I recently re-discovered analog

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samplebias2

Active member
Joined
Feb 19, 2022
Messages
42
Location
Sacramento CA
A few years ago I wondered if it was ever figured out how they created the voice of the "Cylon" character from the 1978 "Battlestar Galactica". There has never been a vocoder tone like it, ever. My internet search led me to a fan website, who's owner just happened to live 15 minutes from me. He had the contact info to the last person alive who was there in 1978, at Universal Studios, who ran the vocoder process and knew all the gear, including post-production. I've been pestering him/corresponding with him for 3 years trying to attain all the information.

I have been slowly rounding up the gear (that is attainable) and reverse engineering the process to try and recreate this iconic sound. My research continually lead me to this site many times so I decided to join! The youtube documentary is called "Voice Of The Cylon" and I have one more epic episode to film.

I am on the hunt for a Quad Eight MM-310, it's the last piece feasibly attainable. Here is the amazing vocal chain:

RCA BX44A mic
Nagra 1/4" tape
EMS 1000 vocoder
ARP 2500 synth (carrier signal)
Electrodyne 1208 console
LA-2A compressor
35mm full stripe (vocoder recording)

editing/processing:
Collins 26U-2 or 26W limiter (unclear)
Fairchild 660
Ampex 350
Electrodyne 1204
Countryman 968A Phase Shifter
Dolby Type A
back onto 35mm then 2" Ampex Quadruplex
 

Attachments

  • Joe Cylon MSG.jpg
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  • Cylon gear setup vocoder EMS.jpg
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  • Ampex 350 3.jpg
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  • Electrodyne EMEAPP.JPG
    Electrodyne EMEAPP.JPG
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  • JOE ARP EMEAPP.JPG
    JOE ARP EMEAPP.JPG
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I actually just made a huge breakthrough last night- I think I found their EXACT filter and EQ settings. There is possibility of a 2-band or 9-band EQ on the human voice (pre-vocoder), the oscillator (pre-vocoder) and the vocoder itself. It's VERY counter-intuitive- the ONLY clues/documentation left behind were in an interview with sound designer Peter Berkos, he said the synth tone was "a low-frequency hum developed at the mixing console". The many bounces to hot 35mm tape at +6 during editing really added a lot of tape compression which no software can duplicate, bringing that distinctive, iconic metallic ring in the tone to the very forefront- still working on that puzzle. I'm using a Retro Instruments Sta-Level as a stand-in for the Fairchild 660.

Ken must be busy I haven't heard back! MP3 demo attached.. . As the TV show evolved the tone evolved- the finicky ARP 2500, the varying levels, tubes ALL affect the tone. My source said it was hard to recreate the sound from day to day or if the bower blinked out.

*** Also to consider is the original voice-actor, who I believe had a smooth rich broadcast-type voice similar to Phil Hartman. The voice requencies trigger the corresponding frequencies in the vocoder oscillator so the human voice is a big factor- that actor's name has been totally lost in the sands of time
 

Attachments

  • GALACTICA AMPEX ALL LIMITERS.mp3
    2 MB
Last edited:
Ricardus said:
You're doing all this just to recreate Cylon voice? Wow! That's dedication!

I love analog and still work at an all analog studio, but for that I would just try to build a digital equivalent.
Click to expand...
I have tried/demo'd every software vocoder made since 1995 or so.... they are thin, brittle, weak sounding. Tube emulating software plugins are barely starting to sound "not awful"... as my source of info said... "it's gotta be analog"... this has become a hobby for me.. I've done pop/electronica music production for so long using all digital it's a treat to finally have some real analog gear (the level of remixes etc I did never justified trying to amass an analog space ship studio)
 
Wow! Clearly a guy with way too much time on his hands. You'll fit right in here. :)
Seriously, though, welcome to the club. I never would have thought that so much effort went into the original sound or that a studio like Universal would have had so much of this "old" tech laying around. Of course, back then I was scoffing at the local venues with their Altec 639s when I had shiny new SM57s. Oh, how I wish I had gone to that auction when the city sold them off and snagged a dozen or so of them. Live 'n learn.
 
I don't have children :)

All this gear was considered "obsolete", there's things that were thrown in dumpsters that are now worth $50K or more.. but decades of great music/film we love was made on this gear and due to physics it can't be 100% emulated by computer programs/plugins etc. I've hear of Kyma but never checked it out- but for certain things manipulating 0's and 1's just can't duplicate the real thing... I'm preaching to the choir here on that point!
 
For sure analog is unique but the vocoder in Kyma is pretty impressive. if you have a chance you might want to give it a listen.
I tried also a a few analog vocoders(Roland and Sennheiser) and ended up using Kyma on some projects. I'm curious about the EMS and will try it next.
 
I have owned the Roland SVC-350, the PAIA home-built one (my electronics teacher did 80% of the work) the Warp Factory (not a real analog vocoder) the MAM VF11 and the Behringer VC340 (a very good Roland VP330 clone!) but I'm only retracing the creation of the Cylon voice so all original pieces are needed. I wish I kept learning electronics instead of music.. much more valuable skill.
 
I think you need both electronics and music they go together . If you don't mind sharing your original voice record i'll see if i can get anything worthwhile done with Kyma to show you. Behringer is cloning the 2500 , i have to get a few modules.
 
I'll have to make one up! I have compared the Berhinger ARP 2500 modules 1004 and 1047 side by side to the much more expensive CMS versions and they are very very close (I'm sure it's a copy using much cheaper parts). Nobody has a schematic for the ARP 2500 but the Phil at CMS has been making one over the years.
 

Attachments

  • PULSAR SEQUENCE LA2A NO TAPE.mp3
    1.1 MB
58Glammer said:
Awesome! I saw your videos a few month ago. 👌🏻😎
Good luck on your hunt for the last piece! 🍀
Click to expand...
Thanks! It's not a critical one, but could be instrumental in recreating the texture of some of the scenes where the vocoder and tones of tube/tape mojo had additional post-production EQ. Some of them came out pretty jagged-sounding due to this.
 
samplebias2 said:
I'll have to make one up! I have compared the Berhinger ARP 2500 modules 1004 and 1047 side by side to the much more expensive CMS versions and they are very very close (I'm sure it's a copy using much cheaper parts). Nobody has a schematic for the ARP 2500 but the Phil at CMS has been making one over the years.
Click to expand...

The schematics of the ARP 2500 are readily available on the web and have been for years!
 

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