/processing power.

If anyone has any pearls of wisdom on any of these subjects, or anything related, i'd be most grateful. Hopefull i can draw up a decent timline of the progress if i can get dates etc.

So much shit on the internet, trying to trawl through the crap to get the good stuff is a nightmare!

Armadillo · Post by **Armadillo** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:32 pm

Neon

CypherOne · Post by **CypherOne** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:33 pm

half a ping only...precursor to a legend.

Steven West · Post by **Steven West** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:36 pm

Heavy shit Doc Quincy.

I would try to find info on the MacClavier synth (? Never could spell it right.

) as the 'origin' of it all. It was 'digital/analog hybrid' developed by a U of T grad back in the mid 70's. Pretty well the genesis of the Fairlight CMI in many ways. The MacC had digital control of the analog components, as well as a customised sequencing computer onboard whose commands were all in the music realm for composers to quickly navigate and manage. Brilliant machine really, and as with all things Canadian - we rarely get credit for.

But from there I'd say Fairlight CMI, the NED Synclavier, PPG Waveterm and most definately the Yamaha DX breakthrough - though the FM technology even predates the MacClavier I believe? (David Chowning 1972-73?

)

Atari and all are interesting as well from the computer stand point. Great sequencing software indeed. But it wasn't for nearly 10 years that computers actually 'played any pleasent sound' themselves. More just seen as data input and control devices for a long time.

lanark · Post by **lanark** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:37 pm

MIDI creation, I think it was in 1982

deps · Post by **deps** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:44 pm

Some people write dissertations. Others use google.

http://www.prosoundweb.com/recording/ar ... nes1.shtml

deps

shamann · Post by **shamann** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:47 pm

Csound 1986

snooky · Post by **snooky** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:49 pm

These kind of discussions keep appearing...And I say "why does it matter?"

we are where we are and it's not because one or two things...it's a billion small combined...these kinds of posts bore me....(but I had to reply)

deps · Post by **deps** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:51 pm

mindless wrote:...And I say "why does it matter?"

Well, it matters to quince, 'cos he's got to do a dissertation and he doesn't want to do any work!

deps

kilroy · Post by **kilroy** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:52 pm

quincy wrote:So i'm doing my dissertation on how music technology is going digital, and i thought it would be good to establish a few landmarks that i can work between to form the history etc.

The ability to compensate for the lack of raw talent, perhaps?

jones-y · Post by **jones-y** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:59 pm

Stanford CCRMA and Physical Moddeling/Waveguide synthesis.

Armadillo · Post by **Armadillo** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:10 pm

If you are interested in the history of hardware synths, HERE is a good place to start.
Theramin, vocoder, moog, roland etc. they are all here.

shamann · Post by **shamann** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:12 pm

kilroy wrote:The ability to compensate for the lack of raw talent, perhaps?

I always preferred my talent cooked.

lanark · Post by **lanark** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:15 pm

mindless wrote:These kind of discussions keep appearing...And I say "why does it matter?"

we are where we are and it's not because one or two things...it's a billion small combined...these kinds of posts bore me....(but I had to reply)

Discussion??? What discussion?
We're trying to help quincy, adding items to his list

quincy · Post by **quincy** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:26 pm

Deps - do want to do work, but i still need good sources to reference. Google helps but so much shit covers up the good stuff!

Erm perhaps i should be clear here, i'm not specifically interested in hardware sampler history, or very early developments in synth technology etc.

Hopefully i'll more focus on the fact that people are now using computers as a major part of recording and studio techonology, in terms of both recording audio and generation and FXing sound.

So for example i thought a good starting point might be something like the creation of CD in 1982. From there, CD-ROM was born, and also around that time i think was the birth of Atari Sequencing software and the like.

From there i can follow on through the development of computer software sequencers, synths, computer hardware advances which in turn affected what can be done with software and so on.

Thanks for all your help so far

Landmarks in digital music technology