RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer at Columbia U. CMC

Over the past couple of days I posted some pictures of the Buchla Series 100, and mentioned to at least one person that my photos of the RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer at the Computer Music Center are much better than the one on Wikipedia, I was requested to post them.

So here are a few that happen to be accessible without going into my archives. In other words, they are on my laptop computer rather than stored on a remote drive at home. These were taken about a year ago, when I was at the CMC for a shoot that included the pictures here, and those I posted yesterday of the Buchla Series 100.

Rumor has it that the last time someone switched it on, the power in Prentis Hall went off. I can believe it, but I don't think it was because of a short or a defective tube or expired capacitor, or any such thing, but rather the machine reaching out from the past to make sure it stays dormant until such time as its power to inspire is needed again. I can imagine the aroma of ionized dust that would've filled the room.

Pictured with the machine are three awesome folk: Brad Garton, director of the CMC; Terry Pender, assoc. director of the CMC; and Douglas Repetto, director of research at the CMC. They are all outstanding artists, excellent teachers and nice folk.

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