Rob Hordijk Design: Difference between revisions

'''Rob Hordijk Original Design''' are the [[West Coast|"Dutch West Coast"]]<ref name=":2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyEwdrLUa28 Episode 205: Rob Hordijk (2017)] Art + Music + Technology Podcast</ref> style [[5U|5U (Moog Unit)]] modules designed and crafted by Rob Hordijk; based in The Hague, Netherlands. Except for the [[Rob Hordijk Benjolin|Benjolin]], the designs are not available for DIY.

Born in 1958, self described "synthesizer designer and builder,<ref name=":0">Rob Hordijk Presentation & Synth Tutorial // Modular Meets Leeds 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzW6pTzATG4</ref>" Rob Hordijk began learning electronics from around age 12 after developing a fascination with the glowing tubes in stereo amplifiers.<ref name=":2" /><ref>[http://vimeo.com/107453197 The Designer] by Franz Schuier, 2008</ref> When he was 14 his father who had noticed young Rob's interest gave him a subscription to an electronics course, which lead to an examination for a ham radio license.

Trained as a designer and not a musician, Rob came from an arts background, studying as a sculptor and jeweler in the 1970s. He approached electronic music in a similar spirit to abstract painting, inspired by the ambient works of Brian Eno, and Luigi Russolo's Intonarumori instruments; where attempts were made to blur the boundaries between music and art:<ref name=":2" /><blockquote>"In those days I was quite interested in the idea of sound as a material to be sculpted, in the same way you can sculpt wood and metal. [...] You can make mechanical objects that make all sorts of sounds, or you can make electronic objects that make all sorts of sounds. but what I like about the electronic objects is that you don't see what makes the sound. [...] It opens the way to sort of make it a bit mysterious."<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>In the early 1980s as various integrated circuits, micro-controllers, and processors became available to hobbyists, Rob began buying things such as the early Curtis chips and RCA 1802 based [http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=908http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=908 SuperElf] processor board out of curiosity more than professional ambition.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> Later switching to an Apple ][+ and the Mountain Hardware Music System, for which he developed a Forth language version that could do all sorts of stuff with the Mountain cards, like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karplus%E2%80%93Strong_string_synthesis KarplusStrong-type] plucked string sounds and pitch shifting.<ref name=":1" /> His first introduction to a [[DSP]] was to the DMX1000 around 1984. In 1986 he switched to Atari ST and an Akai S900.<ref name=":1" /> These days he is a [http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul04/articles/nord.htm Clavia Nord Modular G2] aficionado.<ref name=":1">[http://electro-music.com/forum/post-10645.html&highlight=#10645 Hello to you all], electro-music.com forum, 29 March 2004</ref><blockquote>"I am not really a gear freak. But I do believe in mastering synthesis techniques, in making synthesis a second nature, so to be able to fully concentrate on the creative processes."<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>After finishing art school, Rob also completed 11 years of study in Information Technology, learning about design methods and inventory control.<ref name=":2" />

As well as his own instruments Rob worked on the Nord Modular G2 including contributing many patches to the Nord Modular online community, and wrote a [https://rhordijk.home.xs4all.nl/ comprehensive unofficial manual] of the instrument. He has produced music for environments, buildings, film, and dance performances, but is yet to produce an official release on a label.<ref name=":1" /> As of 2022 Rob has announced his retirement and will no longer be taking orders.<ref>Mod Wiggler forum: [https://modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=70363&start=2600 Hello Hordijk] </ref>

== Design Philosophy ==

Inspired greatly by the ergonomics of his first syntheseizer, an EMS Putney, as much as negatively inspired by an early Doepfer system he owned, Rob's designs always keep the performing musician in mind saying, "the comfort of playing is much, much better in my opinion, with larger systems."<ref name=":2" />

In keeping with this ergonomic priority the input and output jacks are all at the bottom of the modules keeping them well clear of the knobs.<ref name=":2" />

Rob's personal definition of a modular synthesizer is more to do with modulation than modularity; referring to functional modules as 'sections'. Everything is supposed to be able to modulate or effect everything else. All levels within the system are optomised for comparability with one another.<ref name=":2" />

This design philosophy extends behind the face-plates too, where consideration for ease-of-construction is just as important. With few exceptions, all Hordijk modules consist of 8 pots and 10 jacks. This allows for two underlying PCBs, one for mounting all the interface components, and another for the underlying module functions.<ref name=":2" /> In response to a question about whether this rigid format becomes limiting Rob responded: <blockquote>"It is often a good idea if you design something to impose a certain limitation upon yourself. Basically the way I design is at first I go wild, and go complex, until I feel that I've hit some good stuff, and then I simplify. And this process of simplification is quite important because maybe I have a design that could have like 14 knobs and 18 connectors, and then by simplifying it back to 8 knobs and 10 connectors with the most important functions that actually tends to add strength to the design."<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>Functionality-wise Rob also draws heavy inspiration from Chaos theory believing greatly in the ability for chaotic - as opposed to 'random' - systems to produce musical results.

* [[Rob Hordijk Benjolin|Benjolin]], "Bent by design" / "My gift to the DIY community" - Rob<ref name=":2" />