013 – The Oberheim OB-X & Flash Gordon 1980 Part 1 of 2
This episode of Ear Worms spotlights a match made in heaven. The Oberheim OBS-X is a legendary analog synthesizer that was released between 1979-1981. This synthesizer was popular with bands of the time period and it played a major role in Brian May & Queen’s soundtrack for the 1980 version of Flash Gordon. We will takea look at the synthesizer and the first half of the film to be followed up on in Part 2 of this two part episode.
012 – The Invention of the Radio & The Outer Limits S01E011 The Galaxy Being
We will be engaging in some radio nostalgia as we look at the invention of the radio, which involved names like Guglielmo Marconi, Nikola Tesla, and Nathan B. Stubblefield. There is some controversy about who invented the radio, but one can trace the individual innovators along with their innovations. After exploring the beauty and power of radio, we will look at an episode of The Outer Limits that was inspired by radio called The Galazy Being. The episode is rounded off by some of our humorous segments that explore the reliability of AI, radio used in music, and some of our favorite radio shows.
011 – Pink Trombone in VCV Rack & The Twilight Zone Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
In this episode of Ear worms, we will be making some crazy sounds using the Pink Trombone module in VCV Rack. This module is based on the web-based speech synthesizer of the same name developed by Neil Thapern. We won’t get deep into the weeds, but people can see how the module works and how they can make some pretty outlandish sounds. We will also look at the famous episode of The Twilight zone, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet which stars William Shatner and Christine White. We will be doing some of our new regular segments as well, as we explore interesting music and try to determine what is real and what is AI.
Ear worms 010 – The Hammond Solovox, the Clavioline, and the Jennings Univox
This week on Ear Worms, we will be looking at 3 instruments from the 1940s and 1950s that were on the cutting edge of synthesis at the time. They were also significant innovations in the portability of synthesizers. The Hammond Solovox, the Clavioline, and the Jennings Univox were portable monophonic synthesizers with accompanying speaker systems. The Solovox was the inspiration for the other two instruments and each one has its own story and place in electronic music history.
Ear Worms 009 – The Hammond Novachord, Perchance to Dream, and Maya the Cat Girl
The Hammond Novachord was invented in 1938 and commercially released in 1939. It was considered by many to be the first polyphonic synthesizer that was commercially released. Only 1,069 of them were manufactured between 1939 and 1942. After 1942, no more Hammond Novachords were produced. There are very few left today and many of those are refurbished or rebuilt models and replicas. It utilized vacuum tube oscillators unlike its sister, the Hammond organ. We will look at some of the music and other media the Novachord was used in, such as Vera Lynn’s “We Will Meet Again” and the Outer Limits TV series, specifically, “The duplicate Man.” We will also look at one of the episodes from the classic TV series the Twilight Zone, Season 01 Episode 09 called Perchance to Dream. This episodes utilized the Hammond Novachord and had a great aesthetics, music, and overall story. It features a character called Maya the Cat Girl.
008 – The Electronic Music, Sound Design, and Other Innovations of Forbidden Planet
Forbidden Planet (1956) is a legendary science fiction film that was ahead of its time and utilized many innovations in the musical score, sound design, special effects, and scenery that have given it a firm place in the history books. We will be looking at the movie from start to finish and talking about these innovations. The movie has an interesting story that is well illuminated by the way the sets, sound effects, and music integrate together into a futuristic experience of sight and sound for the era of its creation.
007 – Mike Gourley: Native American Flute, Exotic String Instruments, and Electronics
In this edition of Ear worms, we will be talking to Mike Gourley and listening to his music. Mike is an accomplished player of Native American flute and an assortment of exotic string instrument ssuch as sitar, dutar, and cigar box guitar. Gourley is an independent artist who creates music in both the acoustic and electronic music worlds. He has a true passion for magic in sound and seeks out expressive instruments for his work.
006 – The Innovations, History, and Artists Involved with the Hammond Organs
This episode take son the monster topic of the Hammond Line of organs. that began with Laurens Hammond’s early rotating disc models in 1935. Over the years, the instruments achieved great popularity in church usage, soul music, jazz, rock and roll, and other musical genres. There are many models and innovations that came over the years that we will learn about and discuss. We will also learn about some performers, such as Jimmy Smith, Ethel Smith, Booker T. Jones, and others. We will also look at some of the restorative work being done today by Keyboard Exchange International and Steve Christie at Vintage Keys Studio.
005 – The Vocoder & Voder Speech Synthesizer, and Contributions of Hermann Von Helholtz
I episode of Ear worms, we are going to cover two topics that are not directly related, but do have an indirect relationship. Hermann Von Helmholtz (1821 – 1894) was a very eclectic scientist who made many contributions to the history of science. We will focus on his work in aural perception and sound related subjects as they pertain to the history of electronic and electro-acoustic music. We will also discuss the work of Homer Dudley at Bell Laboratories in the invention of the Vocoder speech analyzer and Voder speech synthesizer. The Voder was patented in 1938 by Dudley and Bell Labs and presented in the World Fair of 1939 in New York. this work was initially for making early telephone communications more clear and efficient, but has gone on to be a major tool in electronic and electro-acoustic music.
004 – Exploring the Early Electronic Music Instrument Called the Trautonium
In this week’s episode, we will be looking at the early electronic music instrument called the Trautonium. Invented by Friedrich Trautvein in 1930, this instrument has a beautiful sound that has evolved over the decades and a troubled story due to its place and time of invention and early adoption. Dr. Lawrence W. Moore, Jay Goodwin, and Atom Gray explore the story of the Trautonium while highlighting the music and the people surrounding its evolution. This episode will touch on key figures such as Oskar Sala, Paul Hindemith, Max Brand, Peter Pichler, and LudoWic. We will also look at the different iterations of the instrument, such as the Volkstrautonium, the Rundfunk Trautonium, Konzert Trautonium, and the Mixtur Trautonium.
003 – Early Electronic musical Instruments: The Ondes Martenot
This week on Ear Worms, we will be discussion two electronic musical instruments that were historical innovations in the design of instruments, speakers, and components. The instrument that we will be covering is the Ondes Martenot. this compelling instrument was invented by Maurice Marenot from France in 1928. This instrument had an impact on Western Art Muisc with composers like Oliver Messiaen. It was utilized in film music like that of English composer, Barry Gray. We will also look at the contributions of performers like Thomas Bloch and Jonny Greenwood. The instrument influenced many later instruments that would follow in its footsteps, and we will take a look at these as well.
002 – The Magic of the Theremin, History, Performers, Music, and Films
This week on Ear Worms, we will be dedicating our efforts to learning about and enjoying great music composed for the Theremin. We will look at the history a little bit, and then look at some perfomers and some of the great music that has been composed for the Theremin. The Theremin was invented in Russia by Lev Sergeivich Termen, also known as Leon Theremin in 1919. When Leon and his instrument made it to the United States, the music industry and Hollywood all took advantage of this great instrument. Performers like Clara Rockmore and Samuel J. Hoffman brought the performance to a whole new level. We will look at some of the films that were greatly uplifted by the instruments as well as some albums of music.
001 – Early Innovations in Electronic Music Musical Telegraph, The Telharmonium, and The singing Arc
Ear Worms is a live stream discussion dedicated to appreciating the beauty of sound. More specifically, we focus on electronic and electro-acoustic music and sound experiences. In this inaugural episode of the stream, we are looking at some of the early innovations that made electronic and electro-acoustic music possible. We will look at the telegraph, the musical telegraph, the telharmonium, and the singing arc. We will also look at the inventors of these devices and some of their other creations. Join Jay Goodwin and Lawrence W. Moore on this adventure into the origins of electronic and electro-acoustic music.
