Commodore Remix

Yup, the piano roll puncher of a century ago. When studios were as hot and cramped as ovens to keep the disc wax supple enough and people ganged up against the recording horn, music was composed and saved to data tape. Just the same kind of punch rolls which programmed earlier weaving machines at mills.




Back at the disc horn, tunes could be cranked out at the turn of a wheel. The feeble vibrations of a pre-electric cutter could track the piece as often as needed with minimum discomfort.


The quality was crap but that's often the way basing studio gear on 1880's office technology.






More 'virtual' instruments such as the Stroh violin also helped cut their way through the half-deaf tracking gear and are now much sought after. And fairground machines gave the punters virtual orchestras and organ players. And very spectacular they still are too.

Though I don't know if anybody actually recorded the violin machine in days of old: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8410&p=90352



Food for thought when wondering that your five year-old DAW software is too obsolete.


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http://www.recording-history.org/HTML/dicta_tech1.php

http://www.pianorolls.co.uk/Duo-Art%20r ... ocess.html

Page 12: http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/A ... edir_esc=y

Fruit of the loom: http://www.suspenders.com/jacquard-history.htm

Actually, sophisticated pianolas like the "reproducing piano" could accurately reproduce the subtleties of the play.

That way, a couple of plays from last century's early masters could be preserved without the acoustic limitations of shellac recordings.

Like this beautiful play of da man Rachmaninov himself:

Never underestimate how ingenious humans can be when they're motivated