PAiA Electronics, Inc. is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
synthesizer kit company that was started by
John Simonton in 1967. It sells various musical electronics kits including
analog synthesizers
An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically.
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of v ...
,
theremin
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
s,
mixers and various
music production units designed by founder John Simonton,
Craig Anderton
PAiA Electronics, Inc. is an United States of America, American synthesizer kit company that was started by John Simonton in 1967. It sells various musical electronics kits including analog synthesizers, theremins, audio mixer, mixers and various ...
, Marvin Jones, Steve Wood and others.
History
Simonton founded the company in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
in 1967 and began offering various small electronics kits through
mail order
Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as:
* Sending an order form in the mail
* Placing a telephone call
* Placing ...
. The first kit was a
circuit board
A printed circuit board (PCB; also printed wiring board or PWB) is a medium used in electrical and electronic engineering to connect electronic components to one another in a controlled manner. It takes the form of a laminated sandwich struc ...
for the "Cyclops Intrusion Detector" for an article in the May 1968 issue of ''
Popular Electronics
''Popular Electronics'' was an American magazine published by John August Media, LLC, and hosted at TechnicaCuriosa.com. The magazine was started by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company in October 1954 for electronics hobbyists and experimenters. It soo ...
''. Starting in 1972 PAiA began producing
analog synthesizer
An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically.
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of ...
kits, in both
modular
Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a s ...
and all-in-one form. PAiA began publishing Polyphony Magazine in 1975. It was later renamed to ''
Electronic Musician
''Electronic Musician'' is a monthly magazine published by Future US featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians.
History and profile
''Electronic Musician'' began as ''Polyphony'' magazine in 1975, published ...
'' and sold to Mix Publications in 1985. Founder Simonton continued to run the company in
Oklahoma until his death in November 2005.
Product marketing, sales and development were transferred to Paia Corporation in Fall 2006. The company now operates facilities in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
and
Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest ci ...
.
Synthesizers
In 1972, PAiA released the 2700 modular synthesizer series, which used push-buttons in lieu of a
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
. A version with a keyboard, the 2720, was later released. The next modular series, the 4700s, featured an improved, quieter design. The P4700J series was computer controlled (using a
MOS 6503 processor) that allowed
polyphony
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...
for the first time on a PAiA modular synthesizer. As interest in modular synthesizers died down, PAiA stopped selling modular kits in the late 1980s and 1990s. In the early 2000s (decade), they launched the 9700 modular synthesizer line.
In 1974, PAiA released the Gnome, a small, simple, keyboard-less synthesizer designed for creating non-harmonic sound effects able to run on two nine volt batteries (+9 and +18 volts). The next year they released the first programmable
drum machine called the Programmable Drum Set. Later they released the Oz, another small synthesizer, this time with an 18-key keyboard. In the 1990s PAiA released the FatMan Analog MIDI Synth, a
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
capable, monophonic, analog synthesizer.
Influence
For a time, the image of the audio synthesizer was that of an enormous
modular
Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a s ...
system, which could take up entire walls of studios and were only available to the few musicians that could afford them (such as
Keith Emerson and
Wendy Carlos
Wendy Carlos (born Walter Carlos, November 14, 1939) is an American musician and composer best known for her electronic music and film scores. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University before moving ...
). PAiA's modular synthesizers, with prices starting under $1,000, were groundbreaking in their affordability and ease of use. At a time when synthesizers from
Moog Music and
ARP could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, PAiA's most basic modular system, the 2700, started at $230, with prices for modules ranging from $50 to $800.
Simonton and Anderton's designs also anticipated many trends in modern electronics and electronic music; they released the first programmable electronic drum machine, the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, in 1975, as well as one of the first computer-controlled synthesizers, the P4700J, which used digital technology and computer connectivity to achieve
polyphony
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...
and other groundbreaking features.
The P4700J used a PAIA 8700 MOS 6503 processor based controller.
Larry Fast
Lawrence Roger Fast (born December 10, 1951) is an American synthesizer player and composer. He is best known for his 1975–1987 series of synthesizer music albums (''Synergy'') and for his contributions to a number of popular music acts, inclu ...
used this same controller running John Simonton's "Pink Tunes" program on his Album "Computer Experiments, Volume One".
Craig Anderton
Craig Anderton, a member of
Mandrake Memorial
Mandrake Memorial was an American psychedelic rock, psych/progressive rock musical group, band active between 1967 and 1970, known for their Baroque sound and unique songwriting.
History
The Mandrake Memorial formed in late 1967 when record prod ...
, wrote ''Electronic Projects for Musicians'', ''Home Recording for Musicians'', ''Guitar Gadgets'', ''The Digital Delay Handbook'', ''MIDI for Musicians'', and ''The Electronic Musician's Dictionary''. He has written articles for
AOL,
Harmony Central
Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was for ...
, ''Guitar Player'', ''Byte'', ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', ''Musician'', ''Popular Electronics'', ''A/V Video'', and ''Mix'',
Guitar Player
''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and politica ...
,
Keyboard (magazine)
''Keyboard'' is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer-based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, in ...
, ''Pro Sound News'', ''Performing Songwriter'',
Sound on Sound
''Sound on Sound'' is an independently owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, ...
and
EQ magazine.
References
Further reading
*
External links
{{commons category, PAiA Electronics
PAiA Electronics home page
Synthesizer manufacturing companies of the United States
Companies based in Oklahoma City
Drum machines