Crumar General Development System
Digital synthesizer (1980)
Digital synthesizer (1980)
Co-developed by and marketed in the US by Digital Keyboards Inc., the CRUMAR General Development System (GDS) offers both a complete sound synthesis laboratory and a high quality performance instrument in a single unit. Advanced logic design technology has been fused with state-of-the-art digital sound synthesis techniques to create a new dimension in real-time sound production. Intended as a tool for performing and studio musicians, composers, researchers and educators, the GDS emphasizes accuracy, flexibility and convenience. Precise digital computation of waveforms, envelopes and harmonics, coupled with studio-quality audio output, provides a degree of control not achievable with analog technologies. A wide range of musically meaningful parameters enables the immediate realization of a tremendous variety of sounds. These parameters, carefully arranged in logical groups, can be instantly allocated to sliders, rotary pots and switches, for fingertip control.
The GDS is a completely digital synthesizer. Consequently, it is free from the problems of traditional analog units. Since the GDS is under the control of a supplied computer program, patches can be installed and changed quickly. Temperature sensitivity is also no longer a problem; the GDS does not have to be constantly retuned as it warms up. Most important, once the setting of a control has been established, it can be remembered exactly. Thus, a sound "found" can be saved and recalled for future use.
The GDS uses a Z-80 microcomputer to supply data to special high-speed digital circuits that simulate the activity of 32 high-quality oscillators. The oscillator output is fed to a 16-bit, digital-to-analog converter to insure clean, recording-quality sound. A pair of double-density flexible disk drives provides fast storage and retrieval of voices, filters, recorded sequences and performance configurations. The unit is operated via a control panel with 65 input devices and a 61-note, velocity sensitive keyboard. A CRT terminal is included for instant display of parameters and key/pot settings.
There is another branded Crumar machine that deserves to be mentioned while remaining in effect, then as now, unapproachable. I'm talking about the GDS (General Development System), a real fully computer sound research laboratory. Initially the project was developed by Hal Alles at the "Bell Telephone Inc." in the United States; He crumar the US distributor had bought the manufacturing rights and proposed to Crucianelli to continue to subsidize the studies for the production of the final system. For the Italian company, which invested considerable capital in the project, it was the beginning of the end. The system in question were built only five, maybe six, two copies of which sold to electronic musicians Klaus Schulze and Wendy Carlos, the prohibitive cost was estimated in 1980 at around $27,000 (30 million lire in Italy). However, the GDS, it was a purely American project, was served at the "Music Technology Inc", which meanwhile became the "Digital Keyboards Inc.", as a programmer for the sounds of DKI SYNERGY, a totally different machine, and that did not have a its synthesis system. The GDS technically arose as a serious competitor of the various Farlight Computer or Alpha Syntauri, while working in a totally different from these. Unfortunately he was never marketed as deserved and remained forever a museum exhibit. The GDS system is the keypad lock 61 keys with touch response (well apart 256 different pressure velocity), connected to the terminal computer, a PDP-11s with RAM 64 MB and Zilog Z-80, the system OS is the old CP / M of the "Digital Research".
LABORATORY OF DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY DIGITAL SOUND There is another branded Crumar machine that deserves to be mentioned while remaining in effect, then as now, unapproachable. I'm talking about the GDS (General Development System), a real fully computer sound research laboratory. Initially the project was developed by Hal Alles at the "Bell Telephone Inc." in the United States; He crumar the US distributor had bought the manufacturing rights and proposed to Crucianelli to continue to subsidize the studies for the production of the final system. For the Italian company, which invested considerable capital in the project, it was the beginning of the end. The system in question were built only five, maybe six, two copies of which sold to electronic musicians Klaus Schulze and Wendy Carlos, the prohibitive cost was estimated in 1980 at around $27,000 (30 million lire in Italy). However, the GDS, it was a purely American project, was served at the "Music Technology Inc", which meanwhile became the "Digital Keyboards Inc.", as a programmer for the sounds of DKI SYNERGY, a totally different machine, and that did not have a its synthesis system. The GDS technically arose as a serious competitor of the various Farlight Computer or Alpha Syntauri, while working in a totally different from these. Unfortunately he was never marketed as deserved and remained forever a museum exhibit. The GDS system is the keypad lock 61 keys with touch response (well apart 256 different pressure velocity), connected to the terminal computer, a PDP-11s with RAM 64 MB and Zilog Z-80, the system OS is the old CP / M of the "Digital Research".
The machine uses a form of digital synthesis of the 12-bit type additive (32 Khz) and mimics many of the functions and sounds of a classic synthesizer, also can use the known synthesis for frequency modulation. In addition to this the GDS makes the other: can store countless highlights programs, allows you to calculate, analyze and reproduce extremely complex waveforms, in addition to possessing an unprecedented amount of digital sounds and unusual parameters. Computer lock is operated directly from the keyboard and moves through musical logic programs, like the one that allows you to record sequences of eight digital tracks, or one related to the construction of waveforms. There are LED indicators on the keyboard 64, 32 and 12 potentiometers slider knob, 16 buttons, one with automatic return knob (pitch bend), a joystick, plus two double density floppy disc players on the houses and a computer terminal with monitor green phosphor, and alphanumeric keyboard (standard ASCII). Complete hardware kit two pedals to switch and a potentiometer. The panel with the commands undergoes a digital scanning 50 times per second while the keyboard is read well 3000 times per second. The system is not equipped, unlike the Farlight, analog / digital converters votes acquisition of external signals. If things had gone the right way and the system had taken hold, the Crumar set itself the aim of collecting and distributing the various programs developed by users; this would have enabled in a short time to create a decidedly more supplied library of software than that of series.
CRUMAR GDS
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