Muff's Modules & More

[frank diego]

Hi there,

I'm lurking around this forum for about a year maybe...
Just yesterday I finally got hold of a copy of Allen Stranges Book: Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls. It's often praised as probably the best book about synthesizers...
Well, I think it's probably the best educational book I've ever read!
Really nice organized, really good explanations of complicated concepts (or not that complicated once you get it) and great examples.
I wish i had read this book 4 years ago, all the other books I read about the subject are really redundant now.
Just one example for the greatnessof the book:
Biofeedback! Using alpha brainwaves to contol parameters of the synthi, then listining to the results, which causes the brain to change in its activity which can be heard on the synthi... CRAZY!!!

Just wanted to tell you how stoked I am....

Who loves the book as much as I do?

[Kent]

I also love Allen Strange's book. It's one of two tomes that I've kept on the subject. The other being Devarahi's book.



To this day, I still think that the best instructional book ever written remains:

[artisokka]

[frank diego]

oh well, I totally forgot about the book of iceberg slim...

[starkaudio]

It's a great book and hard to find. If you live in the Boston area, it's available through the Minuteman Library Network at your local library.

[Umcorps]

You've got to add FM Theory and Applications (by musicians for musicians) by Chowning & Bristow to the Great Synthesis Book List as well.

That plus Strange and you've got it pretty much covered (Never managed to find a copy of Devarahi )

[noobyscooby]

[polyroy]

I remember seeing a copy of the Devarahi book for £75 on Amazon last summer and I checked the price when the thread mentioned above was posted and it was like £350 or something absurd. Really want a hard copy of it as well as the Allen Strange book, Howard Massey's DX7 and the Chowning text.

[dougcl]

I can't seem to drag myself through Allen Strange's book. Bores me to tears.

[starkaudio]

[richard]

just for balance: I bought Devari for $50 and sold it for £50, I also got 2 copies of Strange 2nd ed for £20 - all on Amazon - one was a bit smelly though. If you are patient these things turn up.

its a bit like the QMMG, if you say its great and worth twice as much as it is then this board immediately makes it true! (BTW: I had Deveri on sale here for about a year before it sold)

I found Devari pretty to be much conventional subtractive synthesis apart from the cosmic/meditational philosophy which is fine but didn't tell me anything new. Strange lays out some west coast techniques, experimental ideas, as well as the usual stuff and that makes it special. Its also a glimpse into a historical moment when all this was being explored for the first time

Rob Hordijk's Nord modular ebook is very useful too but not really a cover to cover read, I much prefer paper

I think there is a huge gap in the market for a more comprehensive, "modern" text on modular synthesis. Shouldn't one of us be writing one?

[sandyb]

if this thread, as is usual for ones discussing Allen Strange's book, degenerates into people simply asking for links to illegal pdfs or posting links to same it will be deleted.

if you wish to discuss the merits of the book in some way carry on...

[richard]

thus spake The Enforcer!

[m0n0mania]

Which is the thread that has the illegal download links?

[Lyonel]

[Nelson Baboon]

I'd enjoy a more philosophical discussion on what one does with royalties after death, however.

[diophantine]

I'm not advocating illegal downloading, but Sandy, please bear in mind that:
- the book has been out of print for nearly 30 years.
- the ebook was discontinued at some point prior to this year.

Short of spending $150+ on a used copy, or being lucky enough to borrow one from a library (neither of which give royalties), there's no legitimate way to get a copy of this book. Some of us, myself included, have written to the publisher to try and find out about the possibility of either reprinting or making the ebook available again, but to no avail (nor, in my case, even a reply).

Preemptive locking of these threads doesn't help anyone, and merely makes the question come up again and again. Plus, I think nearly everyone on this site is polite enough to not post any links to downloads.

EDIT: Of course, if you (or anyone) can suggest other ways to legitimately obtain this book, or how to encourage it to be republished, I think we would be all ears!

[dan_p]

^ your not thinking of being dead are you Nelson? I was sure you were immortal?

[Babaluma]

there's a cheap copy going near higashi kanagawa "book off" if anyone wants it, sold it to them just before we left japan...

[solaris]