News Archives - The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation

Our West Coast Whirlwind!

Mark Marshall — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:30:55 +0000

Still feeling the synthesizer love from last month’s California visit to NAMM / Buchla & Friends!

At NAMM:

Anthony Marinelli visited our booth
The Blue Meanie was at out booth for a whole day!
ARP 2600: Drew Schlesinger demonstrated patches using the 2600 software included in the Korg Collection VST 6.
2 Lucky folks won a signed CD and poster from Martin Gore

And Congratulations to Violet Burns who won the Korg Collection 6!

Then it was off to Buchla & Friends – January’s biggest two-day collection of hands-on synths on the West Coast!

Remember: The Most Creative Part of an ARP synthesizer is You!

NAMM 2026 would not have been possible without the help of the following people and companies:

Thank you to Korg, Inc for the Korg Collection Giveaway and helping us make NAMM possible.

Thank you to Sean Weizmann of Arturia for the midi controller

Thank you to Beyer Dynamics for the headphones

Thank you to Ryan Hawkins of Hawkins Restorations for use of his Blue Meanie, Tonus 2600, OMNI and Odyssey, and for being the best Booth volunteer along with his assistant Miles.

Thank you to Julie Lewis for volunteering at the booth and for her donation last year of a rare ARP Soloist that was owned and played wonderful late husband synth legend Don Lewis.

Thank you to our Board Member and booth volunteer Stephen DeJesus for selfless assistance at both NAMM and Buchla & Friends.

Thank you also to Chris Cardone, Joe Castronovo, Tom Cusimano, Deanna DelVino, Rich Formidoni, Martin Gore, Andy Joyce, Brian Kehew, Ruperto Ifil, Mary Lock, Anthony Marinelli, Mark Marshall, Mike Metlay, LaMar Mitchell, Tony Notron, Drew Schlesinger, James Terris and Brianna Tortino,

Here’s the West Coast Photo dump!

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We return to the West Coast!

Mark Marshall — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:13:53 +0000

We’re headed back to the West Coast for a whirlwind! Join us for the NAMM show in Anaheim, followed by Buchla and Friends in Los Angeles!

All the details are on the Centennial Events page.

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Become an ARPAngel!!!

dddARP — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 03:29:07 +0000

Dear Synth Family…

This year I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the generosity, excitement and participation shown by you – our amazing, multi-national community. As most of you are aware, we have been celebrating my father’s Centenary, and what a year it’s been! So far we have:

Hosted a resident at our ARPs for All space
Traveled a collective 8 time zones to participate in three museum exhibitions, two concerts and three historical lectures
Produced a short documentary about Alan R Pearlman’s life (thank you Chris Cardone!!!!)
Released a 36-track compilation featuring a electric spectrum of musicians using ARPs
Gave away a beautiful ARP ProSoloist to a lucky raffle winner

And we’re only halfway through the Centennial Year! We have an upcoming concert in a few weeks at synthCube, and we are preparing some surprises for you next year.

We couldn’t have done any of this without your generous donations, purchases, and hard work! We feel the love. Please visit our website to see our Centennial Page and Thank You Page — we can barely keep up with the updates!

This year we are kicking off a Fund Drive on Giving Tuesday! We are offering some gifts as a thank you, that will be offered nowhere else.

For a pledge of $5 a month we will send you an ARP Angel magnet!
For a pledge of $10 a month we will send you an ARP Angel tee shirt.
For a pledge of $20 or more a month, we will send you the ARP Angel tee shirt AND a magnet
For a pledge of $50 or more a month, we will send you the ARP Angel tee shirt, and a patch cord mug from our store.

(Once you make your donation, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to order your thank you gift!)

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Cherry Audio ODC 2800 – Happy Centenary, Alan R Pearlman!

dddARP — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:03:43 +0000

Embark on a ‘Great Adventure’!

What better way to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Alan R Pearlman than to recreate and expand upon his ARP Odyssey with Cherry Audio’s ODC 2800.

Last week, on June 7th, the Alan R Pearlman Foundation kicked off a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alan R Pearlman himself. There was an in-person live event at EMEAPP, with a live streaming option, and there will continue to be a slew of events to mark this special occasion.

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ARP@100: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Alan R. Pearlman

dddARP — Fri, 16 May 2025 18:37:55 +0000

Saturday, June 7 · 7 – 10pm EDT. Doors at 6:30pm

Join us in celebrating the centennial birthday of a true visionary, synthesizer pioneer Alan R. Pearlman, at the exclusive gala opening of the ARP@100 exhibition!

The Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project (EMEAPP) and the Alan R. Pearlman Foundation proudly present this extraordinary exhibit at the new Museum of Music Technology, showcasing the groundbreaking work of Pearlman and his legendary ARP Synthesizers.

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Celebrating 100 Years of Alan R. Pearlman

dddARP — Fri, 16 May 2025 18:31:19 +0000

In celebration of the life and work of visionary synth pioneer Alan R. Pearlman, the Alan R. Pearlman Foundation will host an exclusive opening of the ARP@100 exhibition on the 100th anniversary of his birth, Saturday, June 7th. This fundraising event will take place at the Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project (EMEAPP) in their new Museum of Music Technology, showcasing the groundbreaking achievements of Pearlman and his legendary ARP Synthesizers.

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Installation Exhibition, Open Studio and Artist Talk March 8th from 4-6pm at The Record Co in Boston, MA

dddARP — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:45:38 +0000

ALAN R. PEARLMAN FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES INSTALLATION EXHIBITION, OPEN STUDIO and ARTIST TALK March 8th from 4-6pm AT THE RECORD CO., IN BOSTON, MA

KINGSTON, NY, FEBRUARY 24, 2024 – ARPs for All (the Alan R Pearlman Foundation in partnership with The Record Co.) will be hosting an open studio/installation exhibition and artists’ talk with our new Resident Gabriela Benavides. This will be the culmination of Gabriela’s week with the ARPs for All collection.

The event will be held at Boston’s TRC (the Record Co.), home of the first ‘ARPs for All’ initiative, on March 8, 2025. Visitors will be privy to an installation exhibit, open studio and artist talk. The space will open up at 4:00 pm, with the talk in Studio A of The Record Co. scheduled for 6:00 pm, and is free and open to the public, but will include a donor box and merch table to support the organizations.

About the Artist: Gabriela Benavides is a producer, composer, and sound designer with experience in Sound Design and music for linear and non-linear media, Audiovisual/Media Art, Videogame Audio Implementation, DSP and programming. She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Electronic Production & Design and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at New York University, specializing in computational approaches to media art and spatial audio.

About the Foundation: The Alan R Pearlman Foundation continues its work with contributors, collaborators, vendors, manufacturers, venues, and synthesizer owners to provide musicians with access to vintage ARP synthesizers to explore the endless possibilities of electronic music. The Foundation relies on donors to continue its mission, and encourages everyone who understands the importance of music education to visit alanrpearlmanfoundation.org to learn more and pledge their support.

About The Record Co: TRC is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to making space for Boston’s music makers. We believe in the power of music creation to bring people together and build a shared understanding across differences. We exist to make sure that no matter who you are, no matter why you make music, you can keep making.

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ARP + SNL: A piece of history revisted via an upcoming, much anticipated film and our ARP Pro Soloist!

dddARP — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 14:02:14 +0000

From d’ARP

This has been a secret that I’ve been waiting to release, and now it’s here! Back in February I received an email from a representative from SONY Pictures asking if I knew where they could rent an ARP Pro Soloist for their upcoming film Saturday Night due to be released soon. The movie, originally called SNL 1975, is about the first Saturday Night Live episode, and how it all came together. They wanted an authentic instrument to use when they depicted the late, great Billy Preston playing none other than the ARP Pro Soloist and singing “Nothing from Nothing”.

First, how cool is that The first musical act on SNL featured an ARP and amazing ARP artist upfront and center!

Second, yes, we had a wonderful ARP Pro Soloist coming to us from California. It was being tuned-up by the amazingly talented Alsún Ní Chasaide of SyntheticDreamscapes after a heavy-duty stint at NAMM during which people such as Stevie Wonder, Lamar Michell, Patrick Moraz and Dave Kerzner gave it a spin!

After some finagling, we had it sent to Georgia where the filming took place and to my astonishment, this particular instrument was about to gain even MORE infamy… none other than the Grammy Award winning Jon Batiste was portraying Billy Preston! Talk about one instrument taking on powerful vibes!

The film is scheduled for a premier on Oct 11. We can’t wait!!! Meanwhile, our second favorite Pro Soloist (our first is my dad’s, of course) will be out in the public again in the next year. We believe the magic that musicians bring to the instruments is contagious, so catch the vibe and stay tuned!

Read about the film on Vanity Fair, and check out the trailer below (ARP shows about 1:17 / 2:17) and the original video of Billy Preston on Vimeo.

Alvin Taylor with Billy Preston on first SNL, Oct 1975. from Richard Fox on Vimeo.

Jon Batiste, who also created the movie’s percussive score, plays the debut show’s musical guest, Billy Preston. By Hopper Stone/Sony Pictures Entertainment.

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A Conversation with Alan Howarth

dddARP — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 17:20:15 +0000

Monday October 30!! A Conversation with Alan Howarth! PLUS! A bonus 20 minutes of demos by a master of sound design!

On Monday, October 30th, the Alan R. Pearlman Foundation invites you to a watch party featuring Alan Howarth at 5PM ET hosted by (d’ARP) Dina Alcalay Pearlman-Ifil.

When?

Monday October 30
2PM California • 5PM New York • 10PM London • 11PM EU

Where?

Alan R Pearlman Foundation YouTube

What?

During the watch party premiere, you will be treated to:

A full-length interview and conversation between Alan Howarth and Dina CONVERSATION LINK
A 20 minute after-show with Alan demonstrating some of his techniques DEMO LINK

Other details…

The watch party is FREE, however, if you choose to donate during the watch party, your name will be put into a drawing for a poster or tee shirt from our shop (don’t forget to check out new merch!)The winner will be announced on Halloween.

About Alan Howarth

Alan Howarth’s award–winning film work started on Star Trek–The Motion Picture, launching him as a sound designer for the following 6 Star Trek feature films. Next was “Escape From New York”, collaborating on music with director and composer, John Carpenter, and scoring for “Halloween sequels 2–6″, “Christine”, “Big Trouble in Little China”, “Prince of Darkness” and “They Live”. He has since composed music for over 50 films with his most current score of “From the Shadows” set to release in this fall of 2023. (read more on Alan’s website) Stick around after the Interview for a special Demonstration video with Alan discussing and makeing some of his sound-making techniques. Not to be missed! You’ll have time for a short break, then go right to the video!

Go to YouTube Now!

For those attending the watch party on Monday if you make a donation during the premiere, your name will be put into a drawing for a poster or tee shirt from our shop (don’t forget to check out new merch!) The winner announced on Halloween.

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The first ever all ARP 2500 album opens for preorder, release on November 17!

dddARP — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:25:22 +0000

The ARP 2500 by David Baron

Distributed by Here & Now Recordings

PreOrder David Baron: The ARP 2500

About the Album:

Although it went largely unnoticed at the time, the 2500 became one of the most famous synthesizers in history when it was featured prominently in the film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, where it was used to communicate with an alien spaceship.

ARP instruments founder Alan Robert Pearlman was a Nasa scientist. Between 1970 and 1981 only 100 ARP 2500’s were ever made, each a custom order, no standard configurations. ARP 2500 one of Jean-Michel Jarre’s favourite instruments. All the sounds are completely unique. You pretty much need a degree in physics to operate one !

Pete Townsend “Mine plays six notes at once, can have 20 sets of preset control voltages available, six audio signals mixed and instantly usable at various levels. The most incredibly subtle tone colours can be produced
using the multimode resonator in conjunction with a normal filter, and the sequencer will provide exhilarating cascades of arpeggios.”

David Baron “The Arp 2500 was the only sound source. I sequenced one or two patches at a time and then built the compositions in layers. A lot of the audio FX were created through the use of pedals. The reverberation came from the Bricasti, EMT 240 Plate, Roland Space Echo 501, and a Vermona Spring Reverb. The Arp 2500 always ran through the Avedis Key Pre. I used very little dynamic compression/limiting. Time delay effects were mostly created ‘in the box’ but also with rack mount outboard including the AMS Tape Phase Simulator, an Eventide Instant Flanger, and a MXR Flanger/Doubler. The instrument stays in tune (for the most part). The filters can distort so some care has to be used when gain staging. The envelopes are very snappy. The sound is beautiful and creamy yet percussive and forward.”

About David Baron

Record producer, film composer, musician, arranger, engineer located in the historic Woodstock, New York area. An avid collector of vintage analog synthesizers and recording gear. He owns a private recording studio called Sun Mountain Studios located on top of a mountain overlooking the Ashokan Reservoir.

Some artists he has worked with: Lumineers, Shania Twain, Jade Bird, Shawn Mendes, Vance Joy, Meghan Trainor, Lenny Kravitz, Jeremiah Fraites, Josin, Matt Maeson and Lana Del Rey.

He blends retro and modern, orchestrated and raw. The contrast that brings out the emotion of a scene or in a song.

David releases his own music on UK-based Here and Now Recordings.

Album Credits

Releases November 17, 2023

Written recorded and produced by David Baron

Album cover designed by Dina Pearlman-Ifil derived from an old ARP 2500 brochure originally designed by Margaret Shepherd in 1970 for Tonus, Inc / ARP Instruments.
Photograph courtesy of the Alan R Pearlman Foundation
alanrpearlmanfoundation.org

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