The Birotron was named after its inventor, Dave Biro, and developed with investment from regular Mellotron player Rick Wakeman.[1][2] Like the Mellotron, the instrument produced sounds from magnetic tape, but it used eight-track tape in a loop. As such tapes never need rewinding, this avoided the problem that the Mellotron had, where a sound would stop playing after around eight seconds.[1]
The instrument has 37 keys and features 19 eight-track cartridges. Tapes could be easily exchanged or replaced, and it was intended that musicians could add their own recordings to the instrument.[3]
Production
Biro first started designing a tape-replay instrument in 1974 after hearing Wakeman play the Mellotron on Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes.[4] He used the keyboard from an old piano and parts from a local hardware store, plus a set of automotive eight-track decks from a junkyard.[3] Biro built the prototype in his father's garage with "no plans, no drawings. nothing. All I remember is that absolutely no one thought it could work".[4] Despite several faults, Biro persuaded Wakeman to financially invest in the instrument after meeting him backstage at a concert later that year. As part of the deal, Wakeman retained full rights with an offer of compensation to Biro should the instrument become successful.[5] Development progressed in 1975, when Wakeman had Biro produce a working model with help from his technicians at his factory and rehearsal facility in High Wycombe, England.[6]
In late 1978, Wakeman said that between 30 and 35 unfinished models had been built, and the instrument performed to his satisfaction in a studio setting, but problems arose when it was used on tour with Yes a year prior. Its precise voltage requirements made it unsuitable for use in countries outside the UK, and a decision had yet to be made to either produce several models to work on different voltages, or add a built-in transformer.[9] Wakeman said a key problem was that the instrument had "teething problems" that did not bother him, but would be unacceptable to the general public.[1] A further problem was the increasing popularity of string synthesizers, which could reproduce a similar sound without any mechanical issues. Ultimately, few models were manufactured and the instrument never entered regular production. Wakeman later said he lost around £50,000 in the investment.[10]
The only musicians other than Wakeman to have bought a Birotron are Tangerine Dream (who bought two), Klaus Schulze and Tom Rhea. As of 2019[update], only two working models are known to exist.[10]