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While a lot of artists like Giorgio Moroder purchased their synthesizers and music equipment, Kraftwerk built a ton of it themselves - drum pads, robot vocalize

While a lot of artists like Giorgio Moroder purchased their synthesizers and music equipment, Kraftwerk built a ton of it themselves - drum pads, robot vocalizers, sequencers [1], digital music programming, etc. One of the biggest influences on everything we call music today. RIP Florian. [1] - http://www.doepfer.de/maq.htm http://www.doepfer.de/maq.htm

bogomipz 7y ago
This is actually much more myth than truth. There may have been a few bits and bobs that they modified themselves but anything that was custom built was done by people that worked for them. Kraftwerk relied heavily on Moogs, ARPs and Sequential Circuits synths on those classic records. See: http://www.aktivitaet-fanzine.com/10_kk0.html http://www.aktivitaet-fanzine.com/10_kk0.html The above link is a great resource for any Kraftwerk fans. Aktivitaet was a Kraftwerk fanzine published in the 90's.
- TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
  They often designed the units in outline but other people implemented the ideas - like the Synthanorma sequencer, which was a product in its own right and eventually evolved into the Doepfer MAQ. There's some mystery about who designed their robo-speech box [1], because Schneider (and colleagues) actually patented it. [1] Not the vocoder, but the chip-speech system used on The Mix.
  - bogomipz 7y ago
    Synthorama was created by Matten and Wiechers of Bonn[1] Nobody in Kraftwerk was an electrical engineer. I am not sure how you "outline" a synthesizer unless you mean writing a schematic, something nobody in the band could do. I'm not trying to detract from their genius in any way but the idea that they created their own gear is largely folklore. [1] https://sdiy.info/wiki/Synthesizerstudio_Bonn https://sdiy.info/wiki/Synthesizerstudio_Bonn
    - jacquesm 7y ago
      You can outline a synthesizer in the same way people that couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag outline software: by writing a specification of what it should be able to do. Implementing that specification is then the job of the electrical engineers. If we're willing to give Steve Jobs credit for the iPhone I think we should be equally willing to give Schneider & company credit for their ideas that were instrumental - (heh) - in moving the synth field forward. The fact that many of their sounds were novel when first recorded is the strongest proof of their original contributions, if it has merely been off the shelf hardware created by others then this would not have been the case, you'd have heard those sounds from other artists before then.
      - bogomipz 7y ago
        Except they didn't write down a "specification." They simply asked Matten & Wiechers to come up with something that could automate their tape loops for Trans Europe Express. Dirk Matten & Hans-Joachim Wiechers both designed and created the Synthorma to handle that task. This is well-documented. So no it was not the same a writing a technical specification any more than I'm writing a "specification" when I call my local pizza place and ask for a large pepperoni.
        TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
        KW specifically asked for (actually were persuaded to commission) two step sequencers - not "something to automate their tape loops." It was the same process Tangerine Dream went through with Projekt Elektronik, PPG, Steinberg, and other collaborators. The band had an idea or some product feedback, and the designers implemented it. KW's sequencers were unique in that they had rotary switches instead of pots for the sequence steps, which made them much easier to program.
        bogomipz 7y ago
        >"KW specifically asked for (actually were persuaded to commission) two step sequencers - not "something to automate their tape loops."" A tape loop is nothing more than a primitive form of sequencer. By definition they loop a sequence. They do the exact same thing. So not having to physically change the tapes and speeds on a tape machine by programming it into a sequencer is most definitely "automating" that process. The issue with analog tape machines is that they were not fun to deal with on the road or work with live. And no they were not "two step" sequencers. What would be the point in that? You could do that with that a single finger - on/off. The Synthorama was a 16 step analogue sequencer and they had two of them which game them a 32 bit sequence to work with[1] [1] http://kraftwerkfaq.hu/equipment.html http://kraftwerkfaq.hu/equipment.html
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

bogomipz 7y ago

This is actually much more myth than truth. There may have been a few bits and bobs that they modified themselves but anything that was custom built was done by people that worked for them. Kraftwerk relied heavily on Moogs, ARPs and Sequential Circuits synths on those classic records. See: http://www.aktivitaet-fanzine.com/10_kk0.html http://www.aktivitaet-fanzine.com/10_kk0.html The above link is a great resource for any Kraftwerk fans. Aktivitaet was a Kraftwerk fanzine published in the 90's.

TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
They often designed the units in outline but other people implemented the ideas - like the Synthanorma sequencer, which was a product in its own right and eventually evolved into the Doepfer MAQ. There's some mystery about who designed their robo-speech box [1], because Schneider (and colleagues) actually patented it. [1] Not the vocoder, but the chip-speech system used on The Mix.
- bogomipz 7y ago
  Synthorama was created by Matten and Wiechers of Bonn[1] Nobody in Kraftwerk was an electrical engineer. I am not sure how you "outline" a synthesizer unless you mean writing a schematic, something nobody in the band could do. I'm not trying to detract from their genius in any way but the idea that they created their own gear is largely folklore. [1] https://sdiy.info/wiki/Synthesizerstudio_Bonn https://sdiy.info/wiki/Synthesizerstudio_Bonn
  - jacquesm 7y ago
    You can outline a synthesizer in the same way people that couldn't program their way out of a wet paper bag outline software: by writing a specification of what it should be able to do. Implementing that specification is then the job of the electrical engineers. If we're willing to give Steve Jobs credit for the iPhone I think we should be equally willing to give Schneider & company credit for their ideas that were instrumental - (heh) - in moving the synth field forward. The fact that many of their sounds were novel when first recorded is the strongest proof of their original contributions, if it has merely been off the shelf hardware created by others then this would not have been the case, you'd have heard those sounds from other artists before then.
    - bogomipz 7y ago
      Except they didn't write down a "specification." They simply asked Matten & Wiechers to come up with something that could automate their tape loops for Trans Europe Express. Dirk Matten & Hans-Joachim Wiechers both designed and created the Synthorma to handle that task. This is well-documented. So no it was not the same a writing a technical specification any more than I'm writing a "specification" when I call my local pizza place and ask for a large pepperoni.
      - TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
        KW specifically asked for (actually were persuaded to commission) two step sequencers - not "something to automate their tape loops." It was the same process Tangerine Dream went through with Projekt Elektronik, PPG, Steinberg, and other collaborators. The band had an idea or some product feedback, and the designers implemented it. KW's sequencers were unique in that they had rotary switches instead of pots for the sequence steps, which made them much easier to program.
        bogomipz 7y ago
        >"KW specifically asked for (actually were persuaded to commission) two step sequencers - not "something to automate their tape loops."" A tape loop is nothing more than a primitive form of sequencer. By definition they loop a sequence. They do the exact same thing. So not having to physically change the tapes and speeds on a tape machine by programming it into a sequencer is most definitely "automating" that process. The issue with analog tape machines is that they were not fun to deal with on the road or work with live. And no they were not "two step" sequencers. What would be the point in that? You could do that with that a single finger - on/off. The Synthorama was a 16 step analogue sequencer and they had two of them which game them a 32 bit sequence to work with[1] [1] http://kraftwerkfaq.hu/equipment.html http://kraftwerkfaq.hu/equipment.html

deleted 7y ago

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