[sdiy] ALLISON VCA

[Dave Manley]

mike ruberto wrote:
> Here's an odd little VCA module:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190189249848
>
> Cute lady on the cover. Anybody know about them?
>   
A little googling turned up some interesting info.  Allison Research was 
founded by Paul Buff, he has a couple of patents for VCAs 
(http://www.audioannals.com/buffpc.htm).  I didn't find any details on 
the module but perhaps the patents are applicable.  For a while Buff ran 
a studio in LA called PAL Studios, which he later sold to Frank Zappa. I 
think there are some stories in one of Zappa's biographies about the 
homebrew equipment Buff built for the studio.  He is still active but 
now in photographic equipment (http://www.paulcbuff.com/).  There's a 
bit of VCA history here with a line or two about the Buff VCA: 
http://www.thatcorp.com/vcahist.html. 

Rane has an interesting page giving the background on most audio 
companies names that includes Allison Research  
(http://www.rane.com/pronames.html).  A lot of interesting trivia, for 
example I didn't know the L in JBL was Lansing as in Altec-Lansing,  
KORG = Keio + Organ, MUZAK = Music + Kodak, or Motorola = Motorized 
Victrola  Although I did know the db in dbx is for David Blackmer.

done wandering OT,
Dave