General Information

Serial #

A2M0003-49673

Part Number

2

Total Parts

6

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

metal casing with synthetic front panel/ synthetic cable covering and circuit board/ metal and synthetic working parts/ rubber? feet

Dimensions

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

Length

22.5 cm

Width

15.6 cm

Height

9.6 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Computing Technology

Category

Digital peripheral devices

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Apple

Country

United States of America

State/Province

California

City

Cupertino

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

Period

circa 1978 +

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 computer data storage device used with a personal computer to supplement the PC's internal floppy disk drive by storing data and/or software on a magnetic disk.

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. The Apple II computer used with this disk drive was customized by Paul Hoffert for research and music production. For this purpose he added several audio cards: one that converts audio signals to digital, another that captures music keyboard keystrokes and uses them to trigger sound samples, and a third that stores these sound samples. In 1977 Hoffert added the disk drive and in the 1980s also acquired a MIDI interface card (included but not currently installed). He used the Apple II in one of the first television commercials to feature "synthetic music" For an advertisement for Agree Shampoo he composed a tune using very fast arpeggios that were performed by the computer faster than a musician could play them. From Old -Computers on line: The Apple Disk II, the most inexpensive, easy to use floppy drive ever made was introduced in 1978 to replace the cassette tape storage used with the first Apple II computers. The Disk II suddenly transformed the Apple II from an expensive hobbyist's toy to an efficient tool everyone could afford for home and business uses. In marketing terms, the Disk II launch can be considered as the Apple II second birth.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

raised silver lettering on front reads 'disk II'/ lettering on label on back reads in part 'apple computer inc./ 10260 BANDLEY DRIVE/ CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA 95014/ SERIAL NO. A2M0003-49673/ MADE IN U.S.A.'

Missing

appears complete

Finish

textured buff painted casing/ black synthetic front panel, disk receptacle and parts/ multicoloured cable attached to green circuit board with multicoloured components/ black feet

Decoration

multicoloured Apple logo on front