| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 546.1 | A Rugged, Patchcordless synthesizer | DECWET::MITCHELL | | Fri Oct 17 1986 23:07 | 5 |
| Yes. Alan R. Pearlman, the developer.
Do I win one?
John M.
|
| 546.2 | ok, but try this... | JON::ROSS | BOZONICS | Sat Oct 18 1986 20:50 | 13 |
|
yes very good. A blank gift certificate from ARP worth
whatever you can collect.
Al was the K.Olsen of ARP. There were other founders that
worked as designers: Dave Friend, Dennis Colin.
Ok. trivial challenge part two:
What was the company called BEFORE "ARP"?
<yawn>
|
| 546.3 | Tonus | PIXEL::COHEN | Richard Cohen | Mon Oct 20 1986 11:55 | 1 |
|
|
| 546.4 | End_of_game | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Mon Oct 20 1986 12:56 | 7 |
| Ok. <sigh>
BFD huh?
Good. Maybe ARP's not as ancient history as I thought...
[fini]
|
| 546.5 | Not BFD... | PIXEL::COHEN | Richard Cohen | Mon Oct 20 1986 13:27 | 5 |
| Sorry I was so short with my response. I have an Odyssey and still
use it!
- Rick
|
| 546.6 | but wait, there's more... | BARNUM::RHODES | | Mon Oct 20 1986 16:24 | 5 |
| Here's one. Explain the product that put them out of business.
Not you, Ron!
Todd.
|
| 546.7 | Chroma | DYO780::SCHAFER | Sir Loin of Beef | Mon Oct 20 1986 17:44 | 8 |
| Re: .5
The Chroma (which Rhodes picked up) killed them. It (over the course
of its life) was - so the rumor goes - was 3 different beasts.
The costs associated with 3 different development cycles was just
too much. True?
8^)
|
| 546.8 | | DECWET::MITCHELL | | Mon Oct 20 1986 17:54 | 8 |
| RE: .2, .3
ARP was part of the Tonus Corporation, not a rename (as I recall).
OK you guys, WHY was the corporation called "Tonus?"
(If you get the answer to this, I'll quack).
John M.
|
| 546.9 | I know, I know.... | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Mon Oct 20 1986 19:01 | 13 |
|
Now how would you know THAT? Im amazed. Why it was called
Tonus was the 3rd trivia question that Noone would get!
And I think ARP *was* incorporated and a separate legal
entity from TONUS. I'd have to check some documentation....
re: another: Wrong on Chroma, it couldnt save ARP from the
'problem'...
ron
|
| 546.10 | | DONJON::CROWLEY | | Mon Oct 20 1986 19:08 | 9 |
|
I think I recall reading a while back that ARP spent too much time
and money in the development of the Arvatar and that was the cause
of their demise. Am I right or just spewing sh*t out my ass?
Ralph
|
| 546.11 | | NATES::SEIGEL | | Mon Oct 20 1986 19:55 | 6 |
| RE .10:
I agree. I think it was the Avatar that caused their downfall.
/Andy
|
| 546.12 | Mor of "The World According to ARP" | DECWET::MITCHELL | | Mon Oct 20 1986 20:10 | 10 |
| ARP Trivia Question #4.
Who designed the ARP logo? (I'll honk like a goose if anyone gets
this!).
Question #5
What model ARP was featured in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind?"
John M.
|
| 546.13 | one answer... | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Tue Oct 21 1986 11:58 | 31 |
| Ewwwwww, this is getting better and better. I think
I know these answers, but I'll wait for a while...
The Avatar was the killer. I left ARP just after it
was released. The situation was this: Basically it
was not engineering but management disaster(of Course!). The
Avatar was the 2nd attempt at a guitar synth (after one
engineer burnt out). It involved 2 consultants (the pickup,
the main period to digital converter) and a buyout of their
existing designs. Paul Derocco, engineer on Chroma, mainly
worked on integrating and improving the system, because the
engineering dept was split: A major battle was on between Al Pearlman
and Dave Friend (V.P.). Dave was pushing guitar, Al, polyphonic
synth. We had an 8 voice polyphonic touch sensitive synth
deleloped and just sitting in the lab. Dont forget, Oberheim
didnt even have one at this time. Somehow the decision was
made to focus on the guitar synth. Development was completed,
and HUGE amounts of $$$ were dumped into inventory so that
product would be ready to sell after announcement at NAMM,
since previously we had always announced before we could
ship, (Standard for DEC, a no-no back then...)
Well, it didnt sell. ARP's dollars were tied up in AVATARs in the
stockroom. They held out for a while, but couldt recoup. The
Chroma was not *actually* an ARP product, since it was completed
development with the engineers working on it independently as
consultants to Fender/Rhodes/CBS.
Thats the version from my perspective.
Ron
|
| 546.14 | are we having fun? | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Tue Oct 21 1986 12:37 | 21 |
| Can I answer the "Tonus" question yet?
Can I answer the "logo" question yet?
Ok, Tonus is a measurement metric of muscle tension.
Al produced a movie on exercise/cardio-vascular fitness
of some sort...before he resumed the work on the synth
that he had dabbled with in college.
ARP *was* a Delaware Corporation. The name somehow surfaced
while the legal entity was TONUS...
Magaret Sheppard, aka "MS. Dave Friend", designed the Arp logo.
Do I hear quacking in the background?
(how DO you know these things???)
Name the 3 locations that ARP/TONUS or ARP occupied.
ron
|
| 546.15 | Seen but not heard | SARAH::EIRIKUR | | Tue Oct 21 1986 13:30 | 6 |
| The ARP 2500 was shown in CE3K, but not heard in the scene it is
shown in, perhaps it wasn't used at all. A smaller ARP, (Axxe?)
is shown in some lab scene.
Eirikur
|
| 546.16 | right! | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Tue Oct 21 1986 14:28 | 10 |
|
gee, I missed the lab scene. The 2500 was used in the
major 'communications' scene with the ship. It was
'built into' a futuristic console, so its easy to
miss it if you arent looking for it.
What relationship did the kbd 'player' have to ARP?
ron
|
| 546.17 | It sounds like a f**king barnyard around here! | DECWET::MITCHELL | | Tue Oct 21 1986 16:20 | 31 |
| RE: .15
Eirikur gets a star! It was a 2500.
RE: .16
> What relationship did the kbd 'player' have to ARP? <
I know! I know! Can I answer, Ron? Huh? Can I?!
He was an ARP engineer.
Oh yes. I have something to get out of the way:
Honk honk honk! Quack quack quack!
OK, so we have an ex-Arpie do we? Let's see if anyone can answer THIS
baby!
**************************************************************************
Who was the first Moog Repairman?
**************************************************************************
John M.
P.S. I always did hate the ARP logo.
|
| 546.18 | ARP trivia only. | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Tue Oct 21 1986 16:44 | 11 |
| If you stretch your definition of repairman, Robert
Moog would be the first...
Ok. Start your own Moog trivia note. You still havent
given me the 3 names of the streets that ARP/TONUS or ARP
were located....
AND: What is Al Pearlman doing now?
<Now I have him....>
ron
|
| 546.19 | not fair | BARNUM::RHODES | | Tue Oct 21 1986 18:01 | 6 |
| > -< ARP trivia only. >-
Wait one minute, Ron. Just 'cause you worked at Arp...
Todd.
|
| 546.20 | Almost an Arpy. | STAR::MALIK | Karl Malik | Tue Oct 21 1986 18:53 | 16 |
|
Well, I don't remember what street (or even city! was it Waltham?)
Arp was on. But I was there once.
Was having my 2600 repaired. Had a little tour and met a few
people. I think they were just coming out with the Omni.
I wonder if I met you, Ron?
Oh yeah, I asked about getting a job there. Said I knew music,
synthesis, & software. They seemed interested until they found
out that I know absolutely nothing about hardware.
,Karl
p.s. The 2600 was great!
|
| 546.21 | this looks like fun... | COROT::CERTO | | Tue Oct 21 1986 20:43 | 4 |
|
That was Al at the keyboard in Close Encounters.
They had a location in Lexington.
|
| 546.22 | the good old daze | JON::ROSS | BOZONICS | Wed Oct 22 1986 11:46 | 17 |
|
Good guess, but that was Phil Dodds at the keyboard in
Encounters...he even had 'one' line: "...yes, but what
are we saying"?.....something like that. Phil was Manager
of Service, then Manager of Engineering at ARP.
Now he is *President* of VISAGE Corp. Al Pearlman now
works for Phil (indirectly) in engineering there....
Ironic.
Hartwell Ave in Lexington...OmniII,Quadra,Piano,Avatar,(Chroma)
Kenneth Ave...Odyssey,Axxe,Seqencer,String Ens, Omni
Needham St...2500,2600,Pro-soloist, other? (before my time...)
rr
|
| 546.23 | Yet more | DECWET::MITCHELL | | Mon Oct 27 1986 23:24 | 12 |
| Well, since no one has come up with the answer to "who was the
first Moog repairman" I'll ease the tension (has anyone been able
to sleep nights?) with the correct answer:
Ray Updike.
***And since the ARP questions seem to be dead...***
Who is the well-known engineer who designed the ring modulators used by Moog
back in the "Trumansburg era?" (snicker)
John M.
|
| 546.24 | a stumper... | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Tue Oct 28 1986 11:09 | 15 |
| I'm stumped.
More Arp trivia? OK:
Who got a patent for the novel design of the
2500's multimode VCF?
How bout a Moog/ARP Question:
What patent infringement suit did Moog bring on ARP,
AND what was the outcome?
|
| 546.25 | Filter patent, I believe... | PIXEL::COHEN | Richard Cohen | Tue Oct 28 1986 11:46 | 8 |
| I believe that Moog claimed that ARP stole their filters. One
off-the-wall rumor I heard was that the ARP filter was encased in
plastic, and that when the plastic was opened it was a Moog filter!
(I never looked into it past that). So what? My Oddysey sounds
terrific!
- Rick
|
| 546.26 | right. | GNERIC::ROSS | untitled | Tue Oct 28 1986 12:19 | 27 |
|
Yup. The 4-pole low pass VCF. Nope. No moog filter inside
the plastic case...components in thermal conductive glop.
Arp was selling the VCO VCF VCA modules as separate items,
as well as using them in synths like the 2600, Odyseye,etc.
so they needed a package. It also served to stabilize the
temp. so they would drift less, and make it a little
harder to copy the designs...
To cut costs, these cases were discontinued. Moog's patent
was on a novel transistor-ladder-with-capacitors-as-'rungs'
design. Anyone with an ARP schematic could 'see' the design.
Arp apparently did lift that part of it, at least, ( and
hoped to prove that they 'improved' it...??)
Shortly after the suit was filed, Tim Gillette cleaned up
a rough design that Al Pearlman dreamed up. Cheaper, and
adequate, but missing some 'aspect' of the old sound (to
some ears). Arp got its own patent on this one....
Sorta related:
Note that the early Odyssees had a 2-pole filter and the
newer ones have 4-poles of different design. A BIG difference
in sound....
rr
|
| 546.27 | Bode "Ring" modulator | SARAH::EIRIKUR | | Wed Oct 29 1986 13:05 | 6 |
| Re .23, 'Twas the "Bode" ring modulator, that was used by Moog.
I assume it was named after it's inventor (first name Harrold?).
Eirikur (too young to be an elder statesman of analog, I should
hope!)
|
| 546.28 | What does the name mean? | SARAH::EIRIKUR | | Wed Oct 29 1986 13:08 | 5 |
| Ok, now a fairly easy one. Why are they called "Ring" modulators?
Brownie points for knowing the technical name for this function.
Eirikur
|
| 546.30 | Trivia is forever | DECWET::MITCHELL | | Thu Oct 30 1986 01:33 | 16 |
| RE: .27
Eirikur gets the golden patchcord award for the correct answer.
Alright, this'll stump you guys for sure!
***Who is the inventor of the SYNKET (the first performance synthesizer)?***
HA!
John M.
BTW, I still have the "classical" ring modulator I built years ago. It
contains the requisite diode ring as well as two 1:1 transformers (which are a
bitch to find).
|
| 546.31 | The good old days. | STAR::MALIK | Karl Malik | Thu Oct 30 1986 02:13 | 8 |
| "this will stump you for sure."
I don't know the inventor, but I do know that classical composer,
John Eaton, helped to popularize the Synket by writing a number
of 'concerti' for the instrument.
Do I get honorable mention?
,Karl
|
| 546.32 | John who? | DECWET::MITCHELL | | Fri Oct 31 1986 00:49 | 17 |
| RE:. .31
> Do I get honorable mention? <
Sure Karl. Anyone who remembers John Eaton should get *something!*
The Synket was designed by Italian engineer Paolo Kethoff (spelling may
be wrong). As I recall, it used a modulation system not too unlike Yamaha's
DX "operator" scheme; that is, with oscillators modulating oscillators as
opposed to going into filters (and I thought I came up with that!). He
also built a synth called the "synmill."
John M.
BTW, haven't seen too many responses from Ron lately. Could it be we have
stumped him forever? That'll teach him to start a trivia topic! ;-)
|