Analogue vs. Digital: A collection item as an experimental tool of qualitative research

The upcoming project is an answer to the long-standing international calling of a specialised community for making certain collection items of the Czech Museum of Music of the National Museum accessible to the public, namely a monophonic analogue modular synthesizer called Číslizvuk (“DigitSound”), a prototype of the dk-l controller and pz-l step sequencer (made in 1977; all three items kept jointly as E_2793).
Further, it is a response to the demand for setting these collection items into a historical context – a description of the milieu and conditions in which they were created (Research Institute of Radio and Television), and a description of their technical specifications and functionalities.
At the same time, it serves as an experimental stimulus for the research of understanding analogue and digital devices in the past and the present, in the social environment of designers, developers, composers, and listeners to electronic musical instruments.
The project objective is to scientifically evaluate the National Museum collection and its popularisation, both in the Czech Republic and abroad. Education through a collection item and the documentation of the simultaneity of a retro phenomenon.

Project name: Analogue vs. Digital: A collection item as an experimental tool of qualitative research
Duration: 2017–2018
Agency: National Museum
Project type: Internal grant
NM’s investigator: Bc. Peter Balog

Anticipated results/outputs:
The results of the internal project shall be as follows:
Drawing up the history of the Research Institute of Radio and Television from interviews and an analysis of available sources and secondary literature. An elaboration of the technical documentation of the collection items and the case methodology of the description and restoration of electronic and mechanical components. A description of the functionality of the whole system.
The presentation of collection items, the history of the creation of E_2793 and history of the Research Institute’s activities in the Czech Republic (three presentations), in Slovakia (one presentation) and West Germany (one presentation) in the form of composed evenings for specialist audience, and a parallel ethnographic research.
Online survey investigation.
Preparation of an expert publication in an electronic format.
Publishing of the expert publication (80 pages without photographs).