ARP 2500 : track demo 1 & 2 (NightBirds Electronic Music) - 23.02.2011

French: Cette composition a été réalisée avec un ARP 2500 (wing cabinet) lors d'une courte session de nuit. Pas de grande démonstration genre blipblip, crack … comme on peut en entendre si souvent avec cette machine, mais une composition réunissant des sonorités agréables à l'écoute !
Enfermé dans le noir avec comme seule lumière les diodes de l’appareil, j'ai improvisé & enregistré cette piste sans arrière pensé et en une seule prise.
Le matériel utilisé pour cette réalisation est le suivant :
Direct To Disc Fostex D2424 LV / 2 couples "Alesis Midiverb-Midifex" et pour finir une table de mixage analogique WEM Reverbmaster.



Voici le deuxième extrait réalisé avec comme simple instrument l'ARP. Il est possible qu'un jour je ressorte cette session pour poster la totalité des 1h d'enregistrement...



From wikipedia: The ARP 2500, built from 1970–81, was ARP's first product. It was a monophonic analog modular synthesizer equipped with a set of sliding matrix switches above each module. These were the primary method of interconnecting modules. There were also rows of 1/8" miniphone jacks at the end of each row of matrix switches, to interconnect rows of switches. The main 2500 cabinet could hold 12 modules, and optional wing cabinets could each hold 6. The matrix switch interconnection scheme allowed any module's output to connect to any other module's input, unlike the patch cords of competitive units from Moog and Buchla which could obscure control knobs and associated markings, but it had the disadvantage of greater cross-talk.

Although the 2500 proved to be a reliable and user-friendly machine, it was not commercially successful, selling approximately 100 units. A collection of the 2500s most popular modules was packaged into a single, non-modular unit as the ARP 2600, leaving out the matrix switching and more esoteric functions.

The 2500s most notable usage was in the motion picture Close Encounters of the Third Kind to communicate with aliens. The ARP technician sent to install the unit, Phil Dodds, was cast as the musician. The unit featured in the film consisted of a fully loaded main unit, two fully loaded wing cabinets and dual keyboards in a custom case.

Today, many ARP 2500s are either non-functioning or in very poor condition. One good condition copy of the ARP 2500 is currently present in the collection of WORM in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Publication & Copyright by NightBirds Electronic Music - France - 2013