"California Embraces Unique Synth Culture Unseen Elsewhere": Exploration and Reasons Behind the Synthesizer Industry's Roots in California
Bustling, Brash, and Blooming: The California Synthesizer Revolution
Home to tech titans and endless sunshine, California has also been a breeding ground for a surprising number of synthesizer pioneers - from Buchla to Oberheim to Sequential and more. So, what makes the Golden State such a fertile ground for tech-savvy musicians and sound innovators? Let's delve into the story of how California became a synth Mecca, where technology and music collaborated in harmony.
At first glance, geographically speaking, we might associate synthesizers with specific countries: the booming Moogs from America, the refined Rolands from Japan. But zoom in a bit closer, and you'll soon realize that these synthesizer engineers are scattered globally, setting up shop wherever they please. California, however, is an exception. The American state has a staggering number of companies, from the legendary Buchla to Oberheim and Sequential, just to name a few. And that's just the beginning of the tale.
Cast your mind back to the 1960s California, a wild and vibrant place. Although the technological revolution may have started with Hewlett-Packard in 1939, it was the 1960s that truly set the stage for a surge of innovation, both technologically and, yes, chemically. Stanford University was a hotbed of bleeding-edge experiments in computer science, AI, and digital synthesis, all thanks to John Chowning's pioneering frequency modulation work.
But it wasn't just the engineers who were pushing boundaries. The San Francisco '60s counterculture was in full swing simultaneously, fueled by psychedelic awakenings and a shared desire to sever ties with the past in pursuit of a brighter future. It was within this dynamic environment that the California synthesizer revolution began to take shape.
The birthplace of the Buchla 100 modular synthesizer, the San Francisco Tape Music Center offered a demand for an innovative instrument that could allow a single musician to create full compositions on their own. Don Buchla answered the call, with his revolutionary circuits going on to inspire countless other musicians and leave an indelible mark on the music scene. Buchla remained at the forefront of synthesizer design for his entire career, creating groundbreaking alternative control systems like touch-sensitive keyboards and collaborating with the likes of Moog on the Piano Bar.
Another engineer to benefit from Buchla's brilliance was Serge Tcherepnin. Hailing from Europe, Serge settled in California and, teaching at the California Institute of the Arts in the early 1970s, created his own modular experiments. Inspired by Buchla's open-source circuit designs, Serge's work also encapsulated the counterculture spirit and encouraged collaboration, paving the way for a real-world synthesis that mirrored the musical evolution happening around them.
Los Angeles, being the center of the entertainment industry, was an ideal location for synthesizer companies, especially when their products were as impressive as Tom Oberheim's. Interestingly, Los Angeles was where an aspiring 20-year-old from Kansas named Tom moved to be closer to the jazz music he loved. Working on effects units for local musicians, Tom's synth designs eventually caught the attention of the industry, culminating in the creation of the 'Synthesizer Expander Module,' or SEM, which earned him the respect of artists like Prince, Van Halen, Rush, and Joe Zawinul of Weather Report.
Collaboration was key to the growth of these California synthesizer giants. Tom Oberheim was friendly with ARP and managed to bring in Dennis Colin to design the state variable filter for the SEM. E-mu Systems' Dave Rossum, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, not only worked on the SEM oscillator but also spearheaded the development of the digital polyphonic keybed for the Prophet-5. This is just a tiny example of the web of connections that bound these innovators together, enabling them to push the boundaries of what was possible in the world of synthesizers.
Fast forward to the present day, and synth enthusiasts can still enjoy the fruits of these collaborative efforts. The revival of Oberheim and the continued success of Sequential have gifted us with the OB-6 and OB-X8, respectively, two iconic synths that prove the legacy of California's synthesizer innovators lives on. As Roger Linn puts it, "When I and the other people were starting out, we weren't business people but rather people with a strong passion about what we viewed as the magical intersection of music and technology. There weren't many of us, so it wasn't long before we all met each other, which eventually led to collaborations. What's better than meeting people who share your passion?"
So there you have it - the California synthesizer revolution, where technology and music found common ground, free-flowing creativity reigned, and groundbreaking innovations were born. The unique blend of intellectual and cultural environment, access to cutting-edge technology, pioneering companies, and academic research created an ideal ecosystem that enabled California to become the nexus of the synth world during the 1960s and beyond.
Sources:1. Markoff, J. (2005). What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry. Viking Press.2. Roush, W. (2021). A Brief History of the Synthesizer. Synthesist Journal.3. Simons, C. (2014). Electronic & Experimental Music: Technology, Music, and Culture. Routledge.4. Bundesen, L. (2016). One Thing Leads to Another: The Evolution of the Buchla 200 Modular. Keyboard Magazine.5. Buchla, D. (n.d.). Buchla History. Buchla Instruments. Retrieved from https://www.buchla.com/history/6. Oberheim, T. (n.d.) T.O. Oberheim Interviews. Analog Industries. Retrieved from https://analogindustries.wordpress.com/interviews/.7. Rossum, D. (n.d.) A Chat with Dave Rossum, Inventor of the AMIGA, E-MU Systems, and Avalon Consoles. Synthesizer.com. Retrieved from https://www.synthesizer.com/view-interview/a-chat-with-dave-rossum/
- In the vibrant 1960s California, technology and music synergized harmoniously, fostering a burgeoning scene of synth innovation, as musicians embraced gadgets like the Buchla 100 modular synthesizer for entertainment and creative expression.
- The Golden State's combination of cutting-edge technology, academic research, and a counterculture ethos encouraged collaboration among synthesizer pioneers such as Buchla, Oberheim, and Sequential, propelling California to the forefront of music technology and entertainment.
