Sons Dessus Dessous #3 - The 4X Workstation
“Only in France would someone make this kind of machine” - Frank Zappa
Invited by Pierre Boulez, the composer Luciano Berio directed the electroacoustic section of IRCAM beginning in 1974 where he supervised a project on the synthesis and transformation of complex sounds in real-time. Beginning in 1975, Giuseppe Di Giugno and the IRCAM researchers began development of several versions of digital processors: 4A the first prototype, 4B, 4C, and in 1981, the very powerful 4X system.
The musical workstation 4X is a computer tool that enables a musician or scientist to digitally manipulate sound. It is capable of analyzing and synthesizing new sounds and transforming sounds from traditional musical instruments in real-time. Pierre Boulez is the first to use the 4X in his work Répons in 1981.
Sold in 1984 by the company Sogitec, the 4X can be seen today at the Musée de la musique.
La station d'informatique musicale 4X
La station d'informatique musicale 4X
Giuseppe di Giugno
Jean-Pierre Armand
Frank Zappa
Tod Machover "Fusione Fugace"
"Désintégration" interprété par l'ensemble Itinéraire
"Répons" interprété par Pierre Boulez