Duets for Synthesizer: a conversation

As I get older, a lot of my childhood memories have become lost in a vague and nebulous fog. A few of them stand out clearly, however. Meeting Jeff Archer is one of those. We'd been driven out of the school like a herd of lemmings for a fire drill. I stood around and talked to Jeff. We really didn't know each other; he was a year older and a grade higher. I couldn't, for the life of me, tell you what we talked about. Maybe Zeppelin or Pink Floyd or the Beatles. Probably, we talked about The Who.

You see, Jeff was wearing this Who shirt- and to this day- I can still remember him walking around in that shirt. It wouldn't surprise me to find out he still has it tucked away in a closet somewhere.

Over the years, we've recorded a ton of music together and he's recorded a ton more on his own. His latest project is Duets for Synthesizer and it's like nothing I've ever heard, so I wanted to sit down and ask him a few questions about the project.


TS- This EP consists of three duets done on a moog and an ARP synthesyzer. For those of us who don't know a lot about this, can you talk a little about the differences between the two machines- and about synthesizers in general.

JA- The two synthesizers that appear on the "Duets" E.P. are the Moog "Micromoog" and the ARP Odyssey. The Micromoog was produced in 1975 and the Arp in 1972. Moog and ARP were basically to synthesizers what Fender and Gibson are to guitars; meaning they were the two most recognized and revered brands available. This is not to imply that there were not plenty of other great synthesizers around.

The two synthesizers basically perform most of the same functions with the main difference being in the components used. The ARP is a little more complex in that it contains two oscillators or "sound" sources whereas the Moog has one. The main components in any synthesizer are the VCO (voltage controlled oscillator), the VCF (voltage controlled filter), and the VCA (voltage controlled amplifier). Many synthesizers contain more than one of these components. These components all contribute to the sound of the synthesizer. For instance, the Moog filters are considered to be "fatter" sounding than the ARP filters, but the ARP Oscillators were far superior in tuning stability than those found in Moogs.


TS- Ideally, how do you want this EP to be listened to? Mood. Setting. Intense listening or atmosphere? Discuss.

JA- I feel that the only way to really experience this E.P. is for the listener to listen very intently to it, preferably in a setting where they will not be distracted easily. I almost feel bad for producing something that is that demanding on the listener, but it is the best way for it to be fully experienced.

This is a departure of sorts for me in that the last album I finished before this was "The Paradise Tapes - Volume 2" which, like Volume 1, was designed to almost be ignored and was really intended to be played on peoples porches while they are having conversations. I think the use of headphones would be the best way to go in listening to this E.P. because of the extensive stereo effects used in the pieces. I realize that the music contained in this E.P. is not for everyone, but I think some will enjoy it.


TS- Talk a little bit about the musical background that led you to record this EP. Sixteen year old kids don't go to Guitar Center and come home with a moog and a passion to make music on it. So how do you arrive at the Duets for Synthesizer EP?

JA- I arrived at the writing and recording of the "Duets" E.P. because it was simply inevitable. I have owned the Moog since I was 12 years old; before the thought of writing and recording music even occured to me. My next door neighbor "temporarily" moved some of his things into my parents house when he moved and he never picked them up. The Moog was among those posessions. Lucky me. When I was a little older and I started to teach myself the guitar, I bought an amplifier. Out of curiousity, I plugged in the Moog and what came out of it were some of the most interesting noises I have ever heard.

I started messing around with it frequently, but I must tell you that it took me about 10 years to learn how to use it correctly as far as "programming" or finding sounds went. I have used synthesizers on probably 60% off all the recordings I have made in the last five years. I prefer synthesizers to guitars and I will probably never buy another guitar again, but it is my life's mission to obtain certain vintage analog synthesizers before I die. As much as I use synthesizers in my music it was inevitable that I would start making music solely using synthesizers.


TS- What do you want a listener to get from Duets?

JA- More than anything, I want to convey to the listener the real love and passion that I have for synthesizers through the sounds I make with them. I don't know if I have achieved that with this E.P. but I hope someone picks up on it.

I have played guitars for almost 16 years but I don't really care about them nor could I tell you much about them. I can't adjust a guitar at all. There is not much to them electronically. I could explain almost anything about a vintage analog synthesizer and do it in a way that you would understand. I have studied them so extensively for the last 2 years to the point where I will shortly be starting to build my own modular synthesizer from scratch. This will take years but I will do it.


TS- Regarding your own musical output, where does Duets stand and how does it fit into your back catalog? Can we expect more EPs or LPs in this vein?

JA- My music has gotten very experimental in the last year or so. I'm sure it's due to the influence of Brian Eno. Not his early stuff, but his more "ambient" music. I don't think anyone would be suprised that I made an E.P. like "Duets". The E.P. has it's roots in both "Music For Acid Casualties - Volume 1" and the Tonto Savalas track "The Push Me Pull Me". "Acid" was an influence(on Duets)in that on that E.P. I produced all of the music on a digital keyboard although all of the sounds were "presets" so I didn't really create any of them. "The Push Me Pull Me" was a direct ancestor in that the track contained two synthesizers playing at the same time although with no regard to what the other was playing. I suppose "Duets" is really a more mature version of those pieces in that the music was composed and thought out.

I don't know if I will make any other recordings with the synthesizer duet concept. I will be making more synthesizer based music although I don't know which form it will manifest itself in Maybe when I get an LSD (Leamon Sound Device) I will produce 24-channel synthesizer "experiences".


TS- Final thoughts. Anything you'd like to say regarding this project.

JA- It was a lot of fun to produce. I think everything turned out very well. It's not the kind of E.P. you would put on at 11:00 in the morning, but It has it's place. I spent time on both "programming" the sounds and adding the effects to make the most out of the two tracks used on the pieces. I hope it brings enjoyment to people.