| Synthesizer museum |
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Synthesizers were actually invented in nineteenth century, but the mass production and commercial exploits did not start until the sixties of the twentieth century. While the analog synthesizers ruled, the research and development went haywire working on the digital revolution. When all went digital, most analog keyboards were discontinued. Nowadays there are not many hardware synthesizers being produced, most of the synthesizing is taking place within powerful computers and programs. The few that are still made available are either relics from the past, or brand new concoctions made to appease live performers. Many of the synthesizers from forty years ago are now either privately held or stored in synthesizer museums. There are more than one hardware synthesizer museums, and some more are made only for the internet, providing information and sound samples. Of all the synthesizer museums, most do not go back beyond the nineties, but there is one that has been established already in 1987 in Austria. The Eboardmuseum is a real place in Klagenfurt, Austria, with over 1700 square meters space featuring over 1000 items. Besides synthesizers such as Moog Prodigy, PPG 1002, Rhodes Chroma, ARP Odyssey and Yamaha DX-5, there are also legendary keyboards such as the
Rhodes Mark III, the original Yamaha CP 70 previously owned by Geoff Downes of the "Asia", "Buggles" and "Yes" fame, The Linn LM1, previously owned by the late Austrian superstar Falco and much more, including several Hammond organs. The owner, Prix Gert, invites everybody who is interested to pay a visit, even try out some of the keyboards there. In the United States, there are several synthesizer museums, one is in Florida, the Audio Playground Synthesizer Museum with 1300 items open to the public. There is another museum called the New England Synthesizer Museum, which is located in Nashua, New Hampshire, some half an hour drive from Boston, MA. The proprietors of synthmuseum.com have an own place where resources and some synths are possible to be seen, they say that they average about two thousand visitors every day. In Switzerland, a 400 square meters large synthesizer museum, called Synthorama, displays over three hundred very exclusive and sought after synthesizers, most of them analog. The list is impressive and includes Moog, ARP, Buchla, EML, Oberheim and Sequential Circuits. Korg, Yamaha and Roland items are also on display, as are less known companies, such as the French RSF KOBOL, some east German rarities, and impossible to find Tschech, Russian, Estonian and Swedish synthesizers. There is another Swiss synthesizer museum in Bueron, an hour away from Zurich, called Analog Gallery, also showing an impressive collection of great synthesizers. |
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