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0022-3.564
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dmg-3557
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1992-10-28
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10KB
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181 lines
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
§ THE HISTORY OF THE WOMBLITZER §
§ by ........... §
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Uncle Don had the idea of building an electronic organ when he was a
schoolboy - several years ago now. Unfortunately studying, work, national
service, night school, marriage and a family all tended to get in the way
but the idea refused to die. Progress was largely limited to reading but
occasionally there was a chance to actually build something or try out
something that someone else had built. This was especially true after he
had joined the Electronic Organ Constructors Society in early 1983.
Three reverend gentlemen were talking about when life begins. The
Catholic Priest said "at conception there is life".The Anglican Vicar
said "Ah, yes but it is not a person until birth -before then the child
is part of the mother". The Rabbi took his pipe from his mouth and said
"When the children grow up and leave home.... and the dog dies"
At last in 1984 'Uncle' was free to make a start. At the time he
was living in a bed-sit at the very top of a tall narrow house but 53
stairs didn't stop him from buying a non-working Vox Continental Mk II....
The 'gigging organ' of the 1960's (the days when 'portable' meant having
a strong back). This became the idea's testbed. First get it working
then, over a period, add a Leslie speaker, add a 32 note pedalboard, add
a Cheetah MIDI keybord, add a Yamaha FB01 expander and so on and so on.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
§ What is a WombliTzer? §
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You've heard of the mighty WurliTzer of course.
Well the WombliTzer design was influenced by the concept of a 'Unit
orchestra' but it was built from 'Things everyday folk left behind'!
The pedalboard is a Compton (job No.234) apparently removed from a
North London cinema when the cinema was demolished.
The Cheetah keyboard and FB01 expander were outgrown by a local
music teacher who knew a man who was delighted to buy them!
People get to recognize a man who is a womble when they know him
fairly well. Colleagues at work say 'There is a nice piece of...... in
the skip in the yard'. Even the Boss says things like 'I'm throwing out
all the ends The pedalboard is a Compton (job No.234) apparently removed
from a North London cinema when the cinema was demolished.
The Cheetah keyboard and FB01 expander were outgrown by a local
music teacher who knew a man who was delighted to buy them!
People get to recognize a man who is a womble when they know him
fairly well. Colleagues at work say 'There is a nice piece of...... in
the skip in the yard'. Even the Boss says things like 'I'm throwing out
all the ends ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Reduced to its essentials the console is nothing more than a
collection of switches - illuminated so that the player can see to
operate them and equipped with enough electronics to scan the switches
and output the results as a series of MIDI messages.
It has been said 'An engineer is a man who can make for 5p what any
fool can make for #1.00'. It has also been said 'There is an air of
inevitability about a good engineering design. These two precepts have
been kept in mind all the time.
The console is still under development but has been usable for quite
a long time now. The two legs are the correct distance apart to span the
pedalboard allowing just enough room to shift one without disturbing the
other. Strength with minimum weight has been achieved by using struts
covered by a 'stressed skin' of plywood covered in turn with the very
cheapest lining quality melamine sheet. Between the two legs are two
square section steel tubes each fixed by two handwheel bolts at each end.
On these, under the keyboard end cheeks, are two hollow beams which
contain an M.F.I. display case light each to illuminate the pedalboard.
Every part of the console has its own story. Even the keyboard
contacts were 'scratch built' from gold clad phosphor bronze wire and
palladium silver bus bars. Perhaps some other time there will be space
and time to tell the rest of the story.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
§ The Computer §
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In the autumn of 1991 'Uncle' and a very good friend of his from the
Quay Organ Club at Seaford (A great 'electronic music appreciation
society' devoted to bringing top performers to a first rate local venue)
decided to improve their own skills by becoming 'mature evening students'
at the local College of Further Education and taking the 'Music -
Keyboard and Music Computer Programming' course.
Knowing that a computer would be needed to put synthesized and
sampled sounds into the organ one of the first questions was 'What
computer do you suggest?'. The instructor, a professional recording
engineer, answered 'The computer that you find in almost every music
studio and recording studio is the Atari ST and we shall be using one on
the course!' He also recommended various Hi Tech magazines. Then
followed a period of intense magazine reading, advertisement answering,
exhibition visiting and working overtime to pay for a computer.
For any technically minded readers the computer chosen was the STe
with a 4Meg memory expansion, high resolution monitor and Citizen Swift
24x printer. This opened up a whole new and exciting field of interest.
It allowed this document to be produced. It provided an impetus to learn
to touchtype. It provided fun for visiting grandchildren (once they
could get their father away from it). In fact the original purpose has
been somewhat deferred but the future looks terrific.
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§ The Sound Rack §
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Because the console is little more than switches the sounds have to
be generated elsewhere. Standing next to the console is a standard 19"
rack which holds all the other parts except the loudspeakers. On the top
of the rack can be seen a Yamaha DD10 'entry level' drum machine. This is
used as a metronome-cum-rhythm unit at the moment. Under this is a tape
recorder for objective listening. Things seem to sound quite different in
the cold light of morning. Next comes an experimental keyboard ....
Experimental in respect of both keyboard design and sound testing.
The present main sound producing equipment takes up the next tone
of the 'Euro standard' computer racks ready for the future. The bottom
three rows are the pre-amps, four channels of main amplification and the
power supplies.
Everything is now in use except the STEbus rack.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
§ The Future §
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Looks absolutely fascinating. All of 'Uncle's' working life seems to
have added something to the knowledge needed to build e- one of the 'Euro
standard' computer racks ready for the future. The bottom three rows are
the pre-amps, four channels of main amplification and the power supplies.
Everything is now in use except the STEbus rack.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
§ The Future §
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Looks absolutely fascinating. All of 'Uncle's' working life seems to
have added something to the knowledge needed to build electronic organs.
At last, just when he had collected the parts and the computer needed for
the next part of the job he became 'forcibly non productive' or 'in
involuntary early retirement' ..... in short the firm he worked for went
into the hands of the receivers. Apparently the chances of someone
getting close to retirement finding a job these days is minuscule. Now
he has the time to study and build as well as having the parts.
Already he has run MIDI cables from the computer in the study to the
organ in the lounge. He has the demo version of 'Accompanist' and is
sending off for the registered version to help make up for his short~
comings as a player. The Vox has been sold to make more room. Sampling
and synth programmes have been bought and are just waiting to be tried
out. So many other interesting things are just waiting to be done he
wonders how he spared the time to go to work anyway. Even now there are
interruptions :- actually playing the instrument - talking to guests who
come to try it for themselves - cooking & cleaning - gardening -helping
friends and relations who say 'could you spare time to do this, that, or
the other' - even building purpose built furniture to make visitors
comfortable in spite of everything that is going on. All these are fun
in themselves and, above all, there is the WombliTzer to keep 'Uncle' Don
young-at-heart until he 'qualifies for his wooden shirt'
~~~~~eof~~~~~