Wolfgang Palm - myth and reality

elektro80 · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 4:04 pm Post subject: Wolfgang Palm - myth and reality

You all know I am a great fan of the PPG 2.2/2.3, the PRK, the Waveterm etc etc.

Wolfgang Palm has been credited with the invention of the digital synth, the wavetable synth and virtual synths ( The Realizer ).

Any of you guys have any more info on this? Quite probably a lot of people were working on similar ideas at the time.

Howard?

mosc · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:42 pm Post subject:

This would really take a lot of research. The first digital synth I ever heard of was the Lunetta synthesizers. These weren't commercial units, but home made devices created with simple logic gates. They were 100% digital. My guess Stan was building these as early as 1968, maybe earlier. I happen to have a Lunetta that I built myself in 1970.

As for virtual synths, I would give the nod to Max Mathews with his work at Bell Labs in the 60s. I haven't looked for net resources on these projects. Cmusic is the modern incarnation of much of this work.

elektro80 · Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:55 pm Post subject:

Hmm.. interesting. This should probably be researched. You should take a pix or two of the Lunetta and post the info.

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 12:21 am Post subject:

I am still very impressed by the PPG instruments designed by Wolfgang Palm, and I am pretty sure he has not made these claims himself. -But.. we shuld research this before the facts are forgotten. The Lunetta is very interesting! More info and pix please.

Wavetable synths..! There were of course the optical designs using film etc etc. which could "store" waveshapes on film and replay these. The BBC had one of these I think.

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 12:56 am Post subject:

http://o-art.org/history/LongDur/JimHorton/jh-music1.html

Some very amusing pages.. is this the same Lunetta?

seraph · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 1:45 am Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 4:17 pm Post subject:

http://o-art.org/history/LongDur/JimHorton/jh-music1.html

this one works.. and Howard is mentioned on page 2.

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 4:30 pm Post subject:

Actually you should check out the rest of the site at http://www.o-art.org/history/

which is described as the
"The History of Experimental Music in Northern California"

And Howard is of course mentioned in there.

mosc · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 4:53 pm Post subject:

Yikes! I'm a historical figure. Cool

Reading those pages bring back a lot of memories. Good ones.

I confess, I made up the stuff about the aliens from Mars.

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 4:59 pm Post subject:

Too late ! The aliens are now on record.. and the info is now all over the web! Very Happy