Description :

Click here for tickets for Sunday

Synthesized is a two day festival celebrating the computer and synthesiser - and how the two technologies grew up together.

The two technologies have crossed paths many times since the CSIRAC mainframe played the "Colonel Bogey March” in 1951. The mighty Fairlight CMI, the PPG and the humble Dragon 32 both share the same processor - as do the Moog Source, Prophet-5 and the ZX Spectrum.

By 1990, the Atari ST found its way into almost every recording studio. Technologies from the flagship Yamaha DX7 and Roland D-50 found their way into almost every PC sound card of the 1990s. Today, modern computers can emulate almost any classic synthesiser with near perfect accuracy.

Without computers we wouldn’t have FM, wavetable, additive and phase distortion synthesis - or even be able to save the sounds on our analog synthesiser.

Over the years we've were lucky enough to have a Fairlight CMI, a PPG Waveterm and a Greengate DS4 together in the same room. We even had Colin Holgate from Greengate and John Molloy from 80s band Mainframe to demonstrate it to us.

This year we hope the event will be even bigger, even better, even noisier and will have more wonderful synthesisers for everyone to see and use! While we're waiting to confirm exhibitors for this year - and to get you all in the mood - here's some pictures from the previous events.

 

We’ll also have demonstrations of the iconic synthesisers and computer music systems of the 80s and 90s, plus some examples of the very latest technologies too. Keep checking back to see what’s happening! 

We'd love you to bring your own synthesisers, music computers, drum machines or anything else you'd think would be of interest. Send a message to tony@computinghistory.org.uk if you'd like to be involved.

Exhibitors for Day One

Click here for Exhibitors for Day Two

Rob Puricelli, Fairlight Enthusiast & Restorer and Music Technology Blogger

Rob Puricelli is a Music Technologist and Instructional Designer who has a healthy obsession with classic synthesizers and their history. 

In conjunction with former Fairlight Studio Manager, Peter Wielk, he fixes and restores Fairlight CMI’s so that they can enjoy prolonged and productive lives with new owners. 

Rob writes reviews and articles for Sound On Sound, Gearnews.com, his website Failed Muso, and other music-related publications, as well as hosting a weekly livestream on YouTube for the Pro Synth Network and guesting on numerous music technology podcasts and shows. He also works alongside a number of manufacturers, demonstrating their products and lecturing at various educational and vocational establishments about music technology.

This year he'll be helping us celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic Yamaha DX-7 by bringing his astonishing Yamaha DX collection - including a DX7, DX1, TX816, QX1 and RX11.

https://www.failedmuso.com

Pro Synth Network; https://www.youtube.com/c/prosynthnetwork

Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @failedmuso

 

Bob Pearson

Bob was the former Sales Director for Cheetah and responsible for originating & developing Cheetah keyboards, synthesizers, samplers and drum machines. They were UK designed & built in the 1980s & 90s by talented designers such as Ian Jannaway (later of Novation), Mike Lynch & Richard Gaunt (later of Autonomy), Chris Wright (later of Soundscape), and used by top bands including OMD, The Christians, The KLF, Status Quo, Simply Red, Yes, and many more.

Bob also programmed many of the preset sounds in the Cheetah MS6 Analogue synthesizer module, and even managed to program several preset sounds into the Cheetah MS800 digital wave synthesizer, as subsequently showcased by Aphex Twin on his Cheetah EP, which was a 2016 US Dance #1.

Bob will be showing the pre-production Cheetah MS6 & MS800 synthesizer & Master Series 7P MIDI controller prototypes, his Roland Jupiter 6 synthesizer which was Roland's first synthesizer with MIDI and inspiration to produce the Cheetah MS6 multi-timbral analogue rack-mount synth for a fraction of the cost, plus his Mitsubishi ML-F80 MSX computer & Toshiba HX-MU901 Music Keyboard with FM synthesizer module.

Bob also presents a weekly radio show live on BigglesFM 104.8 every Wednesday night.

Live stream: http://station185.audiospace.co/webplayer

Twitter: @Bob_P_DJ

 

Liam Fretwell

Liam produces music under the moniker ‘equinoxe’, named after his favourite album. His music, heavily inspired by Jean-Michel Jarre, started many years ago written using tracker software on the Commodore 64 and Amiga computers. A lifelong Cubase user, Liam mostly produces music using his expansive hardware synth collection.

Liam will be bringing a number of classic and modern synthesisers such as the Korg MS-20 mini, Novation MiniNova, Waldorf Pulse 2 and Roland’s last ‘true’ analog polysynth - the JX-10 Super JX - as well more unusual equipment such as the Theremin and a Mssiah equipped Commodore 64 with can be played over MIDI. All the synths will be playable and Liam is more than happy to explain the sound programming aspects of each machine.

Liam will be entertaining us on Saturday with a session of synth classics, original music and chipmusic. His synths are (nearly) all connected via MIDI to Ableton Live and shows that 40 year old tech is just as usable in music today as it has always been. Watch this space for more details and times closer to the day!

 

The Greengate DS:4

Martin Ley (of Twilight Passion) and Colin Holgate (co-founder of Greengate) donated to the museum a Greengate DS:4, probably the only working example in the world. Greengate built this budget British Fairlight, based around an Apple IIe, from 1982 to 1987. It was used by bands such as Mainframe, The JAMs (aka The KLF), New Order and even appears on "I want your sex" by George Michael. We were very lucky to be joined by John Molloy of 80s band Mainframe, who were closely involved in its development, to demonstrate it to us.

In memory of John who has since very sadly passed away, we will get the DS:4 running again to demonstrate it and hopefully premier a new piece of music written for it.

 

Tony Jewell

Tony (@herebedragons3) will be using the power of MIDI - and the computer we all associate with MIDI sequencing, the Atari ST - to demonstrate the museum's Greengate DS:4 and that other classic music computer, the Yamaha CX5M.

 

Chris Strellis

Synth modifier, DIYer, (sometime) repairer and customer drum sounds maker. Since his first dabbling with synths back in 1985, he has collected a variety of synths, rack synths, samplers and drum machines. Chris will be showing both modern and old synthesisers with a Modal 008 fully analogue polysynth and a Prophet 12 digital synthesiser. He’ll also be bringing the DIY kit synth and sequencer made by Powertran.  The Transcendent 2000 and the ETI 1024 Note Composer sequencer. A combination made famous by Joy Division back in the early 80s.

 

Shiela Dixon

Shiela Dixon AKA Shirley Knott (@midi_in and @shieladixon on Youtube) enjoys making music, collecting and using 8-bit home computers.

A desire for a convenient way to make music using the legendary SID chip with easy access to the chip's myriad of parameters  combined with lifeliong loves of programming and music has resulted in MIDISID: 2 SIDs, 4 push-button rotary encoders, MIDI in and audio out.

She invites you to bring along your favourite MIDI instrument, controller or anything that produces MIDI over USB, bluetooth or the good old 5-pin DIN, and make some music using 6 voices and that distinctive SID sound.

 

Jonathan Pallant

Jonathan will be running a demo of ‘the history of 90s PC sound’ with a Pentium III and a Sound Blaster AWE64. From the beeps and bloops of the PC Speaker, through FM Synthesis to the sample based Wavetable Synthesis, you can hear the incredible changes in PC audio between 1989 to 1999 and try some vintage PC sequencer software and some classic MS-DOS games.

 

John Newcombe

John (@glass_tty) will be showing you don't need an Atari - or even an 80s computer - to use MIDI.  John will be demonstrating the MIDI interface he's built for his 1979 Nascom 2. See it in action here - https://youtu.be/ZSqGhuJAJnQ

 

Pete Golding (and Sam Battle)

Pete (@RetroBC_Pete) will be battling it out with John as to who has the oldest computer running MIDI. Many thanks to Sam Battle (better known as "Look Mum No Computer") for lending us his MIDI-fied SWTPc and sending Pete along to demonstrate it to us! See more of this wonderful device here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA4Z7n_I14A

 

More exhibitors will be added shortly - keep checking back!!

Send a message to tony@computinghistory.org.uk if you'd like to be involved.

* Concessions include Students, OAPs, Disabled and Carers.
* Family entry is for 2 Adults and 2 Children.

Payment is taken by PayPal immediately. Please print a copy of the receipt that is displayed at the end of the payment process and bring it with you as your e-ticket.