ARP Arpeggio newsletter, April 1977, Volume 6, #1

[PDF version]

ARP Arpeggio newsletter from April 1977, Volume 6, #1.

I love these newsletters. I've scanned two others (you can view the Arpeggio Newsletter label to bring them all up on the screen), and although this newsletter doesn't contain as many pages as the last one, there is still so much historical information in it that it makes me want to puke (in a good way). Eight pages of juicy synth goodness.

Hmmm - now that I look at it, I wonder if maybe I'm missing a few pages since there doesn't seem to be a bulk postage/mail section where an address can go. But, then again, it would have been on the last page, which due to the folding process, is printed next to the first page. Which I do have. Also, the "Special Notice" at the bottom of page one may indicate that they changed their mailing practices as well. This newsletter may have been one of the free copies "distributed through authorized ARP Dealers throughout the United States and Canada".

Anyways, I've scanned the eight pages as images as well as packaged them up in a handy-dandy PDF.

For me, you just have to turn to page two and read through the ASK ARP section to start digging up great ARP historical reference info. For example, in the second answer, ARP teases readers with a now-well-known movie fact:

"ARP recently supplied a complete ARP 2500 system and a skilled operator to appear in the upcoming Columbia Pictures film, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." The film deals with UFOs, and the ARP plays a significant role as a communications tool."

Does it ever.

And how about this for a great ARP/Stevie Wonder fact:

"Stevie first visited ARP in early 1972 and had his first 2600 outfitted with the control function descriptions written in braille. "

Flip to page four and we get a eyeful of their new PRO/DGX synth, along with a big helping of good ol' ARP name dropping at the end. And underneath that, an article called "The Captain & Tenille & ARP", with a photo of the Captain posing with his mostly-ARP gear. Did he really wear a captain's hat? Seriously? Seems a little too... I dunno... something or other.

Page five gives us another crazy movie/ARP fact that I had never heard about King Kong:

"Clark Spangler, Los Angeles' best known session synthesist and master of the ARP 2500 and 2600, interfaced both units to produce the sound of the big hairy gorilla's footsteps. He carefully mixed the heavy, resonant thud of the foot with the crackle-smash noise of vegetation being crushed, and, in some cases, people being crushed."

I think that ARP plug coming out of the back of the image of King Kong is supposed to be a tail. But, um... gorillas don't have long tails, do they? Looks a little creepy.

Page six has a great article on external audio processing, as well as one of my favorites - Patchworks! I dig that outline of a synth panel. Yum.

Wait here... I'm going to see if it sounds like a sax...

I'm back... Pretty good for an Odyssey. Although it sounds better as a tuba when you pitch it down an octave or two. :o)

But for me, the most exciting bit of info in this newsletter is on page seven in the reader contest section called "The Music Well". The prize is a free ARP belt buckle! I posted a few photos of my brass ARP belt buckle just a few weeks ago. It has a date of 1977 stamped onto the back - the same year as this newsletter - so I'm betting the contest prize has to be the same model. And this is the first time I've seen a reference to the ARP belt buckle in print.

Excellent!