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Synthetic music machine
Mechanical device that creates "synthetic" music from the classic dystopian novel, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, 1932. It's also referred to as a "synthetic music box" and "synthetic music apparatus" and "sythetic music plant." They are similiar to player piano, using paper rolls to play back pre-programmed music, but are capable of producing multiple synthesized instruments simultaneously. One piece is described as "...a trio for hyper-violin, super-'cello, and oboe-surrogate..."
One of the government departments is the Bureau of Propaganda by Synthetic Voice and Music, which presumably is in charge of programming the machines.
There is a disparaging mention of an "old-fashioned" hotel that has only "the most putrid synthetic music," suggesting that the machines have been in existence for some time, and have improved over that time.
The devices also can play back synthesized voices, being used to play back a calming speech during a riot, and also to give lessons:
'And this,' said the Provost a moment later, 'is the Hypnopaedic Control Room.'
Hundreds of synthetic music boxes, one for each dormitory, stood ranged in shelves round three sides of the room; pigeon-holed on the fourth were the paper sound-track rolls on which the various hypnopaedic lessons were printed.
'You slip the roll in here,' explained Bernard, interrupting Dr. Gaffney,' press down this switch ...'
'No, that one,' corrected the Provost, annoyed.
'That one, then. The roll unwinds. The selenium cells transform the light impulses into sound waves, and .. .'
'And there you are,' Dr. Gaffney concluded.
