Automat (album)
Encyclopedia
Automat is an album of instrumental
electronic music
composed by the Italian musicians Romano Musumarra and Claudio Gizzi. It was produced in 1977 and released in 1978 by EMI
Italy, through its Harvest
label.
All the sounds in this album were generated by the MCS70
, a monophonic analog synthesizer
designed, built and programmed by the Italian engineer Mario Maggi.
Automat was Musumarra's initiative – after learning about the new instrument, he proposed to EMI Italy that he produce an album of electronic instrumental music. Although at the time such a project was considered risky, the answer was positive. EMI suggested, however, that Claudio Gizzi, a more experienced composer that already worked with them, also participate in the project.
The composition work was divided: Gizzi contributed to side A, who filled it with a long suite with 3 movements, and Musumarra contributed to side B, who composed three shorter pieces.
They had very little time to complete the project with only four weeks in the studio. As a result, the last track, Mecadence, was left somewhat incomplete.
The sound engineer in charge of the project was Luciano Torani.
Side B (by Romano Musumarra):
they also used: Sequential Circuits
3 row by 16 steps analog sequencer
synced to a 16 track recorder for overdubs, EMT digital reverberation
unit, Horban parametric equalizer
(x2), 30 band graphic equalizer, natural echo chamber
for reverberation, a 2 track recorder for delay effects
.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
composed by the Italian musicians Romano Musumarra and Claudio Gizzi. It was produced in 1977 and released in 1978 by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Italy, through its Harvest
Harvest Records
-References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7...
label.
All the sounds in this album were generated by the MCS70
MCS70
- Overview :The MCS70 was designed and built by the Italian engineer Mario Maggi in 1977. It is a monophonic analog synthesizer with an architecture composed by three Voltage Controlled Oscillators , one noise generator , two voltage controlled filters , one voltage controlled amplifier , two ADSR...
, a monophonic analog synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
designed, built and programmed by the Italian engineer Mario Maggi.
Automat was Musumarra's initiative – after learning about the new instrument, he proposed to EMI Italy that he produce an album of electronic instrumental music. Although at the time such a project was considered risky, the answer was positive. EMI suggested, however, that Claudio Gizzi, a more experienced composer that already worked with them, also participate in the project.
The composition work was divided: Gizzi contributed to side A, who filled it with a long suite with 3 movements, and Musumarra contributed to side B, who composed three shorter pieces.
They had very little time to complete the project with only four weeks in the studio. As a result, the last track, Mecadence, was left somewhat incomplete.
The sound engineer in charge of the project was Luciano Torani.
Album Tracks
Side A (by Claudio Gizzi):- 01 - Automat
- (The) Rise
- (The) Advance
- (The) Genus
Side B (by Romano Musumarra):
- 02 - Droid
- 03 - Ultraviolet
- 04 - Mecadence
Equipment
Besides the MCS70MCS70
- Overview :The MCS70 was designed and built by the Italian engineer Mario Maggi in 1977. It is a monophonic analog synthesizer with an architecture composed by three Voltage Controlled Oscillators , one noise generator , two voltage controlled filters , one voltage controlled amplifier , two ADSR...
they also used: Sequential Circuits
Sequential Circuits
Sequential Circuits Inc. was a California-based synthesizer company that was founded in the early 1970s by Dave Smith and sold to Yamaha Corporation in 1987. The company, throughout its lifespan, pioneered many groundbreaking technologies and design principles that are often taken for granted in...
3 row by 16 steps analog sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
synced to a 16 track recorder for overdubs, EMT digital reverberation
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
unit, Horban parametric equalizer
Equalization
Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
(x2), 30 band graphic equalizer, natural echo chamber
Echo chamber
thumb|right|Echo chamber of the Dresden University of Technologythumb|right|Hamilton Mausoleum has a spectacularly long lasting unplanned echoAn echo chamber is a hollow enclosure used to produce echoing sounds, usually for recording purposes...
for reverberation, a 2 track recorder for delay effects
Delay (audio effect)
Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
.
Trivia
- The condition imposed by Mario Maggi to participate on the project was that the MCS70 were the only synthesizer used in it. All the sounds had to be obtained from it, even the drum sounds. The MCS70 would be presented in the 1978 Frankfurt Musikmesse and, for Maggi, the album would be a demonstration of the capabilities of his new synth.
- MCS means "Memory Controlled Synthesizer". It was common for synths at the time to need the manual adjustment of every control in the panel to get a desired sound, a task that often took a considerable amount of time. In the MCS70 a sound, once programmed, could be stored in memory and quickly recovered later. Mario Maggi filled the 64 available memory positions with sounds created by him and these were the sounds used in the album.
- Only one MCS70MCS70- Overview :The MCS70 was designed and built by the Italian engineer Mario Maggi in 1977. It is a monophonic analog synthesizer with an architecture composed by three Voltage Controlled Oscillators , one noise generator , two voltage controlled filters , one voltage controlled amplifier , two ADSR...
was ever built. Before going into production, polyphonic synthesizers like the Sequential CircuitsSequential CircuitsSequential Circuits Inc. was a California-based synthesizer company that was founded in the early 1970s by Dave Smith and sold to Yamaha Corporation in 1987. The company, throughout its lifespan, pioneered many groundbreaking technologies and design principles that are often taken for granted in...
Prophet 5 arrived at the market and, all of a sudden, monophonic synths were considered obsolete. Mario Maggi then dropped the MCS70 project and started what would be his most famous synthesizer project ever: the polyphonic Elka SynthexElka Synthex-Overview:Designed by Mario Maggi, it was produced between 1981 and 1985 by the Elka company of Italy. A company more noted for its organs, this would be its first and last foray into music synthesizers under that name. Unusually, it also contained a built in real-time and step-time 4-track...
. In many regards, though, the MCS70 was superior. The MCS70 was bought by Patrizio Fariselli, member of the Italian Progressive Rock band AreaArea (band)Area - International POPular Group, most commonly known as Area or AreA, is an Italian progressive rock, jazz fusion, electronic, experimental groupb) “It was the mid-1970s and live events roused enthusiasm as never before; they fulfilled the need to be together and the illusion of continuing as a...
, and used extensively in the band's 1980 album "Tic-Tac".
- Automat was the result of an unrepeatable sequence of events. The final result did not please either Musumarra and Gizzi nor the producers. They never collaborated on any other project nor had the opportunity to use the MCS70 again. Automat has only been released on CD once. Despite of this (or perhaps because of this) achieved a "cult" status among many fans of electronic music. Musumarra and Gizzi subsequently had successful careers as movie soundtrack composers. Musumarra also had many partnerships as a songwriter and/or producer with famous pop artists, among them the Canadian singer Céline DionCeline DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
. His remarkable style of electronic arranging and composition can be heard, for instance, in the track "Je Danse Dans Ma TêteJe Danse Dans Ma Tete"Je danse dans ma tête" is a song from the Dion chante Plamondon album by Céline Dion. It was released as the third single in Canada and first commercial single in France ....
", from the Céline's 1991 album "Dion chante PlamondonDion chante PlamondonDion chante Plamondon is an album by Canadian singer Céline Dion, released on November 4, 1991. It is her 15th French-language album and 16th in total...
".
- The famous French musician Jean Michel JarreJean Michel JarreJean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
was the first person to get a copy of Automat. While Automat was being produced, Jarre released his album OxygèneOxygeneOxygène is an album of instrumental electronic music composed, produced, and performed by the French composer Jean Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976, on Disques Dreyfus with license to Polydor. The album's international release was in summer 1977...
, which became one of the most famous works of electronic music ever. Through the intervention of Claude Cavagnolo, at the time the representative of Montarbo's audio products in France, Mario Maggi was introduced to Jarre and meet him in his studio in Paris in 1978. At this occasion Jarre listened to a copy of Automat on tape and, after giving an autographed copy of Oxygène to Mr. Maggi, was given a copy ofAutomat as a gift (although the album was not yet available in the music stores).
- In the back cover, besides the production credits, the album had an enigmatic text:
- In the beginning there was the "MACHINE"
- the survival and the organization of the planet depend upon the "MACHINE"
- the future and the past depend upon the "MACHINE"... the past?
- but who wanted the "MACHINE" ?
- This text was inserted by the EMI's commercial personnel. The artists had nothing to do with it.
External links
- Automat Review on Italianprog website
- Romano Musumarra official website
- Romano Musumarra (French Wikipedia)
- Luciano Torani Interview (Italian)
- Elka Synthex review on "Sound on Sound" Magazine
- Elka Synthex review at Planet Origo
- Elka Synthex review on Futureproducers.com
- Patrizio Fariselli official website
- Frankfurt Musikmesse website