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https://theconversation.com/hard-work-and-happy-accidents-why-do-so-many-of-us-prefer-difficult-analogue-technology-227472>
I finally locate the legendary Schneiders Buero, a shop selling analogue
synthesizers in Berlin’s Kotti neighbourhood. Up two flights of stairs, the
music machinery on offer includes brands such as Moog and Buchla, as well as
modern euro-racks. Each set-up contains headphones and boxes of patch
cables. There are no instructions and the machines, while alluring, are also
somewhat imposing. (From Michael’s fieldnotes)
"As academics who rarely go a day without playing or making music, we have
spent the past decade examining the extraordinary revival of analogue
technology. From vinyl records to film cameras, all manner of apparently
written-off technologies have been making a comeback, including modular
synthesizers – one of the earliest types of this now-ubiquitous electronic
instrument.
In the UK, some 6 million vinyl LPs were bought in 2023, an 11.7% rise on the
previous year’s sales and the 16th straight year of increase. The vinyl revival
is also fuelling a resurgence of independent record shops, with UK high streets
now having a third more (around 461 stores) than a decade ago. Some of these
shops are again warning customers to expect long queues on the 17th global
Record Store Day on April 20, when they will be selling limited-edition vinyl
records (old and new) as well as staging live performances.
Certainly, the stereotype of vinyl listeners being older men no longer holds
water. Taylor Swift now accounts for one in every 15 vinyl albums sold in the
US – and was a reason for some of the Record Store Day queues in the UK in
2023. Newer acts such as Lana Del Ray, Tyler, The Creator, Olivia Rodrigo and
Kendrick Lamar also out-vinyl the likes of Metallica, who themselves sell so
much of their music on vinyl that they bought their own vinyl pressing plant to
ensure supply.
Such has been the revival in analogue synthesizers that venerable brands
including Korg and Moog have relaunched lower-priced modules aimed at novices,
while also reviving older classics for the pros. This means there are now more
analogue options available than at any time since the 1970s, the heyday of the
modular format. Synthesizer-based music events by new brands such as Teenage
Engineering are packed with young and middle-aged enthusiasts eager to play
with Kraftwerk-inspired pocket calculator synths that can produce a surprising
array of sounds.
My [Michael’s Berlin] visit was one of many experiences that sought to explain
why so many consumers choose these so-called “difficult” technologies, when far
simpler and more convenient options exist. Is the difficulty of learning to use
these old devices actually the point?"
I tentatively connect two modules. Nothing. I suddenly realise I’ve been at
this for two hours. Feeling somewhat dazed, I look around the shop. Many of
those who began using the machines at the same time as me are still locked
in thought, their machines covered in patch cords. I keep going, and
eventually sounds start to emerge.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
