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Article from Electronics & Music Maker, April 1981 | |
Frankfurt Music Fair is widely known as one of the most prestigious music fairs, and manufacturers and distributors from all over the world filled three halls of the huge exhibition centre from February 7th to 11th to show their latest musical equipment.
This year's fair was certainly one of the biggest with over 600 exhibitors, including more than 90 UK companies. A visit to all the stands can take a couple of days and if all the demos are attended and instruments tried, then a lot more time is needed.
On the electro-music side, new synthesisers and organs have benefited from computer technology at both ends of the price scale with rhythm boxes improving as well. Disco gear now appears in rackmounted control boxes that give further variations of strobe, sequence, ropelight and laser effects, plus touch plates to 'play' lights. Sound mixers were orientated towards the home studio and effects boxes at last have electronic switching.
Electronic drums are here to stay and electric guitars in two-tone colours, different body shapes and active tone controls are now available.
Here are just a few photos of the electronic instruments from the exciting stand displays. We'll be taking a closer look at some of these in forthcoming Issues.
The new Yamaha Grand 'Synthesiser' GS-1 has 8 factory preset sounds for both left and right halves of the keyboard and an incredible touch response — listen to our cassette!
Firstman Programmable Synthesiser FS-10C. Equipped with magnetic cards for recording and playback of up to 8 channels. It also has no knobs but uses printed panel switches that you press, with up/down digital control.
The D.H.M. 89B2 is a stereo audio computer which allows dual digital delay, pitch shifting, automatic arpeggio, reversed sound. It can repeat a memorised sound indefinitely. Electronics hold a 16-bit A/D converter with 95dB dynamic range and 210k bits memory.
The 'Variophon' has an electronic keyboard that reproduces the sound of acoustic wind instruments. Played through a recorder type mouthpiece for dynamic and tone modulation through breath control, and with plug-in modules for individual brass and woodwind instruments.
The 'Treble' upright piano actually has a complete synthesiser sounding fro0 its keys as well as a drum rhythm box for accompaniment.
Three 61-note manuals, a 25-note pedal board, a 37-note solo synthesiser plus a vast rhythm accompaniment section. Chorus 'ah', 'uh' voices, saxophone, chimes, sitar, thunder and bird effects, clap, siren, timpani, etc., etc! - The Kawai T-30.
Here's the latest electronic drum kit from Dave Simmons called the SDSV. Each drum has 1 preset and 3 programmable memories stored in a 19
The Morley De-Luxe Phaser is the newest effects unit from this American company. Other effects available are Super Distortion, Compressor, De-Luxe Flanger and Noise Gate/Line Driver.
Wersi's Galaxis organ W4SKT is their top of the range instrument that you can build. An Industry Profile on this German company will appear soon.
An 8-Voice Polyphonic Synthesiser from Korg called the Trident. Up to 16 different polysynth tone colour program settings can be memorised with additional piano sounds also available. It also features a brass/synth section, string ensemble, keyboard split and flanger.
The 'Kaleidophon' has 4 dynamic and pitch sensitive 'strings' which are electronically tuned and adjustable for left hand guitar, bass, violin and other string instrument playing, whilst the right hand controls many extra effects.
Here's part of Amptown distributors range of rack mounting lighting controllers — notice the chrome touch plates for 'playing' lights. This company from Hamburg, Germany has a vast range of effects controllers including 'Fog' generators, pulsars, rainbow strobe and chasers.
Not a sound mixer but a light controller! It comes from Artick in Italy. It has facilities for multi-scene dimming, flashing and cassette storage of memory positions.
Next month's Industry Profile looks at the development of UK's new synthesiser factory, the Electronic Dream Plant. Their latest instrument, the Wasp DeLuxe has a proper keyboard to replace the earlier Wasp's touch sensitive version.
Publisher: Electronics & Music Maker - Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing.
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Electronics & Music Maker - Apr 1981
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