The Surprising Musicality of a Telephone Line Simulator
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- NOW A PLUGIN: www.audiothing...
Of all the instruments in my studio filled with many obscure things, this is the one that draws most peoples attention: the vintage telephone line simulator by Axel Electronics. It looks rather disco for a piece of test equipment, with its Battlestar Galactica golden color. In this video I put it through its many surprising musical applications.
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Of all the plugins you've been involved with, this is my favorite one. It has that fragile feel I'm looking for in most plugins but rarely find. The distortion from the 2nd nonlinear dist is beautiful. Well worth the money on my iPad.
I'd like to imagine a bunch of serious engineers sitting around designing this for 'The Phone Company' and then hanging out after hours doing this.
I was just entertaining the same thought. The company believed it was investing in novel telecoms test equipment, but the guys who designed and built this unique module were clandestine ambient analog glitch groovers -- decades before lesser mortals invented that particular genre.
Back in the 50s and early 60s engineers figured out how to get mainframe computers to make music by splitting off lines to peripherals such as printers and writing code such that the signals to the printer line would make tones. The IBM 1401 computer was known to be used for this, and Johann Johannsson made an album called "IBM 1401 A User's Manual" dedicated to his dad who was an engineer on it back in the old days.
Tom Dissevelt and Kid Baltan kinda did similar things in the Philips Physics Laboratory. If you search for those names you'll probably find the music they made and some pictures of their studio.
@@RCAvhstape Daisy, daisy... give me your answer true...
@@traildoggy LOL the 1401 isn't quite that advanced but still funny.
In 1973, a whole 50 years ago, I was a junior engineer assisting with trials of 24 channel PCM for long distance telephony, a whole 1.5Mb/s over analogue lines (UK). The techie guys from "Headquarters" were very interested in things which would affect the quality of the transmission. They used something similar to inject impulse and pseudo-random noise, and to change other characteristics of the line. They then checked the quality of the decoded audio, only 8 bits sampled at 8kHz but enough for voice. It's so long ago I can't remember what the equipment was, but I'm sure it wasn't this one. I do remember a lot of very expensive Wandel and Goltermann test kit being around.
Thank you for this information! I know W&G has a similar unit, which allows you to adjust the distance travelled with filters.
W&G makes one, and there was an official Western Electric one as well. The communications lab at Georgia Tech had a rack of line simulators from Northern Telecom.
That 8 bits would not be a linear amplitude, but something called “µ-law” or “A-law”, which is a logarithmic encoding. This gives a more consistent S/N over a greater dynamic range. which is better for voice. It is still used for digital telephony today.
I remember having to test for quantization distortion using a 1k, 16 down tone (-16dbm) inserted at the originating end and measured at the receiving end with a meter having a special notch filter to cut the tone leaving any noise created by bad PCM encoding for measurement.
@@TesserId Quantization is interesting. With a simple signal (e.g. a sine wave), it’s “distortion”. But with a complex signal (e.g. a full orchestra playing), it’s “noise”.
These old warm analog noises do the same thing to me that certain music keys or chords do: They immediately bring out these positive emotions once had far in the past.
Wonderful sounds, my friend. I so appreciate you showing these devices, and the manner in which you demonstrate them.
Thank you, its my absolute pleasure!
A family member in Cali is making a significant income using some old test gear in mastering, funny thing is everything else is in the box, I was surprised he had never heard of Hainbach. 😱 Me I have an electribe with tubes and that is enough analog for me, we can hardly afford to turn on a microwave here in Sweden, but at least the electric company can profit from the poor folks misery in Ukraine.
In fact, this line simulator is essentially a synthesizer in its own right, with oscillators, filters, noise source, and amplifiers. The original engineers just never conceived of its musical uses. Isn't it funny how some of the least musical things end up being the best musical instruments?
My dad was a telephone guy, used to take me to the big switching office where you would hear these enormous rooms full of relays clicking. Sounded like his job involved this sort of equipment so this is awesome.
ha my dad also took me to one of those rooms full of relays while he was a technician for telecom. im imagining now that a lot of dads taking their kids there to show off the cool clicking rooms.
I also have a Phone Dad!
@@savagemessiah. new dad guy just dropped
Were they really relays, or were they Strowger switches? The latter would go something like “CHUG-CHUG-CHUG” from 1 to 10 times in a row, depending on the digit you dialled. Then a pause and a different noise, then the next digit.
You should definitely find someone to reverse engineer the schematics to clone this thing! It would be an interesting fx unit indeed
No doubt. Would it be legal do you reckon?
For the record I would 100% buy one
@@ffunyman I know I'm late and there's now a vst plugin for it, but I'm pretty sure this is from the 1970s. Any patents that might've applied are now long expired
When I worked at General DataComm in the 1970s, the Axel Line Simulator was part of my test bench for 208 B/A modems. We used these to simulate line noise and phase shift conditions to test the modem's ability to correct errors. Another tool we used in conjunction with this was the Sierra 1914 test set.
After hearing the 2nd half of this video, I reckon the manufacturer should've just called it 'Delia Derbyshire In-A-Box'
What an interesting and fantastic piece!
Something tells me these things are rarer than hens teeth. A full emulator would be sick for this.
It might be time to phone up AudioThing again.
master your tracks over transcontinental phone lines? :p
It was probably commissioned to be designed & built for one phone co, say, Bell Atlantic for example. a certain amount were made, for training and diagnostic purposes no doubt. and so yes, highly rare units I'm sure.
@@dbspecials1200 lol I just remembered having a field test handset to test line quality, a completely passive device, should have hooked it up to something but sold it for the leather case haha
@@yttrxstein4192 captain crunch! haha
What a curious box. Great sounds, like singing bubbles.
This thing would sound awesome in your hands too.
Wow perfect description. Kinda genius
this desperately needs to be made into a plugin with audiothing!
@Miles RS
Digital sucks for this. To doted.
you could call it the line simulator simulator
Whenever you do a video on equipment that was never meant to make music, I find it an experience of wonder and awe of what you're managing to do with such things. Sonic exploration through constant experimentation is practically new and my favorite frontier, but still something if wrangled within the confines of a keyboard scale, can be extremely beautiful and rewarding. I await your next discovery, and play with things that are out of the ordinary.... Like going into "Buchla territory" like (or unlike) Morty Subotnick, or finding new and unknown electronic instruments as you have been.
Absolutely a big thanks for sharing. I didn't even know there was the Axel bank until i hit some buttons to refresh it. Now it's time to create too!
This is my favorite kind of gear, where the crazy sounds it makes are all secondary characteristics that weren't intended in the design, but they are the most valuable asset they have all these decades later.
I think it actually was "digital data transmission", that "date" was a typo. My guess is that this was used for testing prototypes of modems, which do, indeed, transmit digital data over noisy phone lines. This would be a way of testing your company's new modem for adverse conditions it would experience in the field.
I agree. It was for development, not for maintenance or repair. So I agree with those who say this is probably as rare as hen's teeth. Maybe one per modem manufacturer.
You need to build it as an app with Audio Thing, so we all can play with it 🤩😍😍
So amazingly beautiful sounding. Childhood memories from Italian Horror Film Classics log the 70’s and 80’s
Oh man! This box would be another great Hainbach/AudioThing collaboration! And with it being so rare... Wow. It would be an instant buy.
That lo-fi piano track was straight out of a horror soundtrack...gonna haunt my dreams!
Never seen a line simulator like this, most just add filtering and attenuation. This is cool. And gold!
Like this? Get Soundpacks and music: patreon.com/hainbach
Or try my plugin Noises: www.audiothing.net/instruments/noises/
Hainbach is like the Bob Ross of experimental music. He makes you feel warmly included even though you're just sitting there watching him do all the creative work
Wow, wow, wow. Truly amazing sounding. There's a warm humanness to it.
Sounds better than a lot of Eurorack modulars! Greets from the neighborhood! 🍀
Really enjoyed the video.
Ears perked up with all the acid sounds this piece produced.
The low-fi filter was also especially pleasing.
Great demo of a remarkable device. The effect introduced from 2:06 sounds rather like ring modulation to me, imparting a more metallic timbre. The resulting tones are reminiscent of some of Tristram Cary’s experimental soundtracks.
I heard ring mod-like sounds too! The overdrive was rather nice as well.
It’s a very effective treatment - the sum and difference tones of ring mod, plus the additional harmonics generated by overdrive. The early Dalek voices for Dr Who benefitted from the gritty distortion possible with the valve-based ring modulator used at the time.
Really enjoyed this thanks! What a great find!
There has either to be a project made that is replicating the old unit, bit by bit or taken into the now with altered components, but still retaining its old style, i mean holy moley that is cool !
If there are any schematics that came with it, dear hainbach, please release them or post them to some forum like diygroup or so, so the diy community as a whole can go crazy with this... maybe develop a pcb or atleast understand better what is going on in there. Too cool to die and it would be sad if only a very limited group is able to play with it.
:)
Nice find !
I have posted the patent, there are the schematics but as usual no values
@@Hainbach Thats a pity... But very very nice that you did that ! There could be a real shematic around... atleast i would think that... i mean there has to be a service manual somewhere. The question is, who can be asked for something like that...
8:08 Wow, this type of music has an amazing feel to it. I'm not sure what that feel is, or if it even exists, but it's amazing for sure.
Thank you! It will be released on the Greek Label "Silence in Sound" soon
i've been thinking about it for a while but i'll finally get the noises plug in soon, these sounds are too good!! thank you for making it available, also loved the track!
This is Super Great , Thank you so Much for showing it off on your Channel :) QC
Wow! in love with the sound of the processed pianoooo
Thanks so much. I really am blown away by this. Those engineers that designed this line simulator probably were synthesizer DIY types that convinced the phone company management that they really needed this unit for line testing when it really was more like an "Avant-garde" modular synthisizer they can play with at lunch or after hours. LOL Very inspiring !
Sometimes you have to take a cool idea and build what seems like a boring version of it to test problems. This is a nice mixture, I think!
Some of those sounds remind me of short wave sounds... like numbers stations espionage stuff. Very trippy! I like the built in limiter. 😄
lol thats first thing that it reminded me of. Its an awesome looking device too.
Man, it'd be so cool if someone modelled this. I hope this inspires some plugin maker to get ahold of one of these or some other linesim
tousands of them, alot of similar oscillator
I'd be surprised if the BBC didn't use something like this for Doctor Who back in the day
what a wonderfull machine! It sounds marvellous. The new mixer looks interesting.....and the new Studio setup.....
Thank you! I spend weeks getting the setup right. video incoming!
@@Hainbach really looking forward! Thanks for sharing all of this!!
Holy cow, you got me at 2:06! Instant nightmare mode. ❤
I imagine Dr. Doolittle and St. Francis talking to the animals, watching Hainbach in his garden of devices..:::
I'm glad you all met up!💚💚💚🐾🐾🐾
For 13.7 billion years, the universe evolved towards its ultimate destiny: the mating of the Axel Electronics Telephone Line Simulator Model 771 with a softly spoken German sound designer.
IT IS ACCOMPLISHED! HAIL THE BLEEP! 🙏
cue mushroom clouds
Klaus Schulze would be jealous.. and proud of him!
Sounds Great !!! Now send it over to AudioThing that we can all soon have a try :P what a lovely machine :)
This thing is amazing! Isn't it interesting, though, how you can get such a distinct and maybe new vibe from a particular arrangement of the same old synthesis/signal processing building blocks that you already have an abundance of in your modular platform. Like there's abolutely nothing novel at all in the *components* of the Moog DFAM, and of course I already have them all in my modular (many times!) but somehow it still successfully leads me down different paths
Very nice piece of equipment. Congratulations for having it and sharing this with us.
So sick, when you started to loft the piano it got sooo evil lol
I came here from the plugin video lol. What a beautiful synth and piece of gear! I gotta pick up Lines and run it through a bunch of multitap delays and stuff haha
Back in the '80s, I was in charge of building telephone line simulators for a data communications company that were very similar to this.
Any chance of a circuit diagram? :P
This title instantly brings back memories of my early days with modular synths (I'm dating myself lol, I mean like 7-8 years ago hehe), when I happened to patch a square wave to an oscillator's pitch cv in, and it sounded like the most clearcut telephone ring signal I've ever heard. Very cool device right here, would fit right in among any modular kit.
Also, good point about limiters in feedback patches - very literally getting into the field of cybernetics at this point btw lol.
If you can go inside and make a schematic, this would be fun to try and rebuild and market as a guitar pedal/synthesizer box.
What a wonderful machine 😁 thanks for sharing it with us!
I love that this instrument is used to carry data over sound and you are generating data with it but in a new context
Thanks Hainbach, for this detailed equipment review. My geeky comment? That Gefell mic you are using sounds great on your voice!
Throughout the 1990s I used a Microtech Gefell M 71 daily, doing commercial voice over sessions for national & local clients. Smoooooth sound with good definition in the high freqs!
It is lovely - very "documentary" and clear
What a gem!! 😎
You've just inspired me to patch my HF transmitter and 1949 Radiola valve radio into my 5U modular in a feedback loop. This could be a LOT of fun!
✨️🎛📻🎙🎵✨️
Possibly one of my favourite video titles I’ve ever seen, definitely top 3
Thank you!
Incorporated in 1904 as General Railway Signal Company, started as a railway systems supplier, I didn't know there is a Jaimaca in New York, cool unit.
There is a Jamaica. It's in Queens in NYC, I'm pretty sure.
Back in college, in the late 70s majoring in electronic music at Grinnell College, I worked one summer for two brothers whose wealth came from their fathers invention of the tones for touch tones, I guess the whole Sounds behind that. Made frickin millions. Omaha. Western Electric. We used to see weird things around pawn shops in Omaha like this 45 years😢 ago.
Love the look and sounds! How about transforming this piece of equipment to the virtual realm?
It could be fun!
@HAINBACH Definitely would be interested, this has as much sound design capability as like Digitalis
You stole my words mate! Would make an amazing 'made by Hainbach" plug-in!👍
@@jeanbonnefoy1377 For sure, he should really look into this!
Crossbar exchanges used Multi Frequency Code for internal signalling. One could plug an audio monitor into a marker rack and monitor the signals. It was very random but musical. Another bit of kit was the AET or automatic exchange tester which generated MFC tones. I still use recordings from one to this day.
I suspect the telephone thing might be a red herring and it is actually rail road signal testing equipment. The hint on the device in that Axel is a unit of General Signal, formerly general railroad signals company.
Hainbach, have you taken off the cover? Any chance of an interior shot? There is sometimes circuit diagrams glued on the inside of the cover but I’m guessing you’ve already checked for that?
Wild speculation, In the 70’s they where diversifying so it makes sense they would spin off units to service there existing rail road business.
Man that thing makes a recording studio drool 🤤 ❤
Wow, that is the neatest thing! Thanks for sharing, Hainbach!
Wow I love the sound of the piano running through that thing. Sort of sounds like some kind of amplitude modulation happening.
That's so cool to find such a rare device, and it sounds absolutely delightful!
That is so creative. How did you even come up with the idea to use that for this? I mean, I have an entire electronics lab filled with instruments I've gathered for actual purprose, if I saw this (before I saw your video) I would have skipped something like this, but now - wow - I never knew how versatile a unit like that could be with music, that's actually awesome.
Oh I just went down a rabbit hole a few years back and now I find joy in using test instruments for music. Usually I just make a guess while looking at the front panel.
Enjoy finding one online😢
@@uremawifenowdave If anyone does, I would be surprised. This is a true unicorn
@@Hainbach How did you, yourself, find this unicorn Hainbach?
Hainbach, while on your quest to find these wonderful devices, do you ever have harrowing events? Popping capacitors or smoke and magic pixies? In a similar vein, if someone wanted to get started scouring for old electronics that could be valuable for sound generation, are there any pieces of equipment you'd recommend as prerequisites say for like protection (either of the electrical supply or of the audio equipment, or other purposes) or something like that?
I have gotten electrocuted three times. After that I stopped counting. It helps to know how to re-cap and have a tech at hand. A voltmeter and electricians screw drivers are 100% necessary.
@@Hainbach 😂💯
That sounds lovely! I’m inspired to make some fun noisy stuff again now!
sensing a plugin incoming 😍
Lovely bit of kit!
Hainbach that is the most OG piece of gear I've ever seen, good on you.
It has the most beautiful sounding noise 😍
"And if I write a letter, it won't get there on time. I'll only reach you baby on the telephone line. Can you hear me?" --Yazoo
WOW how beautiful in every way
Wow.. that's actually really cool.. I'm an old phone phreak.. so Im loving this!
BTW, the jitter circuit is likely a ring modulator (or such) with one input being a carrier made unstable by an LFO. That one input will likely be a carrier frequency out of the range of hearing, but it's hard to predict exactly what that is. If audible (which it might not be, as this is more a concern for data circuits carrying phase shift (yeah shift) keyed modem signals), it should sound like a warbling vibrato.
Good ol‘ psk ❤
It's always interesting to see what you can harvest from random seeds planted on the noise floor.
Do you know where it is possible to get one of these? or at least where to look when they become available?
Close to impossibe I would say.
Hi Haini :-) Thank you for all your videos, it's always interesting to watch them.
Can I just acknowledge the awesomeness of Hainbach’s sweaters?
I found an article in a pdf file of Elektor 1979-03 where on page 28 this machine is briefly described. Apparently the machine is assembled by Axel but is in fact Wandel & Golterman in the UK.
This is really cool. I wonder if anyone was using it for no input mixing back in the day.
Just an FYI, the worlds first integrated network was created for link up of Soviet SAM/ABM systems. Not only it had to work, but it had to work with full redundancy, in environment of EMP and cascading power failures. It did work then, and fundamentals of signal processing are used to this day.
Great vid, Sir. I always feel like I am visiting an old friend when I watch your vids. Great work!
I love your mixing console.
Sounds as beautiful as it looks.
When I discovered this channel a while ago, I had no idea that this is also the lab of a crazy scientist. I love it.
Man you are always getting into the coolest things. I appreciate you.
it sounds a great deal like solar EMF and Osc "birdies" on much of the shortwave bands!
Where do you think synthesized music came from? Communications equipment. My father had pictures of the old AT&T synth which was entirely musical..... and designed for communications.
Wow Hainbach I just love your video composition!
Thank you Simon!
Anxious to see you now get a Bradley Telcom Jitter and Hit Synthesizer, which was used for test phone lines with various sounds.
You're in heavy right now aren't you 😏👍
Jerry Goldsmith would have loved this thing back in the 70s.........maybe he had one???
This is one of those down the rabbit hole boxes.......so easy to get lost in all the sonic journeys! ☺🙏
That thing is as gorgeous as it sounds.
Wow you have a lot of analog. That's fantastic!
Ha! I loved this one. Twisting the old test gear to make cool electronic music, it's soooo you (or LMNC, of course) :). Nice piece of kit, I like its aesthetics too. A peek inside, please.
It's so easy to get sucked into it, right? A synth in itself!
Lovely mixing console too. The real deal! Reminds me of the CENRiT / Fonia SMP850 I sometimes worked with back in my campus radio days.
What a fabulous device!
What a nice device!
I used to be in telecom. When I started, in 1993, point to point analog data lines for modems were still in use. This box seems like it would be for test and development of modems.
10 minutes later I still have no idea what it is I'm looking at or what this device is. But I love it.
You are the mad scientist of music / sound engineering!
Just googled for your new plugin and I ended up here, even better 😅
It's amazing! I'd love to take a peek at the circuitry. Being probably from the 70's it shouldn't be hard to clone it I guess?