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The Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer

Various Artists
The Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer Jon Appleton, Sydney Alonso, and Cameron Jones set out to create a new digital synthesizer at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering in 1972. They considered the computer-controlled synthesizer superior to analog because of its “ability to create, by digital means alone, time-variant timbres which make all natural sounds interesting to our ears.” This 1976 recording presents the results of their effort—four different compositions, one each by Jon Appleton, Lars-Gunnar Bodin, Russell Pinkston, and William Brunson, all made to emphasize the ability of the digital synthesizer to vary timbre. The liner notes contain a brief history of the Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer and descriptions of the four pieces on the recording.

Track Listing

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101
Georganna's Farewell Jon Appleton 06:20
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102
Bilder (Images) Lars-Gunnar Bodin 10:22
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201
Emergence Russell Pinkston 07:57
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202
Tapestry I William Brunson 07:33