General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

synthetic covered wood casing/ synthetic casing front with synthetic and metal controls/ metal working parts/ synthetic and metal handle/ synthetic cord covering/ rubber? feet

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

28.0 cm

Width

16.0 cm

Height

14.3 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Communications

Category

Music

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unicord

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

Period

mid 1970s +

Canada

Part of a collection of electronic equipment for musical composition, performance and recording owned and used by Canadian Paul Hoffert, composer, musician, author, researcher, entrepreneur and arts administrator. American born, he came to Canada as a child and his career has encompassed many areas of the Canadian music business, including working as a jazz pianist, CBC music director and performer, educator, manufacturer of stereo equipment, music producer, and film composer. In the late 1960s he worked for a short time as a researcher in Hugh LeCaine's electronic music lab at NRC, where he wrote a computer program for music analysis and developed a solid-body electric violin. In 1968 Hoffert and rock drummer Skip Prokop, formed the very successful jazz-rock band Lighthouse (1969-1974, 1982, 1993-present), which earned one platinum record and four gold records and received three Juno awards between 1971 and 1973 In 1977 Hoffert received a Canadian Film Award (later known as a Genie) for best original musical score for the movie "Outrageous!". He also headed the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, the Guild of Canadian Film and Television Composers,and the Ontario Council for the Art. In 1995 he was inducted into the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

Function

A device used to create an echo effect by recording a sound input on a tape loop and playing it back after a very brief delay

Technical

The Hoffert collection consists of approximately 25 pieces of electronic equipment for musical composition, performance and recording. These range from iconic keyboard instruments of the 1970s, to a variety of digital devices from the 1980s, to computer software from the early 1990s. These were used either for stage performances, especially during his years in the jazz rock band Lighthouse, or for work in his home studio. This is a tape delay unit of a type common in the 1970s. Audio input from a microphone, electric guitar or other device is recorded on a tape loop contained in an 8-track type cartridge. The passage can be played back with a delay of up to 100 milliseconds. An electro-servo motor allows a variable speed on the replay , and a repeat knob allows the passage to be looped repeatedly over itself, creating a "sound on sound" effect. The device can be activated by a foot switch that plugs into a jack on the front of the unit. Originally a maker of electronic transformers, Unicord Inc. began making electric guitar amplifiers in the early 1960s. By the early 1970s it was also manufacturing electric guitars and effects units like the EC-100. In 1985 the company was purchased by the Japanese instrument maker, Korg. Paul Hoffert used the EC-100 for various recordings and for his Juno Award-winning composition, "Concerto for Contemporary Violin" (1978). For this piece, recorded by Stephen Staryk, concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, input to the EC-100 was from a microphone placed near a solo violin.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

white lettering on front reads 'UNIVOX' and 'EC 100'/ white lettering for control functions

Missing

casing back

Finish

textured black synthetic case covering/ charcoal black casing front with black synthetic and plated metal controls/ metallic chassis and parts/ black synthetic and plated metal handle/ black cord covering and feet/ plated hardware

Decoration

N/A