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51-512: Their best-known product was the Mu-tron III envelope filter , "the world's first envelope-controlled filter", first made in 1972 and quickly becoming an essential effect for many funk musicians. It was placed back in production again, in a modified form, in 2014. The Musitronics Corporation of Rosemont, New Jersey was formed in 1972 by Mike Beigel and Aaron Newman, an engineer who worked at Guild Guitar Company . Beigel had been working on

102-496: A rehab clinic. Corgan told Spin later that year, "You know, I gave them a year and a half to prepare for this record... I'm surrounded by these people who I care about very much, yet they continue to keep failing me." Corgan explained that he began to take the actions of others personally; he said, "If you really think about it, of course, someone doesn't do the job because they're lazy, or they don't think it's important. But I took it as, 'You're not worth going home and working on

153-610: A "modified and miniaturized version" of the Mu-Tron III, renamed the Tru-Tron 3X. A few years later, the Micro-Tron 3 was introduced. Features include an extreme reduction of size (along the lines of a tube screamer or phase 90), a second foot switch for selecting the sweep up or down and the ability to run off a standard 9v adapter. Inside the pedal, there are 3 pins which a jumper can select the tru-Tron buffer (pins 1&2) or

204-517: A sense of sonic depth, but, as Corgan said, "without necessarily using delays or reverbs—to use tonalities instead." For the album, the guitars were layered multiple times. Corgan has stated that " Soma " alone contains up to 40 overdubbed guitar parts. Vig stated that as many as 100 guitar parts were compressed into a single song. The album, generally considered alternative rock , has many different musical influences, including shoegaze , dream pop , and heavy metal , with Rolling Stone noting that

255-496: A specific frequency and cuts off other selected frequencies. Since the electronic circuits in the effect can respond much faster than a human musician can physically move a pedal, certain effects that a standard wah cannot achieve are only possible with auto-wah. The response of the effect is highly interactive with the dynamics of the input signal - this makes it possible to vary the response at will via slight adjustments to playing technique. Therefore, it may take some practice before

306-403: A synthesizer project for Guild, but the project was dropped after Guild's president, Al Dronge, was killed in an accident. The new president was less interested in the synthesizer project, and Beigel teamed up with a former Guild engineer, Aaron Newman, to save what he could, and formed Musitronics. They extracted sections from the synthesizer to make a stand-alone audio effect out of it; the result

357-429: A whole new stance: slackers with a vision." Critic Simon Reynolds disagreed; he wrote in his review for The New York Times that "fuzzed-up riffs and angst-wracked vocals are quite the norm these days, and Smashing Pumpkins lacks the zeitgeist-defining edge that made Nirvana's breakthrough so thrilling and resonant." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice cited "Geek U.S.A." and "Today" as highlights while noting

408-400: Is a variant of auto-wah that utilizes a low-frequency oscillator (LFO) instead of an envelope detector to alter the effect. The filter response varies constantly with time and is not linked to playing dynamics. The Boss AW-2 is an example of such a device. The difference in sound is subtle, but careful listeners will notice the constant period of the filter sweep. The song "Falling Into Grace" by

459-489: The Los Angeles Times predicted that "the scale of its success will likely be tied to how many fans are willing to stop moshing and enter into some rather contemplative, even tender territory", and wrote that "the songs tend to drift in places, and some get a bit long-winded, but the overall balance between the harsh and the sweet makes for a strong and distinctive package". Lorraine Ali of Rolling Stone called

510-596: The Octave Divider , and later made the Armstrong plug-in effects. In 1978 Musitronics was sold to synthesizer company ARP Instruments in 1979, on a royalty basis, but ARP folded before the original owners of Musitronics could ever collect any money. Musitronics became Gizmo Incorporated and continued to try their hand at products, but it ended when Aaron Newman suffered a heart attack. By 2014 Beigel returned to making effects with his new company Mu-FX, producing

561-487: The Red Hot Chili Peppers is an example of an LFO controlled auto-wah applied to the bass guitar. Typical controls on an auto-wah include a sensitivity control to adjust the input level to match the level expected by the envelope follower and other circuitry, a control for the initial cutoff point of the filter, and a control for the depth of the filter sweep. Some more sophisticated units offer controls for

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612-439: The octave effect , producing tones an octave above and below the input signal. There were many clones of the original Octavia around, but Mutronics' version, designed by George Merriman, had many more adjustable parameters. A bucket-brigade flanger which offered extensive control of effect parameters. A dual volume and wah foot-operated rocking pedal with photo-electric controls, and a gain boost flat screw potentiometer on

663-426: The 1970s popularized the effect. The effect is also known as a " Q-wah ", " T-wah ", " envelope following filter ", " envelope follower " or " envelope filter ". Instead of the effect being controlled by a foot-operated treadle pedal, as on a standard wah-wah , the effect alters in response to the volume of the input signal. Like a wah, it works by adjusting the central frequency of a peaking filter, which amplifies

714-554: The American music industry , and "Today" is about a day that he was experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts. "Spaceboy" was written as a tribute to his half-brother, Jesse. The artwork for the album was initially going to be created by an outsider artist , but after a series of disagreements with the label, Corgan was forced to step in at the last minute. The album booklet, composed of old photographs of both strangers and Corgan's family members with lyrics handwritten on top,

765-673: The Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron, and he also designed a Bi-Filter for E-H. Three other pedals, the Mini Q-Tron, Micro Q-Tron and Q-Tron+, are available from EHX as well, who now also offer the Bi-Filter, a modern version of Beigel Sound Lab's Envelope Controlled Filter, made in 1979. Michael Dregni, in Vintage Guitar , noted that none of the "clones, copycats, and other attempts to bring it back...sounded quite like

816-705: The Gizmotron, was a device developed by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley of 10cc , and manufactured by an offshoot of Musitronics called Gizmotronics. The device used motor-driven plastic wheels to produce infinitely sustained notes on a guitar. The device was problematic, and Gizmotronics entered bankruptcy before very many had been produced. Auto-wah Auto-wah is a type of wah-wah effects pedal typically used with electric guitar , bass guitar , clavinet , and electric piano etc. The distinctive choppy rhythm guitar sound on many funk and disco recordings from

867-461: The Mu-Tron III), examples being his playing on "Estimated Prophet" and " Shakedown Street ". Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio also frequently uses the effect, especially in addition to the use of distortion. The guitar solo in " What I Am " by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians features an auto-wah effect. J Mascis became well known for the use of the effect thanks to his role as guitarist in

918-466: The Pumpkins reformed in 2007, Corgan posted a message to the band's blog saying that they were "[l]ooking for girls from Siamese Dream album cover... As you all know, they were quite young when the photo was taken. They are not conjoined anymore, as far as we know." The band's intentions for the search were never made clear. In February 2011, Billy Corgan announced via Twitter that not only had one of

969-588: The UK HUT CD album housed in a recess with individually numbered silver metal embossed plate at the side and a 20-page booklet housed in a similar recess in the lid. Though the CD itself and the booklet are official and genuine, the wooden box is not an official Virgin (US) or HUT (UK) release. Siamese Dream was released on July 27, 1993, and debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 the following week. The album

1020-449: The album "a strong, multidimensional extension of Gish that confirms that Smashing Pumpkins are neither sellouts nor one-offs." Entertainment Weekly critic David Browne praised the band for living up to industry expectations of being the "next Nirvana" and compared Siamese Dream favorably to Nirvana's Nevermind , concluding: "In aiming for more than just another alternative guitar record, Smashing Pumpkins may have stumbled upon

1071-421: The album was "closer to progressive rock than to punk or grunge ." The subjects of Corgan's lyrics on Siamese Dream varied. Corgan noted that most of his lyrics for the album were about his girlfriend and future ex-wife Chris Fabian, with whom he had briefly broken up at the time he wrote the songs. Corgan occasionally wrote about other subjects. In "Cherub Rock", the album's opening track, Corgan attacked

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1122-404: The album, Greg Prato of AllMusic called Siamese Dream "one of the finest alt-rock albums of all time" and remarked that it "stands alongside Nevermind and Superunknown as one of the decade's finest (and most influential) rock albums." Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot wrote that it "became a soundtrack for a significant portion of [Corgan's] generation" and "did so by tempering some of

1173-466: The album, this would make her too old to be on the cover of the album. It was later confirmed that the information was false, and both girls were located in 2008, though Corgan has not commented on this. Pictures exist of Corgan standing with Ali Laenger, the girl on the right side of the photograph. The album was also released as a shaped wooden box set (aka Siamese Dream Collectors Edition) with metal hinges, limited to only 1,000 copies and containing

1224-498: The bar really high. We wanted to make a very ambitious sounding record. It was all done on analogue tape so it was time consuming. We were working 12 hours a day, six times a week for about three months, and for the last two months we worked seven days a week, 14 or 15 hours a day because we were behind schedule." After he suffered a nervous breakdown , Corgan began visiting a therapist. Consequently, his lyrics became more explicit about his troubled past and his insecurities. " Today "

1275-474: The best albums of the 1990s—the Alternative Press ranked it fourth, Pitchfork ranked it 18th, and Spin ranked it 23rd. In 2003, the album was ranked number 360 on Rolling Stone ' s list of “ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ”, with the album's ranking dropping to number 362 and rising to number 341 in the 2012 and 2020 updates of the list, respectively. In a retrospective review of

1326-409: The control room". Corgan often overdubbed Iha's and Wretzky's parts with his own playing. Wretzky stated that Corgan only performed most of the guitar and bass parts because he could lay them down more easily in recording and with far fewer takes. Stories of the album's recording had circulated in the music press. Corgan admitted there was some truth to accusations of tyrannical behavior, though he felt

1377-442: The first album's extremes; sticky melodies and pretty production can make almost anything radio-friendly, even a desperately sad song like 'Today.'" In a review for Pitchfork , Ned Raggett remarked that while initial reviews of the album singled out Corgan's lyrics for criticism, they were actually "exactly what made the band click even further", commending Corgan's "ear for hooks, metaphors, and deft summaries." The deluxe edition of

1428-410: The girls been found, she was the current bassist for the Pumpkins, Nicole Fiorentino . According to Corgan, "Just found out the weirdest news: our bass player Nicole just admitted she is one of the girls on the cover of Siamese Dream ." However, according to the assistant photographer for Siamese Dream , the cover photo was probably shot specifically for the album. Given Fiorentino's age at the time of

1479-542: The group Dinosaur Jr. Siamese Dream Siamese Dream is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins , released on July 27, 1993, by Virgin Records . The album was produced by Butch Vig and frontman Billy Corgan . Despite its recording sessions being fraught with difficulties and tensions, Siamese Dream debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 , and

1530-405: The label cut corners if it meant compromising the sound. By the time recording was completed, Corgan and Vig felt too emotionally exhausted to mix the record. Corgan suggested that engineer Alan Moulder mix the album, due to his work on Loveless by My Bloody Valentine . Moulder booked two weeks in a studio to mix the album; the mix ended up taking 36 days to complete. Eventually, the album

1581-541: The option to choose square or sine waves . The unit could be connected to an optional rocking foot pedal so that the effect could be operated in the manner of a wah-wah pedal . It was used by The Smashing Pumpkins as an integral part in achieving the "pumpkins sound" for the 1993 album Siamese Dream : "This is one of the secrets to our secret sound. This is the Mutron Biphase. We run everything through it - everything. It's fabulous", said producer Butch Vig in

Mu-Tron - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-474: The original mutron buffer (pins 2&3). It is widely considered far & away the most user friendly out of the 3 envelope filters the company has officially released since 1972. The Mu-Tron III was based on a Guild prototypes called the Timbre Generator. Beigel said he chose the envelope-controlled filter over other synthesizer elements, such as ring modulation, because it sounded more musical; it

1683-440: The press misunderstood the situation. While Chamberlin performed all drum parts on the album, he would disappear for days on drug benders that caused everyone to fear for his life. After one incident where the drummer had disappeared for two or three days, Corgan "put the hammer down", according to Vig, and had Chamberlin perform the drum part for " Cherub Rock " until his hands bled. Due to Corgan's urging, Chamberlin checked into

1734-543: The real deal". But in 2014, a renewed version of the Mu-Tron III, now called the Tru-Tron 3X, was made by Beigel's new company Mu-FX. Phaser effects were common in the 1970s, but the Mu-tron Bi-Phase combined two phase shifting circuits and in its time was "the phaser-lover's 'phasor'". It used technology from the old Uni-Vibe , with lamps and photo cells , and featuring two independent sweep generators which could be coupled, each with individual rate controls and

1785-547: The record's strength is "the sonics"; he later rated the album with a three-star honorable mention . Siamese Dream earned the Smashing Pumpkins their first Grammy Award nominations. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance , and the group was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards . Siamese Dream continues to receive critical praise and has been frequently included in lists of

1836-614: The resonance of the filter, multiple filter types, and options for sweeping the filter up or down. The first envelope-controlled filter built for musical instruments was the Mu-Tron III , invented by Mike Beigel. Other examples include the MXR Envelope Filter and the Boss AW-2 Auto Wah (LFO controlled). Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia is known for extensive use of an envelope filter (particularly

1887-403: The response of the auto-wah can be wilfully controlled in order to achieve a consistent sound. A typical auto-wah circuit uses an envelope detector to produce a voltage representing the overall volume of the input. This signal is then used to sweep the cutoff frequency of a filter. The filter usually has a low-pass or bandpass response. The Boss AW-3 is an example of such a device. There

1938-648: The side of the chassis. Between 1976 and 1978 Musitronics manufactured a series of modular, plug-in effects for Dan Armstrong amplifiers. These included the Green Ringer , an octave effect, the Yellow Humper , a frequency booster designed for bass guitar , the Purple Peaker , a similar boost effect for electric guitar, and the Orange Squeezer , a signal compressor. The Gizmo, also called

1989-493: The song.'" Meanwhile, Corgan was also going through his own problems. He would admit in 2011 that throughout the recording process he had been planning his own suicide. Stating that he had gotten rid of most of his things and was "fantasizing about my own death, I started thinking what my funeral would be like and what music would be played." Virgin began to grow impatient with the album's recording as it went over budget and became behind schedule. The band, however, would not let

2040-449: The studio for the recording of Siamese Dream —he and Vig would sometimes work on a 45-second section of music for two days, working 16-hour days for weeks at a time to achieve the sound Corgan wanted. Corgan's desire for musical perfection put further strain on the already-frayed relationships between the band members. Vig later recalled, "D'arcy would lock herself in the bathroom, James wouldn't say anything, or Billy would lock himself in

2091-565: The video documentary Vieuphoria . The Bi-Phase was featured on an episode of the BBC show The Repair Shop , where a 40-year old model was restored to fully working quality. A simpler design than the Bi-phase, it included only rate and depth controls. The Phasor II introduced additional functionality brought over from the Bi-Phase, as a kind of scaled-down version. The Octave Divider used

Mu-Tron - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-478: Was a more general effect that would lend itself to a variety of applications, and it was easy to use. The Mu-Tron III became an instant success and was used by a variety of musicians for a variety of instruments, especially guitar, Clavinet , and bass. Perhaps the best-known use of it is by Stevie Wonder , who used it on his Clavinet for the song "Higher Ground". In early 1995 Beigel lent his expertise to Electro-Harmonix , creating an update of his original design,

2193-700: Was addicted to heroin , guitarist James Iha and bassist D'arcy Wretzky had recently ended their romantic relationship, and Corgan, aside from battles with weight gain and suicidal depression , was struggling with writer's block . Siamese Dream was recorded mainly between December 1992 and March 1993. The band relocated to Triclops Studios in Marietta, Georgia for the album sessions, so they could avoid local friends and distractions, and to cut Chamberlin off from his known drug connections. Butch Vig reprised his role as producer after working on their debut album Gish . Butch Vig stated "Billy [Corgan] and I raised

2244-436: Was almost universally lauded by music critics. Select ' s Andrew Perry praised it as "the most grand-scale, expansively-passionate blasts of music you'll hear this year" and remarked that it would be "hard for anyone to top this one". John Harris of NME wrote that Siamese Dream , "for all its air of non-committal blankness and exercise-book psychoanalysis, is a startling, deeply satisfying record". Steve Hochman of

2295-557: Was an envelope filter, the Mu-tron III, built in the summer of 1972, which proved popular and viable enough with major music instrument retailers to build the company on. Musitronic built a plant out of a former chicken coop in Rosemont, and soon employed 35 people. The company offered traditional effects such as simple phase shifters, flangers, and foot-operated wah pedals as well. With George Merriman, former partner of guitarist and guitar and effect builder Dan Armstrong , Mutronics built

2346-430: Was assembled by Corgan and his wife the day after their wedding. Corgan was not satisfied with the results. The first pressing of the CD contained a 20-page booklet, with a separate page devoted to each song's lyrics and accompanying photograph; later pressings contained a four-panel fold-out liner with thumbnails of each picture. In 1999, Virgin Records reissued the album with the original 20-page booklet. Shortly after

2397-511: Was eventually certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with the album selling over six million copies worldwide, catapulting the Smashing Pumpkins to mainstream success and cementing them as a significant group in alternative music. Four singles were released in support of Siamese Dream : " Cherub Rock ", " Today ", " Disarm ", and " Rocket ", and a fifth single, " Mayonaise ",

2448-412: Was finished after four months and $ 250,000 over budget. The album boasts relatively high production values and ornate arrangements compared to other early-1990s alternative albums. Vig said, "Billy wanted to make a record that people would put on and say, 'What the fuck was that?' [...] We wanted to have things going on in the left ear and right ear all the time". One of Corgan's main goals was to create

2499-445: Was one of the first songs written by Corgan for Siamese Dream . He played the self-recorded demo to Vig, and received a positive reaction. Soon afterward, executives from Virgin Records came to observe the band after hearing about their problems, but were pleased with the demo and did not soon return to the studio. The reaction from the executives only served to put more stress on Corgan. Corgan worked overtime, practically living in

2550-465: Was released in 2023. The album received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike, with its diverse musical influences and lyrical material considered unique compared to other releases during the alternative rock and grunge movements of its time. The album has since been considered "one of the finest alternative rock albums", and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s and of all time. The band's debut album, Gish ,

2601-506: Was released on Caroline Records in 1991 to unexpected success and acclaim. After the release of Nirvana 's Nevermind later that year, the Smashing Pumpkins were hyped as "the next Nirvana". The band was signed to Caroline Records parent Virgin Records and began recording a follow-up album. Frontman Billy Corgan felt "this great pressure to make the next album to set the world on fire". The immense pressure to succeed intensified an already problematic situation: drummer Jimmy Chamberlin

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