1.2 The Synthophone - Some Background

1.2 THE SYNTHOPHONE - SOME BACKGROUND

The design of the SYNTHOPHONE goes back to the pre-MIDI times of 1981, where the first prototype (a wood stick with Boehm-like keys) was designed by Martin Hurni. It was connected to a dedicated analog synthesizer system. This first stage of the SYNTHOPHONE was followed by a real alto sax with keys connected to a switching system to give a more realistic playing feel. At ARS ELECTRONICA '84 contest, the first prize was given to the design of the SYNTHOPHONE for it's "most original and future-oriented development in the field of electronic sound production." At about the same time, MIDI was to become a standard, and so the next prototype was MIDI-equipped, although a separate hardware unit was still necessary to convert a sax into a MIDI-controller. A later model then was self-contained: the processor was put into the bell of the sax. This new SYNTHOPHONE was built in late 1986 and then refined to be produced by SOFTWIND INSTRUMENTS.

The instrument of today is a fully equipped MIDI controller, which connects to any modern synthesizer, DYNAMIC HARMONY was implemented as a software update and further new software features can be added through (EPROM) chip exchange, which in most cases are done by musicians themselves.

The sax is here to stay, and therefore you should expect your SYNTHOPHONE to have a long musical future, too. It is your, the performer, who can give us a very valuable feedback on the design and additional features of the SYNTHOPHONE, so please do not hesitate to send us a few lines, outlining your ideas and your suggestions. Thank you for your cooperation.