Modular synth documentary: I Dream of Wires

[battema]

Apologies if this was discussed elsewhere...I discovered recently a pretty cool/interesting documentary called "I Dream of Wires" about modular synthesizers, both their history and current resurgence. Apparently the original doc sold out, but they just recently released a new 'hardcore edition' that is about 4 hours long with extra content, interviews, etc..

There's a trailer and other info here (the trailer is pretty damned long, but then again the doc is over 4 hours so...):

http://www.idreamofwires.org

I received the new edition last week and started watching last night. It is very fascinating both from the nerdy technical side, as well as the interviews and conversations about the surrounding scenes. Morton Subotnick in particular is a very fun conversationalist. Robert Moog is of course discussed heavily but only through other parties; no historical interview footage is included. But other artists and works fascinate me, and make me want to go out and explore some of their works.

One minor caveat, for those that care: the documentary isn't exactly unbiased. It clearly favors the idea of modular synths for their most experimental value, and is somewhat dismissive or ambivalent toward work that they deemed more "conventional" in nature. So, Subotnick and the Buchla are favored over Moog's more "conventional" approach with a keyboard, and fairly major players like Walter/Wendy Carlos and even Emerson are mostly referenced tangentally, instead noting folks like Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle, Gary Numan, even one of the cats from Skinny Puppy. I don't personally agree with all the subjective decisions, but it's their documentary so...whatevs For what it is, it is very fascinating.

And from a purely geeky synth lust stand point...oh my dear LORD are some of those setups juicy!

[N_Singh]

One minor caveat, for those that care: the documentary isn't exactly unbiased. It clearly favors the idea of modular synths for their most experimental value, and is somewhat dismissive or ambivalent toward work that they deemed more "conventional" in nature. So, Subotnick and the Buchla are favored over Moog's more "conventional" approach with a keyboard, and fairly major players like Walter/Wendy Carlos and even Emerson are mostly referenced tangentally, instead noting folks like Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle, Gary Numan, even one of the cats from Skinny Puppy.

Yep. Pretty much see analog synths these days in the most obscure of music spaces, being played by the most obscure of musicians, in the most obscure of musical ways.

Pretty much par for the revisionist course. If I ever see yet another nerdy white hipster with a big ass Taliban beard, nerdy 1960s engineer/Vince Lombardi eyeglasses, and a monogrammed gas attendant/mechanic's work shirt fidgeting with the myriad series of wires accompanying his 1970s Moog/ARP while presenting a "groundbreaking concert of experimental music", it will be far too soon.

It's only "experimental" because said nerdy hipster never took the time and dedication it would take to actually play Emo or Bach or __________________(practically any kind of music that requires hard work, dedication and years of practice to learn).

That would require, at minimum to start, actual piano lessons! Gasp!

[Rarebird]

Yep. Pretty much see analog synths these days in the most obscure of music spaces, being played by the most obscure of musicians, in the most obscure of musical ways.

Pretty much par for the revisionist course. If I ever see yet another nerdy white hipster with a big ass Taliban beard, nerdy 1960s engineer/Vince Lombardi eyeglasses, and a monogrammed gas attendant/mechanic's work shirt fidgeting with the myriad series of wires accompanying his 1970s Moog/ARP while presenting a "groundbreaking concert of experimental music", it will be far too soon.

It's only "experimental" because said nerdy hipster never took the time and dedication it would take to actually play Emo or Bach or __________________(practically any kind of music that requires hard work, dedication and years of practice to learn).

That would require, at minimum to start, actual piano lessons! Gasp!

In the end, according to Buchla, the synthesizer isn't a keyboard instrument. I think it's a bit dismissive to state that people who work with synthesizers in a non-traditional way are not musicians, because they don't use a piano-keyboard, but use the synthesizer to create soundscapes. And perhaps they are able to play another instrument, but they just spend their energy to learn to use the synthesizer instead.
Look for instance at this clip:


And how about Brian Eno?

[BobM]

I remember playing with an ARP modular, a Serge and an old EMS push pin matrix synth in the electronic music studio at my college back in the late 70's. Lots of fun, and a true education on how to build and shape a sound.

[N_Singh]

In the end, according to Buchla, the synthesizer isn't a keyboard instrument. I think it's a bit dismissive to state that people who work with synthesizers in a non-traditional way are not musicians, because they don't use a piano-keyboard, but use the synthesizer to create soundscapes. And perhaps they are able to play another instrument, but they just spend their energy to learn to use the synthesizer instead.
Look for instance at this clip:


And how about Brian Eno?

I think there's a world away from Eno/soundscapes (that's probably part of the "traditional usage" canon) and what I've seen in small little dive bars that cater to the allegedly avant guard.

As for synthesizer as 2nd instrument, I've been giving serious thought about the idea of playing a 2nd instrument and gave up on it, more or less--some select few can do it very well, most can't and it distracts them from the main course of their development. Even someone like Ornette Coleman-who wants to hear him on trumpet and violin? Not many.
I do think all musicians should know some piano though, for compositional purposes, at the very least.

[battema]

In the end, according to Buchla, the synthesizer isn't a keyboard instrument. I think it's a bit dismissive to state that people who work with synthesizers in a non-traditional way are not musicians, because they don't use a piano-keyboard, but use the synthesizer to create soundscapes. And perhaps they are able to play another instrument, but they just spend their energy to learn to use the synthesizer instead.

There's actually a fair bit of discussion surrounding the reasons why Buchla's synth didn't have a piano-style keyboard attached, as well as their sentiments on Moog's reasons *to* attach a keyboard.

I see both sides, being a piano player with many years of classical training and whatnot. A keyboard gave me a familiar entry point and also informed my style. I have a semi-modular setup using my Voyager, and most of the wiring is used less for out-there sounds as much as increasing the expressiveness of the sounds (such as ribbons to let me manually control vibrato and whatnot). But I also sometimes see my training as a crutch, as it is hard sometimes to push myself out of my comfort zone as a player and really stretch the potential of the devices. I know folks with little "formal" musical training who, when placed in front of a device like a mod synth, conjured up some amazing sounds and even motifs, things that would never have occurred to me as a conventional player.

In the vid, Subotnick says the absense of a keyboard would encourage everyone, even those with less formal training, to experiment and be encouraged to compose. While Moog felt that the keyboard was important to make the device relatable to professional musicians. So...some degree of different target audiences.

[trurl]

I am sympathetic to the idea that attaching a keyboard to a synth makes it nothing more than a glorified theater organ in many regards, and inhibits exploration of the sheer abstract weirdness it might be capable of. Otoh, a glorified organ fits my needs

[TheNefariousHED]

I loved this movie -- it really is two separate documentaries. I watched it all in one 4-hour sitting and the section covering today's thriving modular community wore on a bit too much. I will revisit it at another time. Ultimately, my wallet will be lighter over the next few years because of I Dream of Wires.

Here's my review.

[frippster]

I got my copy a few weeks ago. Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but it's the 4-hour version and I'm looking forward to it. Based on what I had read and who's involved I'm not surprised it focuses more on the experimental side of things and that's A-OK with me. I love ELP, moogs, etc. as much as anybody on PE, but at this point I'm pretty well-versed on that history and impact yet know comparatively little about the Buchla, EMS, etc.

[Supersonic Scientist]

I watched the trailer at lunchtime. It was enough to get me interested in buying it. As stated by Frippster, I too know very little and Buchla, EMS, etc.

[Dave (in MA)]

If I ever see yet another nerdy white hipster with a big ass Taliban beard, nerdy 1960s engineer/Vince Lombardi eyeglasses, and a monogrammed gas attendant/mechanic's work shirt fidgeting with the myriad series of wires accompanying his 1970s Moog/ARP while presenting a "groundbreaking concert of experimental music", it will be far too soon.

Somebody has to sigfile that.

[GuitarGeek]

I was watching one video on Youtube, I don't know if it was shot at one of the NAMM conventions, or a modular synth "festival" or whatever, but the guy was using this small Make Noise modular. Most of the sounds he was getting I liked, but it just came off more like a "demonstration" than an actual musical performance. Just an array of sounds coming out of the thing in succession.

I like a lot of the more esoteric electronic music, eg Subotnick, Lagin, Oliveros, Teitelbaum (well, mainly just one Teitelbaum, and it's one of his duo albums with Anthony Braxton, Time Zones), Stockhausen, etc, but those performers/composers sound to me like there's an attempt to make something that has some sort of structure or order or sense of dynamics, something that suggests it's more than just some guy putzing around with a synthesizer. And there's an awful lot of so called "noise" music or underground music or whatever the frell it's supposed to be that comes off to my ears more like the putzing around variety of stuff.

I remember there was an attitude in some circles back in the 80's that synthesizers had made music too easy to make, the insinuation that the synth pop bands of the era basically had no ability as musicians or songwriters and that it was all the synths, drum machines and sequencers doing the "heavy lifting", or whatever. I absolutely do not agree with that point of me whatsoever (I play Ultravox, Duran Duran, Freur, and Thompson Twins occasionally on Journey Of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, so that should be obvious). But that attitude, I think, is better applicable to the "noise" music thing. Take away the hipster thing and the electronic gizmos they're using to make their music, and all you got are a bunch of untalented nerds. NEXT!!!!

[hippypants]

Thanks for the head's up, I still am interested in synth music, so that should be down my alley. Here's one I found by a musician I'd never heard of before, but was interesting:

[Jeremy Bender]

I absolutely do not agree with that point of me whatsoever (I play Ultravox, Duran Duran, Freur, and Thompson Twins occasionally on Journey Of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, so that should be obvious)

I love Depressed Mode, I've read interviews where they said that having to work with synthesizers and drum machines in the early days of programmability nearly drove them insane. I love the sound of those classic DM albums, so much more interesting to me than purely digital sounds.

My favorite DM song:

[philsunset]

I bought the blu-ray a few weeks ago. Anxious to watch it but haven't had the four hours yet.

[battema]

I bought the blu-ray a few weeks ago. Anxious to watch it but haven't had the four hours yet.

Truth be told, it divides up into two separate sections; a historical section and then a survey of the current scene. So, you can break it up nicely instead of seeking a 4-hour window

I myself have only watched the first half in full; I haven't finished the overview of the current scene. For some time now I'd been curious about experimenting with a Eurorack system, and the doc is definitely making me think it would be a fun/worthwhile investment.

[battema]

Just for saying...one of my favorite ex-members of Tangerine Dream is Conrad Schnitzler. I believe he had some training (if memory serves, he did some cello on the first TD record), but for the most part his best works were ones that eschewed that training in favor of pure experimentalism. As with just about anything that relies in part of experimentation, he had plenty of misses along the way but when he nailed it, the results were spectacular.

I guess I feel somewhat similarly about the "hipster modular" stuff mentioned above...there's bound to be crap/poser nonsense out there (lord knows I've heard some whoppers in different clubs along the way). But I'd also say the same poser crap appears in any genre; there are "artists" in prog, jazz, rock, metal, rap, blues, country and other genres that do little more than fetishize the genre's cliches...and still manage to find fans that regard them as brilliant.

IMHO there are always gems to be found, but it does mean sifting through the fluff to find it.

[GuitarGeek]

I love Depressed Mode, I've read interviews where they said that having to work with synthesizers and drum machines in the early days of programmability nearly drove them insane. I love the sound of those classic DM albums, so much more interesting to me than purely digital sounds.

Yeah, that's another thing. Even at the time, the attitude in some quarters was "Well, all they have to do is push a button and the music comes out" and obviously it's not that simple. Even besides the programming issue (which was indeed a pain in the ass back in the early 80's, due to compatibility issues, memory limitations, etc), there's the fact that you still have to write the damn song to begin with. There's no "hit song" button on a sequencer or a drum machine.

[GuitarGeek]

I myself have only watched the first half in full; I haven't finished the overview of the current scene. For some time now I'd been curious about experimenting with a Eurorack system, and the doc is definitely making me think it would be a fun/worthwhile investment.

Yeah, I'm thinking of going in that direction too. I reckon one could build a small Eurorack system for around $1,000-$1,500 US, and then expand from there as funds become available. I'm waiting until I have room on my credit card to pull the trigger.

[battema]

Yeah, I'm thinking of going in that direction too. I reckon one could build a small Eurorack system for around $1,000-$1,500 US, and then expand from there as funds become available. I'm waiting until I have room on my credit card to pull the trigger.

One thing for me is that I have a fully-expanded Moog Voyager including the breakout box with all the CV outputs. So technically I've already GOT a fairly modular setup with some damned fine oscillators and filters. There are a few types of items I'd like to expand upon further though, like some independent envelope generators and whatnot...so I am investigating whether or not the CV from Eurorack is compatible with Moog, or if there are any converters that would allow me to incorporate Eurorack into my existing Moog setup...rather than starting from scratch, if that makes sense.

The documentary did make me very interested in Buchlas, so I did some checking out and sure enough, he has new models available: http://buchla.com/

That said...good GRIEF those things require some serious coin.

[TheNefariousHED]

One thing for me is that I have a fully-expanded Moog Voyager including the breakout box with all the CV outputs. So technically I've already GOT a fairly modular setup with some damned fine oscillators and filters. There are a few types of items I'd like to expand upon further though, like some independent envelope generators and whatnot...so I am investigating whether or not the CV from Eurorack is compatible with Moog, or if there are any converters that would allow me to incorporate Eurorack into my existing Moog setup...rather than starting from scratch, if that makes sense.

That said...good GRIEF those things require some serious coin.

You should check out Synthesizers.com who make the Moog compatible format. I am space-constrained here, so it looks like Eurorack for me. Doepfer has some nice starter kits along with a pretty cool Java-based rack designer tool with most of the popular modules currently available in the Eurorack format. I've got a Sub 37 on the way, plus I need to upgrade my mixer and recording laptop this year -- but a Modular is soon-come after that.

One of the most impressive newer groups in the IDoW documentary was Node -- a modular supergroup that sounded like a modern TD had they progressed without the suck.

They just released their second album -- first since the mid 90s -- I just picked it up.

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/20...-node-2-din44/

http://dinrecords.bandcamp.com/album/node-2-din44

[TheNefariousHED]

Adam Holquist who garnered fame last year as the "Prog Fan who Became a Jeopardy Champion" recently picked up a Make Noise modular system. Alex Trebek "bought" it for him? They make some sweet innovative modules for sequencing and real-time performance -- Eurorack format. Their stuff looks pretty cool -- maybe slightly pricier than a Doepfer starter kit? I don't know if he is a PE'er -- maybe he will chime in?

Additionally, Korg announced this week they are releasing a new model of the ARP Odyssey -- so analog synth budgets be stressed!

[battema]

You should check out Synthesizers.com who make the Moog compatible format. I am space-constrained here, so it looks like Eurorack for me. Doepfer has some nice starter kits along with a pretty cool Java-based rack designer tool with most of the popular modules currently available in the Eurorack format. I've got a Sub 37 on the way, plus I need to upgrade my mixer and recording laptop this year -- but a Modular is soon-come after that.

One of the most impressive newer groups in the IDoW documentary was Node -- a modular supergroup that sounded like a modern TD had they progressed without the suck.

Ha ha ... so funny! I hadn't even finished that portion of the documentary when Node showed up; I was on Amazon in minutes and preordered their new one

And thanks for the tip on Synthesizers.com! They were on my list of items to check out.

[battema]

You should check out Synthesizers.com who make the Moog compatible format.

Just started looking around their site. I'd like to go ahead and proactively say that I hate you, I hope you die, and my wallet will never, ever, EVER forgive you for passing this link along



Thanks much sir, many good things to explore here...

[GuitarGeek]

One thing for me is that I have a fully-expanded Moog Voyager including the breakout box with all the CV outputs. So technically I've already GOT a fairly modular setup with some damned fine oscillators and filters. There are a few types of items I'd like to expand upon further though, like some independent envelope generators and whatnot...so I am investigating whether or not the CV from Eurorack is compatible with Moog, or if there are any converters that would allow me to incorporate Eurorack into my existing Moog setup...rather than starting from scratch, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I believe all the voltages of most of the modular synth companies are compatible. I think I've read sometimes there's some slight differences, but if you wish to use, let's say a Doepfer envelope generator to modulate whichever parameter on your Voyager, as far as I can understand it, it's very do-able. The Voyager has 1/4 jacks, right? So you'd need a way to convert 1/8" to 1/4" (you can use an adapter cable, or there's modules that you convert the various jack formats made by a number of companies), but beyond that, I don't think it's typically a problem.

Except for Buchla and EMS. For whatever reason, those two companies don't use the 1volt per octave voltage standard, and hence, you have to use some type of scaling gizmo to interface with them. And yeah, the Buchla stuff is requires mucho dinero. I would love to have a controller like they make, the Tactile Control Center or whatever it's called, that could be interfaced with Euro or MOTM or Synthesizers.com gear, but I don't think it's possible (or at least not with voiding the warranty, I'm sure it could customized to make it compatible, but at what expense?).