| Title: | * * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * * |
| Notice: | Conference has been write-locked. Use new version. |
| Moderator: | DYPSS1::SCHAFER |
| Created: | Thu Feb 20 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Mon Aug 29 1994 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 2852 |
| Total number of notes: | 33157 |
As I recall, Mark is the manager of music engineering at Apple, one of the
people behind the MIDI Manager, or the "MIDI Munger" as one Apple person
refered to it verbally.
Eirikur (getting out my pencil tonight to write to Serge)
Date: 7-SEP-1989 14:08:25.06
From: DECWRL::"mark@apple.com"
Subj: Re: Modular Synthesis
To: decwrl::"mark@apple.com", ddif::eirikur
CC:
36 records
Attributes: None
Sorry about the general-ness of this reply, but to my happy
surprize, many people responded to the Serge posting...
Yes indeed, Serge Modular is back into production. They are
selling things only in kit form (although it is more like
half-assembled: they do the hard electronic calibration, and
you get to do the more time consuming wiring of pots and jacks...)
They prefer to be contacted by mail rather than phone, which
is why you won't find a listing for them in the S.F. phone
directory. Here's the address. Drop them a card asking for
a catalog and mention that you heard it from me...
Serge Modular Music Systems
572 Haight
San Francisco, CA
94117
Let me know if you get some of their modules, I don't think
that we'll have enough folks for rec.music.serge, but I'll
mainatain a mailing list. If anyone wants more specific
info, write me back and I'll see what I can do...
-mark lentczner
mark@apple.com
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2116.1 | SALSA::MOELLER | Nested assumption calls | Fri Sep 08 1989 15:00 | 5 | |
Michael Stearns, well-known spacemusic composer, and older brother of
my close friend Philip Stearns, got his start with a Serge modular
unit, and still has it. I've been in his studio, and it's a monster!
karl
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| 2116.2 | MIDIable? | BARDIC::RAVAN | Fri Sep 08 1989 15:32 | 5 | |
I'm looking for a good analog system to add to my studio. I was think of an Oberheim Matrix-12, but would this also be an alternative? I've never heard of them. -jim | |||||
| 2116.3 | MIDI: yes but not easily. Not a Matrix substitute! | DDIF::EIRIKUR | Fri Sep 08 1989 18:05 | 20 | |
<<< Note 2116.2 by BARDIC::RAVAN >>>
-< MIDIable? >-
I have written to ask them this question. Certainly you can do it with a
third-party MIDI<->CV box, but the question is whether they will offer such a
thing.
The Serge is a modular analog system like the big old Moogs. It's all
patchcord programmed. Not a good Matrix-12 replacement. Big, no memory,
probably very expensive compared to a Matrix-1000 for polyphonic use. Best not
to think about polyphony, actually. They probably don't make a keyboard for
that sort of use, they did not originally make a keyboard at all--maybe this is
still true. They did have a bunch of nifty unusual modules as I recall.
Kevin Braheny ("Perlandra") uses one.
There is a writeup in the "Whole Synthesizer Catalog" which you can find in
some music stores.
Eirikur
| |||||
| 2116.4 | Serge aint Midi! | GUESS::YERAZUNIS | Reverse-engineering the future. | Thu Sep 14 1989 22:02 | 19 |
Serge modular systems aren't programmable at all- you connect up
the oscillators, VCF's, VCA's, ring modulators, envelopes, LFOs,
etc. with patch cords.
What comes out, comes out.
Some of the Serge synths didn't even have keyboards- you only bought
a keyboard if you wanted one. Serge had some nifty controllers
like joysticks and touch pads (!).
--------------------
If you want programmability in a modular-style environment, with MIDI
and polyphony, go get an Oberheim Matrix-12 or an Xpander. Serges are
for people who enjoy programming down on the metal... like me.
-Bill (who still wants a Scalatron keyboard!)
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