The RAI’s Studio of Musical Phonology in Milan, in use from 1955 to 1983, setup and equipment dating to 1968, in holding for RAI Milan since 2008. (inv. ST. MUS. nn. 890-910)

RAI’s Studio of Musical Phonology in Milan, designed by the physicist Alfredo Lietti, was officially inaugurated in 1955 in Corso Sempione with the assistance of the musicians Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna, and remained in use until 28th February 1983.

The studio had two main functions: the production of experimental electronic music and packaging comment and soundtracks for radio and television. Transported to a room of the Museo degli Strumenti Musicali in 2008, the studio contains five main types of equipment. A section of “Oscillators” that had the purpose of producing electronic sounds includes sine wave generators, square wave generators, impulse generators and white noise generators. The second group contains instruments that allowed for the manipulation of the above mentioned sounds. The third group includes systems to mix the signals that had been generated and manipulated. The fourth contains the magnetic tape recording equipment, while the last is made up a system of loud speakers through which the music could be listened to. Some of the computer terminals allow for the tracks to be re-listened to and for the consultation of studio archive data.