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The Birotron was an electro-mechanical musical instrument designed as a successor to the similar Mellotron, and financed by Rick Wakeman.

Features

The Birotron was named after its inventor, Dave Biro, and developed with investment from regular Mellotron player Rick Wakeman. [1] [2] Like the Mellotron, the instrument produced sounds from magnetic tape, but it used eight-track tape in a loop. As such tapes never need rewinding, this avoided the problem that the Mellotron had, where a sound would stop playing after around eight seconds. [1]

The instrument has 37 keys and features 19 eight-track cartridges. Tapes could be easily exchanged or replaced, and it was intended that musicians could add their own recordings to the instrument. [3]

Production

Biro first started designing a tape-replay instrument in 1974 after hearing Wakeman play the Mellotron on Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes. [4] He used the keyboard from an old piano and parts from a local hardware store, plus a set of automotive eight-track decks from a junkyard. [3] Biro built the prototype in his father's garage with "no plans, no drawings. nothing. All I remember is that absolutely no one thought it could work". [4] Despite several faults, Biro persuaded Wakeman to financially invest in the instrument after meeting him backstage at a concert later that year. As part of the deal, Wakeman retained full rights with an offer of compensation to Biro should the instrument become successful. [5] Development progressed in 1975, when Wakeman had Biro produce a working model with help from his technicians at his factory and rehearsal facility in High Wycombe, England. [6]

The Birotron was announced in September 1975 and marketed by Complex 7, a group of companies that Wakeman directed to help build and market the instrument. [7] [8] Pete Robinson was in charge of operations. [9] Advance orders came from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Keith Emerson, John Paul Jones and Elton John. [1] [3] Wakeman used the instrument on his solo album Criminal Record and on Yes's Tormato. [10]

In late 1978, Wakeman said that between 30 and 35 unfinished models had been built, and the instrument performed to his satisfaction in a studio setting, but problems arose when it was used on tour with Yes a year prior. Its precise voltage requirements made it unsuitable for use in countries outside the UK, and a decision had yet to be made to either produce several models to work on different voltages, or add a built-in transformer. [10] Wakeman said a key problem was that the instrument had "teething problems" that did not bother him, but would be unacceptable to the general public. [1] A further problem was the increasing popularity of string synthesizers, which could reproduce a similar sound without any mechanical issues. Ultimately, few models were manufactured and the instrument never entered regular production. Wakeman later said he lost around £50,000 in the investment. [11]

The only musicians other than Wakeman to have bought a Birotron are Tangerine Dream (who bought two), Klaus Schulze and Tom Rhea. As of 2019, only two working models are known to exist. [11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Vail 2000, p. 97.
  2. ^ Awde 2008, p. 232.
  3. ^ a b c Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 276.
  4. ^ a b Collins, Paul (June–July 2007). "Ker-Chunk!". Essays: The Believer. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. ^ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 277.
  6. ^ "Rick Wakeman". International Musician & Recording World (Sep 1975): 6–9. September 1975. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via Muzines.
  7. ^ "Music News - Birotron". International Musician & Recording World (Sep 1975): 77–82. September 1975. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via Muzines.
  8. ^ "Complex Seven". Beat Instrumental Magazine. No. 152. January 1976. pp. 62–63.
  9. ^ "Music News - Wakeman goes into business". International Musician & Recording World (Oct 1975): 71–73. October 1975. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via Muzines.
  10. ^ a b Milano, Dominic (February 1979). "Rick Wakeman: On the Road and Beyond with Yes". Contemporary Keyboard. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 278.

Sources

  • Awde, Nick (2008). Mellotron: The Machines and the Musicians that Revolutionised Rock. Bennett & Bloom. ISBN  978-1-898948-02-5.
  • Vail, Mark (2000). Keyboard Magazine Presents Vintage Synthesizers: Pioneering Designers, Groundbreaking Instruments, Collecting Tips,Mutants of Technology. Backbeat Books. ISBN  978-0-87930-603-8.
  • Lenhoff, Alan; Robertson, David (2019). Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds That Launched Rock Music. University of North Texas Press. ISBN  978-1-57441-776-0.

External links

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