A series of live improvisations and test recordings from two exceptionally rare 1979 Crumar General Development Systems (GDS) during final testing prior to shipping the beasts to their new owners following major restoration at Hideaway Studio. 

Considerably ahead of its time, and one of only four surviving examples, the GDS was a groundbreaking digital synthesizer featuring FM and additive synthesis in 16-bit audio.

The GDS was a ground breaking all digital 16-bit 32 oscillator FM / Additive synthesizer and was the direct precursor to the 1982 DK Synergy (sharing the identical High Speed Digital Oscillator and Factory Sound Library) both based on the Bell Labs "Alles Machine" from the late 1970s developed by Hal Alles and sharing some of the original design team members.  The synth was hosted by a large Z80 based IMS8000 computer and an ADDS Regent serial terminal with a green screen monitor running CP/M with dual 8" disk drives with mains powered spindle motors - dainty!

All Compositions & Recordings Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio.

1979 Crumar General Development System (GDS) Demos

A series of live improvisations by D.A.Wilson recorded in front of some of the myriad of cherished and rare vintage synths returned to life over the past few years in The Lab at Hideaway Studio.

All Recordings are Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio.

The Secret World of Vintage Synths

A test recording made with one of the world's rarest groundbreaking vintage digital synthesizers as it wakes for the first time in many years during major restoration.   The Crumar GDS was built in 1979 and was one of the first commercial all digital polyphonic synthesizers boasting 32 digital oscillators combining FM and Additive Synthesis.  This example was owned by a very famous German electronic musician and one of less than 10 ever built.

The restoration can be followed on my blog at VSE:

http://www.vintagesynth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=77037

1979 General Development System: First Awakenings

A brief live improvisation I recorded using the first voice patch I managed to program into the 1979 Crumar GDS shortly after I undertook the major restoration (previously owned by the late Klaus Schulze) of this extremely rare groundbreaking early digital synthesizer.   It is named in memory of the late Max Mathews who played a major role in developing the software routines and concepts behind key parts of the GDS as well as in many other areas of pioneering computer based music technology.

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2014.

1979 General Development System: The Max Factor

A live improvisation by D.A.Wilson shortly following restoration of 1982 Digital Keyboards Synergy number 1032 at Hideaway Studio running in conjunction with the SynHCS host editor on a Kaypro II CP/M computer under HxC disk emulation.  

In this recording you can hear the Synergy's unusual continuously variable random vibrato in action.  The Synergy is an all digital synthesizer with 32 oscillators featuring both FM and additive synthesis.  It is a direct relative of the 1979 Crumar GDS.

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2015.

1982 DK Synergy 1032 Awakens: Evolutions

A live improvisation recorded on what was Klaus Schulze's ultra rare 1979 Crumas General Development System (GDS) [featured on Death of An Analog among others] during final testing prior to shipping the beast to its new owner following a 100% tear down and major restoration by D.A.Wilson at Hideaway Studio.  Considerably ahead of its time, and one of only three known surviving examples, the GDS was a groundbreaking digital synthesizer featuring FM and additive synthesis in 16-bit audio.

Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2015.

1979 General Development System: The Big Farewell

A live improvisation by D.A.Wilson on an extremely rare 1982 Buchla 400-T computer controlled 6-voice hybrid synth (digital "arbitrary" oscillators into analog filters) running MIDAS-III complete with flat pressure sensitive Touch Controller housed in a custom Teak solid wood cabinet awakens during return to operation and overhaul and Lotharek Rev.F HxC virtual floppy disk retrofit at Hideaway Studio.

The touch keyboard was a nightmare to get used and it took a great deal of my concentration to perform this as the pressure-to-pitch modulation was pretty intense on the patch I'd dialled in that day but it certainly resulted in something from the heart.  The highly responsive playing surface opens up some interesting possibilites for expressive patch design and playing!

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2015.

1982 Buchla 400 Awakens: Haute Tension

A live test improvisation recorded in front of a 1982 Rhodes Chroma analog polysynth after finally springing into life during a particularly arduous debug session to determine the root cause of a failed auto-tuning system during major overhaul at Hideaway Studio. 

Easily one of my favourite vintage polysynths (even over Prophet 5 and OB-X) and one I consider to be extremely underrated - a complex and remarkably flexible 16 oscillator beast with a warm but biting character all of its own!!

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2017.

1982 Rhodes (ARP) Chroma: Autotune-ONE

It is very possible this is the only recording of this rare synth demo on the planet!

Whilst restoring the ex Klaus Schulze GDS (originally used on  his 1980 Album, Dig It) back in 2014 I found a number of what appeared to be demo sequences on one of the 8 inch disks.  These may well have been supplied with the instrument by the Digital Keyboards sales team or just may have been for a demonstration at NAMM circa 1980.

I loaded up and recorded this one from the GDS which was a nice demonstration of the instrument's multi-timbral capabilites. 

Released in 1979, the GDS was a groundbreaking all digital instrument based on Hal Alles' Alles Machine at Bell Labs and featured 32 high speed digital oscillators implementing a mixture of FM and additive synthesis in 16-bit audio with two 16 stage loopable EGs per oscillator, velocity sensitive keyboard, multi-timbral playback and a built in sequencer!

The name of the demo is a mystery - at first I thought it might be a reference to Nyle Steiner but he didn't think there was a connection.

Maybe the NY in NYLE1 stands for New York?... who knows!

1979 General Development System: Ultra Rare Original GDS Demo "NYLE1"

Whilst restoring the ex Klaus Schulze GDS (originally used on  his 1980 Album, Dig It) back in 2014 I made several test recordings throughout the project.

Here are some more excerpts from my test recording archives I recorded back in 2014.   The white noise at the beginning of the recording was some of the first audio that emerged from the beast on the first powerup during resurrection when the system crashed during an attempt to boot it!

The GDS was a groundbreaking all digital instrument based on Hal Alles' Alles Machine at Bell Labs and featured 32 high speed digital oscillators implementing a mixture of FM and additive synthesis in 16-bit audio with two 16 stage loopable EGs per oscillator, velocity sensitive keyboard, multi-timbral playback and a built in sequencer!

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2014

1979 General Development System: More 2014 Restoration Test Excerpts..

An improvised montage of sounds recorded live from 1938 Hammond Novachord No.346 shortly after partial restoration to working order by vintage synth specialist D.A.Wilson in the UK in 2009.  It is very rare to hear a direct modern recording (non-acoustic through chorus/delay/reverb directly from the generator chassis)of one of these instruments in action as less than 50 remain in known working order.

The Novachord is generally accepted to be world's first commercial all electronic polyphonic instrument featuring dynamics control and specifically designed to emulate timbres beyond those of an organ such as strings, harpsichord and piano.

See more on this extremely rare beast at www.novachord.co.uk

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2009.

1938 Novachord #346: Creepy Montage (87 Year Old Tube Polysynth!)

D.A.Wilson is an Electronic Engineer, Sound Designer & Vintage Synth Specialist with a particular interest in combining vintage tube, classic analog and modern digital technologies working as a synth engineer looking after a very considerable amount of vintage studio equipment for Will Gregory (Goldfrapp / Moog Ensemble) and a number of other internationally celebrated electronic musicians and producers.  Having undertaken several major restorations and produced custom electronic designs for a number of major artists including Jean-Michel Jarre, Dani is also known for fully restoring two out of the world's four remaining 1979 Crumar GDS and partially restoring 1938 Novachord 346 (the only known operational Novachord in the UK) to playable order along with developing and producing the new Elfin family of 8-bit polysynths and the popular MIDI Front Panel Animator (FPA), Filter Defeat Module (FDM) and XD-280 Drive Emulator upgrades for the AKAI S612 sampler.

Demos of the S612 Upgrades in Action: 

https://soundcloud.com/hideaway-studio/sets/hideaway-studios-s612-front


Hideaway Studio Kontakt Sound libraries may be purchased directly from: 
https://www.lootaudio.com/category/kontakt-instruments/hideaway-studios
 

..and a nice introduction by Cory Pelizzari to the Hideaway Studio Kontakt Libraries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-C7a3ChC9U&feature=emb_title


For more on releases from Hideaway Studio for Kontakt please visit the blog at:  www.hideawaystudio.net