Control Surfaces: Using the Commodore 64 and Analog Synthesizer to Expand Musical Boundaries

Analog-digital hybrid electronic music systems once existed out of necessity in order to facilitate a flexible work environment for the creation of live computer music. As computational power increased with the development of faster microprocessors, the need for digital functionality with analog sound production decreased, with the computer becoming more capable of handling both tasks. Given the exclusivity of these systems and the relatively short time they were in use, the possibilities of such systems were hardly explored. The work of Jos\'e Vicente Asuar best demonstrated a push for accessibility of such systems, but he never received the support of any institution in order to bring his machine widespread attention. Modeled after his approach, using a Commodore 64 (or freely available OS emulator) and analog modular hardware, this paper aims to fashion a system that is accessible, affordable, easy to use, educational, and musically rich in nature.