history of automation

[01100011]

does anyone know of any sites that talk about the history of console automation and such, as well as who was among the first to utilize it? i've tried searching but nothing great turned up...

[nacho459]

I think Martin Sound over here in Alhambra was the first w/ "Flying Faders".

http://www.martinsound.com/

[@?,*???&?]

Gavin MacKillop told me the story of when the Townhouse in London first got a console with automation. I don't remember the make, but I do know the Townhouse had an SSL B-Series at one point.

Early automation required 2 tracks on your master tape to store the automation. You'd arm track 23 and throw the machine in record and make your first moves at the console. The information would be recorded. You'd rewind then arm track 24. The console would read the information on track 23 and you'd essentially bounce that information over to track 24 with the new information. I guess you'd get like a dozen passes before things would start to drift.

Must have been a great comfort knowing that you at least had automation though! We take so much for granted with these DAWs.

[cgarges]

I was under the impression that API was somewhere early in the ranks, if not the first, but I could be WAY wrong about that.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[brianroth]

Olive Electro Dynamics of Montreal, Canada was the first I know of to "announce" automation; I have some info from 1971 that describes it (brochure dated 5/71). However, I don't believe they actually ever shipped a working system.

The first "commercial" system I recall would have been the Allison "64K" system from perhaps the mid 70's.

The first moving fader system I recall seeing was the Neve NECAM in perhaps the early 80's. Flying Faders came later.

Bri

[bigtoe]

i thought it was the bluegrass guys stepping up to the mic here and there!

i read something here the other day about someone getting a board and thinking what a drag it is to have to mix multiple times to get it right as opposed to the computer...i thought that was a pretty incredible mindset...not good or bad...just shows where it's at.

Mike

[joel hamilton]

Olive Electro Dynamics of Montreal, Canada was the first I know of to "announce" automation; I have some info from 1971 that describes it (brochure dated 5/71). However, I don't believe they actually ever shipped a working system.

The first "commercial" system I recall would have been the Allison "64K" system from perhaps the mid 70's.

The first moving fader system I recall seeing was the Neve NECAM in perhaps the early 80's. Flying Faders came later.

Bri

Same here. The first one I knew about (which doesnt mean it was the first by any means) was the allison. The "fadex" faders with a tape based automation matrix. UGH. So terrrible. Took up two tracks rather than using time code. It had a proprietary system that I dont even know WTF it was printing to tape when I moved a fader. That was WAY pre computer usage in the studio though... You would print your first pass to track 24, then you bounced the info on the fly to 23 while in update mode.

I would love to know what came before that, because it must have been even more cumbersome. You couldnt even just update a single part or move, you had to run the whole song every time to get a complete pass of data on the given track. Crazy to think about that when I "draw" volume moves in PTHD... The development is amazing....

[brianroth]

The mid/late 70's MCI automation was much the same as the Allison...bounce back and forth between a pair of tracks vs timecode. It was a bit "hardier" in that we discovered you could punch-in on an "update" track vs. printing new auto from beginning to end.

There are actually two MCI JH-600 series desks here in OKC running the original automation system. The Allison and MCI would be the two earliest systems that I know of that mostly worked as advertised.

Bri

[joel hamilton]

The mid/late 70's MCI automation was much the same as the Allison...bounce back and forth between a pair of tracks vs timecode. It was a bit "hardier" in that we discovered you could punch-in on an "update" track vs. printing new auto from beginning to end.

There are actually two MCI JH-600 series desks here in OKC running the original automation system. The Allison and MCI would be the two earliest systems that I know of that mostly worked as advertised.

Bri

I actually liked theMCI system. Then the console I was working on ( a 500 series) was converted to Diskmix operation. That felt like we were really living in the future!

A COMPUTER! WOW! AMAZING! You can even "see" your fader moves in real time on the screen!

-Little did we know we would be "watching" our mixes in years to come.....