electro-music.com   Dedicated to experimental electro-acoustic
and electronic music
 
    Front Page  |  Radio
 |  Media  |  Forum  |  Wiki  |  Links
Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
 FAQFAQ   CalendarCalendar   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   LinksLinks
 RegisterRegister   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in  Chat RoomChat Room 
 Forum index » Online Music
does this make me a geek? yeah. printer music.
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Page 1 of 1 [9 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
Author Message
Stanley Pain



Joined: Sep 02, 2004
Posts: 782
Location: Reading, UK
Audio files: 10
G2 patch files: 35

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:54 pm    Post subject: does this make me a geek? yeah. printer music. Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

sorry if this is old.

The IBM 1403 printer was noisy, but it could also be musical! Clever engineers figured out what line of characters to print to make a noise at a given pitch, and how many times to print that line repeatedly to sustain that pitch for a given duration. In other words, the printer could play musical notes.

All that was needed was a program for the IBM 1401 computer system that read in a deck of punched cards, each card containing a single note of melody, and then played the melody on the printer. The tempo could be adjusted using the sense switches on the computer console.

The songs here are from a performance recorded in about 1970 in the computer room of the Richmond (California) Unified School District. The computer operators (whose voices can be heard on the original tape recording) made the recording by holding the microphone in front of the printer.

scroll down on this link for mp3's.
http://www.computerhistory.org/exhibits/highlights/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
v-un-v
Janitor
Janitor


Joined: May 16, 2005
Posts: 8933
Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hey Stanley! No it ain't geek music. My old local was quite bemused after I asked if I could sample the printer in their cash register- it was almost 'drum and bass'!!!

I'll give this link a listen and get back to you :)

PS- The washing machine is playing a beautiful symphony as we speak right now :D
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
jksuperstar



Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 2503
Location: Denver
Audio files: 1
G2 patch files: 18

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

related link: (they used to have some sample audio, but that seems to be gone. Must have a CD for sale, or maybe it's on an mp3 catalog somewhere)
http://www.sat.qc.ca/the_user/dotmatrix/en/intro.html

from the same folks that brought you "Silophone" (upload your audio, download your f/x'ed audio as heared through an actual Grain Silo).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
v-un-v
Janitor
Janitor


Joined: May 16, 2005
Posts: 8933
Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 3:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

jksuperstar wrote:

from the same folks that brought you "Silophone" (upload your audio, download your f/x'ed audio as heared through an actual Grain Silo).


nice :) the dot matrix stuff that is.

Do many people here know about Frenchman Pierre Bastien and 'Mechanium'?

Similar sort of stuff :)

http://www.pierrebastien.com/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
blue hell
Site Admin


Joined: Apr 03, 2004
Posts: 24079
Location: The Netherlands, Enschede
Audio files: 278
G2 patch files: 320

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

v-un-v wrote:

Similar sort of stuff :)

http://www.pierrebastien.com/


Beautifull, didn't know it, but that's what we have you for Tom, to make us aware.

I also like that printer stuff, but that's different, not similar, more like, well geek stuff maybe :-)

_________________
Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
mosc
Site Admin


Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 18197
Location: Durham, NC
Audio files: 212
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ah, the great old IBM 1403, what a cherished memory - a classic printer to be sure. love

Seriously, I remember many singing printers in the early 80s. The computer centers hated this kind of music because it would often lead to burned out print heads. The IBM printers were the most robust.

_________________
--Howard
my music and other stuff
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address
v-un-v
Janitor
Janitor


Joined: May 16, 2005
Posts: 8933
Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1

PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 3:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Blue Hell wrote:
v-un-v wrote:


http://www.pierrebastien.com/


Beautifull, didn't know it, but that's what we have you for Tom, to make us aware.



Thanks Jan- I'll do my best ;)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
opg



Joined: Mar 29, 2004
Posts: 954
Location: Berkeley, CA, US
Audio files: 3

PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I found this Hackaday link when I was searching for references to the band Man or Astroman? doing songs on a dot matrix printer:

http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000453045067/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Stanley Pain



Joined: Sep 02, 2004
Posts: 782
Location: Reading, UK
Audio files: 10
G2 patch files: 35

PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

v-un-v wrote:
Blue Hell wrote:
v-un-v wrote:


http://www.pierrebastien.com/


Beautifull, didn't know it, but that's what we have you for Tom, to make us aware.



Thanks Jan- I'll do my best Wink


did you hear about the two tv aerials that got married?

the marriage ceremony was good but the reception was rubbish.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Page 1 of 1 [9 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
 Forum index » Online Music
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Copyright © 2003 through 2009 by electro-music.com - Conditions Of Use