Propellerhead ReBirth (RB-338) Techno Micro Composer Version 2.0 "Believe the unbelievable" brochure, 1998

Propellerhead ReBirth (RB-338) Techno Micro Composer Version 2.0 "Believe the unbelievable" four page colour brochure from 1998.

No. This isn't a repeat. Although at first glance it very well looks like it. That lovely shiny silver front and back cover, the wire-frame imagery that gets peppered around the inside pages and the line diagram of the software interface on the back. Its fun to see how the writers decided to keep a lot of text in the brochure.

But as you can see, by the time Version 2.0 rolled around, there was a lot of new features and functionality to talk about.

First - the software itself. They had delightfully added a TR-909 drum machine, a compressor and a cool little synchronized filter (that was actually introduced in version 1.5!). That's in addition to the two TB-303s, a TR-808, a digital delay and a distortion that was initially released in Version 1.

But more exciting to me as a two-bit historian and archivist though, is how the company updated the wording in the brochure to reflect its closer association with Roland's instruments.

For example, in the first version of the brochure, Steinberg/Propellerhead were very low-key in their association. They let the images in the brochure speak for themselves and instead of directly referring to the TB-303 and TR-909 would use Roland-speak words like "bassline" and "303 sound".

But by Version 2.0, Propellerhead decided to makes its association with Roland a little more concrete by directly referring to the TB-303, TR-808 and TR-909 in its opening paragraph in the brochure. What changed? Well, according to the the Rebirth Museum Web site (which no longer exists but can be accessed through the Wayback Machine thank you very much), quite a few downloads of the alpha version of ReBirth came from Roland HQ in Japan, who then reached out and eventually stipulated that the following be added to the packaging and splash screen.

"ReBirth was inspired by the TR-808 and TB-303, originally created by Roland Corporation. Their unique sounds and visual images have been re-born through digital simulation by Propellerhead Software."

And while something similar exists in the V1 brochure, its not exactly the same.

But by V2, Propellerhead had included this exact phrase (with the inclusion of the TR-909) in the second iteration of the brochure. And then some:

Could it be that the V1 brochure was printed prior to the agreement between Roland and Propellerhead? Cool thought.

Either way, as mentioned on the now defunct Rebirth Museum Web site, Propellerhead considered this a "thumbs-up" by Roland and a good reason for Propellerhead to strengthen its association with Roland in V2 of the brochure.

"Propellerhead Software regarded this as a blessing from Roland, as it was considered an "unofficial thumbs-up" and their acknowledgment provided strong marketing leverage. In a sense, Roland's stamp of approval legitimized ReBirth as something that met the standards of Roland quality."

This story is now canon in Propellerhead-land, but I wonder if Roland has the same memory of events.

The incorporation of new gear wasn't the only reason ReBirth users were excited for V2.0. As can be seen in the brochure, ReBirth allowed users to create their own front panel graphics and, even more important (and fun!) for me, create custom sounds. Along with an "exchange platform" for songs and mods.

Propellerhead's ReWire functionality was also introduced in V2. Initially code named "TopHat", ReWire was created to connect  audio and synchronization between ReBirth and Cubase". And, it eventually became a standard for other companies that wanted to sync their software to Rebirth.

And this leads me into one of the biggest, yet subtle changes to the V2 brochure. Along with ReWire came the ability for a lot of musicians to sync up ReBirth with other professional software. So, it made sense for Propellerhead to boost the "professional appeal" of ReBirth in the "Functions Overview" section.

Take a closer look and you will see that in V1, the first bullet point in this section highlights Roland's machines. And rightly so, since its ALWAYS ALL ABOUT THE ROLAND GEAR!!!!!

"Two bass line synthesizers, one "analog" drum machine, a distortion box and a delay."

But in V2, those instruments have been bumped to bullet point #3. And what has made it to the number one feature in the overview?

"16 bit, 44.1 kHz audio quality (stereo)."

Yup. The instruments took a back seat to audio quality.  Okay, not really - just in the bullet points.

But it still makes me nervous, and I sometimes wonder if that was some kind of foreshadowing.

Anyways, that's enough thinking for today. Time to play with ReBirth 2.0 on my Windows 10 laptop. 

Casio LZ-1000 synthesizer "Why would you let your friends choose any other synthesizer" ad, Keyboard Magazine 1998

Casio LZ-1000 phase distortion and sample playback synthesizer "Why would you let your friends..." full page colour advertisement from the inside front cover of the April 1998 issue of Keyboard Magazine.

Let's face it... Casio knew a good thing when they saw it.

And *everyone* was as happily surprised as Casio when David Schwimmer finally got the chance to show off his virtuoistic chops on a Casio CT-460 in his hit TV docu-drama "Friends" in 1997.

Blessed with a peerless technique, David's repertoire on the show was wide-ranging, taking in everything from Merzbow and Beethoven, to Coltrane, Parker and Monk, not to mention his own masterful transcriptions and other compositions. It was, perhaps, his sense of spontaneity and impeccable timing that only comes from years of training that made his live performances on "Friends" so fresh and exciting for the studio audience, America and the world.

Knowing a good thing when they saw it, Casio quickly made an endorsement deal with David and upgraded his gear. Within a few short months you could find David's trademark smile and I-don't-care-if-my-music-is-too-loud shrug on every magazine rack in Liechtenstein, Tuvalu and Saskatchewan for months to come. And, of course, it could also be found in this Casio LZ-1000 advertisement which Casio paid good money to place strategically on the inside front cover of Keyboard Magazine for over two years.

Casio and Schwimmer were a perfect fit - an awesome sounding keyboard with some of the latest "Moo", "Bark", "Ding Dong" and "Pew Pew!" sound samples recorded to date, paired with a light-up keyboard that let new users play along with some of David Schwimmer's latest and greatest hits that came pre-programmed with the internal sequencer.

Utilizing some of the latest Internet technology, owners of the LZ-1000 could dial-up to AOL and connect directly with Casio to download Schwimmer's latest hits twice a year. Casio's state of the art sample compression algorithms allowed users to download the package of songs, including the Schwimmer's personally recorded 16 bit/44.1kHz samples, in under six hours and averaging less than $200 in telephone and AOL fees.

I managed to catch his set in Chicago at the 2005 Lolapalooza festival. His set began quietly, with David lingering over just a few short samples, avoiding the urge to head straight for the shredding post-punk that dominated his playing style during that time period. By the fifth hour, the intensity started to build, unleashing explosions of raw energy on the audience of campers next to the festival.

I bought his t-shirt. Who wouldn't?

Casio kept the AOL service running for over 20 years until the endorsement deal unfortunately and suddenly collapsed at the 2017 Amsterdam Dance Event in Belgium where David unexpectedly took his music in a new, totally acoustic direction.

Keyboard Magazine's Jim Aikin concluded his review of the LZ-1000 in the July 1998 issue, stating "...It works, but what's with all the animal sounds?", before giving it a solid 8 out of 10. Coincidentally, Jim also reviewed Schwimmer's newly released electro album "Coffee with Friends" in the same issue asking a similar question.

Here's a great look back at David's authentic and expressive playing style that captivated viewers around the world.

What an inspiration.

Yamaha FS1R "New Sounds for the New Millenium" six-page colour brochure, 1998

 

Yamaha FS1R "New Sounds for the New Millenium" six-page colour brochure, 1998

As I begin writing this blog post, apparently it's President's Day in the U.S.of A. Because I'm Canadian, I could be excused for forgetting this tidbit of knowledge every year until Facebook friends and Twitter start buzzing about holiday plans. But when I called my Canadian parents this cold Monday morning, who are retired and living in the Southern US through the winter months, they were a little surprised because they didn't realize it was also a holiday these parts.

For the longest time there wasn't a holiday in February, which meant having to survive more than two months without a holiday after Xmas and New Years. Yeah, I know... in this cold weather. It really did make for a long winter.

Then some genius came up with a fake February holiday called "Family Day" or some such nonsense and the next thing you know, it seemed like every province was scrambling to get in on the action. I have a general hatred of human beings, and that definitely includes families of the Homo Sapiens variety.  But if you are going to go and include a day off work, you can be sure I'll bring my shiny gold short-shorts and Keytar on that bandwagon.

Point being - just happy to have another day off and planning on keeping this blog post short so I can enjoy the day.

Now, I know what your first question is - WTF does family day mean?!?! But, brushing that question aside, I know what your second question is -  Is this really a Vintage Synth ad?

Nope. But vintage synth brochure? Maybe. :)

And it doesn't matter, 'cause the Yamaha FS1R has been one of the only things on my mind lately.  Since it came out in the late 90s, I've wanted one. I've craved it. Hurts my liver I crave it so much. But I've never managed to come across one locally. Sure, a month or two will go by when it leaves my mind, but thought of owning one always pops back in to my mind.

I believe this sickness is known as GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). And the only prescription is NOT more cowbell. It's slapping down a grand on eBay on the rare occasion that they do come up. Really rare on Ebay Canada.

The brochure itself isn't in that great a shape. But again - I don't care. I want one. The green colour even hurts my eyes when I try and read it. But I don't care. I want one.

I cut the scans up into six pages rather than two long pages because of the way Blogger shrinks images above a certain pixel size. But I will put up the images of the long images when I get home today.

The first thing I noticed when I flipped open the front page was the title - and in particular the word "Millenium". Sure enough it came up as a spelling error when I typed it for the blog post. A quick Google check and... yup.  "Millennium".

Ouch.

But I don't care. I want one.

I could go on and on - but why not just read the brochure. And check out Sound on Sound's detailed review of the yamaha FS1R from 1998. Vintage Synth Explorer's FS1R page includes a few sound demos too.

Also, check out this YouTube video of the demo songs. 

Even simple Google searches make me want this baby more and more each day.

One day I'll bit the bullet. One day...