Synthesiser and Backing Tracks for Musicians' Jam Sessions

Synthesiser and Backing Tracks for Musicians' Jam Sessions

Lionel built this valve-operated synthesiser using parts generously donated by the electronics store "Elequip" in Christchurch in the 1970s. Recycled parts included components from an old telephone exchange, a radio station, a 'plane cockpit and the keyboard from an old piano. 

The piano frame, strings and tracking mechanism were all replaced with home-made switches (one for each key) made from strips of brass. 

It was made to create the sound track for a stage production in the Christchurch Civic Centre.

Because it used 251 radio valves, it required several cooling fans and they made too much noise to enjoy the sound directly and so he wired this to an 8-track Akai tape recorder, recorded the sound and then played it back without the synthesiser.

He mastered around forty diverse continuous-loop backing tracks using this home-made synthesiser and licenced them for public performance. 

The synthesiser was donated to a Ferrymead Science exhibit and the 8-track cartridges lay in storage for a decade or more.

In the late 1980s, the backing tracks were re-mastered and distributed on compact disk and cassette by Red Range Radio who gave them more modern and descriptive names such as: Ballad, Blues, Brass Band, Cool Icebeat, 2-step, Country, Dancebeat, Four-by-four, Disco, Formal Ace Beat, Four-square, Funk, Fusion, High-hat, Hip-hop, Jazz, Latin (three different versions ), March, Metal, Motown, New Age, Pop, Rap, Reggae, Rio Carnivale (Mardi Gras), Rock (four different versions), Samba, Shuffle, Snare, Soul, Space Rock, Swing, Roll-back, Techno, Top Drum.

This sample sound-track was downloaded from the former Red Range Radio Website by The Friends of Lionel Hartley.

Photos and description courtesy of Red Range Radio. 

Posted with Lionel's permission by The Friends of Lionel Hartley.