Wiardgroup

Hi,

I was just checking the records, such as they are. I met Grant for the first time
prior to March 16th 1997 (which was our first musical gathering, or "Serge-fest").
The day I met him, while sitting in his living room, there was a fully machined case 
and front panel for a 300 series module sitting on his coffee table. No guts in it, 
but it was identical to the production units in every way.
In his lab that day there were prototypes of various modules (the Waveform City 
was there as was a version of the Sequentizer, called the Darwinator [named after 
a friend Darwin Grosse]).
At one of our musical get togethers in March of 1998 Grant brought an almost complete
set of modules to demo (it was missing a filter but consisted of the WFC, a Mixolator, a 
Sequentizer, an Envelator, and a VCO, I think). Shortly there after I got my set which
had two WFCs, an Envelator, a Mixolator, and a Sequentizer. Still no filter (none existed
at the time). The filter came a bit later but I can't remember when the first version 
went production. Maybe I should have kept records? :-)
Anyway, if you want to see the prototype system for that day in March of 1998 there is
a photo on my web site: http://www.mlswebworks.com/meme/gatherings/g032198.html

Congratulations Grant BTW (and I've been digging your Magnificent Cadavers!)



--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "drmabuce" <drmabuce@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Matrix
>  Like most temporal milestones. 
> ie: the discovery of 'America', Groundhog's day, Christmas, & National Frozen Potato Week.
>  The 5 May anniversary of Wiard is more a matter of convention than documentary evidence.
> 
>  My own journal records this on 19 Nov 1998:
>  "looks like some guy up in Milwaukee got to the moon first with voltage controlled filter mode without using a crossfader, chk it out"
> 
>  So there must have been something on the air before May '99. 
> 
>  But Grant has always celebrated Cinco de Mayo as the day that Wiard "began operations".... usually with a BBQ. But then, folks in Milwaukee don't need much of an excuse to get outside for a little  R&R in May because that's just about when the glaciers recede enough to find the grill again (and the lawnmower)
> 
>  i'm pretty sure Mike Firman got the first production Wiard...if that's so.... Mike? when did Grant build that for ya? (or maybe it was a 'beta')
> 
> They still haven't decided when Easter is either!!!!
> ;'>
> 
> -doc
> 
> 
> --- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, matrix <matrixsynth@> wrote:
> >
> > Hmm...   I'm seeing the website up as early as Feb 06, 1998:
> > http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://wiard.com.  When did Wiard form and is
> > May 5 1999 a special date?  Regardless, Happy Anniversary!  :)
> > 
> > On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 9:01 PM, drmabuce <drmabuce@> wrote:
> > 
> > >
> > >
> > > Hi All
> > >
> > > if nobody else is gonna mention it... i will...
> > >
> > > By his account....
> > > On 5 May 1999 a guy in Milwaukee decided that he'd pick up where his
> > > mentors left off in Analog synthesizer design, and he began operations as
> > > the "Wiard Synthesizer Company"
> > > That was a full decade ago!
> > > It seems like yesterday that i was on his porch with my trade-in Aries
> > > wonder why a fellow would wear a fez like that so early on a Saturday
> > > morning. i left with a 'the filter', a sequantizer, and a silver paneled
> > > envelator in my backseat and a unquenchable hunger for more.
> > > Happy Anniversary Wiard! and many happy returns
> > > Viva los Wiardos!
> > > -doc
> > >
> > >  
> > >
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > 
> > cheers,
> > matrix
> > http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com
> >
>