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The Birotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument designed as a successor to the similar Mellotron, and financed by Rick Wakeman.

Features

[edit]

The Birotron was named after its inventor, Dave Biro, and developed with investment from regular Mellotron player Rick Wakeman.[1][2] Like the Mellotron, the instrument produced sounds from magnetic tape, but it used eight-track tape in a loop. As such tapes never need rewinding, this avoided the problem that the Mellotron had, where a sound would stop playing after around eight seconds.[1]

The instrument has 37 keys and features 19 eight-track cartridges. Tapes could be easily exchanged or replaced, and it was intended that musicians could add their own recordings to the instrument.[3]

Production

[edit]

Biro first started designing a tape-replay instrument in 1974 after hearing Wakeman play the Mellotron on Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes.[4] He used the keyboard from an old piano and parts from a local hardware store, plus a set of automotive eight-track decks from a junkyard.[3] Biro built the prototype in his father's garage with "no plans, no drawings. nothing. All I remember is that absolutely no one thought it could work".[4] Despite several faults, Biro persuaded Wakeman to financially invest in the instrument after meeting him backstage at a concert later that year. As part of the deal, Wakeman retained full rights with an offer of compensation to Biro should the instrument become successful.[5] Development progressed in 1975, when Wakeman had Biro produce a working model with help from his technicians at his factory and rehearsal facility in High Wycombe, England.[6]

The Birotron was announced in September 1975 and marketed by Complex 7, a group of companies that Wakeman directed to help build and market the instrument.[7][8] Advance orders came from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Keith Emerson, John Paul Jones and Elton John.[1][3] Wakeman used the instrument on his solo album Criminal Record and on Yes's Tormato.[9]

In late 1978, Wakeman said that between 30 and 35 unfinished models had been built, and the instrument performed to his satisfaction in a studio setting, but problems arose when it was used on tour with Yes a year prior. Its precise voltage requirements made it unsuitable for use in countries outside the UK, and a decision had yet to be made to either produce several models to work on different voltages, or add a built-in transformer.[9] Wakeman said a key problem was that the instrument had "teething problems" that did not bother him, but would be unacceptable to the general public.[1] A further problem was the increasing popularity of string synthesizers, which could reproduce a similar sound without any mechanical issues. Ultimately, few models were manufactured and the instrument never entered regular production. Wakeman later said he lost around £50,000 in the investment.[10]

The only musicians other than Wakeman to have bought a Birotron are Tangerine Dream (who bought two), Klaus Schulze and Tom Rhea. As of 2019, only two working models are known to exist.[10]

References

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Birotron

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The Birotron is an electro-mechanical developed in the mid-1970s as an improved alternative to the , utilizing endless loops stored in 8-track cartridges to produce continuous sampled sounds such as strings, brass, and organs without the Mellotron's limitations of eight-second tape segments and slow reset times. Invented by American W. Biro of , the Birotron featured a 37-note keyboard connected to 19 independent players, with each cartridge providing up to four selectable sounds distributed across two keys, enabling polyphonic playback and real-time control via knobs for volume, attack, decay, and pitch. Biro's core design, patented in 1977 (US 4,018,127), employed endless tape loops driven by independent capstans and playback heads per player to ensure seamless, loop-free audio reproduction, while a 1980 patent (US 4,182,214), invented by and assigned to Birotronics Ltd., refined the multi-track cartridge mechanism with a common capstan and movable playback heads for enhanced track selection and stereo output. Financed and co-developed by English keyboardist —alongside producer Peter Robinson under Birotronics Ltd.—the instrument was manufactured in from 1975 to 1978, with production limited to just 13 units of the sole model, the B90, despite receiving over 1,000 orders at around £1,000 each; the company's bankruptcy in 1979 was attributed to the rapid emergence of affordable polyphonic synthesizers and early digital samplers that rendered tape-based systems obsolete. Wakeman, who owned four Birotrons (two of which were damaged during tours), integrated the instrument into his solo work on the 1977 album and live performances, as well as Yes's 1978 studio album and the live album , where it contributed orchestral textures to tracks like ""; additional users included electronic acts and Earthstar. As of the , only a handful of Birotrons were known to survive, with reports indicating as few as two functional units as of 2015, making it one of the rarest instruments in history, with its sounds later emulated in software libraries like GForce's M-Tron Pro.

Development and History

Invention by Dave Biro

Dave Biro, an American engineer and aspiring musician based in , developed a keen interest in electronic instruments during the early 1970s after attending a performance by keyboardist with the band Yes. Fascinated by Wakeman's use of the , Biro sought to address its key shortcomings, including the restrictive 8-second tape loops that limited sustained notes and the frequent mechanical unreliability caused by the instrument's complex tape-head assembly. These limitations, which often led to tuning issues and maintenance demands during live performances, motivated Biro to design a more reliable tape-based keyboard that could replay pre-recorded sounds with greater flexibility and durability. Around 1973-1974, Biro constructed his initial prototypes in a solo effort, incorporating off-the-shelf players as the core sound source to overcome the 's tape constraints. Unlike the 's short, linear tape strips, the Birotron's 8-track system utilized continuous loops within standard cartridges, enabling much longer continuous sound samples, with approximately 10 minutes of tape per cartridge for indefinite sustain without abrupt cutoffs. This approach leveraged the widespread availability and affordability of 8-track technology during the era, positioning the Birotron as a practical evolution for musicians seeking orchestral-like textures in rock and . Biro formalized his invention through patent filings, submitting an application on June 2, 1975, for a "musical instrument employing plural sound reproducing means" under U.S. Patent No. 4,018,127, which was granted in 1977. The accompanying technical drawings depicted an array of up to 20 synchronized 8-track players connected to a simple organ-style keyboard, with each key activating specific tape tracks to produce polyphonic playback across 37 notes using four selectable sounds per position. These illustrations highlighted the replay system's modular design, emphasizing electrical switching to route audio outputs from individual cartridge heads to a central mixer without mechanical tape movement per keypress. During prototyping, Biro tackled significant engineering hurdles, particularly the of multiple 8-track heads to maintain phase coherence across the keyboard's range. Standard 8-track cartridges operated at 3¾ inches per second with four stereo tracks, but aligning their playback required precise mechanical positioning of the head assembly to avoid timing drifts between units, which could disrupt chordal . Biro's solution involved a custom control mechanism using solenoid-driven head shifts and fader potentiometers to smoothly transition at tape splices, ensuring seamless looping while minimizing audible artifacts from the cartridge's inherent low-fidelity magnetic medium. These innovations in the early prototypes laid the groundwork for a more robust instrument, though further development awaited external support. Later, financial backing from provided the resources to refine and produce the design.

Involvement of Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman first encountered the Birotron prototype in October 1974, when inventor Dave Biro brought it backstage following a Yes concert at the New Haven Coliseum. Impressed by its potential to address the reliability issues of the Mellotron, which Wakeman heavily relied on during Yes tours, he saw it as a viable upgrade for the band's progressive rock performances. Motivated by these practical needs, Wakeman invested a small fortune—described by him as nearly bankrupting—to finance the instrument's development and production starting in late 1974. This financial backing enabled Biro to relocate to within two months of their meeting, where he joined Birotronics Ltd., a company established under Wakeman's direction to manufacture the device. By September 1975, the Birotron was formally announced and marketed through Complex 7, a related enterprise headed by Pete Robinson with Wakeman serving as a director, facilitating a national promotion campaign in the UK. Prototype demonstrations followed throughout 1975, building interest among musicians, and the first production units became available by late 1976.

Production Challenges

The production of the Birotron, initiated by Birotronics Ltd. in 1974 with initial funding from Rick Wakeman, faced significant hurdles from the outset due to the complexities of fabricating custom 8-track tape cartridges. These cartridges, which utilized modified consumer 8-track players with looped tapes for continuous playback across 19 units per instrument, required extensive customization, leading to high manufacturing costs and frequent mechanical unreliability, such as jamming from horizontal tape placement. As a result, estimates vary, but approximately 12 to 13 units were completed between 1975 and 1978, despite receiving over 1,000 pre-orders. The retail price of around $3,000 (or £1,000 in the UK) further limited adoption, particularly amid the broader economic recession of the late 1970s, which strained musician budgets and disrupted potential U.S. distribution deals. Wakeman's investment, described as a "small fortune" equivalent to tens of thousands of pounds, proved insufficient to scale operations beyond garage assembly, exacerbating undercapitalization as supply chain delays for parts mounted. First deliveries occurred in 1977, but production halted by late 1978, culminating in Birotronics' bankruptcy in 1979.

Design and Technical Features

Sound Generation Mechanism

The Birotron employs an electro-mechanical sound generation system based on commercial 8-track tape cartridges containing continuous loops of 1/4-inch , a significant departure from the Mellotron's fixed-length tape strips. Each cartridge provides up to eight tracks, typically configured as four pairs to enable selection of multiple instrument sounds per note, with 19 cartridges distributed across the 37-note keyboard to cover the full range (one cartridge per two keys). The endless loop design allows sustained playback without rewinding, yielding durations of 20 to 45 seconds per sound depending on the number of active tracks utilized. This mechanism addressed the Mellotron's 8-second playback limitation by enabling indefinite sustain through looped reproduction. The track is selected in advance via switches or dials that position the playback heads to engage a specific track on the cartridge via a servo-controlled head assembly. Pressing a key gates the audio from the selected track without requiring individual motors or heads per note. Each cartridge reader includes dedicated preamplifiers, voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs), and generators per channel to shape the audio response, the signal through the selected track. The tape runs at the standard 8-track speed of 3 3/4 inches per second (IPS), providing approximately 10 minutes of total loop time per cartridge before repeating, though effective sound length is shorter due to track segmentation. The instrument operates on 110V to drive its tape mechanisms and , producing stereo audio outputs with basic onboard amplification for direct connection to mixers or amplifiers. Factory-provided sound cartridges featured recordings of orchestral and ensemble timbres, including violins, string ensembles, cellos, brass sections, male choirs, woodwinds (such as transverse flutes and recorders), and church organs, all captured to emulate acoustic instruments for polyphonic playback.

Controls and Specifications

The Birotron is equipped with a 37-key keyboard supporting polyphonic playback up to 19 simultaneous notes (limited by the number of cartridge readers), with each key triggering audio from a shared tape loop without velocity sensitivity. The control panel provides essential operational features, including volume and track selector switches for choosing among the eight tracks on each loaded cartridge, attack and decay sliders to shape the envelope of the tape-based sounds, and a 10-turn vernier potentiometer for precise pitch control. Its cartridge loading system utilizes 19 dedicated readers, each handling an shared across two adjacent keys for continuous looped playback without rewinding or auto-reverse mechanisms.

Innovations Over

The Birotron addressed several key limitations of the through its adoption of continuous-loop 8-track tape cartridges, which replaced the 's individual 8.75-second tape segments affixed to spring-loaded heads. This design allowed for indefinite playback duration per note, enabling musicians to sustain chords and phrases without the abrupt cutoff that plagued performances. In contrast to the 's fixed 8-second limit, the Birotron's loops—recorded at 3¾ inches per second—provided up to approximately 10 minutes of continuous sound per track, facilitating more fluid and expressive playing limited to 19 simultaneous notes. Maintenance was significantly simplified in the Birotron by eliminating the need for a dedicated motor and tape transport mechanism per note, a common source of mechanical unreliability in s where 35 individual tape heads required frequent alignment and repair. Instead, the Birotron employed 19 standardized readers (one per two keys), leveraging commercial 8-track technology with servo-controlled heads and fewer moving parts overall, which reduced wear and breakdown risks during live use. This shared cartridge system minimized the intricate per-note engineering of the , making the instrument more robust despite its electro-mechanical complexity. Versatility was enhanced by the multi-track nature of each 8-track cartridge, which housed up to eight distinct sounds—such as violins on one track and brass on another—allowing performers to switch between instrument emulations electronically without physically swapping tape heads or cartridges mid-performance, unlike the Mellotron's requirement for manual head station changes. Each cartridge supported two keys simultaneously, with track selectors allowing choice of one sound (from up to four available stereo pairs on the eight tracks) shared by both keys, providing rapid access to a broader palette of timbres in a single unit. These innovations stemmed from cost-saving measures rooted in off-the-shelf 8-track components, which lowered prototyping and production expenses compared to the 's custom tape fabrication, though the Birotron remained a premium instrument priced at around £1,000 per unit. Dave Biro's initial prototyping integrated these features to overcome the 's practical constraints.

Usage in Music

Early Adoption and Performances

The Birotron received its first public demonstrations at music trade shows in 1976, where it generated considerable buzz among musicians for its potential to overcome the Mellotron's limitations in sound duration and reliability. However, production constraints limited the number of units available, resulting in only a handful of orders being fulfilled despite over 1,000 expressions of interest. Rick Wakeman debuted the Birotron on stage during Yes's 1977–1978 tours, employing it primarily for string and choir sounds in extended live renditions of tracks like "Awaken" from the album . As the instrument's key financial backer, Wakeman acquired four Birotron B90 units to support his complex keyboard array, marking one of the earliest high-profile live applications of the device in . Integrating the Birotron into live setups presented notable challenges due to its bulky design, which housed 19 individual players beneath a 37-note keyboard, demanding significant stage space and dedicated electrical power to operate reliably alongside synthesizers like the and . These logistical demands were compounded during transport, with two of Wakeman's units suffering accidental damage on tour, underscoring the instrument's fragility in touring environments. Beyond Wakeman, the Birotron found limited but notable adoption among other progressive and electronic artists in the late 1970s, with just 13 units produced overall between 1975 and 1978. The German electronic group Earthstar incorporated a Birotron into their atmospheric soundscapes, while briefly utilized one for its looped orchestral textures; additionally, a single unit was purchased by a in 1978, highlighting the device's appeal within niche studio and live circles despite its scarcity.

Notable Recordings

The Birotron made its most prominent studio appearance on Rick Wakeman's 1976 solo album No Earthly Connection, where it was featured on three tracks within the expansive suite "Music Reincarnate." The instrument contributed subtle orchestral layers, blending seamlessly with synthesizers and live to enhance the suite's dynamic shifts from warning motifs to ethereal realizations. Its looped tape sounds provided a textural foundation that evoked woodwind and ensembles, particularly in the transitional sections of "The Maker" and "The Realisation," adding a sense of organic depth to Wakeman's symphonic prog compositions. The Birotron also appeared on Wakeman's 1977 solo album , where it provided orchestral textures integrated into the album's thematic pieces. Following its debut, the Birotron appeared on Yes's 1978 album , with Wakeman employing it across seven of the nine tracks for primarily string pads and occasional woodwind emulations. Notable contributions include the choir-like closing chord in "Rejoice... Rejoice!" and possible flute textures in "Circus of Heaven," where it created swelling orchestral backdrops that supported the band's intricate arrangements. These uses highlighted the instrument's role in studio experimentation during Yes's late-1970s phase, bridging Mellotron-era warmth with emerging digital possibilities, though often buried in the mix behind guitars and vocals. Beyond Wakeman and Yes, the Birotron saw rare adoption by other artists, most notably the American electronic band Earthstar on their 1979 album French Skyline. There, it provided atmospheric drones and choir emulations throughout the three-part track "Latin Sirens Face The Wall," infusing the Berlin-school electronica with haunting, looped vocal textures that complemented the album's cosmic themes. This recording underscored the instrument's niche appeal in experimental genres, where its continuous tape loops allowed for sustained, immersive soundscapes without the mechanical clunk or reset requirements of earlier tape instruments like the Mellotron. Across these recordings, the Birotron's audio profile stood out for its warmer, analog tone relative to the sharper attacks of synthesizers like the Moog or ARP, derived from its continuous tape-loop playback mechanism. However, this came with inherent artifacts such as subtle tape hiss and loop seams, which lent an authentic, vintage character but sometimes resulted in a murky quality when not perfectly tuned.

Limitations in Live Use

The Birotron's reliability in live performances was compromised by frequent mechanical failures, particularly tape cartridge jams and malfunctions exacerbated by vibrations. These issues often resulted in mid-performance breakdowns, as the continuous-loop 8-track cartridges were prone to tangling or sticking under the physical stresses of touring, leading musicians to abandon the instrument during sets. The instrument's bulkiness and lengthy setup process further hindered its practicality for live use, requiring 30-45 minutes to load cartridges and calibrate the tape heads for accurate playback and pitch stability. This extended preparation time made it unsuitable for rapid changes during dynamic concerts, contrasting sharply with more portable synthesizers that allowed quick adjustments. Sound limitations also restricted the Birotron's effectiveness in complex live arrangements, as its supported polyphonic playback up to 19 voices (limited by the number of independent cartridge players), though early units additionally lacked velocity sensitivity, delivering uniform regardless of key strike force, which limited expressive dynamics in performance contexts. Rick Wakeman, a primary backer and user, praised the Birotron's versatility in replicating Mellotron-like sounds with indefinite sustain but acknowledged its inferior roadworthiness compared to synthesizers such as the Mini-Moog, citing persistent teething problems that, while tolerable for him, rendered it unreliable for broader stage application.

Legacy and Modern Relevance

Surviving Units and Restoration

Due to the Birotron's limited production run of 13 units between 1975 and 1978, only a small number of examples are known to survive, with estimates of 5 or 6 units existing as of the early . These rare instruments are held in private collections, including one owned by and restorer Chris Dale in , , and another by collector Craig Wuest in , Georgia, . No Birotrons are on public display in museums, limiting access to their historical significance. Restoration efforts have centered on these surviving units, particularly through the "Save the Birotron" project initiated by Chris Dale around 2010. In July 2010, Dale demonstrated a repaired B90 model in a video, highlighting its restored playability after addressing damage from years of disuse and component wear. Further work from 2010 to 2021 has involved meticulous repairs to mechanical and electronic elements, enabling limited functionality despite the instrument's age, though no major updates have been reported as of 2025. These projects emphasize hands-on preservation by dedicated collectors, as professional support for such obsolete technology is scarce. A primary preservation challenge is the deterioration of the 8-track tape cartridges, which have degraded due to age, environmental factors, and the instrument's brief operational history—most units saw fewer than 100 hours of use before production ceased. The tapes, essential for the Birotron's analog sound replay, suffer from shedding and signal loss, rendering many sounds inaudible without intervention. Restoration initiatives address this by creating digital archives from the existing tapes and exploring remastering techniques, though no original replacement cartridges exist, even for early backers like . These efforts aim to safeguard the instrument's unique timbres for future study, underscoring the fragility of electro-mechanical relics from the 1970s.

Influence on Later Instruments

The Birotron's cartridge-based system for multi-track audio storage exerted a conceptual influence on subsequent electro-mechanical instruments, particularly in the realm of sample replay technology. By employing standard 8-track tape cartridges to hold up to four sounds per unit, the Birotron enabled indefinite looping and reduced mechanical complexity compared to its predecessors, inspiring efforts to modernize similar tape replay systems. Early digital samplers, such as the introduced in 1979, adopted principles of multi-track sample organization and swappable media storage that echoed the Birotron's innovations, facilitating the transition from analog tape loops to digital waveform playback. The Birotron's emphasis on user-replaceable sound modules prefigured the architecture seen in the series, launched in 1981, which used ROM chips for preset sounds but retained the idea of expandable, categorized audio libraries for orchestral and keyboard emulation. Rick Wakeman's hands-on experience with the Birotron during Yes's late-1970s tours contributed to the progressive rock scene's adoption of versatile keyboard rigs in the . In cultural discourse on , the Birotron has been referenced in literature on vintage synthesizers as a pivotal instrument between tape-based replay systems like the and the rise of workstations (DAWs).

Digital Emulations

Due to the extreme rarity of original Birotron units—only 13 were produced, with a handful surviving intact—digital emulations have emerged as the primary means for musicians to access its distinctive 8-track tape-loop sounds. These software recreations capture the instrument's continuous playback capability and analog warmth, addressing the mechanical limitations of the hardware while enabling seamless integration into contemporary production workflows. GForce Software's M-Tron Pro series provides one of the most comprehensive digital recreations of Birotron-like sounds through its expansion packs, which incorporate samples from unreleased tapes originally developed for the instrument. For instance, the Streetly Tapes Vol. 1 pack includes the "Biro Choir," a choir recording rescued from a ¼-inch master tape sourced from the archives of engineer Les Bradley, emulating the Birotron's multi-track choral timbres. Released initially around 2005 with ongoing expansions into the 2010s and beyond, the plugin supports triggering for precise note activation, mimicking the original's cartridge-based system, and features built-in effects such as tape wow and flutter to replicate analog instabilities. Key functionalities in M-Tron Pro emphasize polyphonic playback across dual layers for richer harmonies, customizable sample lengths via tape reverse and half-speed options, and deep integration with digital audio workstations (DAWs) like through VST, , and AAX formats. These tools allow users to extend the original 8-second loops indefinitely, a core innovation of the Birotron over earlier tape instruments. In modern music production, these emulations are favored by producers seeking retro textures reminiscent of Rick Wakeman's Yes recordings, with applications in genres blending vintage and electronic elements. The M-Tron Pro IV update in 2023 enhanced macOS compatibility, including native support and improved UI scalability, ensuring accessibility for current hardware setups.

References

  1. https://www.outofphase.fr/en/birotron-en/
  2. https://patents.google.com/patent/US4018127A/en
  3. https://patents.google.com/patent/US4182214A/en
  4. https://www.gforcesoftware.com/blog/birotron/
  5. https://www.gofundme.com/f/birotron
  6. https://www.courant.com/2010/01/18/once-thought-of-as-the-future-of-music-the-birotron-attempts-to-make-a-return/
  7. https://electronicmusic.fandom.com/wiki/Birotron
  8. https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=98771
  9. https://till.com/articles/Mellotron/patents.html
  10. https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/dave-biro
  11. https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/music-news/6657
  12. https://www.thebeliever.net/ker-chunk/
  13. http://www.synth-db.com/synths/Birotron/B90/B90.php
  14. https://www.outofphase.fr/manuals/birotron/pat4018127.pdf
  15. https://victoriaadvocate.com/2010/01/25/once-thought-of-as-the-future-of-music-the-birotron-attempts-to-make-a-return/
  16. https://www.planetmellotron.com/revwakeman.htm
  17. https://www.planetmellotron.com/revyes.htm
  18. https://www.planetmellotron.com/reve1.htm
  19. https://waterloosunsetmusic.tumblr.com/post/34257003870/the-worlds-rarest-instrument-the-birotron
  20. https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-did-mellotrons-use-tape-loops-or-not
  21. https://forgotten-yesterdays.com/dates.asp?qcategoryid=3&qbandid=1&qyear=2010&qdateid=12125
  22. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-man-hopes-to-bring-classic-birotron-keyboard-back-to-life-1.3228261
  23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URR7l-uI6JA
  24. https://yesmusicpodcast.com/yes-and-the-rarest-musical-instrument-in-the-world-with-chris-dale-503/
  25. https://www.gforcesoftware.com/products/the-streetly-tapes-vol-1-for-m-tron-pro/
  26. https://www.gforcesoftware.com/products/m-tron-pro-iv/
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