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Instrument Design Files for the Bode Klangumwandlers at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center

by Rebekkah Palov

During the early and mid-1960s, Vladimir Ussachevsky commissioned Harald Bode to design and build Klangumwandlers (frequency shifters) and ring modulators for the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York. The two men developed a great relationship and correspondence regarding the instrument development. The following scans are from Harald’s files, and feature special Master and Slave Klangumwandler units, which were unique to Ussachevsky and the Music Center. They are a good example of Bode’s design files and demonstrate the exceptional quality and rigor with which he developed his instruments.

Figure 1. Block diagramme for Klangumwandler No. 2 (master and slave). Dated 27 February 1966.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Drawing for the general circuit layout of the Klangumwandler No. 2 Master unit. Undated. [Click image to enlarge]
Figure 3
Figure 3. Interconnecting Wiring of Klangumwandler Master and Slave, and Tolerable distortion level measurements. Undated. [Click image to enlarge]
Figure 4
Figure 4. Drawing of the front panel of the Klangumwandler No. 2 Master unit. Dated 27 February 1966. [Click image to enlarge]
Figure 5
Figure 5. Drawing for the general circuit layout of the Klangumwandler No. 2 Slave unit. Undated. [Click image to enlarge]
Figure 6
Figure 6. Circuit and layout for the Dual Emitter Follower. Dated 22 May 1966. [Click image to enlarge]
Figure 7
Figure 7. Layout for the Dome Filter. Dated 6 March 1966. [Click image to enlarge]
Figure 8
Figure 8. Layout for the Double Ring Modulator. Dated 6 March 1966. [Click image to enlarge]
Figure 9
Figure 9. Circuit and layout (two versions) for the High Input Impedance Diode Gate with Emitter Followers. Dated 8 April 1966. [Click image to enlarge]

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