50th Anniversary of RCA Synthesizer - Princeton Apr 14, 2005

mosc

Calendar Event: April 14, 2005

This in by email - its in Princeton, NJ (USA)

As it turns out, this year is the 50th Anniversary of the RCA
Synthesizer! Alex Magoun (archivist and curator of the David
Sarnoff Library in Princeton) and Rebecca Mercuri (digital
audio wonk) have planned a special event to commemorate
the occasion. Milton Babbitt will be giving a talk entitled
"Any Sound You Can Imagine," there will be recordings and
other short presentations, and we are hoping that many who
contributed to the artistry and wizardry of the early days of
electronic music composition will also be in attendance.

This advance notice is being sent out so that you can be sure
to mark your calendars for Thursday, April 14, 2005 (8PM).
As well, if you could forward this email to anyone you think might
be interested, we would greatly appreciate it. Those involved with
RCA synthesizers of yore who have material to suggest are
encouraged to contact Rebecca at mercuri@acm.org or 215/327-7105.

Full details on the event can be found at the ACM's website at:
www.acm.org/chapters/princetonacm
And on the AES/DVASA co-sponsoring website at:
www.phillyaes.org

seraph · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 2:43 pm Post subject:

is there anyone who's going to attend the event on behalf of electro-music.com Question

mosc · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 3:07 pm Post subject:

I would LOVE to go.

Mohoyoho · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 10:36 pm Post subject:

I would too. If it were only a couple of hundred miles away I would attend.

egw · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 5:31 am Post subject:

Mosc with Milton Babbitt

BabbitMosc.JPG

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mosc · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:43 pm Post subject:

What a great evening! Terriffic talks. Rebecca Mercuri presented some details of the synthesizers archecture. She did quite a bit of research on the beast. There were even cricuit diagrams (well at least block diagrams). That beast had 1800 tubes! She hopes to post her viewgraphs on the ACM web site. That will be a must see for anyone interested in the history of synthesizers.

Milton Babbit is a gem of a guy. He is a facinating man with a great sense of humor. He told some fabulous stories. He said the main thing that interested him in working with the RCA synthesizer was the rhythmic control that is impossible with live performers. He wasn't all that trilled with the sounds. "Nothing gets as old as fast as a new sound". Laughing

Personally, that's why this is an exciting time in electronic music. The sounds are not new. They have been around for a long time - in this case 50 years.

Thanks, Greg for that picture. It's one for my scrapbook.

elektro80 · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 2:16 pm Post subject:

A great picture! Very Happy