PAiA Electronics
Encyclopedia
PAiA Electronics, Inc. is an American synthesizer
kit company that was started by John Simonton
in 1967. It sells various musical electronics kits including analog synthesizers, theremin
s, mixers and various music production units designed by founder John Simonton, Craig Anderton, Marvin Jones
, Steve Wood
and others.
in 1967 and began offering various small electronics kits through mail order
. The first kit was a circuit board for the "Cyclops Intrusion Detector" for an article in the May, 1968 issue of Popular Electronics
. Starting in 1972 PAiA began producing analog synthesizer
kits, in both modular
and all-in-one form. PAiA began publishing Polyphony Magazine in 1975. It was later renamed to Electronic Musician
and sold to Mix Publications in 1985. Founder Simonton continued to run the company in Oklahoma
until his death in November, 2005. Product marketing, sales and development were transferred to Paia Corporation in Fall, 2006. The company operates facilities in Austin
, Texas
and Edmond, Oklahoma
.
. A version with a keyboard, the 2720, was later released. The next modular series, the 4700s, featured an improved, quieter design. The P4700J series was computer controlled (using a MOS 6503 processor) that allowed polyphony
for the first time on a PAiA modular synthesizer. As interest in modular synthesizers died down, PAiA stopped selling modular kits in the late 1980s and 1990s. In the early 2000s they launched the 9700 modular synthesizer line.
In 1974, PAiA released the Gnome, a small, simple, keyboard-less synthesizer designed for creating non-harmonic sound effects able to run on two nine volt batteries (+9 and +18 volts). The next year they released the first programmable drum machine
called the Programmable Drum Set. Later they released the Oz, another small synthesizer, this time with an 18-key keyboard. In the 1990s PAiA released the FatMan Analog MIDI Synth, a MIDI capable, monophonic, analog synthesizer.
system, which could take up entire walls of studios and were only available to the few musicians that could afford them (such as Keith Emerson
and Wendy Carlos
). PAiA's modular synthesizers, with prices starting under $1,000, were groundbreaking in their affordability and ease of use. At a time when synthesizers from Moog Music
and ARP
could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, PAiA's most basic modular system, the 2700, retailed at $230, with prices for modules ranging from $50 to $800.
Simonton and Anderton's designs also anticipated many trends in modern electronics and electronic music; they released the first programmable electronic drum machine, the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, in 1975, as well as one of the first computer-controlled synthesizers, the P4700J, which used digital technology and computer connectivity to achieve polyphony
and other groundbreaking features.
The P4700J used a PAIA 8700 MOS 6503 processor based controller. Larry Fast used this same controller running John Simonton's "Pink Tunes" program on his Album "Computer Experiments, Volume One".
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
kit company that was started by John Simonton
John Simonton
John Stayton Simonton Jr. was a circuit designer, author of electronics articles, and founder of PAiA Electronics, a manufacturer of analog synthesizer kits....
in 1967. It sells various musical electronics kits including analog synthesizers, theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
s, mixers and various music production units designed by founder John Simonton, Craig Anderton, Marvin Jones
Marvin Jones
Marvin Jones may refer to:*John Marvin Jones, United States congressman, aka Marvin Jones and J. Marvin Jones*Marvin Jones , American football player...
, Steve Wood
Steve Wood
Steve Wood may refer to:* Stephen W. Wood, Republican assemblyman from North Carolina* Steve Wood , early programmer for Microsoft and technology investor* Steve Wood , English footballer*Steven Wood, Australian canoeist...
and others.
History
Simonton founded the company in Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
in 1967 and began offering various small electronics kits through mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
. The first kit was a circuit board for the "Cyclops Intrusion Detector" for an article in the May, 1968 issue of Popular Electronics
Popular Electronics
Popular Electronics was an American magazine started by Ziff-Davis Publishing in October 1954 for electronics hobbyists and experimenters. It soon became the "World's Largest-Selling Electronics Magazine". The circulation was 240,151 in April 1957 and 400,000 by 1963. Ziff-Davis published Popular...
. Starting in 1972 PAiA began producing 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...
kits, in both modular
Modular synthesizer
The modular synthesizer is a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires to create a so-called patch. Every output generates a signal – an electric voltage of variable strength...
and all-in-one form. PAiA began publishing Polyphony Magazine in 1975. It was later renamed to Electronic Musician
Electronic Musician
Electronic Musician is a monthly magazine published by Penton Media featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians....
and sold to Mix Publications in 1985. Founder Simonton continued to run the company in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
until his death in November, 2005. Product marketing, sales and development were transferred to Paia Corporation in Fall, 2006. The company operates facilities in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma....
.
Synthesizers
In 1972, PAiA released the 2700 modular synthesizer series, which used push-buttons in lieu of a keyboardMusical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
. A version with a keyboard, the 2720, was later released. The next modular series, the 4700s, featured an improved, quieter design. The P4700J series was computer controlled (using a MOS 6503 processor) that allowed polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
for the first time on a PAiA modular synthesizer. As interest in modular synthesizers died down, PAiA stopped selling modular kits in the late 1980s and 1990s. In the early 2000s they launched the 9700 modular synthesizer line.
In 1974, PAiA released the Gnome, a small, simple, keyboard-less synthesizer designed for creating non-harmonic sound effects able to run on two nine volt batteries (+9 and +18 volts). The next year they released the first programmable drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
called the Programmable Drum Set. Later they released the Oz, another small synthesizer, this time with an 18-key keyboard. In the 1990s PAiA released the FatMan Analog MIDI Synth, a MIDI capable, monophonic, analog synthesizer.
Influence
For a time, the image of the audio synthesizer was that of an enormous modularModular synthesizer
The modular synthesizer is a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires to create a so-called patch. Every output generates a signal – an electric voltage of variable strength...
system, which could take up entire walls of studios and were only available to the few musicians that could afford them (such as Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
and Wendy Carlos
Wendy Carlos
Wendy Carlos is an American composer and electronic musician. Carlos first came to notice in the late 1960s with recordings made on the Moog synthesizer, then a relatively new and unknown instrument; most notable were LPs of synthesized Bach and the soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick's film A...
). PAiA's modular synthesizers, with prices starting under $1,000, were groundbreaking in their affordability and ease of use. At a time when synthesizers from Moog Music
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...
and ARP
ARP Instruments, Inc.
ARP Instruments, Inc. was an American manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. Best known for its line of synthesizers that emerged in the early 1970s, ARP closed its doors in 1981 due to financial difficulties...
could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, PAiA's most basic modular system, the 2700, retailed at $230, with prices for modules ranging from $50 to $800.
Simonton and Anderton's designs also anticipated many trends in modern electronics and electronic music; they released the first programmable electronic drum machine, the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, in 1975, as well as one of the first computer-controlled synthesizers, the P4700J, which used digital technology and computer connectivity to achieve polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
and other groundbreaking features.
The P4700J used a PAIA 8700 MOS 6503 processor based controller. Larry Fast used this same controller running John Simonton's "Pink Tunes" program on his Album "Computer Experiments, Volume One".