schools with modulars

[euu3]

I have been instagramming some stuff from the Bard College Serge system. We've also got an ARP 2600.



I also spoke to Clay at CalArts - there's of course a Serge there, but also some frac, an Oberheim SEM, and the beginnings of a euro system.

I checked out that Serge about 9 years ago?(i think?) While visiting some friends @ BARD. Im pretty sure it was either cleaned up / fixed up a ton or they have just gotten a new system there. The professor told me some of it may not have been working when i was playing with it.

Also when I was checking it out I barely understood anything about modular gear so i wasn't too keen with sound making if ya know what i mean.


There is a Doepfer Case @ SMFA in Boston (my previous schooling). I'm pretty sure theres some modular equipt floating around MIT.

[pjay]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Deutsch

bob moogs guy herb deutsch was teaching at Hofstra on long island

[abelovesfun]

I went to Evergreen and in addition to Buchla's I believe each of the three labs had an Arp 2600.

[kmurph]

went to SFSU but was in the BECA department... had a buddy in the music dept. went over to play with some synths and that was my first go at modular... been broke since

[cartoonbomb]

George Mason University in VA has a very impressive collection of modular and vintage synths. A huge Serge, a huge Euro (mainly Doepfer and ASys), a huge dotCom, a smallish Wiard system, a large Modcan, a Polyfusion system, Oberheim xpander, some variation on the SEM (I'm not very familiar), various Moog synths, Korg MS trio, Polymoog, and lots more. It was pretty unreal walking in there. Apparently most of it was donated by the estate of the deceased owner. Wonder if he was a wiggler.

Damn that's where I went to undergrad! I never knew. I wasn't involved in any music department so that probably explains it. Oh shit, maybe if I'm back in the D.C. Area I can arrange a visit because I'm technically alumni. Philosophy is a related field right?

You ought to be able to arrange a visit at least. Try to contact one of the clubs, or hell just walk right in find somebody to talk to about it. I didn't go there but I gave a talk/demo on modular synths at a club event, and there was this room full of amazing gear. I had arranged for a more intimate visit with the synth room but was unable to come, and now the my connection goes to a different school.

[dang_motu]

Anyone happen to know if Eastman School of music in Rochester, NY is housing any massive synth monstrosities?

[memes_33]

I went to Evergreen and in addition to Buchla's I believe each of the three labs had an Arp 2600.

yes and a big ass EMU modular that i think they may have sold now.

[MATSmile]

Anyone happen to know if Eastman School of music in Rochester, NY is housing any massive synth monstrosities?

Mail faculty is best way to find out. My school has 20 MACs with Max and Komplete and I have 2600, 6u and couple other synth in my room

[EarlJemmings]

Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD) in Canada apparently has an old Buchla 200 (I think)



Story goes that Don donated it to the school back in the 70s, and one of the professors had to smuggle it across the border to avoid paying import fees.
Apparently it's kind of in disrepair and is lacking patch cables, but I'm still trying to coerce students into sneaking me in

[skot]

University of Illinois is an awesome place for electronic music. Not to mention an amazing history of interdisciplanary work in the field.

http://ems.music.illinois.edu/ems hunt around and check out the pics.
http://buildingcampaign.ece.illinois.ed ... music-lab/

Anyone from around here?

[tubehead]

kent state university had a nice medium polyfusion and a fucking prototype moog modular. the moog was defunct when i was there and the have no electronic music department to speak of. but the stuff was there around the year 00'. the studio was in the midst of getting lost to the ages. it was nice in the 70's and 80's i think. that polyfusion changed my life for sure. my first modular experience.

year zero event

i just looked at both of those kent state synths that were brought in by an anonymous party looking to get appraisals on them, AFAIK the moog is an early production model from 68 and was in sort of rough shape, parts of it worked but it needed a lot of work. the polyfusion oscillators were still in tune when i fired it up, they used heated transistors which was a great design for thermal stability. very 'deluxe' feeling synth to use, lots of little extras on that one that make it a joy to use :]

[tubehead]

Anyone happen to know if Eastman School of music in Rochester, NY is housing any massive synth monstrosities?

AFAIK they do a lot with computer music but not much with analog electronic music...

[sansnom]

Far be it for me to tell you what to do, but I can't help myself and I will anyways. Which school has the coolest modulars would be about the last criteria I used to pick a college. I would instead talk to the professors and and students and see what they're in to, and what skills and knowledge they can pass on to you. You'd probably be better off at a school that has no cool equipment what so ever, but has a lot of students who are into crazy music making machines and do things on their own, or professors who are at the forefront of experimental music (if that's what you're into), but don't use ARP 2600's or the awesome synth de jour.

Because, even as rare as these sorts of machines are, there are still plenty of them (and Buchlas, and whatever else) around and they aren't going anywhere, but what's more difficult to find are professors who are going to be interested in what you're interested in AND willing to work with you. And at the end of 4 years, you're going to learn a lot more from them than you ever will from playing with an ARP 2600.

this.

[wechard]

Carleton University in Ottawa has an EMS VCS3 that was recently restored. It isn't in any of the regular studios, but could be hauled out for interested students. Up to the early 1990s there was also a full Synthi 100 system here, which got sold off

The other interesting development is that the library has started an emerging technology collection, with smaller items that students can actually sign out. There isn't a whole lot there yet, but there is a 0-Coast and a Koma field kit, along with some less modular things, including a Picoscope oscilloscope.

[southphillysynths]

Must have missed this thread. I've seen and played with most of the synths at most (if not all) of the university here in Philadelphia.

University of the Arts has a moog studio 55 with polyphonic bank (only 4 were made) and a system 15 as well as an arp 2600 and a makenoise shared system.

University of Pennsylvania has a new music easel and a large verbos system. Also a shared system I think?

Not sure about Drexel University but I don't think they've got anything there.

Temple University (where I went) I was lucky enough to sort of help pick what stuff they ended up getting. We've got 2x mother 32, 2x 0-coast, Makenoise shared system, verbos system, and an old electrocomp 200.

Glad to see lots of modulars still in universities!

[lzybassist]

Washington University in St. Louis has a nice collection including an ARP 2500 and 2600, a Moog Modular, a Nord Modular, and a nice Pro Tools setup. I took a yearlong class in electronic music my senior year and that got me hooked.